Search Through Grants for Mentoring Programs in the U.S.

About Us

AJA Foundation seeks to help those who have done everything society asks of them, yet for whom access to essential resources and the probability for advancement that comes from them remain elusive at best and structurally impossible at worst.

We know that the “playing field” of opportunity tilts substantially and unfairly towards those coming from advantage and that nobody succeeds on their own. AJA Foundation is dedicated to leveling the playing field by investing globally in organizations addressing what we see as fundamental human rights with a focus on equal access to clean water, quality education and essential healthcare.

What We Fund

Water

Billions of people lack access to clean water. This affects health and hinders education, employment, economic growth, and gender equality.

Having access to clean water not only saves lives and leads to better health outcomes, it creates a domino effect of positive change throughout entire communities by improving access to education, food, employment, gender equality, and mitigates the effects of climate change.

Over the last 15 years, AJA Foundation has invested approximately $3 million to support five clean water initiatives. Some have been multi-year commitments.

Education

Access to primary education is inequitable. Children who are economically disadvantaged lack access to curriculum and support necessary to thrive academically.

Education is the critical tool for upward economic mobility. Students who are structurally denied necessary coursework and critical support like tutoring, mentoring, and scholarships cannot reach their full potential.

The AJA Foundation has invested over $4 million to date in programs that empower deserving students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Investing in the potential of these students not only improves their financial future, it unlocks broader economic opportunities for entire communities and fosters future leadership.

Health

Half of the world’s population lacks access to essential health services. This not only puts the individual's health at risk, but also the stability of communities, societies, and economies.

Billions of people do not live close enough to medical centers or providers to access basic healthcare or are too poor to afford it. As a result, far too many medical conditions that are routinely treated in the developed world go untreated in the developing world. The same is true for prevention.

Because where you are born should not determine access to healthcare, the AJA Foundation has invested over $1.8 million in organizations delivering quality healthcare in developing countries. In addition to prevention, health services include maternal, newborn, and pediatric medicine and treatment of common diseases.

Foundation Purpose

Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne seeks to contribute to the development of a vital culture of excellence in classical music and to help attract new audiences to the field. To achieve these objectives, the Foundation sponsors international academies and master classes conducted by established instructors.

In addition, Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne supports outstanding event series or festivals with visionary programming and innovative modes of outreach and communication to foster the public’s engagement with classical music. In general, the Foundation focuses on the promotion of new and contemporary music, although projects on music from other eras are by no means excluded.

Focus Areas

Visual Arts

Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne’s concept of «Visual Art» encompasses not only the classical genres of art such as painting, sculpture, graphic art, drawing and photography, but also new forms of expression and media such as performance, experimental film and video. The Foundation provides funds for regular and special exhibitions as well as their accompanying catalogues at publicly accessible, well established museums and art collections provided that the exhibitions funded are international in their orientation, relevant from an art historical perspective, and carefully curated. Furthermore, Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne supports innovative und interactive projects that explore new approaches to fostering art education so as to attract new audiences. In principle, the Foundation also provides funds for the involvement of modern media in the expansion or presentation of significant pieces of art in the context of major museum projects.

Music

Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne predominantly supports contemporary classical music projects. However, projects on music from other eras are not excluded as a rule. In its effort to contribute to the development of professional music culture, the Foundation supports international academies and master classes conducted by established instructors. Furthermore, Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne supports various series of music events or festivals that explore new ways of fostering the public’s engagement with classical music in an attempt to attract new audiences. In principle, professional orchestras and ensembles or music centers may also submit a project request for the equipment of rehearsal rooms, the acquisition of instruments or other infra-structural needs.

Cultural Education

In the area of Cultural Education, Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne supports projects that bear a significant relation to Visual Art or Music. The target group includes children and teenagers, particularly from underprivileged backgrounds, who are introduced to art and music in the context of curricular or extracurricular activities. In this way, Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne offers support to teenagers in their personal development and, at the same time, trains the next generation of artists as well as a future audience. A project request can only be submitted provided that the programs are developed, conducted, and realized by a professional artist or a recognized public institution. Furthermore, the projects should have a long-term horizon and be accessible to as wide a group of participants as possible. Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne funds both expansion and continuation of ongoing projects as well as the launch of exemplary pilot projects.

Mission

The mission of the Henry E. Niles Foundation is to help in the nurturing and uplifting of people in need. The Foundation strives to support humanitarian efforts, including faith-based endeavors, that:

• strengthen education including special education, literacy and others; 
• fight economic hardships through self-help opportunities;
• enhance public health and sanitation on a global basis.

Primary Program Interests

The Board is currently highlighting the following areas:  

Education – Included in this interest area are primary, secondary and higher education for those motivated individuals who are unable to obtain the benefits of quality education without assistance.

Economic Self-Sufficiency – This program area includes but is not limited to: job training, the encouragement and support of entrepreneurialism, mentoring, and micro-credit initiatives.

Health & Independence – Special interests here include medical and public health assistance for the elderly, the poor, the disadvantaged and the disabled.

Guiding Principles & Considerations

• Favors programs addressing long-term solutions to the causes of problems, as distinguished from programs that simply treat the symptoms.
• Added emphasis on programs and organizations that address the intersection of its various program interests.
• Encourages pilot initiatives that test new program models.
• Particular interest in organizations that promote collaborative efforts among groups and organizations.
• Qualities sought by the Foundation in its grantee organizations are: effective and dynamic personnel; passionate leadership; a bias against bureaucracy; prudent management & governance practices; and commitment to results and overall assessment of program impact.

Grants range from $2,500 up to $50,000. In unique circumstances, the Foundation does consider a more significant grant for a program having a major impact in one or more of its areas of interest.

Journalism & Media Grant

The Journalism and Media program seeks to promote and amplify just and inclusive news and narratives, based on the belief that accurate and compelling media plays an important role in informing, engaging, and activating individuals and groups to take part in democratic practices and processes.

To build and strengthen organizations creating and disseminating just, accurate, and inclusive news and narratives, the program supports work in three areas:

• Professional Nonprofit Reporting
• Nonfiction Multimedia Storytelling
• Participatory Civic Media

In each of the three areas, the program pursues the following objectives:

• Build strong, independent, and sustainable organizations and networks that exemplify leadership and innovation in a rapidly changing media ecosystem and comprise the media infrastructure required to meet the democratic ideals of a multiracial, multiethnic America.
• Address barriers that limit the creation of, access to, or participation in media activities, including the legal, safety, digital security, and technological challenges facing organizations and individuals.
• Promoting learning, leadership, innovation, and field-building opportunities that explore timely and emerging issues related to the production, dissemination, and engagement with journalism and media.

Our Journalism and Media program supports U.S.-based nonprofit institutions with national reach and influence. In a few cases, we support regional and place-based organizations that are exemplars in their fields and provide a model for others to replicate.

We also support journalism and media in Chicago, where the Foundation is located, and in 2021, in partnership with MacArthur’s Technology in the Public Interest Program, we began supporting a small portfolio of organizations and activities focused on combatting racialized disinformation and conspiracy.

Indigenous Peoples

The idea that underpins Foundation programs in this area is that we strive to catalyze economic development by investing in entrepreneurship and business education and investing in capacity building for business and entrepreneurship in Indigenous communities. The Foundation has 30 years of experience with programs that work to give life to this idea.

Since 1992 our Entrepreneurship Scholarship program has provided scholarships to Indigenous students who study business or entrepreneurship. We invest about $500,000 annually on scholarships and another $100,000 to $500,000 on endowment building. The program began with students at tribal colleges, but the Foundation now funds Indigenous students at other institutions as well. Those institutions have a high number of Indigenous students and graduates.

In 2001 the Foundation requested that Gonzaga University develop an MBA in American Indian Entrepreneurship, and the Foundation provided full-ride scholarships for Indigenous students to attend. Since its inception, the program has produced more than 80 graduates. We know of no comparable program in the country.

The Foundation also has made capacity-building grants to aid the establishment of business and entrepreneurship training in Indigenous communities. Grant recipients include American Indigenous Business Leaders (AIBL), Capital for Aboriginal Prosperity through Entrepreneurship (CAPE) Fund, Lakota Funds, and the Native CDFI network. The expectation is that these will complement our investments in education by enhancing the conditions and opportunities for entrepreneurs and business owners.

JSF Grant Making Strategy

JSF makes grants to organizations that help people overcome barriers to education and employment. Addressing these barriers enables them to graduate and find good jobs, thereby contributing to and enriching their communities.

JSF assists people indirectly by making grants to schools, universities, and non-profits, and funds initiatives such as scholarships, mentoring, tutoring and internships. Grants are focused on three areas: individuals with disabilities, individuals with financial need, and Indigenous peoples.

People with Disabilities

The Foundation makes grants to organizations that educate, mentor or otherwise support students with disabilities. It funds scholarships for students with disabilities at each campus of the State University System of Florida as well as schools throughout the United States and Canada that specifically focus on those populations.

Since the early 1990s the Foundation has funded scholarships for students with disabilities at each State University System of Florida campus and has developed close ties with the disability service offices at each of the 12 campuses. The Foundation also provides scholarships for students with disabilities at Gallaudet University. As in other areas of its programing, the Foundation supports early education, which is especially important for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and blind students. Since inception, the Foundation has made an annual grant to Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, and in recent years it has made grants to Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech and Perkins School for the Blind.

The Foundation makes grants to organizations that educate, mentor or otherwise support students with learning differences. Examples of these are Landmark East School, Mount Allison University and Landmark College.

The Foundation also focuses on employment for people with disabilities. Even with good educational qualifications, people with disabilities still have difficulty entering the work force. Therefore the Foundation has developed a portfolio of grants to transition-oriented programs that are designed to help people with disabilities obtain traction in the workplace. These grants are riskier than scholarships but, when they work, often have great social impact. They also resonate with the Foundation’s desire to identify niche areas which may have been overlooked by other educational funders.

JSF Grant Making Strategy

JSF makes grants to organizations that help people overcome barriers to education and employment. Addressing these barriers enables them to graduate and find good jobs, thereby contributing to and enriching their communities.

JSF assists people indirectly by making grants to schools, universities, and non-profits, and funds initiatives such as scholarships, mentoring, tutoring and internships. Grants are focused on three areas: individuals with disabilities, individuals with financial need, and Indigenous peoples.

What We Fund

We view our grantees as partners and work with them to develop sustainable proposals that will catalyze change and growth in their organization and in the individuals served. Grantee partners are usually required to leverage Foundation grants by obtaining matching funds from other sources. The amount of matching money varies according to the circumstances and is negotiated with the grantee partner in each case.

Why Education?

We have chosen education because we believe that it is the best means to empower people to get better jobs, to become more independent and to participate more fully in our society.

Our Grantmaking Strategy

JSF makes grants to organizations that help people overcome barriers to education and employment. Addressing these barriers enables them to graduate and find good jobs, thereby contributing to and enriching their communities.

JSF assists people indirectly by making grants to schools, universities, and non-profits, and funds initiatives such as scholarships, mentoring, tutoring and internships. Grants are focused on three areas: individuals with disabilities, individuals with financial need, and Indigenous peoples.

Economically Disadvantaged Students

Our purpose is to help economically disadvantaged students pursue and achieve success in education so that they can obtain meaningful employment. Our programs to serve that purpose are focused on scholarships.

The Foundation has developed a broad spectrum of scholarship programs. Most of them are leveraged by matching funds (sometimes as much as 4 to 1) and, where available, government grants. Some programs seek to reach students in middle or high school on the theory that preparation and mentoring are necessary if these students are to succeed at the post -secondary level. Others are straight scholarship programs at the university level.

The Foundation’s university and college scholarships to students in financial need are offered at Berklee College of Music, Palm Beach Atlantic University, South Florida University, University of Florida, and University of West Florida. The Foundation also provides scholarship for dependents of UPS employees who attend college or university in Florida.

The Foundation has funded scholarships and endowment building at Florida's state (community) college level and has recently entered into an innovative project with the University of Central Florida and 4 state colleges in the DirectConnect partnership, which allows graduates from those state colleges to go directly to UCF and obtain scholarship support.

Examples of programs that seek to reach middle or high school students are the Johnson Take Stock program in the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida, and Providence St. Mel School in Chicago, Illinois. Both of these seek to engage disadvantaged students with a mentoring and scholarship program aimed at helping them to graduate from high school and attend postsecondary institutions.

The Kars4Kids Small Grant Program is dedicated to supporting educational initiatives around the world, helping us impact more children.

Causes We Care About

We’re passionate about helping children develop into productive members of their community.

• Youth Development
• Mentorship
• Education

Our Impact

Through our small grant program, we've helped likeminded charities ensure a brighter future for children & their families.

Our Mission

We’re a national Jewish nonprofit that provides year-round educational and mentoring opportunities and support to develop youth into productive and engaged members of society. Our small grant program enables us to expand our reach to more diverse populations by lending support to local charities doing great work for the children in their communities.

How it works

Are you a 501c3 lay organization with a central focus of doing original work on behalf of America’s children? We want to hear from you. Grants typically range from $500-$2,000, depending on such factors as mission alignment and availability of funds.

Our committee considers each application seriously. We aim to get a response to you within 4-6 months, when possible. Due to the large number of requests we receive, it may take up to a year for us to get back to you with a final determination. We may not respond to your application if it does not meet our criteria for consideration. Determination is made on a case-by-case basis, depending on factors like mission alignment and availability of funds. 

The Russell Foundation

The Russell Foundation supports programs for children and youth that promote their development into confident, competent, and caring adults who will make positive contributions to society.

Our Purpose

To make a positive difference in the lives of children, youth and young adults (thru age 23) so that they can achieve their highest potential.

Our Business

Supporting qualified charitable organizations, projects and research that seek solutions to detrimental issues – individual and systemic – which achieve enduring positive effects on the physical, intellectual and emotional development of children and youth of all ages and socio-economic status.

Our Values

Self-Image, Self-Respect, Personal Responsibility, Confidence, Education, Competence, Healthy Lifestyle, Caring and Respect for Others.

Focus Areas

Award grants focus on six areas supporting children and youth. The distribution of grants awarded each year reflects the Foundation’s current emphasis toward each area. The Foundation’s future emphasis may change, but it will consider grant applications addressing any of these focus areas.

• Education: Advancing the learning skills and academic achievements of children from kindergarten to high school using tutoring, mentoring, and talent-coaching that supplement and complement formal educational systems.
• Development: Building the long-term life skills, awareness, and ambition to have the confidence and motivation necessary to pursue goals for the betterment of themselves and society. 
• Intervention: Providing the short-term framework and resources needed to protect children facing immediate difficulties in their living environments that undermine their long-term development.
• Character: Instilling morals and principles that foster ethical behavior, self-responsibility, respect for others, stewardship of the environment, and caring for those in need.
• Health: Fostering and maintaining the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of children that is essential for positive development.
• Medical: Providing services, resources, and other support for specific treatment / correction of birth defects, disease, and physical injury.

Charitable Donations

Sanofi provides donations to non-profit organizations that are aligned with our corporate social responsibility priorities: Health Equity, STEM Education Equity, and Local Communities (programs focusing on social determinants of health).

Everyone deserves equal opportunity to thrive...to be healthy...to be an innovator...to be part of a flourishing community. We aren't there yet. More needs to be done so all people, wherever they are in the world, have the same access to quality healthcare.

Sanofi purposefully partners with our patients and communities to learn where gaps exist and how we can develop sustainable solutions. Listening is a critical part of our process so we can focus investments and implement programs rooted in local cultures and populations where there is the greatest need.

• We collaborate for collective impact.
• We mentor and educate our next generation of talent to answer the medical challenges of tomorrow.
• We foster an inclusive community of purpose-driven employees who understand our responsibility is not just about driving innovation to improve health -- it goes deeper than that.

Our responsibility is to support society's fundamental right to health by contributing to healthcare access for the underserved, addressing environmental changes, and living by our code of ethics, so everyone has an opportunity to thrive.

Specialty Care, General Medicines, and Vaccines

 Areas of interest include:

• Cardiovascular (Atrial Fibrillation)
• Community Relations (Bridgewater, NJ, Cambridge, MA, and Swiftwater, PA areas)
• Dermatology
• Diabetes
• Eosinophilic Esophagitis
• Neurology
• Oncology
• Rare blood disorders
• Rare genetic diseases
• Researchers and Scientists
• Respiratory
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Transplant
• Vaccines
• Other Immunology

Smart Family Fund

We fund early-stage non-profits with the potential for positive, scalable impact that have not yet demonstrated the efficacy needed for growth funding or a sustainable model.

Our Philanthropic Role

Social entrepreneurs often face significant challenges, especially when their initiatives are still in the early stages. Securing funding for innovative but untested ideas can be particularly daunting without extensive performance data to attract large-scale investors.

We are a small family foundation guided by three brothers united in their commitment to fostering social entrepreneurship. Our mission is to discover, support, and mentor emerging nonprofit organizations and their leaders, providing the necessary backing to help them succeed.

Small Grants Make a Big Difference

Each year, we make grants, ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. When we find an organization that is making significant advances, we work with them to grow their programs, and get them ready for more significant funders who can support them through the growth phase.

All applications must be submitted through this application portal. Our goal is to keep it as simple as possible for you to apply and for us to be able to review. 

Who Can Get Tickets?

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

Grant Philosophy

Since its inception in 2002, The TK Foundation has awarded over $150 million in grants to non-profit organizations and projects to improve the maritime realm and the lives of disadvantaged youth.

Youth Development Grant

The TK Foundation enables disadvantaged youth to maximize their capabilities through pathways such as education, training and life skills with a view to becoming self-sufficient. We do this by supporting programs that:

• Improve educational achievement of disadvantaged youth
• Prepare disadvantaged youth for succeeding in the workforce

The TK Foundation envisions a world where all youth have access to opportunities that lead to employment that allows them freedom, equity, security and human dignity. The TK Foundation’s Youth Development Grant Programs run in three-year cycles in South Africa, The Bahamas, Canada and The United States. 

Priority Sevices

Winning programs will effectively address youth’s current context, identify their needs and barriers to success and will produce effective and innovative solutions, as appropriate, in the service areas listed below: 

• Improve youths’ educational achievement: Programmatic elements can include: Mentoring, tutoring, educational field trips. Increase in GPA, attendance, and/or changes in behavior should be documented and measurable
• Prepare youth for workforce success: Programmatic elements can include: Opportunities to receive job skill training, attend vocational courses, obtain internships, or other types of work-related, hands-on experience
• Provide support services to youth: Programmatic elements can include: Case-management, counseling, financial literacy and/or other life skills courses
• Promote youth leadership skills: Programmatic elements can include: Volunteer opportunities, peer (or adult) mentorships, or advocacy

Client Targeting

We are focused on providing services to youth as described below:

• Disadvantaged- The TK Foundation wishes to target youth that 1) do not have equal opportunities because of circumstances that makes achievement unusually difficult and/or 2) are at risk of social exclusion in accessing school and/or employment.
• Motivated- The TK Foundation wants to support organizations working with motivated youth who attribute their educational results and other accomplishments to internal factors that they can control (e.g. the amount of effort they put in), believe they can be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are not determined by luck), and are interested in being self-sufficient.
• Age- Between the ages of 15 to 24. Applicants are requested to differentiate between “Teen” (15-18) and “Young Adult” (19-24).

Aura Cacia Positive Change Project

In communities everywhere, women of courage and determination are working hard to better their lives in the face of seemingly overwhelming difficulties. We’re inspired by these resilient women and created the Aura Cacia Positive Change Project to support them. Together, we’re helping women transform their lives.

Aura Cacia provides meaningful financial support to organizations committed to helping women and girls facing difficult life situations make transformational improvements in their lives. Founded in 2016, the Positive Change Project works to equip women and girls with the resources necessary to further their commitment to live more purposeful lives.

Programs supported through the Positive Change Project, are those that help women and girls through one or more of the following measures: enable disadvantaged women and girls become more stable and self-sufficient, employ strategies to help them live healthfully and purposefully, reinforce positive self-image, self-respect and self-confidence in women and girls, or creates opportunities for women to drive curriculum or programming that can be applied to program development and mentoring other women.

A portion of every sale of an Aura Cacia product goes back into the program, so you know that when you purchase from Aura Cacia, you are giving back to those in need. Since beginning the program in 2016, the Positive Change Project has given back more than $1 million.

Organizational Priorities

• Provide resources and services directly to women and/or girls facing significant barriers to sustaining their commitment to positive change.
• Empower disadvantaged women/or girls who are motivated to create lasting change to achieve greater stability and self-sufficiency.
• Maintain an annual organizational budget between $2 million and $8 million USD.

Program Priorities

• Implement strategies that support and reinforce women’s and girls’ positive change by promoting healthy, purposeful living.
• Foster positive self-image, self-respect, and self-confidence in women and/or girls.
• Create opportunities for women/program participants to lead and shape curriculum or programming, enabling them to contribute to program development. 

Youth as Solutions

Youth as Solutions (YaS) is creating a generation of citizens who are passionate about making a positive impact in their schools and communities, addressing community health, educational equity, and environmental justice issues. Leadership teams of young people in grades 6-12, along with an adult mentor, apply to be part of one of the Youth as Solutions cohorts, where they will participate in a self-paced, active learning experience, identifying and taking action on an issue in their community. Students gain leadership skills while adult mentors receive quality service-learning instruction and resources. Youth-adult teams connect with peers in cohorts working on similar subtopics such as teen driving safety, health promotion in Latino communities, and so much more!

Focus Areas

• Education equity - is the belief that everyone deserves a quality education, regardless of their race, gender, identity, socioeconomic status, or any other trait.
  • Teams in the Education in Action cohort engage K-12 youth and educators (in school and afterschool programs) to increase educational equity in their school or community. Through the Investigation phase of service-learning, students discover needs and define the actions that will make significant change. From education, awareness, policy review and change, environmental and cultural supports and more, they have a voice in their educational experience and generating change in their schools and communities.
• Community health - empowers youth to save lives through youth-led campaigns that make measurable differences in their schools, communities, and beyond.
  • The Project Ignition Cohort is founded on a service-learning strategy that embeds the topic of teen-driver safety more deeply within a school/afterschool program and makes connections to academic goals. Car crashes remain a leading cause of death for adolescents. Project Ignition students address this fact by working in teams, investigating the issues facing their community, plan & prepare to take action, and engage community partners. They bring people together — and they’re saving lives!
• Environmental justice - challenges young people to address climate needs on a local level, impacting our planet now and for future generations.
  • Fulfilling our mission to create sustainability, youth teams in the Environmental Justice cohort work on improving critical climate needs. Whether planting a community garden, mapping safe bike routes, or securing solar panels to light a community sign, there are many local entry points for impassioned young people to create lasting change through service-learning. Connect to learning goals such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) or personal development goals such as leadership or civic engagement, these experiences provide a powerful learning opportunity.

• Civics And Democracy - Civics and democracy empowers young people to forge pathways to active citizenship, fostering leadership and driving positive change in their communities. Some Leadership Teams are engaged in serivce-learning experiences that promote unity and peacemaking to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001. Other Leadership Teams are expanding voting rights to those in Minnesota affected by recent legislative changes, serving as election judges in polling places, and acting as interpreters on election day. No matter the initiative, each endeavor reflects a commitment to civic engagement and the fundamental principles of democracy.

The Challenge

Basic necessities like clean water and safe, affordable housing, or opportunities in education and fair government representation are not equally accessible to all people. Climate change exacerbates the challenges that many people but especially women and historically underserved communities face as resources are strained and climate change protections are often inadequate. Generative AI has great potential to address these issues and reduce inequality, improving people’s lives.

Be a part of a new era in responsible AI. For the 2024 Call for Code Global Challenge, we’re calling on students, developers, and problem-solvers from universities and companies around the world to build innovative AI tech solutions with IBM watsonx that address specific challenges of equitable access to essential needs. Help show the world that AI can be trusted and used responsibly.

Prizes:

Teams of 1-5 people can compete for the following prizes:

Grand prize winners

• GRAND PRIZE:
  • $50,000.00 USD 
  • Option for solution implementation support from the Call for Code ecosystem
  • Opportunity for open source support from The Linux Foundation
• First runner-up
  • $25,000 USD
  • Opportunity for open source support from The Linux Foundation
• Second runner-up
  • $10,000 USD
  • Opportunity for open source support from The Linux Foundation
• University grant
• $30,000 USD
• total to the top scoring university team’s school(s)

Any university students in the top 3 winning teams are also eligible for:

• Exploration of IBM job opportunities
• Option to be matched with an IBM mentor​ ​

In addition to prizes, participants can grow their AI, cloud, and other emerging tech skills through access to expert technical mentors, training resources, and events.

Mission

At the Nasdaq Foundation, our mission is to:

• Reimagine investor engagement to equip under-represented communities with the financial knowledge and tools to share in the wealth that markets create; and
• Leverage the Foundation’s investment in the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, alongside new strategic partnerships with organizations that can help build a deeper, data-led understanding where the challenges are greatest, what existing efforts could be amplified, and how the Foundation can make new and distinctive contributions.

Quarterly Grant Program

As we strive to accelerate progress in diversifying entrepreneurship and empowering a more diverse group of investors, the Nasdaq Foundation will accept grant requests for programs that align with our mission.

Areas of Focus

We use our resources in two areas of focus:

• Programs designed to empower diverse investors with the financial knowledge and confidence they need to share in the wealth that markets can create.
• Programs designed to support women and under-represented minority communities with the resources needed to grow and sustain their businesses.

Program Criteria:

Empower-Financial Knowledge And Confidence

Empower diverse investors with the financial knowledge and confidence they need to share in the wealth that markets can create.

Grants will be given in this area to organizations and programs which deliver impact in one or more of the following ways:

• Enhance financial literacy among women and under-represented communities
• Improve access to knowledge and tools among women and underrepresented communities

Support diverse entrepreneurs with the resources to strengthen and scale their businesses and contribute to the prosperity of society.

Grants will be given in this area to organizations and programs which deliver impact in one or more of the following ways:

• Equip women and diverse founders with mentoring and resources
• Improve access to capital for women and diverse founders

Amounts and Terms

There is no set minimum or maximum grant amount, though the average size of a grant made by the Foundation is $75,000. The Nasdaq Foundation’s Leadership Team will consider whether the amount requested is commensurate with the project proposed and appropriate for the Nasdaq Foundation’s annual grant making target and charitable purposes.

Reasonable overhead costs may be included in the grant request but must be specified.

Unless otherwise specified and agreed upon, all grants have one-year terms. Under very limited circumstances, the Nasdaq Foundation will make a multiple-year commitment. It is incumbent upon the grant seeker to demonstrate the necessity or benefit of multiple-year funding in the grant proposal.

There is no limit as to the number of proposals a single entity may submit at one time.

AI for Good

We support projects that use technology to empower people living with disabilities. We are looking for individuals or teams who are not only passionate about making the world more inclusive, but also connected with the communities they intend to benefit. We invest in ideas that are developed by or with people with disabilities

AI for Accessibility Grants

The Microsoft Accessibility Innovation program seeks proposals for projects that use generative AI to support people with disabilities in accomplishing their goals. This grant round is focused on projects that use the generative text, image, audio, and/or video capabilities of AI, either directly or indirectly.

Themes

In this RFP, we are focused on projects that relate to the themes below. We will, however, consider applications that address other disability empowerment topics, as well.

Theme 1: Accessibility for All

Creating new solutions and improving existing ones requires direct involvement with the disability community. It’s important to have diverse representation and to consider the needs of people who belong to communities that have been marginalized and excluded. We look for proposals that serve the needs of underrepresented groups.

We ask you to consider:

• How would you design with people living with disabilities?
• How can you provide the conditions and/or information necessary for people with disabilities—who have a diversity of needs—to empower themselves?
• How can your solution integrate into the larger accessibility ecosystem?
• How can your solution offer support for people’s agency and independence?

Theme 2: Communication and Language

Generative AI has the potential to enhance communication and language skills for people with disabilities. Solutions can vary from “just-in-time” (e.g. instant translation) to ongoing support (e.g. language learning). For all of these cases, solutions should create positive outcomes for users. Projects should also address potential risks of harm.

We ask you to consider:

• What data can you use to ensure your solutions offer appropriate and responsive communication support?
• How will you design your solution to be responsive without being intrusive?
• What risks may result from your solution and how will you address them?

Theme 3: Independence and Empowerment

Consider the barriers (e.g. cost, infrastructure, social factors) to technology for your target community. For example, expensive products are out of reach for many people with disabilities. Internet connectivity is a challenge for many in rural areas, underserved urban communities, and many developing countries. Digital accessibility is often forgotten when designing for disability empowerment. All solutions must consider the full range of disabilities and meet both accessibility and responsible AI standards.

We ask you to consider:

• What technologies can support disability communities in accessing locally relevant resources?
• What are the common barriers to accessing technology in the target community, and how can you address them?
• How can you design a solution that is both accessible for people with disabilities and affordable to a global audience?
• How can your solution work across different devices (e.g., mobile, desktop) and interaction methods (e.g. voice, keyboard)?
• How can your solution promote independence and empowerment for people with disabilities, and what metrics will you use to measure its success?

The Grantee Experience and Benefits

Over a 12-month period, you will be part of a vibrant community of grantees. You will receive support to accelerate and drive impact for your AI for Accessibility grant project.

• Funding: Our grants cover costs related to collecting or labelling data, developing models, or other engineering-related work.
• Azure & Tech Consulting: We provide Azure compute credits worth $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000 as well as Azure developer support and resources.
  • To estimate the monetary value of Azure computing resources you need, use the Azure calculator.
  • For example, if your plan requires 100,000 Cognitive Services Computer Vision transactions, you will need $100 per month for 12 months, totaling $1,200 in Azure credits for the one-year grant period.
• Community: You will be included in a supportive community of current grantees and alumni.
• Mentoring: We provide a designated mentor based on your grant topic to help unlock the potential of your project.
• Amplification: We give you access to a support platform to craft and share your grant project more widely.

Overall Program Goal & Approach 

The Stranahan Foundation’s Early Childhood Education Strategy focuses on increasing access to high-quality early care and education for low-income children (birth to five) by investing in developing and retaining a high-quality, thriving early educator workforce. 

Context

The spring 2025 funding cycle will support nonprofit organizations and projects focused on advancing our Innovation and Proven Professional Development strategies. These strategies are outlined below:

• Innovation: This strategy focuses on developing, piloting, and refining new approaches to improve the knowledge, skills, or practices of aspiring and existing early childhood professionals. To be considered under this strategy, your project must have:
  • A clearly defined logic model.
  • Incorporated best practices in adult learning.
  • An evaluation plan that (a) assesses the model’s impact on classroom environments, teacher practices, and, ideally, child learning and (b) advances our collective understanding of “what works, for whom, and under what conditions” by the end of the grant period.
  • Plan to repeat or scale the innovative approach to other settings or geographies if proven successful.
• Proven Professional Development: This strategy focuses on expanding or modifying a clearly defined, proven professional development model to enable future expansion or implementation in a new childhood setting. To be considered as part of this strategy, your professional development model must have:
  • A clearly defined logic model.
  • Substantial third-party evidence of positive outcomes for early childhood professionals, classroom environments, and, ideally, child learning. The Foundation generally defines “substantial” as consistent with the definitions of What Works Clearinghouse or ESSA Tier 1 or 2 evidence.
  • Clear evidence of repeated, successful implementation in multiple early childhood settings or various geographies.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

This cycle has up to $1.5 million in funding available to support innovation and proven professional development proposals. Based on the highest needs surfaced through the Foundation’s recent engagement and discussions with ECE leaders and educators in our 2024 Provider cycle, we are exclusively interested in models and approaches designed to do one of the following:

• Build the capacity of early childhood leaders, coaches, or mentor teachers to deliver or support instructional coaching.
• Support early childhood professionals in building the skills necessary to support children’s social-emotional health and effectively address challenging behaviors.
• Grow the pipeline of high-quality, well-trained early childhood leaders and teachers.

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and the technology of internet communication. Our mission is to support, promote, and enhance digital communication and broader communication science and technology, to promote amateur radio, scientific research, experimentation, education, development, open access, and innovation in information and communication technology.

Grantmaking Categories

• Support and growth of amateur radio. Grants in this category are core to our mission. We make grants to clubs for all types of projects, including licensing classes, continuing education, repeater infrastructure, and certain emergency communications projects that expand interest and access to amateur radio.
  • Examples:  Make Operating Radio Easier (MORE), CVARC Serves Its Community and Promotes Amateur Radio, Bridgerland ARC: Engaging and Educating Youth in Amateur Radio
• Education. Grants in this category include scholarships, as well as projects that aim to educate or mentor individuals, such as K-12 school programs and programs aimed at under-served groups. We are primarily interested in STEAM programs that are linked to amateur radio, wireless technology, or digital communications.
  • Examples:  West Bend Public Library, Walters State Community College (WSCC), South Eugene High School
• Research and development.  Projects in this category are projects that are advancing the state of the art in amateur radio and communication science and technology.
  • Examples: Rhizomatica: Digital HF Telecommunications for Civil and Amateur Uses, Tangerine SDR

Grantmaking Goals

ARDC makes grants to programs and organizations that aim to advance our mission and vision to create:

A thriving global community of learners, experimenters, and contributors advancing freedom with open source communication and information technology.

ARDC’s strategic approach to achieving this vision involves three main goals:

• Promoting learning: getting more people learning about amateur radio (AR) and digital communications (DC).
• Promoting experimenting: getting more people experimenting, innovating, and developing technology (in the context of AR and DC).
• Promoting doing: getting more people using new technology productively on more (and newer) bands, modes, and technologies (and other dimensions) within the context of AR and DC.

As we evaluate opportunities for our grantmaking and other program activities, we will be reviewing them based on their ability to meet the above objectives and, overall, help to manifest our vision.

Please review our vision and strategy pages for more detailed information.

Open Access Requirement

Because ARDC works with and for the public, we require that the work of the projects we fund be freely available to everyone who can benefit and to everyone who can contribute. Thus, all technology, documentation, and other materials produced using ARDC funds must be made freely available to the public, ideally using one of the below open source licenses:

• Software: GPL licenses (esp. AGPLv3), MIT, BSD, LGPL
• Hardware: CERN Open Hardware License
• Media, writing, images etc.: Free Culture subset of the Creative Commons licenses, particularly CC-BY-SA, as well as CC-BY and CC0

Our Purpose

For too many girls and women around the world, access to quality education is often limited. Two-thirds of all illiterate adults in the world are women, and not even seven percent of the world’s population has a college education. Education can equip all of us to challenge many of the global issues impacting women – poverty, oppression, misogyny, brutality. Ultimately, more and more educated girls will mean stronger and healthier villages, communities, and entire countries. And education will eradicate poverty.

Quality schooling can serve as an emancipator from poverty and lead to a better life for a woman and her family. The Circle of Sisterhood exists today to help make that better life possible by removing barriers to education and creating sustainable change for girls and women around the globe.

Grants

The Circle of Sisterhood seeks to support entities working worldwide to remove barriers to education for girls and women. We hope to help end oppressive brutality against women internationally by uplifting them from poverty through education.

Impact Categories

• Adult Education
• Community Programming
• Early Childhood Development
• Health & Medical Supplies
• K-12 Education
• Life Skills/Vocational Training
• Menstrual Hygiene Management
• Mentoring
• Reintegration from Sex Trafficking
• School Supplies/Infrastructure
• Teacher Salaries/Education

Our Areas of Interest

The Circle of Sisterhood Foundation (CofS) will fund programs or projects that remove barriers to education for girls and women, thereby improving their lives and those of their families. We value requests that advance long-range plans to improve the well-being of communities in sustainable ways.

Through relationships with our Grantees, we seek to:

• Ensure opportunities for girls and women to achieve education, by focusing on readiness for, access to, and performing well/persisting in school (e.g., providing tuition/school fees and necessary materials to succeed in school, enrichment/study groups, innovative approaches to education, awareness of the importance of education, parent involvement, menstrual health and hygiene, improving infrastructure, funding teacher salaries, etc.); and
• Improve the livelihood of girls and women (e.g., training to learn income-generating skills, business and vocational training, capacity-building, etc.).

Elevating Migrant Leadership: Building Inclusive Futures

The Elevating Migrant Leadership initiative was designed to support immigrant and refugee-led organizations in the U.S. that are seeking to develop civic leadership and advocacy skills so they can more effectively influence the development of programs and policies that affect them and their communities.

Background

Elevating Migrant Leadership: Building Inclusive Futures is a grantmaking initiative of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund that seeks to shift power to where it belongs: to immigrants, refugees, and migrants who best understand the needs of their communities.

How? By supporting organizations in the United States that are amplifying the voices of immigrants and refugees in their communities and advancing their leadership to shape more effective programs and policies.

Elevating Migrant Leadership launched as an open call funding opportunity in January 2024, and we were humbled to receive 364 applications from 43 states across the country. After a thorough review process with our advisory committee and WES staff, we are now proud to announce the 10 awardees who will be the recipients of a collective $1 million in flexible funding. All organizations are led by immigrants and refugees and show a strong commitment to advancing civic leadership and advocacy in their communities. 

The Opportunity

Ten selected awardees will receive $100,000 grants and become grantee partners of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. As part of the Fund’s partner community, each awardee will have access to peer-learning, capacity building, and other programming.

Funding is awarded to organizations with programs, current or developing, that focus on 2 out of 3 of the following areas:

• Narrative Building: Immigrants, refugees, and other migrants learn the best ways to build or shift prevailing narratives so that they are inclusive of their voices and perspectives.
• Experiential Learning: Immigrants, refugees, and other migrants increase their leadership capacity through applied learning experiences that help them build strategic development and decision-making skills.
• Mentorship: Immigrants, refugees, and other migrants forge relationships with mentors who can provide guidance and introduction to networks.

About Us

The Bernau Family Foundation exists to promote the long term improvement of individual lives and the development of positive leadership.

Our vision is a society in which everyone is a healthy, active, contributing member who feels the civic responsibility to continue learning, to teach and mentor, and to encourage one another to grow in grace and faith.

The Bernau Family Foundation promotes the long term improvement of individual lives and development of positive leadership by funding organizations which offer more than a temporary solution for an improved quality of life, giving preference to those organizations or groups which instill in the individuals touched the importance of the following values: substance free living, elimination of personal violence and crime, civic responsibility, continuing education for gainful employment, and faith. The Bernau Family Foundation supports organizations which have mentor programs that work one on one with individuals whose changed lives will continue to have a positive impact on the people in their own sphere of influence.

Delta believes data is powerful and anyone should be able to use it for change in their community. We partner with non-profits and communities all over the world to build technical capacity that generates positive social impact.

Background

Delta Analytics is community of 90+ data scientists, economists, analysts, and software engineers seeking to leverage their data skills for the welfare of the community. While our primary background is in the private sector, we apply our skill set to facilitate progress in the nonprofit world. We find the data questions of the social sector fascinating and address them with an eye towards high impact and sustainability.

Delta Data Grants

Every year, Delta Analytics partners skilled data scientists, engineers and analysts with nonprofits around the world for free. We provide a wide range of data-related services catering to non-profits big and small. Very few projects are straightforward but all start off with a question. Where is my funding coming from? How did my free after-school mentoring program impact test scores? How many people have we reached in the past 6 months?

Armed with a clear question, we can decide what services best illuminate an answer. That is why we start off with an application -- we want to work with nonprofits who have a well-defined sense of what they want to achieve. Our potential services are described in more detail below.

Data Management

If you have data but are unsure what to make of it, we can help transform the data into something meaningful. We can set up data management systems that let you pull important insights from the information at your fingertips.

Data Analysis

Delta can run statistical analysis to help assess impact on measurable variables. For instance, we can tell an environmental organization how much waste it has reduced per dollar spent.

Marketing Metrics

Understanding who you work with is crucial to maximizing your influence; Delta can analyze data to help you categorize your market. For example, we can track characteristics of donors, clients, or volunteers, and provide insights on the demographics of stakeholders.

Data Visualization & Presentation

Delta creates engaging graphs, charts, and tables to help you visualize data. These can be utilized for internal processes or to show off your organization's impact to the world.

Funding

The data grant is not a monetary grant. The data grant provides the organization with access to data analytics services.

About the Innovation Prize

The J.M.K. Innovation Prize seeks out innovators who are spearheading transformative early-stage projects in the fields of the environment, heritage conservation, and social justice.

The J.M.K. Innovation Prize is open to non-profit and mission-driven for-profit organizations that are tackling America’s most pressing challenges through social innovation. In 2019, we will award up to ten Prizes, each including a cash award of $150,000 over three years, plus $25,000 for project expenses, for a total award of $175,000. Awardees also receive guidance through the Fund and its resource network, providing tools and training for ascendant change agents.

For more than three generations, The J.M. Kaplan Fund has provided catalytic funding for projects in their early stages of development. Whether a pilot project, a new organization, or a nascent initiative, work supported by the Fund has involved a certain measured risk that ultimately led to large-scale, transformative results. We launched the J.M.K. Innovation Prize in 2015 to leverage this legacy of catalytic grant-making in the field of social innovation. Currently on a biennial schedule, the Prize has to date funded twenty wildly creative solutions to social and environmental challenges, ranging from high-tech efforts to restore imperiled coral reefs, to the nation’s first farm labor trust. Each awardee takes a visionary approach to a societal need, working within one or more of the Fund’s three program areas:

• The Environment: Protecting natural resources and reducing the impacts of climate change.
• Heritage Conservation: Conserving the places that communities care about most.
• Social Justice: Supporting just alternatives and reforms to the criminal justice and immigration systems.

Tailored for Early-Stage Social Entrepreneurs

We know there is a scarcity of funding for untested ideas being piloted in the social innovation field. The Prize is designed to fill this gap in innovation philanthropy, supporting ideas that other funders may deem too risky or too small. We also know that early-stage innovators need the freedom to seize opportunities when and where they arise. The Prize’s unrestricted funding offers this flexibility, letting awardees deploy resources where they are most needed, whether investing in core projects, hiring staff, or just keeping the lights on.

We know each organization must follow its own path to achieving a change-making vision. With its three-year period, the Prize gives awardees room to evolve at their own pace, with an infrastructure of support tailored to their specific needs as early-stage innovators.

An Innovation Community

Beyond the cash award, the Innovation Prize provides tools to help turn ideas into action. Over the three-year Prize term, we bring awardees together for two convenings each year. Each of these meetings, spotlighting a different awardee’s organization, offers opportunities for peer learning and mentoring from experts in organizational development, board cultivation, media coaching, leadership training, and more. From West Virginia coal country to Monterey, California, our awardees have shared powerful learning moments, embedded in one another’s work and reflecting on their role as change agents.