Grants for Native Americans

NOTE: Although unsolicited proposals are rarely considered, inquiries about future support for projects that fall within the Child Well-being Program’s grant-making strategies can be submitted through a letter of inquiry.

Mission

The mission of the Child Well-being Program is to promote children’s healthy development and protect them from abuse and neglect.

About Doris Duke and Child Well-being

Doris Duke took a special interest in the needs of children, supporting nearly 85 child welfare organizations during her life. In her will, Doris Duke expressed her interest in "the prevention of cruelty to children."

Goals

Children’s well-being and ability to thrive are strongly tied to the safety and stability of both their families and the communities where they live. These factors provide the foundation for healthy physical and emotional development during childhood. All children should be able to grow up in secure, positive, healthy and inclusive environments that allow them to reach their full potential. Unfortunately, many children in the US experience a long legacy of unjust historic and systemic inequities and disparities that rob them of access to the fundamental factors that allow others to flourish. By funding efforts that strengthen the social service systems that serve these families and support the needs of children and caregivers together, the Child Well-being Program aims to promote children’s healthy development, prevent maltreatment, and ally with communities to create improved and more equitable outcomes for their children. 

To accomplish this goal, the program focuses its grant making in three areas: 

• Support Place-Based Approaches to Improving Well-being
• Strengthen and Coordinate Service Systems
• Build a Pipeline of Diverse Social Service Leaders

Strategies

The Child Well-being Program’s grant-making strategy is designed to foster the long-term well-being of children, families, and communities by funding efforts to protect and improve the health and positive development of populations experiencing disproportional historic and systemic inequities in the US. We have a particular interest in supporting work that bolsters collaborative and culturally, geographically and locally relevant programs with and for families; for Native American or Alaska Native communities; and for youth in or transitioning out of foster care.  

• Cultivate partnerships between organizations and systems that serve children and families to increase health equity and well-being.
• Coordinate efforts across a variety of social service systems.
• Implement interventions that meet the needs of children and families in their neighborhoods and communities.
• Increase access to prevention and treatment services.
• Communicate lessons and outcomes broadly to inform policy and practice.
• Invest in developing and supporting the next generation of leaders committed to implementing effective programs and policies serving children and families.

NOTE: While The William S. Anheuser Charitable Fund accepts grant applications by invitation only, we welcome inquiries.

William S. Anheuser Charitable Fund

The William S. Anheuser Charitable Fund, a Donor-Advised Fund of YouthBridge Community Foundation, follows the guiding principle to Enrich, Enlighten, Encourage and Educate a few to Enable them to Pay It Forward.

Upon recommendation of the Fund Advisors, YouthBridge provides grants in the following areas:

Children, Youth and Their Families; Women

In the United States we focus on organizations, projects, or programs that:

• Empower the working poor and single working mothers
• Ensure basic needs for the poor
• Support Native Americans
• Provide education or job training

Outside of the United States we focus on organizations, projects, or programs that:

• Empower the disadvantaged economically
• Ensure basic needs for those living in extreme poverty
• Fight human rights abuses

Animal Care

• We fund organizations, projects, or programs supporting animals that provide comfort to people.

The Fund grants primarily to organizations based in Missouri or Arizona. To continue Mr. Anheuser’s tradition of mostly giving to smaller, nimble organizations, the Fund prefers to support small and mid-size organizations.

The Sally Brown McInnes and John “Mac” McInnes Charitable Trust was created by Sarajane “Sally”Brown McInnes. Mr. and Mrs. McInnes were residents of Colorado and were passionate about providing for the welfare of animals and children’s health and overall well-being.  Mr. and Mrs. McInnes were also supporters of organizations serving Veterans, Native Americans, environment, arts, religion, and national treasures.

Mission

To perpetuate the generosity of the McInnes family by supporting charitable causes with a preference toward organizations located in or serving Colorado that promote animal welfare, children’s health, education and empowerment.

Program areas

• Arts 
• Education 
• Environment, animals 
• Health 
• Human services 
• Public/society benefit 
• Religion 

The Impact Fund

Our mission is to provide grants, advocacy and education to support impact litigation on behalf of marginalized communities 

Grants

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and/or small law firms who seek to advance justice in the areas of civil and human rights, environmental justice, and/or poverty law. 

Since being founded in 1992, the Impact Fund has granted more than $8 million in recoverable grants. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Funding Sectors

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 California, police used excessive force against #BlackLivesMatter protesters.
• In Colorado, female police officers face losing their careers because they can’t do enough push-ups and sit-ups.
• In Ohio and New York, a gun manufacturer knowingly sells to dealers that arm criminals.
• In Massachusetts, prisoners with Hepatitis C are going untreated.
• In North Dakota, Native Americans can’t vote because of a recent voter suppression law.
• In Florida, prisoners who request mental health services are abused and, when they complain, the abuse gets worse.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice, with a focus on marginalized comunities. These are often cases no one else will support. 

The cases we are funding are to stop:

• Proposed mining in the Superior National Forest that would contaminate groundwater, damage wetlands, and destroy the local Native American wild-rice economy.
• Unwanted development, after a community garden in New York was bulldozed in the middle of the night.
• Pollution from a lighter fluid factory in New Jersey that is causing illness to residents in a low-income neighborhood.
• Clear-cut logging that is threatening the health and livelihood of the local indigenous community in Ontario.
• Spraying pesticides at will in California.
• A new highway bridge that is the latest in a long history of environmental hazards heaped upon an African American and Latino neighborhood in Corpus Christi, severing it from the rest of the city.

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 corporations accountable. 

The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas, people with unpaid tickets are sent to “debtors’ prison.”
• In California, landlords lose their insurance when they accept Section 8 vouchers from low-income tenants.
• In Idaho, homeless people are jailed for sleeping outdoors, even when there are no shelters to take them in.

Additional Considerations

Is your case set up for success?

No one can guarantee a victory. That's why we look for a coherent strategy and a legal team with sufficient experience and resources to give the case the best chance of success.

Have you collaborated with anyone else?

Legal work can be all-encompassing. But taking the time to talk with others who have argued (or are currently arguing) similar cases can make a huge difference in the long run.

Do you need the money?

You probably wouldn't be reading this if you didn't need financial support, but just in case: We prioritize requests from applicants who need funding to keep their case moving forward.

Have the expenses already been paid?

Our grants can only be used for expenses that have not yet been paid. Raising funds for litigation costs can feel like a juggling act, we know. We’re available to talk by phone if you need help determining when to apply.

Have you estimated what your case will cost?

Litigation costs can be hard to predict, but we’ve found there is value in planning. Once you run the numbers, you might move securing co-counsel to the top of your list. (We can help.)

Have we funded your case before?

Occasionally we will fund a case more than once. In these situations, the case has lasted several years and has a new set of challenges and expenses.

N7 Community Giving

Nike is focused on getting youth in Native American and Indigenous communities in North America moving through the N7 Fund — so they can lead healthier, happier and more successful lives.

Since its creation in 2009, the Nike N7 Fund has awarded more than $8 million in grants, administered by the Charities Aid Foundation of America, to more than 270 communities and organizations.

The N7 Fund is part of our ongoing commitment to reflect and support Native American and Indigenous Communities.

N7 began more than 20 years ago, as a business plan to support the Native American community created by Sam McCracken, who grew up on the Fort Peck Assiniboine/Sioux Reservation in Montana and is now General Manager of Nike N7. McCracken’s recognition for the impact of N7 programs includes President Barack Obama’s 2010 appointment to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Advisory Council on Indian Education and a 2020 induction into the Montana Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. His leadership also supports the Nike Native American Network’s ongoing commitment to education, visibility and representation for Nike’s Indigenous community, including a recruitment and retention strategy.

The Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Program’s Street Outreach Program (SOP) provides street-based services to runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse, prostitution, sexual exploitation, and severe forms of human trafficking in persons. These services, targeted in areas where street youth congregate, are designed to assist such youth in making healthy choices and providing them access to shelter as well as basic needs, including food, hygiene packages and information on a range of available services.

About the Foundation

The Barbara McDowell and Gerald S. Hartman Foundation's mission is to improve the economic well-being and social conditions of disadvantaged persons and groups in the United States through the making of grants to organizations that undertake systemic litigation with the funds they receive and by coordinating direct, pro bono litigation through our High Impact Litigation Project. The Foundation’s grantmaking and High Impact Project have benefited diverse constituent populations by focusing upon a variety of social justice causes.

Barbara McDowell was an exceptional advocate for social justice reforms with a decorated legal career. Following her untimely death from brain cancer at the age of 56, Barbara’s husband, Jerry Hartman, established the foundation in her name to honor and continue her extraordinary work.

Since its inception in 2009, the Barbara McDowell Foundation has supported 65 social justice litigation cases with over $1,400,000 in grants to 49 organizations and coordinated some 20 cases and investigations as part of its High Impact Litigation Project.

Barbara McDowell and Gerald S. Hartman Foundation Grant

A review of the Foundation’s successful past grant awards and its Mission Statement provide insight as to the matters that interest the Foundation. Grants are made for the sole purpose of paying litigation costs, including attorney time charges and litigation related expenses.

The Foundation funds litigation matters that are consistent with our namesake Barbara McDowell’s past legal efforts and her beliefs regarding social justice.

Focus Areas

• Access to Benefits
• Children's Rights
• Disability Right
• Discrimination
• Domestic Violence
• Due Process
• Homelessness
• Housing
• Native American Rights
• Prisoner's Rights
• Refugee and Immigration Rights
• Voting Rights
• Veterans' Rights

NOTE: The High Impact Innovative Assistive Technology (HIIAT) grants program has been absorbed into a new Assistive Technology grants program offered through the Priority Impact Tier 2 awards of up to $30,000. See the HIATT program here.

We fund a wide array of programs that are organized in three key areas: Actively Achieving, Bridging Barriers and Caring and Coping. We strongly encourage requests to support the launch of new initiatives or the expansion of existing projects that serve individuals living with paralysis, their families and caregivers.

Grants are awarded to organizations that address the needs of people living with paralysis caused by spinal cord and other injuries, diseases or birth conditions, including (but not limited to) stroke, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We also support initiatives that are focused on caregiving and improving the quality of life of family members who are caring for a loved one living with disability.

Program overview

As a pillar of the Paralysis Resource Center, the Quality of Life Grants Program awards financial support to nonprofit organizations that mirror the Reeve Foundation's mission.

Pioneered by the late Dana Reeve, the Quality of Life Grants Program recognizes projects and initiatives that foster community engagement, inclusion and involvement, while promoting health and wellness for individuals living with paralysis and their families.

The Quality of Life Grants Program has funded 3,200 non-profit programs, awarding over $30 million to organizations nationwide that provide services to foster community engagement, improved access, and independent living.

Grants have been awarded in all fifty states and in 33 countries outside the United States of America.

Priority Impact Grants (Tiers 2, 3, & 4)

The Priority Impact Grant Tiers (Tiers 2, 3, & 4) offer three increasing levels of grant funding. Priority Impact grants fund priority issues for individuals living with paralysis. Grantee organizations will demonstrate capacity to implement the grant without intensive technical assistance and capacity building, as well as demonstrate capacity for program development, evaluation and sustainability.

Tier 2 

Grants  of up to $30,000. - must be completed within 12 months.

Respite/Caregiving – This grant area recognizes family caregivers and the vital role they play in caring for those with paralysis. Funds support nonprofits that offer exemplary and innovative respite care services that are evidence-based, appear promising, or are trying new service models.

Assistive Technology - Assistive Technology grants are a new priority area that differs from the previous High Impact Innovative Assistive Technology (HIIAT) grants program (2015-2020) and the Direct Effect assistive technology project type grants. This new tier is open to all organizations with the continued emphasis on increasing the independence of people living with paralysis, to assist them to participate fully in the communities of which they are a part, and enhance their social, employment, education or finance-related quality of life through the use of assistive technology.

COVID-19: Addressing Social Isolation - This grants program was piloted in 2020 to specifically address the negative impacts of social isolation and loneliness resulting from the pandemic, thereby alleviating their physical, mental, and behavioral effects.

Tier 3

Grants of up to $40,000  - must be completed within 18 months

Nursing Home Transition – Funds support Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and other organizations that provide transition services across the country to transition people with paralysis living in nursing home back into their homes or a community-based setting of their choice. Funds also support projects focused on diversion (keeping people living with paralysis who are at-risk from entering a nursing).

Racial Equity - The aim of the Reeve Foundation’s new Racial Equity grants program is to fund projects that explicitly benefit people and communities that are racially diverse and/or historically underserved living with paralysis and/or promote racial equity for people living with paralysis. The projects may focus on a number of issues (see below for examples) that enhance the quality of life of those individuals living at the crossroads of racial inequity and paralysis, especially those from Black, Latino, Indigenous and Native American, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and other marginalized racial groups.

We urge you to examine the needs of your communities. These projects should identify how your organization aims to address the injustices and inequalities affecting targeted population(s) within your community that are racially diverse and/or historically underserved.

Rural Underserved and Unserved - The aim of the Reeve Foundation’s new pilot grants program is to fund projects that explicitly benefit people living with paralysis in unserved and underserved rural communities.

Tier 4

Grants of up to $50,000 - must be completed within 24 months

Employment – The Employment – Priority Impact grants are one of Reeve’s top priorities because employment is fundamental in achieving and maintaining independence, while being one of the most challenging obstacles to individuals living with paralysis. In addition, gainful employment allows people living with paralysis to achieve enhanced financial security, higher quality of life, and improved community connections.

NOTE: Applicants must first submit a Letter of Inquiry. Select applicants may be invited to submit a full proposal in the summer.

Sky Ranch Foundation

People never stand so tall as when they stoop to help a child.

Formed in 1961 and building on more than 60 years of tradition, Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ is a tax-exempt charitable organization committed to giving at-risk youth a second chance by identifying and offering grants to efficient and effective programs focused on improving the quality of help available to these youth.

Funding Interests

Preference will be given to organizations that:

• Serve troubled youth between the ages of 11-18, with a priority for programs that focus on youth between the ages of 11-15
• Focus on preventing youth involvement in the criminal justice system, or provide long-term rehabilitation in a residential or alternative setting.
• Provide comprehensive support services to youth that may include education, job training, enrichment activities, counseling and case management.

Proposals that fall outside of the Foundation’s guidelines will be considered at the discretion of the Directors.

Geographic Focus

The Foundation funds programs and organizations that work with at-risk youth within the United States, its possessions, and territories, or operated within Native American tribal lands. Requests for programs outside those geographies will not be considered.

Type of Support

General operating, capital and capacity-building.

Award

The typical grant size will be between $5,000 and $40,000. Grants outside of this range will be considered at the discretion of the Directors.