Why Instrumentl
Full Cycle Grant Platform
By Customer
Featured
$1.1m More Per Year
The Instrumentl Impact Report
Explore
Learn
Connect
Get funding for BIPOC-led nonprofits and DEI initiatives focused on equity, empowerment, and community resilience.
32,000+
Available grants
$8.25B
Total funding
$6K
Median grant
Skip the search. Get matched with grants that fit your non-profit.
Smart recommendations based on your profile — in minutes.
DIV Fund
Who we are: The DIV Fund is a tiered, evidence-based, open innovation fund that identifies and supports solutions with the potential to cost-effectively improve the lives of millions of people living in poverty around the world. We aim to serve as a discovery engine for global development, building a pipeline of evidence-driven innovations that drive impact at scale.
How we fund: Our goal is to maximize the expected social return on our investment. To enable this, we support innovators and researchers through three funding tiers, calibrating funding according to our three core principles: evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and potential for durable scale. At earlier stages of funding, we look for potential. At higher funding levels, we look for demonstrated results. This tiered approach balances measured risk-taking with progressively higher requirements, in order to discover new ideas, validate what works, and catalyze the scale-up of proven solutions.
Where we fund: The DIV Fund supports innovations addressing challenges in low- and middle-income countries (as classified by the World Bank). We prioritize proposals based on their expected social return (see section B for more information), and give more weight to improvements expected to benefit people with lower incomes.
What we fund: Our tiered criteria outline distinct requirements for three different stages, based on innovations’ proposed pathways to scale.
We offer three award tiers - Stage 1 (Piloting), Stage 2 (Testing), and Stage 3 (Scaling) - with requirements calibrated according to the strength of the evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and the potential for durable scale of the proposed innovation. Applicants should apply for the stage that best reflects the current state of development of the innovation and its readiness to generate stronger evidence and prepare for scale. While you do not need to start at Stage 1, if applying for later stage awards, your application should credibly demonstrate that you have already met the criteria for earlier stages.
Applicants should state explicitly why they are coming to DIV Fund now and how a grant will catalyze their innovation.
Stage 2: Testing & Positioning for Scale
Purpose
Stage 2 grants are designed to determine if an innovation measurably and meaningfully improves people’s lives and has a viable path toward scale. Applicants should have already conducted successful pilot testing - with or without the DIV Fund’s support - and be ready to rigorously test their innovation’s impact or market viability. Where such evidence is needed, Stage 2 awards may support a rigorous evaluation of the impact of the innovation.
Applicants may also use DIV funds to expand operations in ways that position the innovation for scale, e.g., by testing alternative implementation approaches, by conducting further market testing, or by exploring ways to satisfy requirements for scaling that are likely to be imposed by long-term funders.
DIV Fund
Who we are: The DIV Fund is a tiered, evidence-based, open innovation fund that identifies and supports solutions with the potential to cost-effectively improve the lives of millions of people living in poverty around the world. We aim to serve as a discovery engine for global development, building a pipeline of evidence-driven innovations that drive impact at scale.
How we fund: Our goal is to maximize the expected social return on our investment. To enable this, we support innovators and researchers through three funding tiers, calibrating funding according to our three core principles: evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and potential for durable scale. At earlier stages of funding, we look for potential. At higher funding levels, we look for demonstrated results. This tiered approach balances measured risk-taking with progressively higher requirements, in order to discover new ideas, validate what works, and catalyze the scale-up of proven solutions.
Where we fund: The DIV Fund supports innovations addressing challenges in low- and middle-income countries (as classified by the World Bank). We prioritize proposals based on their expected social return (see section B for more information), and give more weight to improvements expected to benefit people with lower incomes.
What we fund: Our tiered criteria outline distinct requirements for three different stages, based on innovations’ proposed pathways to scale.
We offer three award tiers - Stage 1 (Piloting), Stage 2 (Testing), and Stage 3 (Scaling) - with requirements calibrated according to the strength of the evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and the potential for durable scale of the proposed innovation. Applicants should apply for the stage that best reflects the current state of development of the innovation and its readiness to generate stronger evidence and prepare for scale. While you do not need to start at Stage 1, if applying for later stage awards, your application should credibly demonstrate that you have already met the criteria for earlier stages.
Applicants should state explicitly why they are coming to DIV Fund now and how a grant will catalyze their innovation.
Stage 1: Piloting
Purpose
Stage 1 grants support real-world pilots of early-stage innovations. Stage 1 innovations are typically early in their development and use DIV funding for pilot testing to refine the basic model and establish real-world viability at a relatively small scale. The DIV Fund only supports innovations that are post-prototype and ready to be tested in a real-world setting. This means that if your innovation is still in development in a lab or is still at the idea stage, it is premature for DIV support. We typically support pilots that are being tested with at least hundreds or thousands of people.
Jonathan Frank Decherd, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund
Currently attending or planning to attend Baylor University.
Awards
John L. and Linda D. Bohnel Scholarship Fund
Must be attending a college or university that partners with Upswing.
Awards
Bruce E. Hepke Memorial Scholarship
Mission Statement
The Bruce E. Hepke Memorial Scholarship was established in 2021 to commemorate the life of a very special husband, father, and friend.
Devoted husband to wife Sue, and father to sons Darren and Connor, Bruce was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2016. He fought the disease bravely, until tragically, it took its final toll on February 18, 2021. The support that Bruce received from his family during this period, as well as his own personal courage and perseverance to live life to its fullest, were exceptionally inspirational.
A true gentleman, in every sense of the word, this memorial scholarship will be awarded each year to a college-bound candidate that demonstrates the characteristics that made Bruce such a remarkable and outstanding person-
Perseverance, Integrity, Leadership and Sportsmanship.
About the Scholarship
An avid golfer his entire life, Bruce loved the mental and physical challenges of the sport, the camaraderie, the competition, and the pure fun in traveling and playing on different courses. In 1998 he joined the West Chester Golf and Country Club, where he found a wonderful group of people with whom to socialize and play golf. Bruce was a true “renaissance man” with an incredibly wide range of interests but playing golf and being an active member of his Club were at the top of his list. This scholarship is intended to reflect his love for both the sport and his Club. It will be awarded annually to a high school senior and will be chosen from a candidate pool that includes the West Chester Golf and Country Club’s Ambassador Golf program as well as six surrounding high schools that have special meaning to the Hepke family. (The six high schools are Great Valley, Malvern Preparatory School, Marple Newtown, West Chester Bayard Rustin, West Chester East and West Chester Henderson.)
Tommy C. Turner Memorial Scholarship
This fund was established to benefit graduating seniors of any Elmore County high school who attend a school that is part of The University of Alabama system (e.g., The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, The University of Alabama in Huntsville or The University of Alabama at Birmingham). Scholarships may be renewed annually. The criteria considered are the applicant’s need, academic performance and ability.
Application Requirements:
About Us
In 1971 the Legislature established the Maine Historic Preservation Commission to implement State policy to "preserve the architectural, historic and environmental heritage of the people of the State, and to develop and promote the cultural, educational and economic benefits of these resources." The Commission is an independent agency within the Executive branch of state government that functions as the State Historic Preservation Office.
Its Director serves as the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) upon appointment by the Governor. The office administers the programs of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 in Maine, which includes the identification, evaluation, and protection of the state’s significant cultural resources.
Grants
The Commission offers several grants and assists with administering several others on behalf of the National Park Service.
Certified Local Government (CLG) Grants
CLG grants are also funded by the Federal money and carry many of the same requirements as the Historic Preservation grants with one important distinction: eligible applicants are limited to the CLG certified communities in Maine.
The Maine Historic Preservation Commission is pleased to announce a second FY2025 Certified Local Government (CLG) grant round. The Commission anticipates awarding approximately $50,000 in 90/10 matching grants for architectural or archaeological surveys, public education, planning, National Register nominations or development or pre-development projects for projects located in CLG communities. The minimum grant award is $5,000.
Eligible historic buildings and sites are those that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places either individually or as contributing resources in a National Register-listed historic district.
The Commission's CLG Grant Manual provides information about eligible projects and expenses, as well as the project selection process, including selection criteria. Funding priorities for 2025 include the establishment of historic building trades training programs, conducting building condition assessments on historic buildings and helping organizations prepare plans and specifications in anticipation of building projects. A complete list of funding priorities is available in the grant manual.
Eligible applicants are limited to municipal governments with CLG status, and non-profit institutions as defined by the Internal Revenue Service applying through the municipal governments. Projects must be directed by persons with professional credentials as defined by the Department of the Interior and must be completed by June.
*Maine CLGs include Augusta, Bangor, Biddeford, Castine, Gardiner, Kennebunk, Lewiston, Portland, Saco, Topsham, and York.
About Us
In 1971 the Legislature established the Maine Historic Preservation Commission to implement State policy to "preserve the architectural, historic and environmental heritage of the people of the State, and to develop and promote the cultural, educational and economic benefits of these resources." The Commission is an independent agency within the Executive branch of state government that functions as the State Historic Preservation Office.
Its Director serves as the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) upon appointment by the Governor. The office administers the programs of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 in Maine, which includes the identification, evaluation, and protection of the state’s significant cultural resources.
Grants
The Commission offers several grants and assists with administering several others on behalf of the National Park Service.
New Century Community Grants
As state program funds are available, the Commission makes matching grants to eligible non-profit and community based organizations for the restoration or preservation of historic properties listed in the Register.
Bailey and Friends Grant
Financial support from Bailey and Friends focuses on several categories including: spay/neuter, quality shelter care, adoptions and foster care, emergency relief, therapy/companion training, community education on responsible pet ownership and other programs to ensure that dogs and cats have the chance to live healthy, happy lives in stable environments.
Bailey and Friends strives to improve the lives of dogs and cats primarily in underserved communities and rural areas where services are limited. Small ‘mom & pop’ operations with limited capacity to provide needed services are encouraged to apply.
As a new extension of the Golisano Foundation, financial resources for grants are limited. Our average award is in the $5,000 – $10,000 range, however, smaller and larger grants will be considered. Please call the office for further discussion before starting the online application.
Applications for programs, capital projects or community planning initiatives related to the field of animal welfare will be given consideration.
Community-wide strategies involving alliances/coalitions/collaborations that bring together the expertise and perspectives of various stakeholders; that can identify and grow best practices and effective programs; that are easy to replicate and share broadly with other communities will be given consideration.
Grants for BIPOC organizations fund programs aimed at advancing equity, inclusion, and opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The following grants support initiatives in education, healthcare, business development, and social justice, driving systemic change and community empowerment.
Find 8,000+ grant opportunities dedicated to BIPOC-led initiatives, with $3.43B in funding available. Instrumentl’s database provides tailored searches, deadline tracking, and insights into funders that prioritize diversity and equity. Join 4,000+ nonprofits leveraging Instrumentl to achieve meaningful impact.
How common are grants in this category?
Quite common — grants in this category are more prevalent than in others.
Over the past year, when are grant deadlines typically due for grants for BIPOC?
Most grants are due in the first quarter.
What's the typical grant amount funded for Grants for BIPOC?
Grants are most commonly $34,887.
These grants are usually funded by private foundations and philanthropic organizations, such as the Ford Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation. Government agencies at all levels often provide funding, especially for diversity and inclusion initiatives. Companies with social responsibility programs and community development groups are key funders.
Organizations that qualify for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) grants support ethnic and Indigenous minorities, LGBTQ+ members, refugees, and people who are or were incarcerated. They also assist unhoused individuals, veterans or their families, and people with disabilities. These organizations focus on racial equity, economic justice, and health disparities.
Applicants for BIPOC grants are typically US 501(c)(3) nonprofits, similar international organizations, advocacy groups, or community groups. These organizations are led by and serve BIPOC.
Based on Instrumentl’s live grant database for grants for bipoc grants, deadlines are most common in Q1, accounting for 29.8% of all submission dates. The slowest period for new grant opportunities in this category falls in Q4, making it a less competitive time for preparation and strategic planning.
Funding for BIPOC grants aims to empower nonprofits that are led by and serve BIPOC communities. These grants support programmes that address systemic inequalities, promote social justice, enhance economic opportunities, and support community development within BIPOC communities. The grants are often directed towards initiatives in education, entrepreneurship, social justice, and healthcare access.
On average, grants in grants for bipoc provide funding between $0 and $188,250,000, with typical awards falling around $34,887 (median) and $655,609 (average). These insights can help nonprofits align their funding requests with what grantmakers typically offer in this space.
To improve success for BIPOC grants, organizations should:
For additional guidance, explore our step-by-step guide to crafting compelling grant proposals.
Instrumentl simplifies the grant application process for BIPOC organizations by matching them with the most relevant funders, saving time and ensuring no opportunity is overlooked. The platform also tracks applications, allowing organizations to stay on top of deadlines without stress. See how Lutheran Braille Workers increased their grant submissions by 150%.