Search Through Grants for Environmental Conservation in New Jersey in the U.S.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Mission

Dedicated to improving and protecting public health and the environment we share, NJDEP uses the best available science to guide the conservation of natural and historic resources, ensure a stable climate and resilient communities, and secure clean and healthy air, water and lands throughout New Jersey. Committed to sustainable economic growth, NJDEP invests in communities and infrastructure, provides quality open and recreational spaces for residents and visitors, enforces environmental laws, and furthers the promise of environmental justice for all.

Purpose of Funding

Meeting the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy goals for Wildfire Risk Reduction (WRR).

To provide municipalities, communities and other qualifying organizations a cost-share incentive to:

• Obtain Firewise Community/USA designation.
• Implement hazard mitigation activities.
• Train community Firewise liaisons.
• Conduct outreach and awareness activities in the community.

Qualifications Required for Consideration

Communities located in documented wildfire risk areas that have met the criteria for Firewise Communities/USA designation.

Grant Limitations

Funding is limited to half of the project cost, up to $5,000 per Firewise community.

Application Procedures

Community Firewise Grant applications are accepted via NJ Department of Environmental Protection, System for Administering Grants Electronically (NJDEP SAGE)

Charitable Contributions

Costco Wholesale’s primary charitable efforts specifically focus on programs supporting children, education, and health and human services in the communities where we do business. Throughout the year we receive a large number of requests from nonprofit organizations striving to make a positive impact, and we are thankful to be able to provide support to a variety of organizations and causes. While we would like to respond favorably to all requests, understandably, the needs are far greater than our allocated resources and we are unable to accommodate them all.

Warehouse Donations:

Warehouse donations are handled at the warehouse level - please consult your local warehouse for up-to-date information regarding their donations contacts and review process.

Grant Applications

If the request is under consideration, you may be contacted by staff for any additional information needed. Applications are reviewed within 4-6 weeks, and decisions are made based on several factors, including: type of program; identified community need not otherwise available; indication that evidenced based data will establish measurable results of intended outcomes; community collaboration; broad base of financial support; project budget and operating expenses.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Mission

Dedicated to improving and protecting public health and the environment we share, NJDEP uses the best available science to guide the conservation of natural and historic resources, ensure a stable climate and resilient communities, and secure clean and healthy air, water and lands throughout New Jersey. Committed to sustainable economic growth, NJDEP invests in communities and infrastructure, provides quality open and recreational spaces for residents and visitors, enforces environmental laws, and furthers the promise of environmental justice for all.

Purpose of Funding

To support environmental health services undertaken by certified local health agencies on behalf of the Department of Environmental Protection pursuant to the County Environmental Health Act, N.J.S.A. 26:3A2-21 et seq.

Grant Limitations

Grants are awarded on an annual basis. The certified health agency’s contribution shall be a 100% match of the State’s approved legislative designated funds. Grants awarded for pilot projects/elective programs do not have a match requirement.

Application Procedures

Certified local health agencies must attend a grant conference/meeting and submit a countywide Environmental Health Assessment and Improvement Plan.

Who We Are

The Creag Foundation is a private grant making foundation established in 2009 in Woodinville, Washington.

The founders of the Creag Foundation believe that meaningful change can only be achieved through hard work, creativity and passion. They also understand the practical mechanisms that allow charitable organizations to succeed and grow. As a group, Creag Foundation principals are dedicated to helping today’s most innovative programs improve the human condition in a wide variety of ways.

Our Focus

The broad purpose of the Foundation is to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations who are innovators in the field of human services. Our particular focus is on smaller organizations that are starting out or established organizations that are looking for funding to take their organization in a new direction.

What We Fund

/ What We Fund

The Creag Foundation is focused on innovation in the industry. We will consider proposals from 501(c)(3) organizations that are finding new ways to address societal issues facing the nonprofit community. Applicants must have held 501(c)(3) status for one year before submitting. If your organization has held 501(c)(3) status for over a year, and your believe that your organization has a new approach to an existing social problem or is addressing a previously unaddressed social issue, you are welcome to contact us and request that we consider your organization for a funding opportunity.

Background

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe by supporting scalable, innovative, and impact-first solutions that leverage existing systems and stakeholders. Our goal is to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic products or services that have a proven ability to positively impact the lives of underserved people, and nurture those organizations at the early stages by providing capacity, capital, and community.

Our application process is designed to be open and accessible, and we accept applications year round from across our priority geographies and sectors. Borrowing from our venture capital legacy, we find exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with: 

Capacity

• The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through dedicated hands-on Board service and specialist capacity-building resources for fundraising, board and organizational development, leadership, financial support, and scaling strategy,

Capital

• DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, and

Community

• DRK convenes our portfolio and alumni annually, facilitating connections and community. 

What We Fund

DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems using bold, scalable approaches.

What stage of growth does DRK Foundation typically fund?

Early stage: Organizations who are early stage, which we define as post-pilot and pre-scale. This typically means: 

• Your program, product or service is already being used in the market or in the field, 
• You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact on the beneficiary populations,
• Your organization is relatively young (ideally between two and five years old, although we will consider both younger and older organizations).

Venture funding: In the case of for profits, we typically support Seed to Series A organizations, and never lead rounds; we also generally but not exclusively refrain from participating in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation.  

About DEP

A national leader. A balanced approach. A commitment to be guided by science. That is the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

For over 50 years, DEP has made New Jersey a stronger and fairer state by protecting our environment and public health. With hard work, exceptional knowledge and expertise, the DEP’s staff has made the agency an unfailing guardian of New Jersey’s precious natural and historic resources.

DEP MISSION

Dedicated to improving and protecting public health and the environment we share, NJDEP uses the best available science to guide the conservation of natural and historic resources, ensure a stable climate and resilient communities, and secure clean and healthy air, water and lands throughout New Jersey. Committed to sustainable economic growth, NJDEP invests in communities and infrastructure, provides quality open and recreational spaces for residents and visitors, enforces environmental laws, and furthers the promise of environmental justice for all.

Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant (EC-SDC)

Purpose of Funding

To provide grants to public water systems in small or disadvantaged communities in order to address emerging contaminants, including PFAS.

Green Acres' State Land Acquisition Program

The Green Acres Program serves as the real estate agent for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), acquiring land – much of which has been offered for sale by property owners – that becomes part of the system of state parks, forests, natural areas, and wildlife management areas. Green Acres works with programs throughout DEP, including Parks and Forestry, Fish and Wildlife, and the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust to determine which lands should be preserved. Green Acres does not own the land it acquires; instead land is assigned to the divisions for management. Land and easement interests in land can be acquired not only by purchase but also by donation and bequests.

PURPOSE OF FUNDING

To acquire land offered for sale or donation by property owners for open space, to be used for recreation and conservation purposes.

Acquired land becomes part of the system of state parks, forests, wildlife management areas, and natural areas, and is assigned to the NJ State Park Service, NJ Fish and Wildlife, or NJ Natural Lands Trust for management.

HEP Action Agenda: NY/NJ Community Engagement Sessions

One of 28 National Estuary Programs, the New York – New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP), was created by EPA and the two states to bring the benefits of the Clean Water Act – fishable and swimmable waters – to the people and wildlife of the Estuary.

HEP brings stakeholders together to work collaboratively and develop and implement an Action Agenda to protect, conserve and restore the estuary and the communities that make up this extraordinary resource. HEP's Action Agenda serves as a blueprint to guide and improve future management decisions. It presents shared priorities of our Program and partners to address a wide range of estuary issues. Click here for an interactive map of HEP's geographic scope. The map also shows all of the overburdened communities within our program area as defined by EPA and the states of NY and NJ.

This year, HEP will be developing a new Action Agenda that outlines the major goals and objectives of our Program and partners for the next 10 years. Through this process we seek to: Make all partners feel ownership of the new Action Agenda; ​Ensure that we are addressing the needs of the Estuary and all of its communities; Develop actions that are reflective of estuarine challenges, community needs and partner priorities.

Our Ask: We are asking NGOs/Community-Based Partners to host in-person community engagement sessions, this spring and early summer, and gather members of their community to share their vision for the estuary and the challenges and opportunities that need to be addressed. These sessions can take place in the form of standalone meetings or be made a part of other ongoing programs/events. In order to help support organizations interested in hosting a community engagement session, HEP has created these guidance materials.

HEP will provide small grants ranging between $2,000-$4,000 to a limited number of organizations that apply to host one of these community engagement sessions. Organizations interested in hosting should apply at least 20 days before their proposed community engagement session date. HEP will make small grant decisions on a rolling basis. Priority will be given for proposed sessions that involve multiple NGOs/Community-Based Partners and that take place or otherwise engage disadvantaged/overburdened communities as identified in our map here. HEP seeks to work with partners addressing issues in each of our 10 major waterbody regions: The Bronx River and Western Long Island Sound; East River and Harlem River; Jamaica Bay; Passaic River and Newark Bay; Hackensack River; Lower Raritan River; Lower Hudson River; Upper New York Bay; Arthur Kill and the Kill van Kull (The Kills); Lower Bay (Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, and the Lower New York Bay).

Goals and Objectives

WATER QUALITY

Reduce the sources of pollution so that the waters of the Estuary will meet the fishable/swimmable goal of the Clean Water Act, where attainable.

OBJECTIVES:

• Improve coordination and begin to establish consensus amongst regulatory agencies on science, standards, and design conditions in shared waters.
• Accelerate creation, adoption, and implementation of Long Term Control Plans and MS4 Permits.
• Address monitoring gaps and lack of information for key locations, parameters, and state and local track-down programs.
• Share water quality information in a clear and easy-to-understand way with the public, focusing on uses and potential public health risks.
• Assess the potential impacts of climate change on water quality.

PUBLIC ACCESS AND STEWARDSHIP

Improve public access to the waters of the Estuary and the quality of experience at public spaces along the waterfront.

OBJECTIVES:

• Increase public access and new possibilities for contact recreation, particularly in areas of higher need
• Improve stewardship and programming at existing public access sites, particularly in areas of highest need
• Promote and expand awareness of public access opportunities and issues

HABITAT AND ECOLOGICAL HEALTH

Protect and restore the vital habitat, ecological function, and biodiversity that provide society with renewed and increased benefits.

OBJECTIVES:

• Make progress towards restoring the Estuary’s target ecosystem characteristics.
• Improve the quality and likely success of habitat restoration.
• Support restoration monitoring and the utility of monitoring data.
• Advance understanding and incorporation of climate change impacts in habitat management and restoration.

PORT AND MARITIME

Support port and associated maritime operations so that they are both economically and ecologically viable.

OBJECTIVES:

• Improve understanding and management implications of changing sediment contamination in the Estuary, including the timeline for achieving HARS-suitable sediments in the navigation channels
• Help design and implement port and maritime improvement projects that are more environmentally friendly

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Foster community understanding and involvement in decisions about the Estuary.

OBJECTIVES:

• Increase and improve the quality of citizen science efforts
• Support Urban Waters Federal Partnerships in target waterways
• Enhance public understanding of the Harbor Estuary

Meetings Dates

For an entire list of all meeting dates and to sign up for the in-person events please click here.

The Labcorp Charitable Foundation

We believe every person deserves equitable care and education.

In 2020 Labcorp established a private charitable 501(c)(3) foundation to advance our desire to bring quality healthcare access to all by supporting education and our local communities. 

Common grant opportunities include:

• Supporting food pantries and meal programs
• Providing healthcare and patient services for underserved populations
• Encouraging STEM programming
• Advocating for healthy lifestyles through ongoing medical research and screening

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation only accepts unsolicited proposals for specific areas within the education, family economic stability and childhood health sectors in select countries where we work, namely the United States, India and South Africa.

As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25% of a project’s budget or more than 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has always recognized the power of providing grants to partner organizations that we knew were already working hard to improve the lives of urban children living in poverty. By aligning with organizations that are already making a difference, we continue to make an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of children.

Foundation priorities:

We fund social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). These social enterprises may be structured as for-profit or nonprofit entities.

Partnerships

We collaborate with a range of organizations focused on creating opportunities for children and families living in urban poverty, with a deep emphasis on measuring impact. Our funding advances projects already making an impact in education, health, and family economic stability. Through these enduring and long-standing partnerships, we create lasting change together.

Mission

Our mission is to protect, enhance and promote the vital water and other natural and cultural resources of the New Jersey Highlands to sustain current and future generations.

Specifically, our focus is on:

• Safeguarding the water resources, ecological integrity, biodiversity, and the cultural and scenic resources of the New Jersey Highlands.
• Promoting the implementation of a strongly protective Highlands Regional Master Plan.
• Faithful implementation of the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act, and the promulgated regulations of NJDEP and other agencies.
• Increasing local, state, federal and private sources of funding for land conservation and stewardship in the region, and promoting better planning, growth management and land acquisition strategies.
• Educating the public and decision-makers on, and serving as an information source for, New Jersey Highlands cultural and natural resource protection.
• Creating strong partnerships and alliances with organizations and individuals to effectively protect, preserve and enhance the New Jersey Highlands.

New Jersey Highlands Coalition: Small Grants - Emergency Funding

Each year the New Jersey Highlands Coalition awards a number of grants to assist grassroots organizations working on projects located within the New Jersey Highlands or associated with protecting New Jersey Highlands resources.

Grant Amount

Grants will be awarded up to a maximum of $5,000. Applicants are encouraged to think carefully about their request, and make sure they fully justify the amount requested.

OSI partners with conservation organizations in the Northeast to assemble networks of protected lands most likely to preserve plant and animal diversity in a changing climate. The Fund supports projects in four focus areas in New England, the mid-Atlantic, and the Central Appalachians offering the greatest opportunity to conserve missing links for resiliency in the overall landscape.

Grant Opportunities

The Fund provides capital grants and loans to qualified non-profits for the acquisition of land or conservation easements on climate-resilient lands, capitalized with a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Through an in-depth review process, we selected four focus areas in order to target funds most effectively. A fact brochure with maps for each focus area can be downloaded:

Potomac Headwaters – West Virginia & Virginia

Highlands and Kittatinny Ridge – New Jersey & Pennsylvania

Middle Connecticut River – Vermont & Massachusetts

Southern New Hampshire & Maine Forests 

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

Advancing Sustainable Communities

Since 2002, we’ve been empowering local communities with sustainability solutions. Through nonprofit partnerships and sustainability grants, we’ve delivered projects promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, resource conservation and environmental stewardship.

Mission

"Choose wisely. It's a small planet." That's how it all started back in 1997, when a crew of like-minded folks in Vermont set out on a mission: to use the power of consumer choice and help change the way power is made. Over 20 years later, we’re proud to be a carbon-neutral company that continues to keep sustainability at the heart of everything we do. Join us as we help make the planet a cleaner, greener place to be.

Sustainability Grants

If you’re a U.S.-based nonprofit looking to make a positive environmental impact and you want access to a network of sustainability experts, it’s time to plant seeds of sustainability in your community.

Eligible Sustainability Initiatives

In addition to supporting rooftop solar installation projects, we've expanded our mission to support other sustainability initiatives that include but aren't limited to:

• Clean Transportation
• Education and Awareness
• Energy Efficiency
• Renewable Energy
• Resource Conservation
• Sustainable Agriculture

We’re open to new, creative ideas from nonprofit organizations interested in utilizing and promoting sustainability initiatives.

Selection Process - Impact Measurement

We measure environmental, social and financial impacts:

• Environmental impact calculations consider how the project is more impactful for the planet than the alternative.
• Examples: CO2 prevented (renewable versus traditional generation methods), miles not driven, gallons of water conserved, green space created, pounds of waste diverted.
• Social impact calculations assess how the project will elicit change in the community.
• Examples: results of an email or newsletter story about the project, number of students impacted through curriculum, attendee numbers on sustainability tours.
• Financial impact calculations assess how the project will save your organization money, and how those savings can further support your mission.
• Example: a solar array would save your organization $2,000 per year, resulting in 100 more meals distributed to the homeless or 30 more children receiving free tuition.

Award Amounts

Donation amounts depend on a number of factors, including evaluation of the environmental, social, and financial impact of the donation. Past donations have ranged from $50,000 to $400,000.

Helping Build Better Futures

Our mission is to deliver great value to our customers every day. For over four decades, our deep commitment to the principles of providing value and caring for others has helped define our culture. It extends beyond the walls of our stores, distribution centers, and offices, and into our local communities around the world. The intersection of these principles defines our global community mission:

Deliver great value to our communities by helping vulnerable families and children access the resources and opportunities they need to build a better future.

Our Social Impact Areas

We bring our community relations mission to life around the world by focusing our giving on four social impact areas where we believe we can have the most impact and are critical to helping families and children succeed and thrive.

Basic Needs

We are passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations that help fill critical basic needs such as a warm meal, clean clothing, and a safe place to sleep for vulnerable families.

Education & Training

Our efforts have focused on quality enrichment and extracurricular programs that provide skills, resources, and opportunities to support school and career success for children, teens, and young adults.

Patient Care & Research

We support organizations that deliver services to families and children facing health challenges and life-threatening illnesses.

Empowering Women

We support programs that provide services ranging from help for those fleeing domestic violence, to others that offer education, training, and job placement resources.

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here.  The focus areas for 2025 are:

• Animal Wellbeing: We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
• Early Childhood Education: We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:
  • Life Skills
  • Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers   
  • Having Fun   
  • Montessori Teachings   
  • Project Based Teachings   
  • Diversity   
  • More Time Outside   
  • Less Screen Time
• Teachers: Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations.
• Get Outside: Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 

Agricultural Land Easements (ALE)

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) component is a voluntary program that provides an opportunity for eligible partners to receive financial assistance to purchase agricultural land easements targeted at working agricultural lands.

These perpetual easements prevent productive working lands from being converted to non-agricultural uses and maximize protection of land devoted to food production. Eligible lands include cropland, grassland, pastureland, and nonindustrial private forestland. Each easement is required to have an agricultural land easement plan that promotes the long-term viability of the land.

Under the Agricultural Land component, NRCS may contribute up to 50 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement. Where NRCS determines that grasslands of special environmental significance will be protected, NRCS may contribute up to 75 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement.

To enroll land through agricultural land easements, NRCS enters into cooperative agreements with eligible partners. NRCS in New Jersey has partnered with the following eligible entities to preserve over 200 agricultural lands in New Jersey through the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP) and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP): 

• State Agricultural Development Committee (SADC)  
• New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF) 
• Hunterdon Land Trust (HLT) 
• D & R Greenway Land Trust  

Grasslands of Special Significance

Grasslands of Special Significance are grasslands that provide essential habitat for threatened or endangered species or at-risk species such as the American Kestrel, bobolink, and northern bobwhite quail. Along with agricultural land, NJ grasslands face the daily threat of development. New Jersey is an important stop along the Atlantic Flyway and grasslands resources provide essential habitat along the migratory pathway to rest and refuel. Species that depend on this essential habitat along the corridor have experienced significant declines.

Grasslands of special significance must:

• Contain little or no noxious or invasive species, as designated or defined by State or Federal law
• Be subject or the threat of conversion to nongrassland uses or fragmentation
• Contain rangeland, pastureland, shrubland, or wet meadows on which the vegetation is dominated by native grasses, grass-like plants, shrubs, or forbs, or is improved, naturalized pastureland, rangeland, and wet meadows.
• Provides, or could provide, habitat for threatened or endangered species or at-risk species, protects sensitive or declining native prairie or grassland types, or provides protection of highly sensitive natural resources.

Pennsylvania Environmental Council's Mini-Grant Programs

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) and our supporting organization the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) currently administer eight mini-grant programs. Each program is unique with specific goals and objectives but all focus on one or more of the following areas of interest: land and water trails; outdoor recreation; resource protection and conservation; and community engagement.

Circuit Trails Coalition Community Grant Program

Supported by funding from the William Penn Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, PEC administers the Circuit Trails Coalition Community Grant Program on behalf of the Circuit Trails Coalition and in collaboration with coalition member organizations.

Round 2, funded by the William Penn Foundation, is now open. The program provides one-year grants of $1,000-$12,000 for projects that increase a sense of welcome, belonging, and safety among under-represented groups on the Circuit Trails, a network of 400 miles of multi-use trails throughout nine counties in the Greater Philadelphia region (PA and NJ).

Purpose

The Circuit Trails Coalition Community Grant Program intends to fund projects that make the Circuit Trails more inclusive by making them safer, more welcoming, more enticing, and more comfortable spaces for under-represented and marginalized groups. This includes but is not limited to Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color; Asian American and Pacific Islanders; disabled people/people with disabilities; immigrants; people with limited financial resources; and queer, trans, non-binary, and gender-expansive people.

Our Mission

The Columbia Bank Foundation is committed to serving the needs of its local communities. The Foundation actively seeks and focuses on innovative programs that provide a measurable impact in the communities that it serves.

Who We Serve

CBF resources are allocated with priority given to requests that benefit low-and-moderate income individuals and communities within Columbia Bank’s footprint. The primary goals and objectives of the Foundation are to identify community based non-profits, civic, business and charitable organizations that meet the necessary Foundation criteria, and to provide support funding for their service initiatives.

Community Grant Program

Our Community Grant Program is a testament to our commitment to uplift individuals and communities within our footprint. We identify community-based non-profits, civic organizations, businesses, and charities, to provide funding that fuels their impactful service initiatives. Applications for the Community Grant Program will be accepted for $5,000 - $15,000.

Charitable contributions from the Foundation will be focused on supporting the following major areas:

Community investment and economic development

We aim to strengthen our communities, by addressing the economic needs of individuals and families; enhancing the community’s financial health through economic development and investment and community sponsored events; improving neighborhood revitalization and promoting small business expansion. 

Financial literacy and education

Education is critical to us and for that reason we support programs that enrich a child’s educational opportunities, early childhood development and special education programs, with preferences given to those programs targeting low-and- moderate income individuals. Educational programs designed to meet the housing needs of low and moderate income population, local housing coalitions, housing crisis programs, homeownership counseling and other financial services education.

Health and human services

It is important to be healthy and well. The foundation supports programs that revitalize or stabilize low-and-moderate income areas and/or community services and initiatives that provide access to quality healthcare programs. 

Food insecurity

We aim to provide low-and-moderate income people access to healthy food and meals to improve one’s quality of life.

Environmental sustainability

We believe that it is important to support programs that will help create environmentally conscious communities and assist in the conservation of our natural resources and protection of our global ecosystems. 

The Arts

We believe that association with arts and cultural institutions sustain the vitality of communities while providing opportunities to expand economic growth. The arts also create vivacious and exciting opportunities for our youth. 

Corporate Contributions

Community involvement and corporate citizenship are an example of Insperity’s mission in action. We are committed to helping the communities where we live and work because together, we know we can make great things happen.

Grants

Philanthropic grants are a strong part of our community outreach and aid institutions needing financial support to meet important service goals.

Event Sponsorship

Fundraising events are an important part of nonprofit support. Insperity provides event sponsorships to approved charities to assist them in meeting their financial and community goals.

Ameriprise Financial Grantmaking

At Ameriprise Financial, giving back is deeply rooted in our culture. We’ve initiated positive change in the communities where we live and work for more than 120 years. We believe our community involvement enables us to actively live our values. Through grant making, volunteerism and employee and financial advisor gift matching programs, we support a diverse group of over 6,000 nonprofits across the country.

Focus Areas

Awarding grant dollars to nonprofits is one way we strengthen our communities and help individuals on a path to financial independence. To ensure we're meeting the needs of our communities and making an even greater collective impact, we focus on three key giving areas when awarding grants.

Volunteer engagement is a priority across all focus areas:

The engagement of Ameriprise employees and financial advisors is a critical component of our philanthropy. Whether it’s serving on a nonprofit board, engaging friends, clients and community members in volunteering or providing skills-based support, our relationships with nonprofits go deep. For this reason, we give priority across all focus areas to applications where there is active volunteer engagement of Ameriprise advisors and employees. 

Meeting Basic Needs

At Ameriprise Financial, we help clients achieve financial security and peace of mind. That’s satisfying, meaningful work. We also help the people in our neighborhoods who struggle to meet basic needs such as where their next meal comes from, where they’ll sleep tonight or how they’ll find a higher wage job. We’re here to help them through the three platforms of our Meeting Basic Needs focus area.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Hunger
• Food banks, food shelves and food pantries, daily meal programs or meal services for the homebound
• Hunger-relief programs targeted to meet the special needs of children, ethnic populations or veterans
• Food programs run by nonprofits where hunger is not their sole focus, for example a youth meal program at the YWCA or a backpack program run by a Boys & Girls Club
• Shelter
• Emergency shelter, including youth homelessness
• Transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and efforts to end chronic homelessness
• Housing-first models (programs quickly providing housing and then addressing needed services)
• Achieving and maintaining home ownership, repair and maintenance efforts helping keep seniors, veterans and other populations in their homes 
• Adult Self-Sufficiency: Programs serving adults age 21 and older that help address the following areas:
• Basic hard and soft skills that help adults achieve economic and family stability
• Basic financial and budgeting skills
• Increase employability and wages, including work readiness and job transitions
• Employment of disabled adults

Supporting Community Vitality

We believe communities should be strong, healthy and resilient. We want livable places for all, where neighbors look out for one another, cultural events are well-attended and people pull together in times of crisis and joy. We work to create economic vitality and cultural enrichment through the following areas of focus.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Community Development
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Economic development
• Strengthening and supporting small businesses and nonprofits through technical expertise
• Cultural Enrichment
• Arts education
• Access for underserved populations
• Diverse artists and performances that spark topical community conversations 

Volunteer Driven Causes: Ameriprise employees and financial advisors are outstanding volunteers who serve in teams and also as individuals bringing personal skill-sets to nonprofits. Volunteering is part of the culture at Ameriprise and we are proud to support communities through contributions of both service and financial resources. 

Funding for Volunteer-Driven Causes is determined by current Ameriprise volunteerism. In general, funding is in proportion to the size of the Ameriprise volunteer team supporting a nonprofit. A team may include employees, financial advisors and/or staff or a combination of any Ameriprise volunteers. 

About The Memorial Trust

In 1975, two years after his death, The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust was established in New York. The four original trustees were a member of the Snow family, a lawyer, a publishing associate and a corporate trustee, the Irving Trust Company, now BNY Mellow N.A.. The current Trustees continue this legacy being well aware of the donor and his beliefs, values and ideals. The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust strategically focuses funding within specific geographic regions of the United States across a range of program areas. They meet once a year, usually in June.

The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust

The Memorial Trust strategically focuses funding within specific geographic regions of the United States across a range of program areas (prioritized below and visually depicted here) while responding to the ever-changing needs of various segments of the population, especially to the needs of youth and people who are disadvantaged economically, emotionally, or physically.

Dating back to the inception of the Trust in 1973, the primary and overarching grant making priority has been and continues to be programs that focus on education.

• Education: Targets funds to organizations that provide educational opportunities or academic assistance to individuals who demonstrate an intellectual aptitude and a financial need. Examples include scholarships, fellowships, academic tutoring or counseling, literacy, and journalism.

Secondarily, the Trust considers proposals within the areas of Arts and Culture, Community Initiatives, and Youth Programs. The Board’s objective is to extend the primary educational focus by providing funding support within these additional program areas.

• Community Initiatives: Provides funding for programs or services that directly improve the quality of life within the geographic focus areas that we serve. Examples include support for libraries, food pantries and shelters, and neighborhood revitalization. Generally, the Trust does not seek proposals for health care initiatives or animal welfare programs.
• Arts and Culture: Offers grants that promote arts education and appreciation, particularly for young adults, via the development of educational curriculum and professional instruction including visiting artists and performance support for targeted populations.
• Youth Initiatives: Offers grants that provide character education or enrichment opportunities via mentoring or after-school programming

As a third priority, the Trust does consider proposals in the areas of Disabilities and Universal Access, Environmental, and Historic Preservation. As these are not core focus areas, funding is often limited. Priority will be given to proposals with an educational focus.

• Disabilities and Universal Access: Offers grants to organizations in complying with ADA requirements within their facilities (e.g. elevator, handrails, automatic doors, and ramps) or offering services targeted for individuals with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities.
• Environmental: Provides funds for organizations that strive to protect strategic parcels of land and bodies of water as well as programs that educate the general public on key environmental issues such as conservation and water management.
• Historic Preservation: Provides funding for organizations that preserve historical artifacts (e.g. sites, structures, objects) and accounts (e.g. events), and educate the greater community on their significance. Examples include museums, historical societies and educational programming.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive.

Our Mission

To conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund

To make the highest possible impact on the climate and biodiversity crises, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is committed to advancing solutions and supporting partners throughout the Appalachians to connect and conserve vital wildlife habitat, build resilience to the impacts of climate change, and generate new job and recreation opportunities for communities.

Approximately one-third of the U.S. population lives in or within 100 miles of the Appalachians, including an estimated 36 million people that rely on the region for sources of drinking water. The landscape contains the world's largest remaining expanses of temperate broadleaf mixed forest and provides habitat to a wide diversity of plants of animals, many of which are listed as rare, threatened, or endangered. Conserving this landscape is critical for nature and for the people that live and work there.

However as climate change drives ecosystem instability, plants and animals are shifting their ranges northward, and people are having to find ways to adapt to complex and intertwined challenges. TNC and many others have been working to conserve vital Appalachian habitats for decades. Now we must ramp up our efforts and coordinate with partners across the Appalachians for maximum impact.

To succeed in these efforts, TNC’s Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund offers two grant programs for conservation and community organizations, municipalities, Federally Recognized Tribal Nations, and local and state agencies in the Appalachians who are working to protect and conserve this region:

• The Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program
• The New York Climate Resilience Grant Program

Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program

The Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program provides grants of up to $100,000 for fee and easement acquisition projects throughout the Appalachians.

Equitable Conservation and Community Benefits

Conservation organizations are increasingly acknowledging the importance of incorporating social equity in their missions, partnerships, and projects and evolving how they work to have better outcomes for people and nature.

TNC defines community benefits as the positive outcomes that directly result from or are included within conservation projects as experienced by local communities and people. This is particularly important for historically marginalized communities, communities with limited access to nature, communities experiencing heightened impacts of climate change due to systemic underinvestment and poor infrastructure, and Indigenous communities. 

RCA program funding will support projects that demonstrate meaningful community engagement, work with those historically excluded from conservation, and lead to a fairer distribution of benefits for people and communities.

Some examples of community benefits include improved and greater access to nature, protection of drinking water sources, recreational and resource-based economic opportunities, flood mitigation, engagement in cross-cultural initiatives, or protection of lands that will meet community-defined conservation needs. We encourage projects with meaningful community benefits that are integrated with the land protection goals.

Project Evaluation

Projects will be evaluated  according to their capacity to deliver land protection outcomes aligned with the program goals, including:

• Location:
  • the project is located within TNC’s Appalachians Program boundary and is in or near a mapped focal area.  Projects outside of focal areas will also be considered.
• Resilience:
  • the percentage of the total project area that is part of the Resilient and Connected Network.
• Connectivity:
  • adjacency to protected lands or other attributes that will lead to landscape connectivity over time (e.g., the project is a necessary acquisition for advancing a local or regional plan that aims to protect a critical conservation corridor).
• Collaboration:
  • evidence of engagement with other organizations, community groups, or local governments (including, but not limited to, shared funding).
• Community:
  • project elements that directly engage and or benefit people, especially vulnerable or marginalized communities.
• Timeline:
  • the project will close within 12 months from the start of the grant agreement term.
• Feasibility:
  • likelihood that the project will close and the costs seem reasonable.

Mission

Our mission is to protect, enhance and promote the vital water and other natural and cultural resources of the New Jersey Highlands to sustain current and future generations.

Specifically, our focus is on:

• Safeguarding the water resources, ecological integrity, biodiversity, and the cultural and scenic resources of the New Jersey Highlands.
• Promoting the implementation of a strongly protective Highlands Regional Master Plan.
• Faithful implementation of the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act, and the promulgated regulations of NJDEP and other agencies.
• Increasing local, state, federal and private sources of funding for land conservation and stewardship in the region, and promoting better planning, growth management and land acquisition strategies.
• Educating the public and decision-makers on, and serving as an information source for, New Jersey Highlands cultural and natural resource protection.
• Creating strong partnerships and alliances with organizations and individuals to effectively protect, preserve and enhance the New Jersey Highlands.

New Jersey Highlands Coalition Small Grants

Each year the New Jersey Highlands Coalition awards a number of grants to assist grassroots organizations working on projects located within the New Jersey Highlands or associated with protecting New Jersey Highlands resources.

Grant Amount

Grants will be awarded up to a maximum of $5,000. Applicants are encouraged to think carefully about their request, and make sure they fully justify the amount requested.

Our Vision

Powering a future where people use less energy, and it’s cleaner, safer and delivered more reliably than ever.

Our Mission

• Be a positive force in a changing world by providing an infrastructure to access safe, affordable, reliable and cleaner energy;
• Work toward a carbon-free economy;
• Empower the lives of our customers, our communities, our workforce and other stakeholders;
• Embrace diversity and inclusion,  and promote equitable and ethical behavior.

Neighborhood Partners Program

The PSEG Foundation is committed to creating more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable communities for all. As part of the commitment to social value, the PSEG Foundation’s strategic pillars are environmental sustainability, social justice, equity, and economic empowerment. Through the NPP, the PSEG Foundation aims to partner with organizations that are transformative, leading change on issues impacting our communities and working towards collaborative solutions.

It is highly encouraged that prospective applicants review the Program Rules section to determine eligibility before applying.

Foundation Pillars

Funding consideration will be provided for programs in alignment with one or more of the PSEG Foundation pillars:

• Environmental Sustainability (ES)
  • promote environmental sustainability and stewardship; programs that encourage environmental education; facilitate clean energy innovation; preserve ecosystems and encourage conservation and foster environmental justice
• Social Justice (SJ) 
  • empower diverse and inclusive communities, focus on addressing inequities and elevate prosperity in communities through strategic initiatives aimed at closing the wealth inequality gap
• Equity & Economic Empowerment (EEE)
  • consideration will be given to programs that provide comprehensive support services that address pressing economic needs: affordability, food security and workforce development initiatives; additional areas that are part of the EEE pillar and may receive consideration include: ;increase awareness of STEM education and workforce readiness; expand educational opportunities; support neighborhood revitalization through economic development and build healthy, safe and resilient communities.