Search Through Grants for Churches in the U.S.

Our Historical Basis

In the year 1517, the reformer Martin Luther nailed 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, marking what is considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.  Luther envisioned a church where the on-going proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ would establish people in the freedom of a living faith.  Luther further encouraged that such faith would free the Christian to be active in service to the neighbor.

Our Purpose

Continuing Luther’s vision, the purpose of 1521 Foundation LLC is to carry forward this dual legacy of supporting the proclamation of the freedom of faith in Christ and encouraging service on behalf of the neighbor. Therefore, the mission of 1521 Foundation LLC is to promote gospel freedom and service to the neighbor in two mission fields.

One mission field advances the Great Commission of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:16–20) through the support of ministries falling within the Lutheran Confessional tradition that believe, teach, and confess justification by faith apart from any merit in works—relying solely on the freedom of forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ alone.  To inform and interpret this understanding of the Christian faith, we rely especially—though not exclusively—on the books of the Old and New Testaments and the published writings of Martin Luther and Gerhard O. Forde.

The other mission field supports charitable organizations that serve the public benefit by providing for the relief and assistance of people in need regardless of race, religion, or creed.

About the Foundation

At the CDV5 Foundation, our mission is to help others reach their full potential and sustain long-term health and vitality. We strive to support children, families and communities in greater Grand Rapids and select communities around the world in their quest to attain the resources needed to discover and achieve their purpose in life. We believe that when each individual is given the opportunity to use his or her own unique talents and abilities to thrive, individual lives and communities are capable of positive growth.

CDV5 Foundation Grant

We partner with select causes and organizations that are closely aligned with our passions in the following areas:

• Nuturing Successful Children:
  • Children are more likely to be successful when their minds, bodies and souls are well nourished and their environments are safe. We aim to equip children with the necessary skills and abilities to flourish. Our foundation supports select causes and organizations committed to the spiritual, educational and personal development of our urban youth.
• Fostering Stronger Families:
• A stable family provides a solid foundation from which each individual member can gain the confidence and support to pursue his or her own potential. Through select partners, our foundation strives to help families, especially those at greater risk of failure due to their socio-economic situation, to improve their circumstances and meet their full potential.
• Cultivating Healthier Communities:
  • Healthy people and neighborhoods create a healthy community. From connecting individuals to personal wellness programs to supporting neighborhood improvement projects, the foundation works with select organizations to improve individual and community health.

Funding

Foundation staff strongly encourage nonprofits to consider their organizational budget and/or project budget, support from other donors, relationship with Foundation and Trustees, and grant history when determining a request amount.

Mission

The Fish Family Foundation of Maine is a faith based charitable organization located in Bangor, Maine. Founded in 2007, our mission is to provide resources for many initiatives including, but not limited to, missions, education scholarships, ministries, medical research, and employment creation. The Fish Family Foundation of Maine is primarily funded by the family. However, contributions from like minded individuals and organizations is appreciated. The Fish Family Foundation of Maine has a balanced strategy of making funds available for immediate needs, while also investing to build a perpetual earning endowment ensuring the Foundation's successful future.

Missions:

We support needs of missionary organizations including sponsorships for young people who wish to attend youth group sponsored mission trips. We ordinarily make one time contributions but on occasion have made up to a three year commitment. 

Education/Scholarships:

The Foundation makes scholarships available to Colleges, Universities, and other Schools for student enrollment and expenses. We also consider new construction, existing renovation, equipment, and support material contributions.

Independent Churches and Ministries:

We accept a wide variety of requests, including, but not limited to: materials, equipment, new construction, renovations, programs, and services. 

Medical Research:

We support medical research opportunities close to our hearts and organizations that our family and friends have experienced. 

Job Creation:

We Support organizations that fund entrepreneurs in impoverished areas to start small businesses providing services and employment to the community.

Requests are considered by the trustees the first week of each month. Foundation payments are made by paper check in US dollars and are reported to the appropriate tax agencies. While we certainly wish that we could contribute to all the applications that meet our funding criteria, there are times when when available funding is limited and we are not able to contribute to some very worthy causes. If we are not in a position to help in the timeline requested, we will keep the information on file for possible consideration in the future. 

About

“Joan Marilynn Wismer was born on January 18, 1940, in Oakland, California, the only child of Preston and Hilda Davis. When she was young, the family moved to Los Angeles, where her father was general counsel of United Parcel Service during its formative years.

Joan graduated from Hamilton High School in 1957 and attended the University of Southern California, joining the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta.

Joan learned the value of service and charity from her parents, who believed that generosity is its own reward and a generous person is twice blessed. A forty-year resident of North Hollywood, she was an active member of many charitable organizations, including USC Trojan League Associates of the Valleys, Rotary Club of North Hollywood, Daughters of the Nile (Mokattam Temple No. 12), Order of the Eastern Star (Van Nuys Chapter No. 338), and Las Floristas.

In 2001, Joan established the Joan M. Wismer Foundation. She loved finding worthy programs, making grants, and meeting new friends. During Joan’s lifetime, the Joan M. Wismer Foundation supported education, projects assisting children, medical research, international relief, and the training and placement of ordnance-sniffing dogs for service in war-torn countries.

Joan passed away on March 12, 2015, and the Foundation is proud to honor her legacy.”

Mission Statement

The Joan M. Wismer Foundation is dedicated to improving and enriching the lives of youth and adults in the United States and abroad. The foundation supports programs that focus on education and youth development, safety and humanitarian services, medical and scientific research, culture and the arts.

Parkinson Family Foundation Grant

The Parkinson Family Foundation chooses to pursue its mission by concentrating on three main areas of focus: Food & Water, Faith & Evangelism, and Health & Humanitarian Efforts. The Foundation also recognizes the power and potential in education & community outreach and may be able to engage in grantmaking in these areas, though such efforts will be very targeted. 

Admittedly, there is a good deal of overlap in all these areas and a tremendous amount of philanthropic and charitable activity is covered. Therefore, the Foundation must be extremely selective in choosing with which organizations it will partner. Those groups with whom the Foundation has been able to develop a relationship will often receive greater consideration.

Declinations are not a slight, but a sign of the tremendous need worldwide and a result of determined priority for the Foundation, its members and its particular efforts in light of very limited resources. What drives our mission is the Greatest Commandment, but it does not limit our consideration of organizations that are not faith-based.

Funding

Grants may range from $1,000 up to around $5,000. In unique circumstances, the Foundation does consider a more significant grant for a program having a major impact in one or more of our areas of interest, however these would be grantees with whom we have already partnered. First-time requests exceeding $10,000 will be automatically declined, as this will show us that those applicants did not bother to review the specifics of our foundation. We defer to the expertise of the applicants to educate us on the funding needed to run a successful program and how they expect to raise those required funds.

Applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, with a focus on outcomes and impact. The request amount must reflect the effectiveness of the proposed program and consider the specific needs and challenges of the communities involved, as well as the foundation's goals, guidelines and limited resources. The Foundation does not, generally, fund 100% of a program or organization. The foundation generally will not approve a grant for more than a three-year commitment. The vast majority of our funding is for one-year commitments.

History

Established and endowed by William and Jeanne Pratt in 1999, the PFF's work reflects the interests and principals of the Pratt family. In addition to community efforts, the PFF gives special consideration to promoting excellence in schools as well as advancements in healthcare and medical technology.

The PFF actively engages and supports a number of cornerstone organizations though a rigorous assessment-based initiative that provides core program grants. The PFF strives to support a variety of organizations that bring innovation to the stewardship of these causes.

Activities Supported Include the Following

• Housing Assistance
• Support and Assistance for Abused and Battered Women and Their Dependants
• Educational Assistance
• General Education Institutional Assistance (Public and Private schools and Universities)
• Disaster Relief
• Aid for Women in Crisis Pregnancies
• Disadvantaged Youth Programs
• Healthcare for Children

About Us

The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People is a ministry that affirms God’s concern for humankind. We are Presbyterians and ecumenical partners dissatisfied with poverty and oppression, united in faith and action through sharing, confronting, and enabling by participating in the empowerment of economically poor, oppressed, and disadvantaged people, seeking to change the structures that perpetuate poverty, oppression, and injustice.

Since its creation, the Self-Development of People Committee has had authority and responsibility to engage in a special ministry: 1) entering into partnership with groups of economically poor, oppressed, and disadvantaged people, 2) interacting with presbyteries and synods in the process of certifying their Self-Development Committees and helping to facilitate their work, and 3) encouraging a deeper understanding and involvement of the Church in the process of self-development.

Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People Grant

The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) is prepared to establish partnerships with groups in the United States who:

• are oppressed by poverty and social systems,
• want to take charge of their own lives,
• have organized or are organizing to do something about their own conditions,
• have decided that what they are going to do will produce long term changes for their lives or communities,
• utilize some combination of the SDOP core strategies to promote justice, build solidarity, advance human dignity, advocate for economic equity,
• will control the programs they own and will benefit from them directly.

About the Foundation

Established in 2022, the Roy and Gloria Dinsdale Foundation is a private foundation based in Omaha, Nebraska. The foundation honors the late Gloria and Roy Dinsdale, executive chairman of Pinnacle Bancorp, Inc. and founder of Pinnacle Bank. The Board of Directors is made up of Roy and Gloria’s three children, Jane Dinsdale Rogers, Chris Dinsdale, and Sid Dinsdale.

Roy Dinsdale was the 3rd generation to live in Palmer, Nebraska. He and Gloria married in 1949 and settled in Palmer. Both Roy and Gloria were influenced by their upbringing in small Nebraska towns, where people help each other and support each other, when there is a need.

This concept of helping each other by giving back drives the Foundation to provide support in the communities Pinnacle Bank, Bank of Colorado and other Dinsdale companies serve.

Mission

The Roy and Gloria Dinsdale Foundation seeks to improve lives by providing food, shelter, clothing, and support for daily living, in addition to providing support for the arts and education.

Focus Areas

The family prefers to support local needs, including organizations, programs and initiatives in rural communities that impact the local economy when possible.

• Persons with Disabilities:
  • Provide support for the daily needs and enrichment of persons with disabilities.
• Healthcare:
  • Improve the health and lives of people, emphasizing access to quality care including specialized services such as hospice care in rural communities.
• Education:
  • Enhance educational opportunities and access for children and adults to local educational facilities embedded in community, specifically in the areas of early childhood education, child care, and junior colleges.
• Arts:
  • Increase access to the arts, enrich lives, and contribute to the creation of vibrant communities.
• Veterans and First Responders:
  • Support the needs of veterans, first responders and their families.

Who Can Get Tickets?

Tickets for Kids Charities partners with organizations (agency partners) that serve low-income, at-risk children and youth to supplement their existing programming with ticketed experiences. These programs can include: residential, mentoring, behavioral health counseling, after-school program, summer day camps, and other types of services. TFK ticketed experiences are provided to approved agency partners at no cost to their organizations or clientele.

Giving and Grants

Our funding priorities are aligned around Digital Inclusion, Climate Protection and Human Prosperity. New applications are by invitation only. Verizon and the Verizon Foundation do not respond to unsolicited inquiries for funding.

Verizon and the Verizon Foundation are inclusive

Neither Verizon or the Verizon Foundation discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, religion, national or ethnic origin or physical disability. As a company with a highly diverse workforce serving an equally diverse set of customers, Verizon through its Foundation, supports a wide range of programs through direct and matching grants that benefit diverse communities, including without limitation minorities, veterans, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender and others. Verizon and the Verizon Foundation each expect its grant recipients to comply with all applicable laws, including those governing tax-exempt status and non-discrimination laws.

All organizations must:

• Not duplicate or significantly overlap the work of public agencies on the federal, state or local level.
• Keep books available for regular independent outside audit and make the results available to all potential contributors.
• Comply with applicable laws regarding registration and reporting.
• Observe the highest standards of business conduct in its relationships with the public.
• Use the funding for initiatives that will benefit the broader community.

Guidelines

If you are eligible to apply, your grant application to either Verizon or the Verizon Foundation for consideration should abide by the following guidelines:

• At least 85% of the total grant funds should be composed of direct costs (costs that are directly attributable to the project.)
  • Accordingly, indirect (or “overhead”) costs should be no more than 15% of the total grant funds.
  • Grants with indirect costs greater than 15% will require a business justification to be considered for funding.  
• Grants with IT-infrastructure related costs (such as computer hardware, software, data or networks) that total more than 20 percent of the grant’s total direct costs should provide an explanation detailing the use of the IT assets and whether cellular connectivity is involved.

 For education grants, Verizon and Verizon Foundation funding is intended to support projects that promote digital skills development for students and teachers in grades K-12. This includes, for example, summer or afterschool programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), teacher professional development, and research on technology-infused pedagogy. Schools and districts that apply for grants from Verizon and are eligible for the Education Rate (E-Rate) program may not use grant funding to purchase technology hardware (computers, netbooks, laptops, routers), devices (tablets, phones), data or Internet service and access, unless approved by Verizon compliance.

Are We a Match?

Do you envision a world where every child and family sees the road to success? Where a community’s future is determined by the people who live there?A world where:

• All kids receive nurturing early care and education.
• Health care for mothers, birthing people and babies is readily available where they live.
• Good food is a given, along with support for the people who grow it.
• Parents and caregivers land career pathways that sustain their family
•   And where everyone can heal from the harms of racism and contribute to a more equitable world.

That’s the world we want to see, too!

Where We Fund

Across the United States, with generational commitments in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans. We also fund in Chiapas and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and in central and southwest Haiti.

About

The Joan and Tim Fenton Foundation is a non-profit corporation established by Joan and Tim Fenton for the purpose of promoting charitable, artistic, religious, educational, literary and scientific endeavors. The foundation is based in Salt Lake City, Utah and is qualified under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Joan and Tim Fenton Foundation Grant

The Joan and Tim Fenton Foundation has been established to implement the charitable interests of the Joan and Tim Fenton family.

The foundation has a broad spectrum of philanthropic interests and supports endeavors that:

• Encourage and support the long-term preservation and enhancement of the quality of life of all humankind, especially of families and children;
• Assist the disenfranchised of society, such as but not limited to, abused spouses and children, in order that they receive the full benefits of membership in society and fulfill their potential as human beings;
• Promote medical research and the development of innovative medical technologies for saving lives and alleviating pain and suffering;
• Promote the development of the arts, including art education in schools, assistance of promising young artists, and support of performing arts organizations;
• Promote community development and security, adequate and affordable housing, and education and job training;
• Promote law and order generally and provide youth with alternatives to gangs, crime and socially nonproductive behavior;
• Protect and enhance the environment, preserve wild and open spaces, and promote development of parks and green spaces;
• Promote the development of science, culture and recreation;
• Promote world peace and unity through a greater understanding, tolerance and harmony among religious, national and ethnic groups;
• Advance the programs at private and state universities and colleges that are consistent with the foundation’s charter; and,
• Advance the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all its places.

Our Mission

The Sorenson Legacy Foundation is a non-profit corporation established by the late biotechnology pioneer and entrepreneur James LeVoy Sorenson and his wife, education philanthropist Beverley Taylor Sorenson, to promote charitable, artistic, religious, educational, literary, and scientific endeavors. The foundation is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is qualified under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Sorenson Legacy Foundation was created to improve the lives of others and the world in which we live. The foundation supports a wide range of endeavors, from community development and health care to scientific and artistic pursuits.

What We Fund

Education

As a teacher, Beverley believed the arts are essential to broadening our children’s minds starting in elementary. She helped promote legislation so Utahn children would be exposed to more of the arts. She saw the arts as equal in importance in the development and success of children as sciences and math. Education continues to be a focus area for the foundation because she was a champion for the cause.

The foundation continues to support seven major universities in the development of elementary arts studies. The goal of education funding will always be to improve the breadth and depth of the art education and experiences of young students. Whether that be by supporting elementary programs or teachers who develop the talents of students.

Health Care

Having never fulfilled his dream of becoming a doctor, James devoted much of his fortune to provide better medical assistance for saving lives and alleviating pain and suffering.

Grants are awarded to facilities that work toward improving these aims as well as medical research, medical technologies, and other innovations that provide safe health care and quick recoveries.

Innovation

James was always interested in how to improve products or processes and never settled for the status quo. His 60+ patents are proof of his desire to innovate areas to improve quality of life and equality of experience.

Grants are awarded to organizations that share the same passion for technological advances and care for humanity. Unlike the other areas funded, innovation grants are open to any category or sector where innovative ideas and technologies can change the lives of people for the better.

Community

Both James and Beverley Sorenson were committed to improving the lives of those in their communities. From a young age, James served others including through a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The foundation recognizes the ways to help our communities are vast. Grants are given to programs that focus on protecting and preserving the environment, assisting the disenfranchised of society, and promoting understanding and tolerance in our world.

Projects

Ideas include, but are not limited to, projects and programs which: 

Education

• promote the development of the arts, including art education in schools
• assist promising young artists
• support performing arts organizations
• promote education and job training

Innovation

• enhance the quality of life of all humankind
• promote the development of science, culture, and recreation
• protect and enhance the environment
• promote the development of parks and green spaces

Health Care

• promote medical research
• develop innovative medical technologies for saving lives
• alleviate pain and suffering

Community

• encourage and support the long-term preservation of families and children;
• assist the disenfranchised of society, such as abused spouses and children
• promote community development and security and adequate and affordable housing
• promote law and order generally
• provide youth with alternatives to gangs, crime, and socially nonproductive behavior
• promote world peace and unity through greater understanding and tolerance
• advance the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Our History

Andy has spent a lifetime developing and building sustainable communities. He has expertise in regulatory guidelines, leveraging money, and visionary leadership. His integrity and work ethic have produced communities that continue to thrive on their own beyond his personal or business involvement, both economically and aesthetically. His patience and appreciation for nature come from years of working with recreational athletic teams and hunting in remote areas.

Jan has spent a lifetime in community service with a focus on responsible, fiducially sound leadership practices. Her consensus-building leadership style has developed through involvement in educational cultural arts initiatives, public park and environmental endeavors, and church leadership. Her creative vision coupled with her ability to appreciate and empower volunteers has helped reshape the groups and organizations she has been a part of.

Together, Andy and Jan have raised three children in the Wake County Public School System, always conscious of building community through consistent involvement in Parent-Teacher Associations, church, youth sports leagues, the local business community, and civic organizations. They are North Carolina natives with a global perspective drawn from extensive travel, both nationally and internationally.

Jandy is based on the biblical foundation where two come together to make one. The name is a visual representation of how they have partnered their life for their children and how they would like to partner with groups in the future. They believe in hard work, personal responsibility, integrity to the project and process, avoiding missed opportunities, and doing their absolute best with the resources they’ve been given.

They’ve now created a family Foundation, blending their talents together, to build a Foundation that inspires emulation based on the best of Jandy – Andy’s vision to leave lasting community assets and Jan’s creativity in bringing volunteers together. They intend to provide resources for like-minded Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) public charities that will share in their mission and help further creative visionary volunteer groups with their capital projects.

Mission and Focus

Jan and Andy Ammons established The Jandy Ammons Foundation in November 2012. The foundation’s mission is to improve local communities through innovative, project-driven endeavors that will enhance wildlife habitats, park settings, educational surroundings, artistic installations, or Christian church mission projects.

Grant Focus

The foundation focuses on specific “shovel ready” standalone projects, including the following:

• Wildlife/conservation/hunting projects
• Educational projects
• Artistic installations
• Christian church mission endeavors
• Park settings/community areas
• Other organizations and projects uniquely within the scope of the Foundation’s mission

About the Program

NFL Foundation Player Matching Grants are designed to provide nonprofit organizations or schools and youth football organizations with funding of up to $5,000 per grant, on behalf of a current NFL Player or NFL Legend (i.e., former player) that has contributed to the organization.

Players and Legends may apply for up to TWO Player Matching Grants per calendar year if the grants are awarded to different organizations. Additionally, an organization may receive up to TWO grants, in one year if the grants are awarded from different Players/Legends.

Player Matching Grant

To be eligible for match funding, a 1:1 match must be provided by the applicant in the current calendar year.

Community Support

Player Matching Community Grants are for nonprofit organizations doing work to better the community. This grant allows NFL players and Legends to help support broad community efforts through the work of nonprofit organizations. Areas of support include, but are not limited to, Disease Prevention and Awareness, Mental Health, Youth Health & Fitness, Military Appreciation, Disaster Relief, Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, Character Education, Anti-Bullying, Animal Welfare, etc. Please note, we will not match donations to political organizations, religious organizations or churches.

Former Players Currently Coaching Youth or High School Football

Recognizes the time contribution of former NFL players who coach youth and high school football programs. Eligible players may receive up to $5,000 in non-match funding, based on the need, merit and standing of the application.

Former players MUST serve as HEAD COACHES or full-time assistants in order to be eligible for the grant. Athletic Directors and league commissioners may apply and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Players must be vested.

About the Antioch Foundation 

Since 2000, The Antioch Foundation has provided financial support to innovative people and institutions across the U.S. and around the word to share the Gospel of Jesus and serve others in the areas of faith, education, medicine, and humanitarian need.

Our Mission:

To make a positive difference in the lives of others for the greater glory of God.

 What We Fund:

• Pilot programs, start-up costs, or building projects receive priority over operating budget items. 
• Most awards do not exceed $40,000 and are generally awarded for a one-year period. Multi-year grants are occasionally made for larger amounts.
• Evidence of project support from other donors is highly desirable.

Examples of previously funded grants include:

Faith: Church construction and remodel; audio, video, and online training materials production; summer youth programs 

Education: Classroom technology; tuition assistance; teacher training seminars; special education programs

Medicine: Hospital and clinic expansion; advanced technology; research; community health outreach

Humanitarian Need: Natural disaster relief; water filtration and purification; temporary housing; food distribution

Spark Good: Strengthening Community 

Small actions can lead to big impact, and Spark Good is the force multiplier.

Walmart Spark Good brings together all of Walmart and Sam’s Club’s community giving programs under one brand and puts customers and associates in the driver’s seat, making it easier to give to the causes they care most about.

Spark Good includes programs like local grants, round up, registry, space tool and associate giving and volunteerism.

Local Grants

Walmart believes that strengthening local communities creates value for business as well as society. That’s why we empower each Walmart store, Sam’s Club and distribution center to strengthen and support local communities through local donations, fundraising outside of facilities and participation in corporate cause-marketing campaigns.

Each year, our U.S. stores and clubs award Spark Good Local Grants ranging from $250 to $5000. Spark Good local grants are designed to address the unique needs of the communities where we operate. They include a variety of organizations, such as animal shelters, elder services, and community clean-up projects. 

Presbyterian Women are aligned under a shared Purpose, but the gifts of the Spirit allow us to live into the Purpose in our own, unique ways. Some individuals or groups find themselves particularly drawn to one or two points of the Purpose. Other groups or individuals consciously work toward fulfilling all points. There are many faithful ways to live out the PW Purpose!

The Thank Offering funds up to 20 projects a year with grants between $5,000 and $50,000 that support programmatic projects such as training, advocacy or hunger alleviation, or small capital improvements.  

Our Story 

Some people dream of success; others get up early and work to achieve it. Art and Mary Schmuckal spent their 53 years of marriage achieving success and supporting many others through their philanthropic endeavors. Their life was a balance of family, Church, work, play, public service, and, within their means, charitable giving.

Many organizations have not only been financial benefactors, but also benefactors of the volunteer time and talents of Art and Mary. The success of their business, Schmuckal Oil Company, and the value of real estate acquired during the lifetime of Art and Mary, presented the opportunity to “jump start” an organization whose purpose was solely dedicated to philanthropy. 

A family foundation is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Michigan. The Art and Mary Schmuckal Family Foundation is administered by a volunteer Board of Directors composed of the founder’s four children, three grandsons, and two non-family, long time family friends (an attorney and a CPA). 

As is true in every charitable organization, there has been a learning curve of how best to be good stewards of the assets entrusted to the Foundation. Wise investments help grow the funds and grants must be wisely awarded to organizations who make a difference in the lives of the community they serve. 

Art Schmuckal was actively involved in the Foundation for 12 years until his death in 2012. Art and Mary both had a positive impact on their local community during their lifetime. The Art and Mary Family Foundation is intended to remain in good standing in perpetuity and to be a lasting legacy to the Art and Mary Schmuckal Family. 

Make A Difference

The Art and Mary Schmuckal Family Foundation is a private family foundation established in September 1999 to support charitable tax-exempt organizations, including religious, health and educational organizations serving citizens in the greater Grand Traverse region.  The Art and Mary Schmuckal Family Foundation has an open grant application policy.

Foundation Purpose

The purpose of the Foundation is to operate exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), and to transact such other business as may be permitted corporations exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Code and incorporated under the Texas Non-profit Corporation Act. Within such purposes, but without other limitation, such charitable purposes shall include to aid, provide, further, assist and make contributions, gifts, grants, or other forms of financial assistance exclusively to charitable corporations, organizations or associations organized and operating within the United States in the categories of civic, cultural and religion; education, literature, and science; hospitals; medical, medical research and mental health; rehabilitation and welfare; youth activities; and community funds.

Grant Categories

The Foundation awards contributions, gifts and grants in the following categories:

• Civic, Cultural and Religion
• Education, Literature and Science
• Hospitals
• Rehabilitation and Welfare
• Youth Activities
• Community Funds

The total amount of money awarded to all charitable organizations for any given year is governed by, but not necessarily limited to, that minimum required by the Internal Revenue Service Code.

Women Supporting Women

Mary’s Pence was founded by women to support women on the margins at a time when women-led social justice projects were overlooked and under-funded. More than 30 years later, an all-woman board and staff – along with the women, men, churches, and religious congregations who support Mary’s Pence – continue the still necessary work of our founders by providing funding and holistic support to women working for justice in Central America, Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Mary's Pence Grants

Funding and support for women’s social justice organizations working in the United States and Canada.

Mary's Pence funds grassroots organizations that are

• Women led —
• for the benefit of cis women, trans women, non-binary people and their families.
• Community centered —
• emerging from a need identified within the community, and collaboratively developed by members of the community, flexible enough to meet new, changing or emerging needs.
• Working to enact long term sustainable change at the community level —
• shifting public opinion about justice issues; forming alliances and collaborations across diverse populations; creating change in unjust structure or policies; or building capacity by building leadership, organizing or other social justice skills.
• Focused on social justice actions —
• human dignity, the common good, the right to economic security and dignified work, care for the earth, participation, subsidiarity (decisions are made at the most local level possible and involve those most impacted) and nonviolence.

We are an independent foundation which has been serving Seventh-day Adventist ministries and a select few other humanitarian efforts with financial grants since 1990. We are a self-funded lay organization, and our board is comprised of both lay Adventists and present and former Adventist church employees, all committed to furthering the Kingdom of God and to restoring the “image of God” in those in need. 

Versafund Grant Program: Venture Grant

The Versafund Grant Program offers three levels of potential funding.

• Venture Grant: $10,001 to $40,000

The Venture Grant is designed to assist projects and programs in reaching clearly stated goals and objectives. It is also intended to help projects and programs become self-sustaining. Venture Grant applicants are expected to provide information based on objective assessments of their programs. 

Project Priorities: Versacare Foundation funds projects that address the following needs:

• Church community engagement
• Disadvantaged or underserved communities
• General education and science education
• Health and wellness
• Humanitarian efforts
• Social justice
• Women and children’s efforts
• Youth and young adults

Versacare Foundation

We are an independent foundation which has been serving Seventh-day Adventist ministries and a select few other humanitarian efforts with financial grants since 1990. We are a self-funded lay organization, and our board is comprised of both lay Adventists and present and former Adventist church employees, all committed to furthering the Kingdom of God and to restoring the “image of God” in those in need. 

Versafund Grant Program: Catalyst Grant

The Versafund Grant Program offers three levels of potential funding.

• Catalyst Grant: $2,500 to $10,000

The Catalyst Grant is Versacare Foundation’s smallest grant. It is designed to give programs and projects a financial boost as needed. It is also for applicants not accustomed to applying for grants who may find the information required by the typical grant application process daunting.

Project Priorities: Versacare Foundation funds projects that address the following needs:

• Church community engagement
• Disadvantaged or underserved communities
• General education and science education
• Health and wellness
• Humanitarian efforts
• Social justice
• Women and children’s efforts
• Youth and young adults

Mockingbird Foundation Grants

The Mockingbird Foundation provides funding for music education for children, through competitive grants, emergency-related grants, and tour-related grants – more than a million dollars, and counting. Competitive grants are awarded through a two-tiered grant application process that is among the most competitive: We are currently able to fund fewer than 1% of inquiries received (e.g. $40K on $1.4M in inquiries). That’s in part because the need is so widespread, and in part because we are unique in what we fund, differing from other players in this funding area in important ways:

Music itself matters – Music is powerful not only culturally and emotionally, but for skills, health, and general well-being. However, we have never funded a grantee solely on the basis of such tangential benefits (such as for music therapy), and tend to favor applicants who recognize the importance of music education for its own sake. While a laudable enterprise, music therapy is just not what we do.

Direct experience is best – Each grantee works to bring the power of music into the lives of a particular group of children. Several grantees have also utilized funds to expose students to music, also a laudable effort. But the Mockingbird board has historically been more interested in programs that engage students directly with music, rather than in funding musical performances for students who would only observe others experiencing music.

Underserved niches are great – Like Save the Music and Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, we’ve given support to high school bands. But we’re especially proud of support we’ve given to economically, culturally, and musically distinct efforts. Many of our grantees serve children with special needs and/or underserved populations, and some have been internal efforts by dwindling indigenous peoples. Additionally, we are interested in supporting unconventional forms of instruction, and instruction in unconventional forms; and we are not focused on traditional performance skills, but are also interested in composition, vocalization, and musical improvisation.

Unconventional outlets are interesting – Our funding guidelines define music education for children broadly and somewhat unconventionally. For example, while we have funded many schools – rural and urban, public and private, kindergarten through university – we are especially interested in efforts outside of schools, including hospitals, shelters, foster homes, prisons, churches, camps, and community centers.

Outcomes may not be assessable – Nearly all relevant advocacy efforts have focused on putting instruments in public schools, promoting music education as a tool within broader education, and measuring outcomes in terms of assessable skills. Contrarily, the Mockingbird Foundation looks beyond public schools, and is interested in some areas for which skills may be less assessable (or even irrelevant).

Program Areas

The Mockingbird Foundation, Inc. (“Mockingbird”) offers competitive grants to schools and nonprofit organizations that effect improvements in areas of importance to the Phish fan community. Our programmatic focus is music education for children, defined as follows:

Music: We recognize broad and basic needs within conventional instruction, though are particularly interested in projects that foster creative expression (whether in instrumentation, vocalization, composition, or improvisation) and encourage applications associated with diverse or unusual musical styles, genres, forms, and philosophies.

Education: Education may include the provision of instruments, texts, office materials, or equipment; the support of learning, practice, and/or performance spaces; and the provision of instructors or instruction. We appreciate the fostering of self-esteem and free expression, but have never funded music therapy separate from education nor music appreciation which does not include participation.

Children: We primarily fund programs serving children eighteen years of age or younger, but will consider projects which benefit college students, teachers, instructors, or adult students. We are particularly (though not exclusively) interested in programs which benefit disenfranchised groups, including those with low skill levels, income, or education; with disabilities or terminal illnesses; and in foster homes, shelters, hospitals, prisons, or other remote or isolated situations.

Memorial Lutheran Church of Afton has established an Endowment Fund to focus the donation and gifts of its members and the surrounding community. 

The fund is overseen by the Endowment Fund Committee whose responsibility it is to wisely apply annual grant awards to religious, charitable, or educational efforts.  This is done by receiving grant requests and giving awards grants each spring.

All are welcome to submit a grant request, both church members and non-church members. The one-page application form asks for the requester to describe how the project or ministry fits into the three categories of Endowment Fund giving:

• Religious
  • The Endowment Fund is able to award grants to faith-based organizations nearby and around the world. 
  • The fund is also able to award gifts that support the ministry of Memorial Lutheran by funding efforts or programs that are above and beyond the day-to-day ministry and budget needs of the church. 
  • These gifts can enable churches and other organizations to teach, serve and equip disciples of Jesus Christ and support people in their own journey of faith.
• Charitable
  • The tradition of generous giving is as old as Lutheranism itself. 
  • Long ago, Martin Luther called upon the newly reformed church to establish a common chest from which food, clothing, and other necessities could be distributed to people in need.
  • The Endowment fund has given gifts to support many area and international charities in hopes to help with the needs of God’s people around the world.
• Educational
  • The Endowment fund has two avenues from which support can be given to people seeking education. 
    • First, from the general Endowment fund monies may be given to those seeking a Lutheran seminary education in hopes of serving the church of Christ as their profession. 
    • Second, the Endowment fund has established a tuition support policy.
      • This policy allows the Endowment fund committee to set aside 10% of that year’s disbursement people pursuing education advancement. 

We welcome your ideas which will allow the church to expand the ways in which it shares the love of God through our congregation, community, and around the world.

Vision

Justice challenges are spiritual, social, political, practical and personal. They are woven together in an entrenched paradigm that infects every institution, from the religious to the secular. Many of our longest standing cultural artifacts depend on their perpetuation and our corresponding belief that they cannot or should not change. But change they must, and now. The JustPax Fund seeks to support projects that offer a new paradigm, a more gracious path forward.

JustPax Fund Grant

Any organization who feels that their work speaks to the priorities outlined in the JustPax Fund’s Vision and Application Guidelines is welcome to apply. We offer descriptions of prior projects as a historic record, to provide insights to new applicants on our past funding activities, and to celebrate the accomplishments and activities of our partner projects.

The JustPax Fund provides financial and logistical support to individuals and organizations working for effective change in the realm of gender justice, environmental justice, and/or economic justice. Through monetary grants, JustPax invests in projects and initiatives that bring innovative and novel approaches to justice advocacy, research, and implementation.

The JustPax Fund welcomes proposals that seek to create space for critical inquiry, generating awareness, and promoting solutions to some of the most complex societal challenges facing the global community. The JustPax Fund seeks to bolster the capacity of passionate and creative agents for change by providing the financial resources necessary for their work.

The JustPax Fund donors are adherents of the Believer’s Church tradition and welcome proposals that address gender, environmental, and economic justice as applicable or relevant to that tradition. Applications stemming from other faith traditions and belief systems are also welcome.

Beyond addressing the effects of economic, environmental, and gender injustice, qualifying activities create innovative and replicable initiatives that transform paradigms of oppression. These initiatives provide real-world examples of non-extractive economic activity, environmental systems that harmonize human and non-human activities, and social systems of respect and just governance. Examples of transformative rather than reactive proposals include but are by no means limited to alternative economic systems that reward sustainable rather than extractive practices, community engagement strategies that elevate marginalized groups into leadership roles, and initiatives that transform our participation in systems of oppression or injustice.

Funding

The JustPax Fund has traditionally awarded grants of up to $25,000/year for gender, environmental, and economic justice projects. We occasionally increase this cap for exceptional projects.

Awards are generally given for a single year of funding. If your proposed project has already completed significant preparatory planning and is seeking to launch a considered initiative with multi-year impact and you believe that a multi-year funding commitment is necessary for the success of your project, you may apply for up to three years of funding in a single application.