Grants for Seniors

NOTE: Nominations for the Civil Society Awards are now closed. However, the Manhattan Institute welcomes award nominations on a rolling basis. To tell us about an outstanding nonprofit leader—and their organization—who is contributing to a vibrant civil society in your community, please email: [email protected]

About

History has shown that free markets are the best way to organize economic activity. But the Manhattan Institute understands that in a healthy society, markets are complemented by charitable and philanthropic enterprises, which both help those in need and prepare people to realize their full potential. Since its founding, the United States has been characterized by a vibrant civil society in which nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations—with the help of volunteers and private philanthropy—work to address social challenges.

To support and reinvigorate this tradition, the Manhattan Institute established the Social Entrepreneurship Initiative in 2001, now known as the Tocqueville Project. Directed by MI Senior Fellow Howard Husock, it combines research, writing, events, and conversations with scholars, practitioners, government officials, and community leaders to make the case for the value and benefits of a strong civil society. The goal of the Civil Society Awards program is to find and recognize the best of America’s new generation of nonprofit leaders.

Tocqueville wrote that “Americans of all ages, all conditions and all dispositions, constantly form associations... religious, moral, serious, futile, enormous or diminutive.” This combination of association and philanthropy has given us everything from the Boy Scouts to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Just as we have private entrepreneurs, we also have social entrepreneurs, who address societal challenges and find private funds to do so. These individuals develop solutions to emerging needs and problems, while helping to keep our social fabric from fraying. It is their work that the Civil Society Awards highlight and encourage.

Manhattan Institute welcomes nominations for our Civil Society Awards on a rolling basis. To tell us about an outstanding individual—as well as their nonprofit organization—who is contributing to a vibrant civil society in your community, please visit our nomination page. 

The Milbank Foundation was created in 1995 to pursue Jeremiah Milbank’s vision of integrating people with disabilities into all aspects of American life.

The Foundation’s current priorities include:

• Consumer-focused, community-based initiatives that empower people with disabilities and foster independence and self-sufficiency
• The rehabilitation and re-integration of veterans, especially veterans with disabilities
• Helping seniors to age in the place of their choice through non-institutional, community-based health and social services, and
• Market-oriented, patient-centered health care reforms across the country

Our Mission

The Tony Robbins Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of people often forgotten.

We’re dedicated to creating positive changes in the lives of youth, seniors, the hungry, homeless and the imprisoned population, all who need a boost envisioning a happier and deeply satisfying way of life. Our passionate staff, generous donors and caring group of international volunteers provide the vision, inspiration, and resources needed to empower these important members of our society.

Grants

Dedicated to meeting challenges within the global community, creating solutions and taking action, The Tony Robbins Foundation provides monetary donations to various organizations around the world. Funding requests are evaluated on an ongoing basis. We look for organizations that align with our mission to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of those often forgotten.

Rooted in Evidence Grants

The Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition (GSCN) is pleased to release the Request for Proposals (RFP) for its third round of the Rooted in Evidence Food Bank Evaluation and Grant Program (herein referred to as “Rooted in Evidence”). Rooted in Evidence is an opportunity for selected food banks and their partners to enhance measurement and evaluation related to their programming. In addition, this program will provide funding for innovative and dynamic programming to improve the health and dietary quality of emergency food recipients. A highlight of this opportunity is to work in partnership with GSCN to conduct a robust evaluation of the grant activities in order to better understand the impact of funded projects and to create meaningful communication pieces. The overarching goal of this RFP is to strengthen the skills and competency of funded organizations to effectively evaluate the impact of their programming and share findings with their communities.

The Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition (GSCN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Omaha, Nebraska, established in 1973 with a focus on research and evaluation related to healthy eating and active living, improving food security and healthy food access, promoting local food systems and applying a health equity lens across all initiatives. GSCN specializes in both process and outcome evaluation, including the development and implementation of quantitative (e.g., survey) and qualitative (e.g., interview, focus groups) approaches, measurement development, and statistical analysis. GSCN works collaboratively with partners to design feasible, yet rigorous, study designs, along with developing complementary high-quality reports and other communication deliverables. Through Rooted in Evidence, grantee food banks can expect to work collaboratively to design and implement a high-quality project and accompanying evaluation that will yield meaningful data and information to share with partners and leverage future funding.

What We Aim to Fund

Since the focus of Rooted in Evidence is to enhance evaluation and dissemination capacity, we anticipate that food banks will allocate dedicated staff time for communication and collaboration with GSCN through virtual trainings and technical assistance, data collection and management activities, and reporting. It is highly recommended that food bank applicants partner with a local researcher/evaluator/graduate student to assist in the development of their evaluation plans and to help with data collection efforts if their internal staff has limited experience with evaluation.

GSCN intends to fund innovative and dynamic programming and/or initiatives that seek to improve dietary quality among food pantry and food bank clients. Applicants should consider basing their proposal around evaluation efforts of a program that is either novel (i.e., not commonly done by food banks) or has an innovative twist. For example, while many food banks have BackPack programs, an innovative change to this program could be working with a new partner or taking a novel approach to delivery, such as working with a local Head Start to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to participants. Additionally, these approaches could include existing or new/adapted programming that may include various:

• Settings and distribution sites (e.g., home delivery models, mobile or other “pop-up” pantries, college campuses, schools, child care settings, traditional pantries, clinics, including FQHCs).
• Components or levels of the emergency food system (e.g., distribution, procurement, food environment, client interactions to target knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors to promote healthy eating).
• Target populations (e.g., children, adults, families, seniors, ethnic/racial minorities, new American/immigrant populations, college students, staff/volunteers, cancer survivors or other disease conditions, urban/rural).

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Mr. Harry Sudakoff was a successful builder and developer from New York City who relocated to Sarasota, Florida in the early 1960’s. His original foundation was formed in New York and was transformed into a Florida foundation in 1993. Mr. Sudakoff had a lifelong spirit of generosity and believed in making an impact with his contributions.

Fields of Interest:

• Arts
• Community
• Education for children and youth
• Environment
• Human Services for families and seniors
• Science

The FDC Foundation is a non-profit foundation founded in 2008 by members of the Cluck family to support charitable organizations within the United States in three principle areas: 

Program Areas

Health & Nutrition: 

Specifically, the FDC Foundation contributes to organizations supporting:

• Improved Nutrition for Americans, including organizations supplying food and food supplements to people in need as well as those providing education regarding proper nutrition.
• The Treatment of Persons with Diabetes, including education, nutrition, medication, and supplies for persons who either now have or who are at high risk of developing diabetes .
• The Expanded Use of Alternative Medicines, including all forms of nontraditional therapies and medications that offer the promise of improving the lives of people, whether healthy or ill .

Education:

Specifically, the FDC Foundation contributes to organizations that support:

• Early Childhood Development Programs, including but not limited to organizations conducting research on the most promising forms of early childhood development and educational institutions currently doing outstanding work in the field .
• The Papa & Mama C Scholarship, for graduating seniors at Carterville High School in Carterville, Illinois, for continuing their education .
• Programs for Returning Scholars, supporting organizations that provide financial support (such as reimbursement of tuition, fees, cost of books, and additional living expenses) incurred by persons who return to school to continue their education later in life (beyond the age when that level of education is customarily completed) .
• Literary Achievement, specifically organizations (such as colleges and universities) offering financial support or programs to gifted individuals pursuing the creation of meritorious literary works (poetry, fiction, drama, nonfiction prose, or translation) over a specific time period (such as one year) .

Housing:

Specifically, the FDC Foundation contributes to organizations that provide:

• Housing Opportunities for those who have difficulty finding housing or achieving home ownership. The organizations may support construction of new housing, rehabilitation of existing housing, or financing of housing for people with unusual needs or facing extraordinary challenges .
• Education for careers within the real estate industry, such as the endowment of a chair with the business department of a university.

McGraw Foundation, headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, makes annual grants to not-for-profit organizations.  The primary focus is education at all levels, with an emphasis on higher education in the fields of science and environment.  In addition, grants are made to social service agencies, emphasizing those dealing with children.  The Foundation also occasionally makes grants in the areas of health, medical research and the arts.  

Grant requests are suggested to be within a range of $2,500 (or less) to $15,000. Grant recipients and amounts will be determined by several criteria. Naturally, availability of funds is a key factor.

The Foundation will occasionally make large grants ($50,000 or more) to support unusually promising efforts in any of its areas of interest. Innovative research, special education, and/or other activities will be considered if the Foundation's support would assist an effort or a project in making a significant impact benefiting mankind.

Areas of Focus

Education: Higher

The Foundation has been a pioneer in support of environmental education at the highest level by establishing three chaired professorships. 

Education: Elementary & Special

McGraw Foundation supports a wide array of organizations that focus on assisting the education and advancement of children as well as adults. McGraw Foundation also makes grants to elementary schools and organizations involved in all areas of special needs education. Funding in this arena has encompassed many organizations that provide services such as after-school tutoring, special education, and adult literacy.

Human Services

Since 1949, McGraw Foundation has been concerned with helping people in need. While the emphasis is on organizations serving children, funding also extends to people of all ages.

Children's issues such as these have been supported throughout the years:

• child welfare
• foster care and adoption
• family counseling
• enriching summer camps
• crisis intervention

Funding for quality-of-life issues for people of all ages has included:

• developmental disabilities
• health clinics
• domestic violence
• housing and homelessness
• job training and continued support
• seniors needs

Health & Medical 

Since its inception, McGraw Foundation has made grants in the health and medical fields.  Health and medical funding has included:

• specific medical research
• rehabilitation
• support programs for patients and their families
• medical attention for people without health insurance
• palliative care and hospice organizations

Civic & Cultural

Complimenting it's main focus on education and the environment, McGraw Foundation has supported some of Chicago's distinctive cultural and arts organizations.

Areas of interest include zoological societies' animal conservation, public communication, musical organizations, and civic organizations' promotion of science and the general welfare of society.

About Grey Muzzle Grants

Guided by its vision - a world where every senior dog thrives and no old dog dies alone and afraid - The Grey Muzzle Organization makes grants throughout the United States expressly for programs designed to improve the lives of at-risk senior dogs. We invite shelters, rescue groups, sanctuaries, and other nonprofit organizations, whose activities include helping senior dogs, to apply for these grant funds. Since 2008, Grey Muzzle has provided $2,500,000 in grants to senior dog programs nationwide! Grants typically range from $2,500 to $10,000. Our ability to make grants to help senior dogs depends entirely on the generosity and support of the public and other donors. 

Examples of the Types of Programs We Fund

Please note that innovative programs not specifically listed may also be considered.

• Create or help expand foster programs specifically focused on finding homes for senior dogs.
• A program to prevent owners from surrendering senior dogs to shelters as a result of economic circumstances.
• Medical care and other programs that increase the potential for senior dogs to be adopted.
• Medical expenses for in-home, short-term hospice care for senior dogs who are unable to be medically rehabilitated but who can live their final days in a place of love, security and peace.
• Long-term, in-home care programs for senior dogs who are not adoptable.
• A program to help people find new homes for senior dogs when they can no longer keep them. In particular, working with senior citizens who must relinquish their senior dogs due to a change in circumstances, such as moving to assisted living.
• Helping senior dogs give back to society; for example, training senior dogs as therapy dogs or involving the dogs in activities sponsored by assisted care facilities.
• Building a Seniors-for-Seniors adoption program.