Search Through Grants for Special Education in Michigan in the U.S.

Who We Are

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

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

Our Focus

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

What We Fund

/ What We Fund

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

Program Overview 

The main objective of the foundation is to carry on the legacy of Joseph and Vera Dresner by supporting the work of organizations in our focus areas. It was the Dresner’s mission that the foundation would provide a channel to improve the lives of people and animals in their communities. 

The foundation’s approach empowers community members to benefit from the grant investments that we make. We partner with organizations that are committed to creating opportunities for the underserved in our communities. Those partners include a wide-range of entities, including hospitals, community centers, and other nonprofits. 

Our goal is to provide organizations with the necessary resources, so they can continue offering services to those most in need. We seek to test innovative approaches, determine lessons from current commendable activities, and promote the adoption of creative thinking on a broad scale through direct grant making and support for research and other ventures that advance community support. 

We Offer 3 Types of Support: 

• Project – Development of new programs, expansion of existing programs, or continuation of sustainable, recognized effective current programming. 
• Capital – Equipment purchase, acquisition, construction and/or renovation of facilities. 
• Funding for special circumstances, in support of existing grantee  programs, will be considered on a case by case basis. Please note the foundation will not accept unsolicited proposals for this type of support. 

Our Focus Areas Include: 

Health 

We fund projects that support institutions conducting medical research and clinical trials specifically related to Myelodysplastic Syndromes. We also fund projects that improve access to health care and health outcomes. Click here to view information about the Foundation's Myelodysplasia Research Grant.

- support for programs that improve the health outcomes of vulnerable people, particularly underserved, low-income individuals who don’t have adequate access to health care. 

The foundation is equally interested in efforts that have broad and meaningful impact and focus on intervention and prevention beyond the boundaries of any one disease. 

Therefore, we seek to support a network of hospitals and community-based organizations that work to improve the health outcomes of these individuals through enhanced access to health care.

Youth and Family 

It is critical that disadvantaged, underserved, and special needs children have access to programs that allow them to learn and foster important life skills. We help organizations develop and sustain programs that empower children and their families and offer opportunity to improve their lives. 

– support for youth programs that foster self-empowerment and self-esteem through academic, artistic, personal or social enrichment. 

Regardless, if a child lives in poverty or has a chronic disease, it is essential that they have access to programs that encourage self-expression and move their lives forward in a meaningful way. Therefore, we support organizations that empower children and optimize their development by providing access to programs that promote academic, artistic, personal and social enhancement opportunities. 

– support for programs that reinforce families. 

We are also interested in organizations that support youth through the provision of services that strengthen their families such as, but not limited to, workforce development, housing and family food assistance.

Animal Welfare 

We work with animal care organizations to make certain that they have the resources needed to ensure the best care and secure shelter for animals and offer corresponding public education initiatives.

– support for state-of-the-art facilities and services and corresponding public education initiatives.  

The foundation works with animal welfare organizations to make sure they have the resources they need to advance their work. We are interested in supporting state-of-the art facilities and services. Animal welfare efforts that the foundation will consider are, but not limited to, providing adequate treatment resources, upgrading equipment, improving and maintaining facilities, aiding in the shelter of animals in communities, and public education initiatives.

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Our Mission

The Old National Bank Foundation believes that social responsibility is essential to fostering vibrant, sustainable communities. We realize this belief through strategic partnerships with charitable organizations addressing defined community needs.

Old National Bank Foundation

The Old National Bank Foundation makes contributions to nonprofit organizations to fund widespread community impact programs and/or projects. The Foundation is part of Old National's overall charitable giving initiative, which enables us to support programs that improve quality of life in areas of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin where our clients, associates and shareholders live and work.

Invested in our communities

Caring for our clients means being an active and dynamic partner in the cities and towns we serve. Through sponsorships, Old National helps organizations improve the quality of life in the areas where our clients, associates and shareholders live and work.

Old National Bank Foundation Sponsorships

Old National sponsorships provide monetary support for events or activities, while enabling us to partner with many community organizations. Typically such sponsorships are in exchange for advertising and/or publicity that directly benefits Old National. Our goal is to make meaningful contributions, measure the results of our sponsorships, and work closely with the organizations we support.

Here are examples of the types of activities we sponsor:

• One-time events
• Fundraisers
• Golf tournaments/scrambles
• Corporate tables at galas
• Sporting events
• Special events (telethons, marathons, races or benefits)

PNC Foundation

Strengthening and enriching the lives of our neighbors in communities where we live and work.

Vision & Mission

For decades, we have provided resources to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations where imagination and determination are at work enhancing people's lives everyday.

The PNC Foundation's priority is to form partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations in order to enhance educational opportunities, with an emphasis on early childhood education, and to promote the growth of communities through economic development initiatives.

Foundation Grant

The PNC Foundation supports a variety of nonprofit organizations with a special emphasis on those that work to achieve sustainability and touch a diverse population, in particular, those that support early childhood education and/or economic development.

Education

The PNC Foundation supports educational programs for children and youth, particularly early childhood education initiatives that meet the criteria established through PNC Grow Up Great. Specifically, PNC Grow Up Great grants must:

• Support early education initiatives that benefit children from birth to age five; and
• Serve a majority of children (>50%) from low- to moderate-income families; and
• Adhere to all other standard PNC Foundation guidelines, as outlined on the PNC Foundation website, applicant eligibility quiz, as well as the Foundation policies and procedures; and
• Include one or a combination of the following:
  • direct services/programs for children in their classroom or community;
  • professional development/workforce development for early childhood educators;
  • family and/or community engagement in children’s early learning
• Additional considerations:
  • The grant focus should include math, science, reading, vocabulary development, the arts, financial education, or social/emotional development.
  • The grant recipient, or collaborative partner, should have early childhood education as an area of focus. If the organization’s focus is beyond birth to age five, the specific grant must be earmarked for birth to age five.
  • Incorporate opportunities for PNC volunteers in classroom or non-classroom-based activities.

Economic Development

Economic development organizations, including those which enhance the quality of life through neighborhood revitalization, cultural enrichment and human services are given support. Priority is given to community development initiatives that strategically promote the growth of low-and moderate-income communities and/or provide services to these communities.

• Affordable Housing
  • The PNC Foundation understands the critical need for affordable housing for low-and moderate-income individuals.
  • We are committed to providing support to nonprofit organizations that:
    • give counseling and services to help these individuals maintain their housing stock;
    • offer transitional housing units and programs; and/or
    • offer credit counseling assistance to individuals, helping them to prepare for homeownership.
• Community Development
  • Because small businesses are often critical components of community growth and help foster business development, the PNC Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that
    • offer technical assistance to, or loan programs for, small businesses located in low-and moderate-income areas or
    • support small businesses that employ low-and moderate-income individuals.
• Community Services
  • Support is given to social services organizations that benefit the health, education, quality of life or provide essential services for low-and moderate-income individuals and families.
  • The PNC Foundation supports job training programs and organizations that provide essential services for their families.
• Arts & Culture
  • Support is given for cultural enrichment programs benefitting the community.
• Revitalization & Stabilization of Low-and Moderate-Income Areas
  • The PNC Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that serve low-and moderate-income neighborhoods by improving living and working conditions.
  • Support is given to organizations that help stabilize communities, eliminate blight and attract and retain businesses and residents to the community.

Mission

Driven by a philanthropic calling to support marginalized communities throughout the world, the Semnani Family Foundation partners with on-the-ground organizations and leverages its resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit.

History

Guided by his grandmother Maliheh’s example and teachings, Khosrow Semnani and his wife Ghazaleh established the Semnani Family Foundation in 1993. The foundation’s first grant was issued through CARE International to an orphanage in Romania that cared for newborns affected by HIV. Over the last few decades, the foundation has continued to build upon its mission to empower the disaffected, partnering with a variety of organizations in different countries who can make the greatest impact.

In addition to its global influence, the Semnani Family Foundation established roots within the state of Utah with the founding of Maliheh Free Clinic in 2005 to provide free healthcare to thousands of uninsured people in the Salt Lake City area.

Where We Work

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting health, education, and disaster relief for marginalized communities all around the world. Driven by a clear mission to adapt and serve at the global level, we have leveraged our resources to make a meaningful impact in the following countries so far:

• Afghanistan
• Bosnia
• Colombia
• England
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• India
• Iran
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Romania
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Uganda
• United States
• Yemen

At the heart of the Foundation lies a fervent commitment to human welfare, always prioritizing health and the needs of society’s most vulnerable.

Valero Energy Foundation 

Valero, its employees and the Valero Energy Foundation are committed to improving the quality of life in communities where we work and live, fulfilling a mission that was set from the beginning. We set the standard for corporate citizenship and promotes prosperity in our communities. 

The Valero Energy Foundation -- a public charity and Valero's philanthropic arm -- funds nonprofit agencies that serve predominantly disadvantaged children and families. In 2019, the Foundation contributed appoximately $40 million in assistance in the communities where Valero has major operations.

Four Pillars of Support

Our funding focuses on our four pillars of giving in communities where we have major operations.

• Basic Needs:  Valero gives assistance to agencies that provide basic needs of life, including shelter, food and clothing necessary for the development of a strong and safe community. 
• Health Care: We invest in the development of strategic community health resources and facilities that will support the needs of all members of our nearby communities, with major gifts going to children’s hospitals, university medical centers and service providers that offer specialized health care services and programs.
• Education: Valero is a strong advocate of education as it creates a necessary foundation for all children to thrive and for adults to lead productive lives. 
• Civic: We support civic and environmental initiatives directly related to the success of the communities where we live and work.

Our Mission Statement

The Von Voigtlander Family Foundation, an irrevocable charitable trust under Michigan law was created by Jeff and Kathleen Von Voigtlander.

Our mission is to make the world a better place by being part of the building and strengthening of those in need of assistance.

• The Foundation will strive to support public education through grants to education institutions for scholarships, extracurricular programs, athletics, technology, and motivational speakers for assemblies, as well as other educational needs.
• We will strive to make a difference in the lives of under-privileged, disabled and terminally ill children through grants to hospitals and other public charities for medical research, education, and programs dedicated to helping such children achieve their dreams.
• Since recreation and the preservation of land for the enjoyment of everyone ties to the well-being of both young and old, the Foundation will make grants to those public charities that work to protect our parks and recreational areas.
• We will also make grants in support of programs at public charities that are dedicated to the rescue and protection of animals due to disaster, abandonment, or abuse, as well as the training of dogs for special needs children and the disabled.
• The Foundation will focus on supporting our military and veterans affairs programs.

Areas of Focus:

Youth - Assisting our youth is an important facet of our Foundation’s mission. Providing scholarships to deserving students in need, supporting our public schools, and assisting programs and camps for disadvantaged children are ways that we strive to help our youth. Supporting these programs can benefit those with and without disabilities by giving them a sense of accomplishment and inclusion.

Animals - Pets are important members of many families. Our Foundation seeks to support animals of all kinds, from relocation and homing efforts, to assistance after natural disasters, to training service animals to assist with disabled members of our community.

Conservation -Our Foundation strives to support our community recreations areas, such as bike and hike trails. In addition to the many health benefits that these areas provide, such as reducing obesity and diminishing chronic diseases, recreational areas provide social benefits and support for our youth. Reducing crime and uniting families are some of the social benefits, and decreasing drug and alcohol use are ways that these areas support our youth population.

Military Veterans - Supporting those who have served is extremely important to the members of our Foundation. This includes the families of veterans, who are advocates in assisting veterans in getting the services they need and deserve. Supporting the training of service dogs for our veterans suffering from PTSD or other physical and mental disabilities is something we are all passionate about.

The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation will consider grants that seek to enhance the quality of life and promote a healthy, inclusive, collaborative, and diverse community in Northwest Ottawa County.

Arts & Culture

We believe that a community that embraces culture and the arts enriches all lives. We give priority to projects that:

• Bring regional and national art and cultural experiences and opportunities to the community ;
• Supports programs that deliver arts and cultural experiences to under-served populations of the community;
• Support the collaboration and growth of local arts and cultural organizations within the community.

Diversity & Inclusion

We believe that a community’s effectiveness is enhanced when individuals with diverse backgrounds and perspectives are engaged throughout the community.

We give priority to projects that: 

• Address equity, diversity, and inclusion within the community; 
• Involve and empower the inherent worth and dignity of all people;
• Promote and sustain a sense of belonging within the community.

Economic and Community Betterment

We believe that energetic, vibrant communities are vitally important to the livelihood of all residents of Northwest Ottawa County. We encourage projects that:

• Support cooperation among municipalities, especially in the areas of recreation, transportation, as well as consolidated planning;
• Support the revitalization and beautification of areas of commerce in our region.

Education

We believe that the youth of Northwest Ottawa County are our future. It’s important to us that we are serving all students of the community. Priority will be given to projects that:

• Address the barriers preventing students from pursuing post-secondary education opportunities;
• Improve student access to the necessary academic, social, and emotional resources required to reach their full potential;
• Support access to and participation in quality preschool programs, particularly those in under-served populations.

Environment

We believe that effective outreach should extend not only to our social community, but to our physical community as well. Priority will be given to environmentally focused projects that:

• Center on the preservation of natural green space and “smart land use” planning;
• Address critical water quality issues, including: near shore health, sustainability of wetlands, and non-source pollutants. Lake Michigan, the Grand River Watershed, Spring Lake, and local creeks and streams are of special concern;
• Promote environmental sustainability through alternative energy initiatives and recycling projects.

Health & Human Services

We believe that a successful, inclusive, and collaborative community should provide opportunities for people to live healthy and fulfilling lives. We give priority to projects that:

• Support access to physical and mental health services;
• Promote healthy lifestyles and relationships for all ;
• Address priorities based on data gathered through Community Needs Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans;
• Support local health initiatives that are endorsed by multi-sector collaboration;
• Address human needs for underserved populations.

Michigan Sugar Company

Since our founding, more than a century ago, when six independent sugarbeet companies merged, Michigan Sugar Company has perfected the process of turning one of the region’s largest cash crops—the sugarbeet—into pure, all-natural sugar. Today, Michigan Sugar Company is the third largest beet sugar processor in the United States, producing an annual average of about 1.3 billion pounds of sugar. We sell our products in wholesale and retail quantities under the Pioneer® Sugar brand.

Community Involvement

Michigan Sugar Company’s facilities have been an essential part of the communities in which we operate. We believe that we can make the greatest impact on communities by supporting issues and causes that are important to our grower-owners and employees in their own neighborhoods. Our community involvement program is based on the philosophy of operating regionally and giving back locally. We are focused on fostering and deepening our community partnerships because we know they are critical to our future. These relationships ensure we grow responsibly and help us build stronger communities together.

Michigan Sugar Company FFA Mini-Grant

Michigan Sugar Company (MSC) seeks to provide funding to FFA chapters in the MSC growing region to promote the advancement of agricultural education.

About Us

The Four County Community Foundation is a non-profit community organization, created by and for the people of the communities we serve. We are here to make a positive impact on our community.

Four County Community Foundation provides services to the villages and cities of Almont, Armada, Capac, Dryden, Imlay City, Metamora, Oxford, Richmond and Romeo, Michigan.

Community Grant Funds

Grants will be made to support progressive ideas in education, health, community, youth, and adult programs.

Four County Community Grants and Shelby Community Grants

Four County Community Funds are available for a variety of charitable purposes for non-profit organizations, public schools, and governmental agencies. Shelby Community Funds serve charitable purposes within the Shelby Community and northern Macomb County. Both funds respond to the current and emerging needs in our local communities.

Healthy Seniors/Healthy Youth Grants and Healthy Futures Grants

Tobacco settlement funds are available for projects that promote the health of seniors and youth, including health and nutrition, family counseling, smoking/vaping prevention and cessation, and mental health care.

21st Century Education Grants

Funds are available for area classroom teachers for educational projects in the classroom and in the field. Individual school funds for Almont, Armada, Capac, Dryden, Imlay City, and Romeo are also available. 

Jamie’s Smiles

Jamie’s Smiles’ mission is to supply supplemental funding to outstanding programs that benefit special needs children through grants and other financial means.

Jamie’s Smiles Endowment Fund grants are awarded annually to organizations in Macomb County serving children with special needs. 

Jamie’s Smiles Holiday Adoptions help children with special needs and their families.  Jamie’s Smiles works with the Macomb Infant Preschool Program (MIPP) to serve local families in need.

W.K. Kellogg – Youth Advisory Committee Grants

To introduce students (and their teachers and club leaders), to Four County Community Foundation and its work, YAC invites you to participate in its GRANT TANK program. We are offering grants up to $3000 for student-written/student-driven grant requests for programs which benefit our youth. Simply submit the fillable form and a short video describing your project. Be creative! Don’t pass up this awesome opportunity for your school or community!

Projects/programs we are most likely to approve will encourage young people to be involved in improving themselves, their community, and their school.

Ameriprise Financial Grantmaking

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

Focus Areas

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

Volunteer engagement is a priority across all focus areas:

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

Meeting Basic Needs

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

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

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

Supporting Community Vitality

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

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

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

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

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

Our Purpose

The vision of the Community Foundation is for Monroe County to be a place where everyone has an opportunity to thrive. We strive to successfully fulfill our mission by committing to the following values:

Stewardship: Maintain the highest standards of integrity and transparency in donor relations, community service, organizational governance and fiscal responsibility.

Local Impact: Promote philanthropy that will have an impact on the community at large.

Community Partnerships: Form collaborations with local non-profits, community leaders, and volunteers, to provide funds that address issues such as education, health, poverty, community development and others.

Inclusion: Embrace diversity in our philanthropic decision making.

Legacy: Operate to produce significant, widely shared and long-lasting results.

Initiatives

Education

By 2025, the goal is to increase the post secondary achievement of Monroe County residents to 60%, by promoting a postsecondary education culture and supporting education programs aimed at improving the academic performance for all students.

Health &Well-Being

Our Goal: Support and provide programs that promote public health, healthy living, and physical and mental well-being for all residents of all ages of Monroe County.

Our call to action was very apparent when we learned that Michigan ranks 16th in the nation for drug poisoning deaths and Monroe County ranks within the top 11 in the counties for opioid mortality rates and within the top eight counties for heroin mortality rates (MDHHS). Consequently, we collaborated with Catholic Charities and ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital to establish the St. Joseph Center of Hope on the ProMedica campus.

Community Enrichment

Our Goal: Provide opportunities to enhance: community infrastructure, arts and entertainment programs, diverse cultural experiences and all around community engagement.

Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs has identified Monroe County as one of the 45 underserved communities for art opportunities.

The Allen Foundation, named in honor of William Webster Allen, operates under the laws of the State of Michigan with offices in Midland. Grants are limited under the terms of the foundation's charter to projects that primarily benefit programs for human nutrition in the areas of health, education, training, and research.

Policies and Priorities

• To make grants to fund relevant nutritional research.
• To support programs for the education and training of mothers during pregnancy and after the birth of their children, so that good nutritional habits can be formed at an early age.
• To assist in the training of persons to work as educators and demonstrators of good nutritional practices. 
• To encourage the dissemination of information regarding healthful nutritional practices and habits. 
• In limited situations to make grants to help solve immediate emergency hunger and malnutrition problems.

The connections between diet and health remain a basic and primary priority, and consideration has always been given to projects that benefit nutritional programs in the areas of education, training, and research.

Low priority has traditionally been given to proposals that help solve immediate or emergency hunger and malnutrition problems. The foundation welcomes proposals that develop and advance:

• the inclusion of mandatory courses in nutrition in medical schools;
• bringing the promise of nutrigenomics or nutritional genomics to realization; and
• the promotion of environmentally sound, economically viable, socially responsive, and sustainable food and agricultural systems.

Program Area: Democracy

"Building a more equitable democracy by striving for participation and representation by all people who call the Great Lakes home."

Our democracy has faced numerous threats in recent years, from voter suppression and gerrymandering to targeted disinformation and related efforts to undermine public confidence in elections and government. Election administration is inconsistently funded, and voter experiences vary widely from zip code to zip code. In addition, a long-overdue national reckoning with systemic racism compels us to examine the ways in which government processes exclude rather than include all residents.

The results of these and many other such actions are unequal and unfair representation, disenfranchisement predominantly of communities of color and young voters, reduced voter participation in local or mid-term elections, increasingly toxic levels of partisanship, and crippling mistrust of government. Through a combination of research, policy development, litigation and public engagement efforts, the Joyce Foundation will invest in policy change to protect and expand voting rights, fair representation, and ensuring census data accurately reflects all of our communities.

Strategy

Voting Rights & Elections

Protecting voting rights and well-run elections are the very heart of a functioning democracy. Elections should be free, fair, accessible, and trusted. Yet, far too often, our elections fall short of that aspiration.

Policies related to the ease or difficulty of registering to vote and accessible options for casting a ballot impact turnout. Voters’ experiences vary widely by zip code—some communities face polling place closures and long lines, while others have new top-of-the-line technology and an abundance of voting options. Voter suppression and disinformation efforts erode trust that elections are fair and accurate. This focus area seeks to increase participation in our democracy by all voters - especially voters of color and young voters.

Census Data Accuracy

The 2020 decennial census experienced multiple complex problems that impacted census operations and, ultimately, appear to have impacted the quality of census data. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Census Bureau operations and timeline, displacement or limited access to certain populations, cancellation of quality control tests, reports of inadequate staffing, first-time use of online and phone response options, and controversial executive policy decisions resulting in litigation all disrupted a process that is typically planned and tested down to the smallest detail.

Following 2020, census experts will need to conduct a data quality assessment to determine how flawed the final census data is and where it is flawed, law and policy experts will need to determine possible options for remedial action, and the field will need to learn from this experience to avoid (or at least better plan for) such problems in the future.

Fair Representation

A true representative democracy will not be realized until the rules and structures for determining representation are reconfigured to redistribute power to the entire electorate, so that communities choose who represents them. As such, the Foundation invests in redistricting reform to remedy the severe gerrymandering prevalent in Great Lakes states and to identify solutions to other laws that undermine voters’ ability to determine who represents them.

About

Since its inception in 1960, the James A. Welch Foundation has distributed over two million dollars toward projects which have expanded educational opportunities for talented and gifted young students in Flint and Genesee County, Michigan.

The matter of pursuing meaningful educational opportunities for talented young people has become more complex. They may have many more choices, pressures, societal challenges, and greater economic hurdles. The James A. Welch Foundation believes providing creative opportunities for the growth and development of young people will result in a community of learners who will live, work, and contribute to an ever-changing global society.

The Foundation looks forward to moving forth with its grant making in this arena with confidence that talented young people are given the opportunity and encouragement to excel.

Funding Guidelines

The James A. Welch Foundation considers proposals to provide funding to qualifying charitable organizations in Flint and Genesee County, Michigan for programs or projects which:

• Identify students who are academically and/or creatively talented, and through guidance and counseling services, encourage them to pursue their special talents, AND
• Provide additional educational opportunities for academically and/or creatively talented students to cultivate their special talents.

Note to Grant seekers

Please include your definition of “academically talented” and/or “creatively talented” students in your request for funding. Also, describe the selection process used to identify “academically and/or creatively talented students.” We also seek to understand how students will continue to develop or move to the next level in their development following participation in your program.

The Carls Foundation has broadly defined charitable purposes, but the principal purpose and mission of the Foundation as outlined by its donor-founder and its Trustees is children's welfare and preservation of natural areas.

Programming Interests

The Carls Foundation has broadly defined charitable purposes, but the principal purpose and mission of the Foundation as outlined by its donor-founder and its Trustees is as follows:

• Children’s Welfare (primarily in Michigan) including:
• Health care facilities and programs, with special emphasis on the prevention and treatment of hearing impairment;
• Recreational, educational and welfare programs especially for children who are disadvantaged for economic and/or health reasons; and
• Preservation of natural areas, open space and historic buildings and areas having special natural beauty or significance in maintaining America’s heritage and historic ideals, through assistance to land trusts and land conservancies and directly related environmental educational programs.

Types of GrantsCapital grants, limited budget support, start up/seed money and multi year grants.

Mission

The mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public's health by providing U.S. researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data. NNLM’s main goals are to work through libraries and other members to support a highly trained workforce for biomedical and health information resources and data, improve health literacy, and increase health equity through information.

Purpose

The NNLM Regional Medical Libraries (RMLs) and Offices rely upon partnerships. The award’s primary aims are to widen access to and awareness of health information resources, with a focus on those resources provided by the NLM. The programs are intended to help a variety of users:

• With a focus on minority and other underrepresented populations and the healthcare professionals who serve them
• Make the most effective use of information and decision-support resources to promote healthy behaviors
• Prevent costly and debilitating illness
• Improve health outcomes when disease occurs

Potential Project Ideas

Potential projects might include but are not limited to this list:

• Training underrepresented healthcare professionals or professionals that work with underrepresented populations in the effective use of electronic health information resources for evidence-based practice with an emphasis on NLM databases and NNLM resources.
• Placing web-accessible devices in locations where they can be used to research health information needs by unaffiliated healthcare professionals such as free clinics, community health centers, etc.
• Improving access to health information and technology for those groups without adequate access to information services.
• Exhibiting or presenting at local meetings or organizational events to share completed outreach projects and promote NLM products and services.
• Evaluating health information and training needs of a target audience and implementing a training plan for that audience.
• Programs on locating and evaluating authoritative consumer health information.
• Incorporating NLM health and science information resources into new or existing health programs. See National Health Observances for some ideas.
• Development of supplemental educational materials using NLM resources.  
• Train-the-Trainer projects that enhance the skills of the service-providing staff and other consumer health information intermediaries to train participants on locating and evaluating health information.

The mission of The Gerber Foundation, to enhance the quality of life of infants and young children in nutrition, care, and development, has remained the guiding beacon for Foundation giving throughout its history. Accordingly, priority is given to projects whose primary beneficiaries are young children from birth to three years of age.

West Michigan Youth Programs

As the birthplace of the Gerber Foundation, the foundation supports a variety of youth programming within a 4-county area that includes Lake, Muskegon, Newaygo, and Oceana Counties in West Michigan.

Grants are geared towards projects serving youth from 0-18 years of age. A special emphasis is placed on projects focused on:

• Health, Nutrition and Dental issues
• Early childhood services and Literacy
• Parenting Education
• Education (including Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Agriculture, and Math)
• Life Experiences (camp scholarships, Ag Science Education, 4-H and FFA)

Grants are to fund programming, generally limited to one-year commitments, and are normally under $10,000, with the average grant size being less than $5,000. Programs that are collaborative and that have support from the broader community are encouraged.

How and Why Giving Back to Communities is Important to O’Reilly

From O’Reilly Auto Parts’ inception, O’Reilly co-founder C.H. “Chub” O’Reilly instilled the culture of maintaining high standards for every endeavor, including the area of building civic pride. With Chub’s good example to guide them, all four of his children adopted a business and family philosophy of “giving back” to the community as the Company grew and prospered. Supporting a large number of charitable organizations in all communities in which we operate has long been a focal point for O’Reilly Auto Parts. In order to make an even greater impact, the O’Reilly Automotive Foundation was established in 2020.

O’Reilly Automotive Foundation, Inc.

Impact

The O’Reilly Automotive Foundation complements O’Reilly Auto Parts’ role as the Friendliest Parts Store in Town. The Foundation serves as an additional conduit to connect with, support, and strengthen the communities in which O’Reilly Auto Parts’ team members and customers live and work. The Foundation continues the philanthropic legacy of the O’Reilly family as dependable community partners, seeking to support critical services in times of need to build stronger communities.

Mission

The O’Reilly Automotive Foundation strives to have a lasting, positive impact in the communities where O’Reilly Auto Parts’ team members and customers live and work by supporting organizations and programs which address issues critical to improving the quality of life for underserved and underrepresented individuals and families. In particular, the Foundation will concentrate its giving in support of organizations and programs addressing economic stability and mobility, workforce development, health and social services, and disaster relief.

Economic Stability and Mobility

Advocating for and endowing programs which provide assistance with issues including hunger, homelessness, and poverty for the economic betterment of the communities in which we operate.

Workforce Development

Promoting programs which aid in workforce readiness, technical training, and literacy, including children’s literacy, to ensure the continuance of an educated society and a capable, innovative workforce.

Health and Social Services

Championing and prioritizing matters of health, including mental and behavioral health, access to basic needs such as medical and dental care for underprivileged communities, and providing funding for organizations focused on childhood development and children’s advocacy as well as care and support for victims of domestic violence.

Disaster Relief

Providing funding and visibility to organizations specializing in providing relief from natural disasters and state of emergency, including providing temporary shelter, food, water, and hygiene or sanitation products to those affected and aiding in cleanup efforts.

Application Requirements

We will consider three principal types of grants:

Project Support Grants support specific projects or programs aligned with our mission. These requests may include some funds earmarked for the overhead costs associated with running a project.

General Operating Support Grants provide limited general operating support for the core operations or organizations whose missions and activities are aligned with our mission. These grants will often help the grantee build organizational, programmatic, and fundraising capacity. Operating support is not intended to help organizations in fiscal crisis. Applicants must have a current strategic or business plan that clearly outlines the organization’s goals and presents a plan for achieving results. Operating support grants must not exceed 15% of an organization’s total agency budget.

Capital Support Grants provide limited support for capital campaigns to fund the acquisition and construction of facilities, existing property renovation, or the purchase of major equipment. The program has a comprehensive approach to funding capital initiatives, which also includes funding for increased program capacity. A feasibility study may be required for capital initiatives to be considered.

About the Oleson Foundation

Gerald and Frances Oleson started The Oleson Foundation in 1962 — a foundation that was designed to continually perform good works in Northwestern Lower Michigan.

The foundation is so organized that it may accept contributions from any individual or organization.

Income from assets of the foundation as well as principal must be used “exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational purposes either directly or by contributions to organizations” carrying out such activities.

Funding Priorities

The Oleson Foundation’s interests are broad but reflect the wishes of our founders, Gerald and Frances Oleson, to help people help themselves and give the greatest good for the greatest number. We are looking for sustainable, collaborative projects and programs that improve the quality of life for our area residents. 

Program Areas

• Art
  • to provide access to arts and culture in all its forms, especially to our youth, and ensure that artistic opportunities, programs and events flourish in Northern Michigan.
• Education
• To provide high quality educational opportunities for all students and to encourage communities to make education a priority for the region.
• Environment
• To provide protection and stewardship of our precious natural resources including watersheds, wetlands, farmland, forest land and the overall protection of the Great Lakes. 
• Community Development
• To provide recreational, cultural and special projects that assist our communities to grow and prosper with respect to our natural resources.
• Health & Human Services
• To provide assistance to people in need and to have high quality health care available to all communities. 

The Berrien Community Foundation's "For Good" Grants

The “For Good” Grants will be open for two cycles per year and will be available in two sizes:

• the "For Good" Major, ($1,501-$15,000)
• the "For Good" Minor, (up to $1,500)

The "For Good" Minor has a shorter, simpler form geared toward organizations with a smaller request and the "For Good" Major is a more standard length grant application. Organizations can receive one grant per calendar year.

Grants are reviewed in the following areas each year: 

Arts

Arts & Humanities: Programming that opens opportunities for more residents to participate in and experience the arts in our community. Supports historical preservation programs and projects. 

Children

Nurturing Our Children: Programs that help provide nurturing to the young children of our community. 

Community Improvement and Special Needs

Community Development: Addresses emerging community needs and issues that will help aid in the long-term overall planning and development of Berrien County. 

Education

Quality Education: Programs to enhance and encourage continuing quality education.

Environment

Environmental and Animal Protection: Programs to protect and enhance understanding of our environment and for the humane treatment of animals.

Health

Healthful Living: Programs to enhance the health of Berrien County residents and educating people to make healthy choices. 

Seniors

Senior Empowerment: Programs to improve the quality of life for Berrien County senior citizens. 

Youth Leadership and Development

Youth Leadership and Development: Programs that enhance the quality of life for Berrien County youth while helping them to make positive life choices and encourage positive peer pressure. 

Youth Leadership and Development grants are reviewed by our Youth Advisor Committee TEAM (Teens Exhibiting Able Minds). These grant applications require a presentation to the committee. TEAM is most interested in programs that promote positive decision making skills and encourage positive peer pressure. Specifically, programs that address:

• Drug abuse and alcohol prevention and awareness
• Teen sex and pregnancy prevention
• Positive entertainment and recreation for youth such as
• Summer programs, Extra curricular programs, After-school programs
• Mental and physical health issues in youth such as
• Depression and suicide, Bullying, Obesity

Our Vision

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

Guidelines & Funding Emphasis

Our three primary funding areas are:

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

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

Furthering education

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

Human services

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

Protecting the environment

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

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

Gupta Family Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, USA. Our mission is to support organizations that provide focused intervention in the lives of people who have been disadvantaged in some way to help them become self-reliant. We take a very broad view of “disadvantage” to include anything that holds a person back from realizing their potential, such as poverty, physical or mental disability, social alienation, etc. The foundation also supports relief agencies that serve people affected by emergencies such as natural disasters.

The foundation evaluates and awards annual and multi-year grants ranging from $5,000 to over $250,000 (USD). Our focus is on funding smaller organizations all around the world that are led by individuals with a deep personal commitment to their missions. 

Our selection criteria include:

• Mission alignment
• The organization is run by the founder or, if not, by a successor who embodies the original inspiration, passion and commitment of the founder.
• At least 90% of grant monies reaches the intended beneficiaries.
• The organization is non-sectarian, i.e.,
  • It does not, directly or indirectly, support or condone the proselytization of any religion,
  • It is not supported by or affiliated to a religious organization.

Greater Toledo Community Foundation, is a public charitable organization created by citizens of our community to enrich the quality of life for individuals and families in our service area. The Foundation serves northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan with a particular emphasis on the greater Toledo area. The mission of The Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio is to live the Gospel in joyful servanthood among the people and as messengers of peace to commit themselves to works that reverence human dignity, embrace the poor and marginalized and respect the gift of all creation. Greater Toledo Community Foundation and the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation have partnered to support programming through the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation Donor Advised Fund (“Sisters of St. Francis Fund”).

Focus Areas

Consistent with their mission statement, grants from the Sisters of St. Francis Fund support a variety of organizations and programs which are working in one or more of the following areas:

• aiding in the fight against human trafficking and/or offering support to its victims;
• offering support to immigrants and refugees; and
• Advancing social justice and equal access to opportunity through other programs and strategies;
• Supporting efforts that advance, Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ call to care for planet earth, our common home, by addressing climate change, pollution, or promoting sustainable lifestyles, offering ecological education and spirituality or community engagement and participatory actions.

• Human Trafficking –
  • funding will be awarded to support survivor-informed activities including, but not limited to, comprehensive service delivery; economic opportunity and asset-building programs; physical and mental health supports; education initiatives and/or other kinds of anti-trafficking efforts that reach for systemic solutions and promote the respect and dignity of all. 
• Immigrants & Refugees
  • funding will be awarded in a variety of areas including, but not limited to, citizenship and naturalization efforts; economic opportunity and asset-building programs; physical and mental health supports; diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; civic participation activities; education and workforce development initiatives; workers’ rights and civil legal aid activities and/or other kinds of efforts that promote the well-being of immigrants and refugees. 
• Social Justice & Equal Opportunity
  • funding will be awarded in a variety of areas including, but not limited to, activities that promote equal access to housing, employment, education and health care; equitable and sustainable neighborhood development; civil and/or environmental justice work; and/or other approaches that promise to uplift the ability of marginalized or underserved communities to define their own futures and access opportunity. 
• Laudato Si’—
  • funding will be awarded in areas that address Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home.
  • These include the following areas
    • Cry of the Earth (climate change, pollution, forests, wetlands, species);
    • Sustainable Lifestyles (personal and community purchasing and lifestyle choices); Ecological Education (how nature functions and is connected, promotion of sustainability);
    • Ecological Spirituality (spiritual connection between humans and God’s creation) and
    • Community Engagement and Participatory Action (collaborative engagement between and among agencies with the Sisters of St. Francis).

The Sisters of St. Francis Fund envisions communities in which all members have equal opportunity to thrive. Grants are provided primarily for programming but, in limited cases, may support general operations or capital projects. The Sisters of St. Francis Fund anticipates making multiple awards ranging from $5,000 to $50,000. Grants are typically awarded for a one-year project period. Funds are limited and will be awarded on a competitive basis.  

Helping Build Better Futures

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

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

Our Social Impact Areas

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

Basic Needs

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

Education & Training

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

Patient Care & Research

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

Empowering Women

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