Search Through Grants for Environmental Projects in Indiana in the U.S.

The Duke Energy Foundation is focused on strengthening and uplifting communities with grant funding. We accept grant applications for $20,000 and less throughout the year on a rolling basis for the focus areas describe below.

Vibrant Economies

• Workforce development training for jobs vital to the energy economy, with a focus on underrepresented populations
• Community revitalization and local economic development efforts
• Economic recovery for customers and communities facing unprecedented challenges
• Energy and engineering education for K-12 students and teachers

Climate Resiliency

• Environmental projects supporting land conservation; clean water; and biodiversity of plant and animal species
• Environmental resiliency projects that prepare communities for and mitigate against the effects of climate change
• Natural disaster preparedness and response programming
• Projects strengthening thriving natural environments, including access to green space, in historically underserved communities.

Opportunity and Inclusion

• Programs supporting a just transition for communities moving toward cleaner energy infrastructure
• Initiatives supporting upward mobility for families and individuals in the communities we serve
• Programs reducing structural barriers and promoting access to opportunity for underserved communities

The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

In partnership with the Midwest Environmental Justice Network, NDN Collective, and RE-AMP Network, the Minneapolis Foundation will award environmental justice grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Grants will be awarded to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations in the following three tiers:

• Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement
• Tier 2: Community Education and Planning
• Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

We aim to distribute 30% of grant funding to federally recognized tribes and Native American organizations, 25% to rural communities, and 45% to urban communities. The partnership anticipates making 206 grants: 83 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 38 in Year 3.

You may submit an application for multiple tiers at the same time, in any order.

Program Goal

The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership will distribute $40 million to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. The partnership was selected by the EPA as one of 11 grantmakers around the nation in its new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.

The program’s goal is to lift up community-led innovation and strengthen community-based groups by breaking down barriers to federal funding. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities as defined by the EPA.

Issue Areas

Grants will support projects that focus on issues including, but not limited to:

• Environmental health
• Air, soil, and water quality
• Healthy homes
• Access to healthy food
• Stormwater and green infrastructure
• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster resilience
• Environmental job training

Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement

Tier 1 awards are one-year grants of up to $150,000 for assessment and engagement efforts that increase understanding of the breadth, depth, or impact of local environmental or public health issues. These grants are limited to capacity-constrained and entry-level applicants, as determined by the information you submit in the intake form. These grants will be paid on a milestone basis: 50% up front and 50% at the midway point, upon completion of agreed-upon milestones.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• GIS mapping
• Air quality sensor purchasing and siting
• Air, water, or soil sampling, testing, and monitoring
• Research, surveys, and studies
• Power mapping, public engagement, and public education to improve collective understanding of community challenges, needs, and opportunities.

Through a noncompetitive process, we will also award grants of up to $75,000 to capacity constrained communities and community-based organizations under Tier One.

You need not develop a new project to receive a grant. These one-time grants are well suited to support existing work that is currently not funded by another source or to complement other projects for which you already have funding. We also welcome proposals for high-priority new projects. 

The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

In partnership with the Midwest Environmental Justice Network, NDN Collective, and RE-AMP Network, the Minneapolis Foundation will award environmental justice grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Grants will be awarded to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations in the following three tiers:

• Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement
• Tier 2: Community Education and Planning
• Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

We aim to distribute 30% of grant funding to federally recognized tribes and Native American organizations, 25% to rural communities, and 45% to urban communities. The partnership anticipates making 206 grants: 83 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 38 in Year 3.

You may submit an application for multiple tiers at the same time, in any order.

Program Goal

The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership will distribute grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. The partnership was selected by the EPA as one of 11 grantmakers around the nation in its new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.

The program’s goal is to lift up community-led innovation and strengthen community-based groups by breaking down barriers to federal funding. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities as defined by the EPA.

Issue Areas

Grants will support projects that focus on issues including, but not limited to:

• Environmental health
• Air, soil, and water quality
• Healthy homes
• Access to healthy food
• Stormwater and green infrastructure
• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster resilience
• Environmental job training

Tier 2: Community Education and Planning

Tier 2 awards are one- to two-year grants of up to $250,000 for community-focused efforts that design, inform, and highlight solutions to local environmental or public health priorities. Up to 50% of the grant can be used for relevant property acquisition. Grants will be paid on a reimbursement basis, with a small number of grantees eligible for one advance payment of up to 10% of the total grant.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• Developing project plans
• Developing communications and outreach plans
• Conducting workshops and trainings
• Developing curricula, toolkits, or guidelines; developing social media content
• Producing videos or printed materials
• Hosting events and gatherings
• Building or strengthening partnerships and collaboration
• Creating local advisory committees
• Engaging in public review or comment periods
• Developing or updating disaster resilience plans, emergency preparedness plans, or other community planning and visioning efforts

You need not develop a new project to receive a grant. These one-time grants are well suited to support existing work that is currently not funded by another source or to complement other projects for which you already have funding. We also welcome proposals for high-priority new projects. 

The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

In partnership with the Midwest Environmental Justice Network, NDN Collective, and RE-AMP Network, the Minneapolis Foundation will award environmental justice grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Grants will be awarded to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations in the following three tiers:

• Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement
• Tier 2: Community Education and Planning
• Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

We aim to distribute 30% of grant funding to federally recognized tribes and Native American organizations, 25% to rural communities, and 45% to urban communities. The partnership anticipates making 206 grants: 83 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 38 in Year 3.

You may submit an application for multiple tiers at the same time, in any order.

Program Goal

The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership will distribute grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. The partnership was selected by the EPA as one of 11 grantmakers around the nation in its new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.

The program’s goal is to lift up community-led innovation and strengthen community-based groups by breaking down barriers to federal funding. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities as defined by the EPA.

Issue Areas

Grants will support projects that focus on issues including, but not limited to:

• Environmental health
• Air, soil, and water quality
• Healthy homes
• Access to healthy food
• Stormwater and green infrastructure
• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster resilience
• Environmental job training

Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

Tier 3 awards are one- to two-year grants of up to $350,000 to pilot or implement project plans. Projects may have educational and outreach components, but must focus on developing tangible community assets or providing environmental or public health benefits to one or more disadvantaged communities. Up to 50% of the grant can be used for relevant property acquisition or purchase. Grants will be paid on a reimbursement basis, with a small number of grantees eligible for one advance payment of up to 10% of the total grant.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• Strengthening cumulative impact, public health, or environmental protections
• Increasing access to healthy food
• Reducing the use of pesticides or toxic substances
• Cleaning up contaminated sites
• Conducting healthy home assessments
• Increasing energy or water efficiency in homes or buildings
• Launching community energy or water efficiency programs
• Installing water filters; developing community gardens
• Creating community resilience hubs
• Installing green infrastructure projects
• Creating internships or implementing workforce development programs

You need not develop a new project to receive a grant. These one-time grants are well suited to support existing work that is currently not funded by another source or to complement other projects for which you already have funding. We also welcome proposals for high-priority new projects. 

INPS Grants 

INPS supports well-conceived grant projects that are in line with our mission:

• To promote the appreciation, preservation, scientific study, and use of plants native to Indiana.
• To teach people about their beauty, diversity, and importance to our environment.

Letha’s Youth Outdoors Fund

Letha’s Fund supports trips for school and youth groups to experience nature in an educational context. Preferred groups are those with the least access to expe­riences in the natural environment.

Bringing Youth to Nature

Since its inception in 2008, Letha’s Fund has enabled more than 15,000 youth to visit environmental education centers, nature preserves, and parks under the guidance of trained specialists and enthusiastic volunteers. We have awarded funding to not just school groups, but also non-profit groups, including a group in Gary that took inner city children to visit the Indiana Dunes for the first time.

The Fund has also supported projects such as a Girl Scout troop’s garlic mustard eradica­tion project, the development of native plantings at schools, the planting and support of a butterfly garden for kindergarteners at a community center, and an experience in the woods for handicapped youth.

With drastically reduced funding for schools over the years, Letha’s Fund now focuses on funding field trips to increase the number of youth served.

Letha’s Fund Application Guidelines

Proposed field trips should be designed to give youth a meaningful outdoor experience. Programs that incorporate the importance of native plants and their habitats and/or the impacts of invasive plants will be given higher priority.

Teachers/leaders may select natural sites such as nature preserves and environmental education centers suitable to their location and situation. To minimize transportation costs, applicants are encouraged to select nearby sites.

Field trip activities should be led by environmental educators/naturalists or similarly qualified leaders.

Grants cover the costs of transportation, naturalist fees, and related supplies. Letha’s Fund will reimburse transportation arranged through school transportation systems or local transit. In the interest of stretching donated dollars, we request that driver/bus charges be based on direct costs (driver hourly pay, bus mileage). 

Approved expenses are reimbursed upon receipt of invoices after the trip has occurred. Awards range from $50 to $700, based on need and available funds.  

About Us

We are the Northern Indiana Community Foundation (NICF), consisting of Starke, Fulton, and Miami County Community Foundations—three of ninety-four throughout Indiana. This incredible network is inspiring the formation of other community foundations across the country. Indiana is at the forefront of the community foundation world and is setting the stage by exemplifying the incredible work that these organizations do.

Grant Making areas of interest are: 

• Education
• Health
• Human Service
• Arts & Culture
• Environmental 
• Community Development
• Recreation
• Youth Development

The Community Foundation places a lower priority on the following:

• Projects where Starke County Community Foundation is the sole funder
• Reduction of debt
• Grants to individuals
• Travel
• Attendance at conferences, seminars or other projects
• Programs that fall more appropriately under government funding, such as operating expenses for public schoolsand police or fire protection. (schools should complete a Community Education Grant)

Who We Are

We are the Northern Indiana Community Foundation (NICF), consisting of Starke, Fulton, and Miami County Community Foundations—three of ninety-two throughout Indiana. This incredible network is inspiring the formation of other community foundations across the country. Indiana is at the forefront of the community foundation world and is setting the stage by exemplifying the incredible work that these organizations do.

Community Support Grant

For projects needing several hundred to several thousand dollars. These grants are designed to be awarded to several organizations and provide support throughout the community. There is no deadline associated with these grants.

Grant-making areas of interest are: 

• Education
• Health
• Human Services
• Arts & Culture
• Environmental
• Community Development
• Recreation
• Youth Development 

Who We Are

We are the Northern Indiana Community Foundation (NICF), consisting of Starke, Fulton, and Miami County Community Foundations—three of ninety-two throughout Indiana. This incredible network is inspiring the formation of other community foundations across the country. Indiana is at the forefront of the community foundation world and is setting the stage by exemplifying the incredible work that these organizations do.

Micro Grant

NICF Micro Grants are for grant requests that are $2,000 and under. There is no deadline associated with these grants. 

Grant-making areas of interest are: 

• Education
• Health
• Human Services
• Arts & Culture
• Environmental
• Community Development
• Recreation
• Youth Development 

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million for impact litigation. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas and North Carolina, incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are forced to remain in jail despite being found not guilty and unable to proceed with a criminal trial.
• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters.
• In West Virginia, the state fails to protect children in foster care from abuse and neglect. 
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Gary, Indiana, a gun manufacturer negligently marketed and distributed its guns, leading to an epidemic of gun violence in the city. 
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These grants are for cases aiming to help people or communities who are affected by environmental harm or who lack access to basic environmental needs, such as clean water, clean air, adequate waste treatment, and green spaces. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Centreville, Illinois, the city’s failure to maintain its sewer system has caused raw sewage to flood peoples’ homes, endangering the property and health of a predominantly Black community.
• In Fresno County, California, the California Department of Transportation approved a highway expansion project that would increase air pollution and traffic in one of the state’s most environmentally burdened communities.
• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of a highway would divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and cause pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violated the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into nearby rivers.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporationss and the government accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Brooklyn, New York, a prominent mortgage lender engaged in predatory practices, leaving homeowners of color at risk of losing their homes. 
• In Washington, live-in caregivers are unconstitutionally excluded from the state’s wage-and-hour protections.
• In Ravalli County, Montana, the county has created a “modern-day debtors’ prison” by incarcerating people unable to afford pre-trial fees. 
• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target unhoused vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In New York, a federal immigration detention facility is violating minimum wage and forced labor laws by forcing detainees to work for just a dollar a day. 
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of unhoused individuals and conduct forced evictions from public spaces. 
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

Purpose:

Serve Indiana is a voice for service and volunteerism in the state. Therefore, mini-grants are being offered to provide resources to coordinate Day of Service projects. The goal of this mini-grant program is to demonstrate the power of service as a solution to community needs. Serve Indiana encourages Day of Service projects that:

• demonstrate community connections and use of local resources;
• build capacity of local national service programs through regional networking and co-planning of activities;
• and increase member and volunteer understanding and commitment to national service and volunteerism.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service:

Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service projects should honor Dr. King’s life example with projects that increase economic, environmental, educational, or other forms of equity and that meet an important immediate community need or helps to addresses systemic issues. Proposed projects or events must occur on or around the Day of Service. Projects may be conducted at a mutually agreed-upon location that is accessible to all volunteers and participants.

Amount

Grants will be awarded based upon project needs. Grants will be awarded in sums of $500, $1,000, $2,500, and $5,000.

Grant Process

On an invitation-only basis, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust funds primarily nonprofit organizations in Arizona and Indiana that align closely with our giving areas: Helping People in Need, Protecting Animals and Nature, and Enriching Community Life.

Protecting Animals and Nature: Environmental Requests

Mrs. Pulliam loved animals – domesticated and wild – and the natural environment. She sought ways to encourage human bonds with both.

The Trust supports organizations and programs that:

• Programs that provide humane and wellness services for domestic animals, including shelter, rescue, spay/neuter and adoption.
• Programs that promote conservation of natural habitats and ecosystems that advance preservation, protection and restoration of land, water, wildlife and plants.
• Programs that promote environmental awareness to connect people to the natural world, promote personal stewardship, or offer knowledge and tools for addressing current and future problems.

Environmental Initiatives- Protecting nature in Arizona and Indiana

The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust focuses its environmental strategy primarily on critical waterways and increasing awareness of environmental issues in Arizona and Indiana, the states where we invest.

The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust is implementing a five-year environmental roadmap, initiated in 2020, that dedicates $19.5 million to investments in protecting nature in Arizona and Indiana, with special emphasis on protecting and restoring the Verde and White rivers, and underwriting environmental reporting and environmental journalism awards.

These efforts are improving our waterways, driving important conversations about our water future and informing the public about broader environmental issues.

Grant Process

On an invitation-only basis, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust funds primarily nonprofit organizations in Arizona and Indiana that align closely with our giving areas: Helping People in Need, Protecting Animals and Nature, and Enriching Community Life. 

Helping People in Need

Mrs. Pulliam valued giving people experiencing difficulty a hand-up and firmly believed that education was essential to reaching one’s full potential.

The Trust supports:

Self-sufficiency

• Programs that provide adult education or training with accompanying social supports for individuals to obtain and maintain gainful employment.
• Programs that focus on economic self-reliance through micro-lending, small business development and entrepreneurial efforts for low-income individuals.
• Programs that assist the elderly in maintaining their independence and remaining in their homes.

Crisis Intervention

• Programs that assist vulnerable families, women and children to help move them from crisis or instability to greater functioning.
• Programs that provide basic needs, such as food, clothing, emergency shelter or transitional housing.

Foster Care

• Programs that increase the number of licensed foster families and kinship providers.
• Multigenerational programs that help prevent children from entering the system.
• Programs that support young adults ages, 18-25 who are aging out of the system, with post-secondary educational attainment, job training and financial self-sufficiency.

Education and Literacy

• Programs that provide mentoring and tutoring to disadvantaged youth.
• Out-of-school time programs and projects for underserved children.
• Programs that improve literacy skills of adults.
• Programs that help high school students gain access to careers or post-secondary education.
• Programs that work with children (0 – 5) and their families to improve literacy, reading and language acquisition.

Protecting Animals and Nature

Mrs. Pulliam loved animals – domesticated and wild – and the natural environment. She sought ways to encourage human bonds with both.

The Trust supports organizations and programs that:

• Programs that provide humane and wellness services for domestic animals, including shelter, rescue, spay/neuter and adoption.
• Programs that promote conservation of natural habitats and ecosystems that advance preservation, protection and restoration of land, water, wildlife and plants.
• Programs that promote environmental awareness to connect people to the natural world, promote personal stewardship, or offer knowledge and tools for addressing current and future problems. 

Enriching Community Life

Mrs. Pulliam appreciated the importance of having vibrant communities that benefit all residents, while ensuring that nonprofit organizations fulfill their missions at a level of excellence.

The Trust supports:

• Programs that add to the overall civic vibrancy and cultural vitality of the community.
• Programs that create innovative solutions to enhance the quality of life in Indianapolis or Phoenix. 

History

The Ian and Mimi Rolland Foundation was established in 1994 by Ian and Mimi Rolland and is focused on the enhancement of the Fort Wayne Indiana Community by supporting a wide variety of social services, arts, environmental, and educational organizations.

Ian Rolland was a community activist and former Chairman and CEO of Lincoln National Corporation, retiring in 1998. His wife, Mimi, has been thoroughly involved in volunteering and supporting the Fort Wayne community as well. Both Ian and Mimi have always had a philosophy of giving back and supporting those in need.

The Foundation assets are currently over $6 million. In the previous 10 years the Foundation has paid out over $5 million to over 150 non-profit organizations. It is the philosophy of the Foundation to allocate a majority of its annual grants to local programs which predominantly serve the general public within the metropolitan area of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Preference is also given to proposals which further a specific project or program which directly fulfills the charitable or educational purpose of the organization itself.

Ian and Mimi Rolland Foundation Grants

The majority of grants are made to organizations within the Fort Wayne, Indiana metropolitan area or to organizations doing work that have direct outreach or impact in the Fort Wayne area.

A majority of our grants will go toward human and social services which are focused on creating a more equitable society by enhancing the well-being of individuals in need. This will typically consist of over 70% of our annual contributions.

Other areas of interest include the arts, environmental and community enrichment organizations.

Program Area: Environment

For more than two decades, the Joyce Foundation has been a leading foundation funder of policy work related to the Great Lakes. We are working to address three of the region’s critical long-term environmental challenges: climate change, the safety and accessibility of the water we drink and the health of the Great Lakes.

Climate change is the largest intergenerational environmental threat in our region. Great Lakes states are at a pivotal moment to dramatically reduce the emissions that drive climate change, while also creating economic opportunity and improving people’s health. Moreover, this region emits nearly 20 percent of all US climate pollution, so gains here are essential to national progress.

More than 40 million people rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water, and protecting the Lakes is central to the region’s environmental health, economic vitality, and very identity. In our region, climate change is causing more intense storms and increasing the variability of Great Lakes’ water levels. These patterns increase polluted runoff and stress aging water systems. While all communities face water challenges, the most severe impacts fall on people from communities that have lacked investment because of structural racism or other barriers.

To respond to these challenges, Joyce will support efforts to put Great Lakes states on a path to achieve just, equitable, carbon-free electric power systems by 2040. We will also seek to ensure all people in the Great Lakes region have clean water from lake to tap by supporting policy to address threats, improve infrastructure, and remedy water disparities in communities of color. In all our grants, we will prioritize projects that are guided by the perspectives of people impacted by the environmental issues being addressed.

The program has two focus areas: Climate Solutions and Great Lakes & Drinking Water.

Climate Solutions

Shifting to non-carbon sources of electric power is essential to eliminating global warming pollution – both directly by reducing the burning of fossil fuels in power plants, and indirectly as the transportation, industrial, building heating, and other sectors switch to electricity. There is positive technological, economic, and—in some Great Lakes states—policy momentum behind transitioning to carbon-free electric power. Yet, no states in our region are more than about halfway to achieving complete electric sector decarbonization, and some still get 80 or 90 percent of their electricity from fossil fuels. Joyce will support work on clean energy policy in Great Lakes states to secure long-term commitments to 100 percent carbon-free electricity.

Goal: To put Great Lakes states on a path to achieve just, equitable, carbon-free electric power systems by 2040.

• Secure long-term commitments to transition to carbon-free electricity, including states establishing 100 percent carbon-free electricity goals and strategies, and states, utilities and their stakeholders embracing racial equity and energy justice as core elements of decarbonization plans
• Achieve full implementation of near-term state energy efficiency and renewable energy policies, with strategies tailored to fit the unique needs and opportunities in each state— focusing mostly on Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota, with smaller investments in Ohio and Wisconsin
• Support policy innovation to achieve complete, equitable decarbonization, closing the gap between the cumulative reductions that can be driven by the current generation of clean energy policies and 100 percent decarbonization

Great Lakes & Drinking Water

One of every five gallons of fresh water on the surface of the planet is found in the Great Lakes, which provide clean, abundant drinking water for 40 million people in our region. Yet the future health of the lakes is far from assured, given major threats to their physical, chemical, and biological integrity. Public and private decisions made in the next decade will likely determine whether the Great Lakes will be healthy enough to provide for the next generation as they have provided for us.

Protecting the health of our region depends on protecting the health of the Great Lakes and the water systems that serve our communities. The Great Lakes and Drinking Water focus area will accelerate actions to protect the region’s freshwater, upgrade our water infrastructure, and improve access to safe, affordable drinking water. We will pursue two initiatives, with most efforts focused in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Goal: To ensure all people in the Great Lakes region have clean water from lake to tap by supporting policy to address threats, improve infrastructure, and remedy water disparities in communities of color.

To help ensure that the Great Lakes remain healthy enough to provide for the next generation as they have provided for us, we will address major threats to their physical, chemical, and biological integrity, with a focus on efforts to:

• Improve water infrastructure performance, management, and funding, with a focus on remedying water system disparities in communities of color
• Prevent unsustainable diversions from the Great Lakes by enforcing the Great Lakes Compact
• Prevent groundwater depletion (proposals currently by invitation only)
• Reduce the risk of oil spills from oil transport by continuing to support closure of the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline
• Reduce polluted runoff in rural and urban areas
• Prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species

To help make certain that the next generation in our region has access to safe, affordable drinking water, Joyce will support equitable water policy that ensures that water systems and infrastructure provide safe, affordable water services for everyone. We will focus on efforts to develop and support utility, municipal, state, and federal policies that:

• Reduce the risk of lead exposure in drinking water
• Ensure high quality, affordable water services

Healthy Eating & Active Living

Communities across the nation are facing a growing prevalence of obesity and associated preventable chronic diseases – the Tri-State is no different. Currently, in our region, one-third of adults are obese – higher than the national average. Tri-State children are also affected, with a third of our youth either obese or overweight. Unfortunately, excess weight dramatically increases the risk of many conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and some cancers. In January 2016, the World Health Organization warned, “…obesity is particularly concerning and has the potential to negate many of the health benefits that have contributed to increased life expectancy.” In their 2012 report, Trust for America’s Health cautioned, “…the current generation of young people could be the first in U.S. history to live sicker and die younger than their parents’ generation.” The solution is not in access to health care alone because obesity is difficult and expensive to treat. Prevention is necessary – through community solutions focused on policy, systems, and environmental changes – ultimately leading to lifestyles that incorporate healthy eating and active living.

Social Determinants of Health

There’s a lot of discussion today focused on the Social Determinants of Health. These are defined as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age and include factors like socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood, and physical environment, employment, and social support networks as well as access to health care.

There are a growing number of programs and initiatives working to address the Social Determinants of Health both within and outside of the healthcare system.

Health Equity

The underlying message of the “Social Determinants of Health” is that the conditions in which people live have a more significant impact on their overall state of health than their genetics. Access to quality food, education, transportation, and living conditions all play a critical part in our health.

The concept of “Equity versus Equality” challenges the idea that giving “equal” treatment to every individual is adequate. Instead, equitable treatment accounts for individual/community needs and unique sets of circumstances.

This month, we’re taking what we’ve learned from each of the past two advocacy topics (the Social Determinants of Health and Equity versus Equality) as we look at Health Equity.

Understanding Health Equity is a vital piece in moving the needle in health outcomes. If we understand the relationship between “equity” and the Social determinants of Health (access to quality food, affordable housing, education, transportation, stable income, and stable relationships), we are more likely to create sustainable change.

Our Investment

A culture of Healthy Eating & Active Living will contribute to the following community changes:

• More residents of all ages are meeting the recommended guidelines for nutrition and physical activity
• Fewer residents of all ages will have weight-related chronic disease

The Foundation has identified four specific priorities that rely on comprehensive planning and systemic change:

• Nutritious Food and Beverage Availability – Increasing opportunities for healthy eating
• Physical Activity Access – Increasing opportunities for active living
• Healthy Environments – Increasing opportunities to facilitate systems change
• Motivate Usage – Encouraging individuals to make healthy choices

Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation Grant

General Information

The Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation is an independent private Foundation philanthropic organization originally established in 2004 by Elsa M. Heisel Sule, a native of Northern Kentucky and businesswoman in the television industry.

The Foundation’s governing body meets three times during the year to review applications for grants during April, July and October. The Foundation staff maintains offices in Greater Cincinnati, a central point in the tri-state area it serves, of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. 

Operations and Purpose

Grant Applications must be filed for each calendar year in which an organization desires a Grant of funds. Grants are usually awarded for one year unless specifically noted in writing as a multiyear grant or renewable. 

Program Priorities and Objective

The Trustee of the Foundation was originally instructed by Elsa Sule to make grants in the Greater Cincinnati and tri-state area with a focus on Education, Community, and the Arts with the following areas of interests:

• Education Success and Scholarships
• Health, Wellness and Scientific Research
• Children’s Welfare and Competitive Sports
• Fine and Performing Arts and Cultural Vibrancy
• Civic Public Affairs
• Animal Welfare and Preservation
• Environmental and Community Stewardship

Our Mission

The Owen County Community Foundation is committed to enhancing the quality of life for all citizens of Owen County, now and for generations to come.

Background

The work of local nonprofit organizations impacts the quality of life for everyone in Owen County. Recognizing the essential role they play in the economy and health of our community, OCCF is committed to sharing knowledge about the nonprofit sector and strengthening nonprofit organizations through grants and training.

The Owen County Community Foundation administered more than $480,000 in 2021 in community grants and contracts, primarily through nonprofit organizations. Our core programs and community impact initiatives are designed to strengthen nonprofits and solve community problems while delivering solid results and leveraging relationships.

The Large Impact Grant is intended for requests from $10,000 to $30,000.

The programs that are considered for support are those located in Owen County or will directly benefit the citizens of Owen County. Currently we will consider grand awards in five broad areas.

Priority Areas

• Civic Affairs
  • Improving neighborhood quality of life
  • Encouraging preservation/education of area history
  • Improving access to timely, unbiased information on local issues and events
  • Supporting emergency preparedness
• Education
  • Supporting career planning and career awareness initiatives
  • Strengthening community/education/parent involvement
  • Bolstering awareness and support of high-quality early education initiatives and community involvement
  • Advancing leadership training and civics education for youth and adults
• Health & Wellness
  • Meeting the needs of an aging population
  • Increasing access to healthcare, including mental, behavioral, and dental health
  • Supporting maternal, prenatal, and newborn health
  • Supporting chronic disease treatment and prevention
• Human Services
  • Building organizational capacity to meet area housing and social welfare needs
  • Strengthening families and meeting needs of at-risk children
  • Addressing food security, nutrition literacy, and access to healthy foods
  • Assisting the chronically poor
• Trails & Parks
  • Providing a high quality, diversified system that provides for all age and interest groups
  • Preserving and enhancing significant environmental resources
  • Promoting physical activity and community engagement
  • Preserving the health, independence, and social connections of older adults through trails and parks programs

In these five funding areas, OCCF is interested in working with organizations and associations to build on community strengths and find solutions to community problems. However, we also welcome good ideas emerging from the community. 

Our goal is to support innovative, collaborative, and transformative projects that support the goals and strategies of the priority areas. Funded projects are also intended to show sustainability over time, as well as leveraging existing community resources.

Our Vision

The Heart of Cook will be a leader in furthering education, supporting human services, and protecting the environment through a continued commitment to local communities in the AEP service area (Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana (La Porte, St. Joseph, and Elkhart Counties)).

Guidelines & Funding Emphasis

Our three primary funding areas are:

• Furthering Education
• Supporting Human Services
• Preserving and Protecting the Environment

We take special pride in supporting organizations and projects in which our employees participate or take a leadership role. The partnership of corporate contributions and employee initiatives typically results in improved outcomes. 

Furthering education

To promote economic development and provide for a well-trained and available work force in the area, we will provide grants to programs that build work skills and to educational organizations and projects that supplement professional development for educators and volunteers. Projects that specifically target science and mathematical disciplines, as well as development in impoverished communities are given priority.

Human services

Strong families are the building blocks for successful communities and businesses. We will provide grants to programs and organizations that nurture children and youth, help foster independence for those in need, ensure safety and support of older individuals, and teach parenting skills.

Protecting the environment

As an energy provider located in a particularly beautiful and unique ecosystem, we recognize the importance of protecting, restoring and enhancing our natural surroundings. We provide grants to organizations and projects supporting these types of environmental activities. 

About Us

The Community Foundation of Southern Indiana was formed by a group of Southern Indiana residents who wanted to build charitable resources that would benefit nonprofits and residents of Southern Indiana, forever. Through their support, and funds from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc., the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana was established in 1991 with nearly $1 million and a handful of funds.

Throughout its history the Community Foundation has filled an important leadership role in our community. The 1990’s were full of growth as the market surged and helped the Foundation grow quickly with over $1.7 million in grants awarded in 1999.

In 2002, the Foundation granted funds to put early warning emergency sirens throughout Clark and Floyd counties. Those sirens still operate today to warn residents. During the 2000’s the Community Foundation went through a number of changes. Scott, Crawford and Harrison Counties were all in the original service area of the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana but, over the years, each community established their own foundation to focus on the needs of their specific region.

Since 1991, the Community Foundation has continued to grow – today administering over $164 million assets, annually granting more than $5 million to causes that impact our community, and stewarding more than 280 individual funds, and providing leadership on important community issues.

Pathways to Progress Grants

The Foundation’s Quality of Place – Pathways to Progress Grants will focus on serving people with the least access to safe, high-quality public places and amenities, typically those who have low incomes and/or who have transportation or mobility challenges or physical and/or mental differences. When their lives are improved, our communities are more welcoming and attractive to all residents, tourists, and employers.

Priority Results

For these populations, we will work with our nonprofit partners to improve:

• Both real and perceived safety of existing amenities (greenspaces, parks, playgrounds, rivers, etc.)
• Safe and affordable access to the amenities (trails, public/shared transit, etc.)
• Environmental quality and sustainability of those amenities
• Use of the areas to increase physical activity – which will improve health outcomes, such as obesity and other health risks

“What Works” to achieve these results:

• Safe, accessible routes to parks and greenspaces through public transportation, sidewalks, crosswalks, bike trails, and access points
• Parks infrastructure that connects existing parks and ensures parks are safe and accessible for people with limited mobility
• Attractive programs and activities in parks or greenspaces that promote physical activity
• Safety features and amenities available in parks
• Activation of unused or underused public spaces, such as pocket parks
• Marketing and communication about activities offered in parks and greenspaces
• Advocacy and policy reform to improve air quality
• Advocacy and government partnerships around park and greenspace planning
• Complete Streets projects
• Collaboration on funder-led projects and initiatives around parks and greenspaces

About Us

Established in 1992, the Posey County Community Foundation is one of over 800 community foundations in the United States today. The Community Foundation is a charitable resource devoted to our local community. We help people make meaningful gifts that improve life in Posey County, Indiana today and for generations to come.

We are part of the Community Foundation Alliance (The Alliance), a network of nine community foundations serving counties in southwestern Indiana. The Alliance, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, provides management and administrative expertise to county-wide community foundations, empowering each to promote philanthropy, build endowments, and improve well-being in our local community. The Alliance Board of Directors is the governing body and is comprised of up to two representatives from each county affiliate. All are civic-minded volunteers who live or work in the counties they serve.

The Posey County Community Foundation is guided by a County Advisory Board comprised of local leaders promoting philanthropy, building endowments, identifying community needs, and improving the well-being of our community. Grantmaking and scholarship recommendations are made by committees comprised of Posey County advisory board members and other local representatives.

Community Good Grants Program

Funding requests are accepted once each year according to our grant cycle. Funding requirements may change from year to year. Grantseekers are advised to revisit this page prior to beginning the grant application process. Grants are normally given as one-time support of a project but may be considered for additional support, or for expansions or outgrowths of an initial project. Grants are made possible by Community Good Unrestricted Funds and Field of Interest Funds which support a wide variety of needs in Posey County.

Program Areas Considered For Funding:

Arts and Culture -

• Activities that strengthen the stability of arts organizations, make the arts accessible to low-income populations, enhance the understanding of all types of arts and humanities, and promote the appreciation or understanding of historical events.

Community Development -

• Activities that foster civil rights, our society, advocacy, community improvement, capacity building, philanthropy, volunteerism, grantmaking, strong neighborhoods; that improve the effectiveness of government, public administration and public officials; that assess community needs; and that support the programs of leadership organizations.

Education -

• Activities that improve the educational attainment of children and adults, both in and out of the classroom; that support formally constituted educational institutions and organizations or entities that administer or support these institutions; that support libraries and organizations whose primary purpose is to provide opportunities for supplementing and continuing education outside the framework of formal education institutions; and that support organizations which provide education-related services to students and schools.

Health -

• Activities that improve and promote health outcomes; general and rehabilitative health services; mental health; crisis intervention; associations or services associated with specific diseases, disorders, and medical disciplines; and medical research.

Human Services -

• Activities that maximize the functioning of special needs populations in mainstream society; that protect the public (crime and delinquency prevention, legal administration, legal services); that promote and support employment and jobs, food and nutrition, agriculture, housing and shelter, public safety, and disaster preparedness and relief; and that support child daycare programs, the United Way, YMCA, YWCA, firefighting activities, and programs of community centers.

Other Civic Endeavors - 

• Environment -
  • Activities that foster pollution control and abatement, protection and conservation of natural resources, botanic and horticulture, environmental beautification, preservation of open spaces, environmental education and outdoor survival, protection and welfare of animals, humane societies, wildlife preservation and protection, veterinary services, zoos and aquariums, and specialty animal services.
• Recreation - 
  • Improving and promoting recreational and leisure activities, parks, and community sporting events and activities.
• Youth Development -
  • Activities that strengthen the family unit, help children grow and develop, foster youth sports and athletics, that support the Future Farmers of America or other youth development programs, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and scouting.

Mission

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) mission is to implement federal and state regulations to protect human health and the environment while allowing the environmentally sound operations of industrial, agricultural, commercial, and governmental activities vital to a prosperous economy.

Community Recycling Grant Program

The Community Recycling Grant Program (CRGP) is authorized to provide grants by IC 13-20-22. The program is funded through the State Solid Waste Management Fund, which generates revenue through a 50 cent per ton surcharge fee at final disposal facilities within Indiana. Projects that can be funded under this program include education and promotion of recycling, source reduction, organics management (including yard waste management and composting), and household hazardous waste (HHW) collection and disposal. Eligible candidates may seek a grant ranging from $1,000 to $100,000, with a 25 percent required cash match.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) announced the availability of grand funds to assist communities with recycling and waste reduction efforts. The Community Recycling Grant Program is administered through the Office of Program Support (OPS) of IDEM. These guidelines are intended to aid grant applicants in submitting their application for the IDEM review process.

There is no implied guarantee of funding for a submitted grant proposal, even if the grant application meets all desired expectations.

Daviess County Community Foundation

Established in 1993, the Daviess County Community Foundation is one of over 800 community foundations in the United States today. The Community Foundation is a charitable resource devoted to our local community. We help people make meaningful gifts that improve life in Daviess County, Indiana today and for generations to come.

We are part of the Community Foundation Alliance (The Alliance), a network of nine community foundations serving counties in southwestern Indiana. The Alliance, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, provides management and administrative expertise to county-wide community foundations, empowering each to promote philanthropy, build endowments, and improve well-being in our local community. The Alliance Board of Directors is the governing body and is comprised of up to two representatives from each county affiliate. All are civic-minded volunteers who live or work in the counties they serve.

Program Areas

Arts and Culture

Activities that strengthen the stability of arts organizations, make the arts accessible to low-income populations, enhance the understanding of all types of arts and humanities, and promote the appreciation or understanding of historical event.

Community Development

Activities that foster civil rights, our society, advocacy, community improvement, capacity building, philanthropy, volunteerism, grantmaking, strong neighborhoods; that improve the effectiveness of government, public administration and public officials; that assess community needs; and that support the programs of leadership organizations.

Education

Activities that improve the educational attainment of children and adults, both in and out of the classroom; that support formally constituted educational institutions and organizations or entities that administer or support these institutions; that support libraries and organizations whose primary purpose is to provide opportunities for supplementing and continuing education outside the framework of formal education institutions; and that support organizations which provide education-related services to students and schools.

Health

Activities that improve and promote health outcomes; general and rehabilitative health services; mental health; crisis intervention; associations or services associated with specific diseases, disorders, and medical disciplines; and medical research.

Human Services

Activities that maximize the functioning of special needs populations in mainstream society; that protect the public (crime and delinquency prevention, legal administration, legal services); that promote and support employment and jobs, food and nutrition, agriculture, housing and shelter, public safety, and disaster preparedness and relief; and that support child daycare programs, the United Way, YMCA, YWCA, firefighting activities, and programs of community centers.

Environment

Activities that foster pollution control and abatement, protection and conservation of natural resources, botanic and horticulture, environmental beautification, preservation of open spaces, environmental education and outdoor survival, protection and welfare of animals, humane societies, wildlife preservation and protection, veterinary services, zoos and aquariums, and specialty animal services.

Recreation

Improving and promoting recreational and leisure activities, parks, and community sporting events and activities.

Youth Development

Activities that strengthen the family unit, help children grow and develop, foster youth sports and athletics, that support the Future Farmers of America or other youth development programs, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and scouting.

Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s mission is to connect generous people with trusted nonprofits to create a vibrant tri-state region where every person has a fair opportunity to thrive.

As the region's leading community foundation, it’s our role to act as a partner, funder, and connector – creating trusted relationships with generous people, nonprofits and community stakeholders to improve quality of life across the region. Since 1963, we have been inspired by your passion and generosity – it fuels our work. Together, we’re making investments in arts and culture, education, housing affordability, health care, job creation, environmental sustainability, human services and more.

Vibrant Places: Community & Cultural Vibrancy 

Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) invites your organization to partner with us to create a Greater Cincinnati where every person has a fair opportunity to thrive.

Our grantmaking in Community & Cultural Vibrancy focuses on two key areas: promoting healthy people and cultivating vibrant places. We believe that a strong community is built through equitable access to resources, arts & culture, and spaces that connect and uplift residents. For the 2025 Vibrant Places: Community & Cultural Vibrancy RFP cycle, GCF has approximately $500,000 available and grants will be awarded for up to $25,000.  Vibrant Places: Community & Cultural Vibrancy RFP funding will be made available annually. However, organizations that are awarded funding are not eligible to apply the following year.

Funding Focus 

All residents should have access to the resources they need to live full, stable and healthy lives. GCF will invest in safe public spaces, accessible parks, arts and culture and resident–led programs to strengthen individual and community well-being. To drive this impact, we invest in:

• Strengthening community spaces and cultural institutions that bring people together.
• Creating and fostering safe neighborhoods through sustained community engagement.

Use of Funds

Funding may be used to support, expand, or strengthen existing programs, enact capital improvements, launch a new program or build organizational capacity. Collaboration between well-aligned organizations is highly favored.

Background

Every community faces unique barriers that require collaborative solutions to thrive. The Dow Promise Program supports educational and economic challenges Black youth and adults face in the United States by addressing community-identified needs and advancing equitable opportunities. Through grants of up to $10,000 towards social, economic or environmental initiatives, Dow Promise not only fosters a thriving community, but a shared future.

Since 2000, this annual competitive program has committed to uplifting communities in which Dow operates by supporting their needs and investing in positive social change for long-term success.

Crossroad Fund Grants

Crossroads Fund supports grassroots groups working for racial, social and economic justice in the greater Chicago metropolitan area (including Northwest Indiana, which we define as the area between the state border and Gary, IN. All applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for funding:

• Working for Social Change: Crossroads Fund supports organizations working to examine and challenge the underlying causes of injustice affecting their communities. They seek to change the conditions, institutions, and policies that create and maintain inequality and oppression.
• Cross-Issue Organizing: Our grantees work with an understanding of the connectedness among the various people and issues that make up the whole community.
• Grassroots Leadership: We support groups that involve the people who are directly affected by an issue at all levels of the organization - in planning, organizing and leading, and working to continue building leadership within the grassroots community.
• Solid Plan: We fund groups whose work is driven by the following:
  • a clear purpose with well-planned goals, objectives, activities and a tool to measure outcomes and impact;
  • a timeline and budget that reflects the proposed objectives and activities;
  • a realistic fundraising plan.
• Work in the Chicago Metropolitan Area: Crossroads Fund supports organizations rooted in communities in the Chicago metropolitan area. Counties include: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will, along with Lake County, Indiana.
• Budget: Groups with previous year annual expenses under $500,000.

Youth Fund for Social Change

In 2007, Crossroads Fund received a legacy grant from the Girls Best Friend Foundation, supporting the formation of a special grantmaking initiative, which funds youth advocacy and activism projects in the Chicago area. The Youth Fund for Social Change enables us to have a targeted impact on the growing sector of youth organizations in the Chicago area.

The Youth Fund for Social Change provides resources to youth working on social justice issues in their communities. The Youth Fund supports youth activists who want to change and challenge existing policies and/or organized structures that prevent their communities from achieving equality. 

Projects may cover many areas ranging from community, education and schools, health, environment, incarceration, media, racism, discrimination, voting, etc.

Examples of such projects are:

• Community: youth working to find solutions to overall issues of equality like access to education, healthcare, jobs and political power: working on alternatives to detention and incarceration.
• Education and schools: youth organizing for: restorative justice programs in schools; representation on school boards; alternatives to military recruitment on campus; or programs that address sexual harassment, homophobia, gender, or ability stereotypes/oppression.
• Health: youth organizing to expand reproductive health and comprehensive sex education.
• Environment: youth organizing around: lead clean up in their community; environmental pollution; or access to cleaner and better transit.
• Violence: youth working on: alternatives to the criminal justice system; peer to peer intervention; pursuit of strategies to reduce police harassment of youth; strategies to improve public safety in your neighborhood.
• Media: youth holding corporate media accountable by demanding that the public airwaves promote justice and peace rather than hate, violence and war.

Community Health Partnerships (CHeP) Trailblazer Planning Grant

Indiana CTSI Community Health Partnerships (CHeP) is soliciting proposals for the development of community-university partnerships to improve health, examine social determinants of health (SDoH), or enhance health equity, to result in future collaborative research proposals. The award can be used to establish new partnerships or to strengthen/expand existing community-university partnerships to solve critical health problems affecting Indiana residents. This award will not fund research pilot projects; instead, it will fund activities to help develop partnerships between organizations that have potential to later engage in joint research projects to address health, health equity, or SDoH. The expected outcome of this award is the development of a future research proposal for opportunities such as the Community Health Partnerships Trailblazer Award (Trailblazer Award). Examples of partnership development activities we are interested in funding include meetings, conferences, travel expenses, stakeholder interviews, and quality improvement assessments.

Types of Projects

The Trailblazer Planning Grant is intended to fund partnership development through conferences, travel, collaborative meetings, and other activities that will culminate in a community-engaged collaborative research proposal application to the Trailblazer Award (or other funding mechanism).

CHeP defines health broadly, and is especially seeking to fund the development of partnerships whose long-term goals are to impact SDoH and focus on improving the underlying factors influencing health outcomes and health equity. Intended goals of the partnerships may span various sectors and do not necessarily have to be clinical in nature. Examples of such goals could include affordable housing; food security and nutrition; community safety and violence prevention; education and employment; anti-discrimination and inclusion; environmental justice and access to green spaces; and transportation and mobility.

Examples of past funded projects:

• IU School of Medicine and the Indiana Department of Corrections developed a partnership with the goal of improving care for incarcerated youth with autism spectrum disorder.
• A women’s health center and the IU School of Medicine developed a partnership with the goal of improving perinatal mental health in rural areas.
• IU Bloomington and a public library developed a partnership with the goal to develop and implement an obesity prevention agenda for children and families in an Indiana county. 

Funding

Awards will be up to $5,000 for one year to allow for partnership growth and collaborative grant proposal development.

• The proposed budget must be justified, including all planned expenditures. Faculty salary support can be covered up to $1,000 per proposal (including fringe and benefits).
• There are no limits on non-faculty salary support.
• Hospitality costs should be a minimal part of the budget and need to be well-justified as a required part of meeting the goals.
• Travel expenses are limited to those that are necessary to achieve the aims of the proposed project.
  • Only in-state travel is allowable, and State of Indiana reimbursement rates apply.

ABOUT ROOTED IN JUSTICE

“Rooted in Justice” is a funding program designed to help amplify youth voices and actions in the environmental and food justice movements.  Rooted in Justice supports community-based organizations and groups that manage established, youth-led, urban greening programs within a justice framework as a core part of their work, with two-year grants of $25,000/year.  

Rooted in Justice recognizes the importance and undeniable right of every young person to have the ability to develop their own relationship with the environment, be it through growing food, spending time with nature, creating community green spaces, or becoming environmental stewards. Rooted in Justice also honors the power and possibilities that arise when young people collectively work to be change-makers in their communities.

Rooted in Justice supports organizations, groups, collectives, and programs that work with young people between the ages of 12 to 20 in youth-led programming for communities or cultures which have historically or currently experience:

• A lack of access to land or nature;
• Agricultural oppression and/or neglect;
• Food apartheid; and/or
• Other forms of injustice based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics and disability.

Rooted in Justice awards a small number of grants each year with applications due in the fall and decisions made the following spring. Final grant decisions are recommended to the Cedar Tree board via a participatory grantmaking process with outside reviewers who have experience in youth-led urban greening, as well as food or climate justice programming. So far the program has awarded multi-year grants to 21 organizations and one-time grants to 10 additional organizations since 2021. 

Definitions

Rooted in Justice grants support organizations or programs that include all four of the elements described below: social justice, youth-led, urban greening, and cohort-based youth work. We articulate our understanding of those terms below in an effort to provide a guide for prospective organizations to use in determining whether their program is a good fit. However as we continue our work towards questioning and dismantling some of our preconceived notions, we recognize that these are not finite definitions and encourage prospective applicants who still feel their work may be a good fit to describe in their proposals why this is the case.  

Social Justice-Based Programs

Programs dedicated to creating equitable outcomes for communities directly affected by different aspects of injustice by:

• Sharing and redistributing power and resources;
• Amplifying voices and leadership;
• Tackling root problems through ongoing engagement and collaboration to find solutions, organize against oppression of all kinds and create mechanisms for change; and
• Developing a critical analysis with youth and community members.

Youth-Led

The development of youth leadership skills is a core part of programs funded by Rooted in Justice. Young people have the opportunity to play a role in the planning and decision-making for their program and may help shape the internal workings of the organization. Examples of youth-led programs include programs where participants: 

• Managing a portion of their programming budget;
• Co-facilitating program activities, meetings and gatherings;
• Shape their own programming and/or organizational strategic planning;
• Have regular and end-of-program opportunities to provide program feedback and evaluation; and
• Have opportunities for personal and/or professional growth within the program and organization.

Urban Greening

For the purpose of this grant we define “urban greening” as any activity that creates a mutually beneficial relationship between city dwellers and their environments. Programs that are a strong fit for Rooted in Justice will have many opportunities for youth to be outdoors.  Project settings can include, but are not limited to: 

• Urban and aquaponic farms
• Greenhouses and rooftop gardens
• Community gardens, green spaces, and rain gardens
• Composting sites
• Land conservation efforts
• Urban forests
• River or other water restoration  

Cohort-Based Youth Works

Rooted in Justice looks to fund organizations that build community with cohorts of youth through intentional, recurring programming. This grant is intended to support programs that offer youth significant learning and leadership opportunities as a group and as individuals. Priority will be given to organizations that have program infrastructure that supports a cohort of youth over time.  Drop-in programming, one-time conferences, or individual internships are not a good fit for Rooted in Justice.  

Youth Budgeting

As part of grant proposal, all Rooted in Justice grantees must share a plan to allocate a portion of the grant funds for youth participants to manage. What do we mean by this? We ask applicants to specifically set aside some amount of grant funds for youth to allocate to priorities of their choosing.  For example, youth participants can use their allocated funding to:

• Fund an entrepreneurial endeavor;
• Design the brand or swag for their group;
• Hire a speaker or outside expert to teach a new skill;
• Purchase supplies for a community-based art project;
• Host a celebration for their families, friends and neighbors;
• Pay for transportation to programming, special events, or conferences; and/or
• Any other youth-led activity the group may find beneficial.

Use of Funds

Rooted in Justice funding must be used for project support of existing youth led, urban greening, social justice work and associated general operating expenses. Operating expenses can include anything from program costs like staff salaries and youth stipends to organizational sustainability needs like major equipment purchases and leadership/staff training. If your organization’s entire mission is youth led, urban greening, social justice work, the Rooted in Justice grant can be general support. 

Funding

Two Year Grant

• Rooted in Justice Grant awards are two-year grants of $25,000 per year.
• After the initial two year grant, grantees may be eligible for a third year of funding at the same or lower level through a simple renewal process.
• In the 2025-2026 grant cycle, the Cedar Tree Foundation expects to support 4 organizations with multi-year grant awards.

Funding for Professional Development

• Each Rooted in Justice grantee organization also has access to an additional $6,000 to support professional development opportunities identified by each organization.  Half of these funds must be used to directly support the professional development of youth. 
• Rooted in Justice grantees can request reimbursement from this professional development fund to attend conferences, hire consultants, purchase equipment or software that increases organizational capacity, or participate in any activities that strengthen youth programming or justice practice of program providers in support of their youth development programming. The funds set aside for youth professional development can be used for youth exchanges or youth participation in conferences and other professional development opportunities directly for youth.  

Community Professional Development Calls

• Cedar Tree works with grantee partners to assess their professional development interests and facilitates on-line gatherings of staff or youth for skill shares, trainings, and networking opportunities.
• These network calls will likely happen 2-3 times per year.