Search Through Health Care Grants in Africa in the U.S.

About Us

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

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

What We Fund

Water

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

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

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

Education

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

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

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

Health

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

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

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

Through our Arts and Culture program, Mellon celebrates the power of the arts to challenge, activate, and nourish the human spirit. We support exceptional creative practice, scholarship, and conservation practices while nurturing a representative and robust arts and culture ecosystem. We work with artists, curators, conservators, scholars, and organizations to ensure equitable access to excellent arts and cultural experiences and support approaches that place the arts and artists at the center of thriving, healthy communities.

Guiding strategies

Three interconnected strategies guide Mellon’s Arts and Culture grantmaking.  

Supporting visionary artists and practitioners and the participatory roles they play across institutions and communities 

Artists reveal our shared humanity and connect us all. We invest in visionary artists and arts leaders whose practices extend beyond their studios or workspaces to catalyze change in our world. We celebrate artist-driven, cross-sector collaborations and acknowledge the dimensional nature of an artist’s work and place in society. 

Supporting exceptional organizations and artists that have been historically under-resourced, including the creation, conservation, and preservation of their artwork, histories, collections, and traditions 

Mellon seeks to engender an understanding of broader histories, narratives, and aesthetic traditions through multi-year support of artists and communities historically subject to disinvestment. Grants seek to ensure the legacies of many instead of few.

Creating scaffolding for experiments with new economic paradigms and institutional models that center equity and justice and creative problem-solving in arts and culture  

Mellon seeds experiments that center and embolden artists to imagine new structures and organizational models that reflect their holistic approach to social change. Mellon provides support for projects that pilot new operating and funding models for individual artists and organizations that foster a more inclusive, nimble, and cooperative sector.

What We Stand For | Our Giving Priorities

We practice the discipline of being Good Company—cultivating meaningful awareness, driving sustainable action, and setting a new standard for how businesses and communities impact the Greater Good together. A grassroots appeal guides our efforts in food and the arts, while a holistic approach integrates commitment to learning and the environment. Compassion is extended from the inside out with actionable goals and a global perspective. We create mutually enriching philanthropic experiences for our CoStars, guests, investors and the community. And, although we are located in Las Vegas, we are home all around the world.

We take part in several charitable and community events throughout the year, many focused on our community giving priorities:

• Food and Hunger Relief - Providing food and nourishment, especially to those that are low-income or homeless.
• Learning and Student Enrichment - Enhancements to schools and programs that help students succeed in school.
• Accessible Art - Providing opportunities for the community to engage with and create their own expression of art.
• Military - Programs and services that support the military, veterans and their families.
• Diversity and Inclusion - Programs and services that support minorities and the LGBT Community.y.

Organizations may request cash or in-kind donations.

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.

Become a Partner

At the core of our model are our partnerships with courageous, dynamic organizations that are improving the lives of children and youth in the heart of their own communities.

We eagerly look for new groups and individuals to partner with across the globe, based on our regional strategies, and particularly when we launch and expand thematic and regional initiatives. Please explore information about our regional strategies and initiatives in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Eurasia, and Asia.

Global Fund for Children raises all the funds that we use to invest in community-based organizations around the world. We know that organizations spend precious time preparing proposals for prospective funders. We appreciate there are many worthy causes and changemakers that we will not be able to support. As such, we do not ask organizations to submit proposals. We visit organizations in person and build relationships, getting to know possible new partners when we have raised funds. As a first step, we maintain a database of organizations we can get to know if we have just the right opportunity.

Focus Areas

Together with our partners, we are building a future where all young people enjoy equal resources and opportunities in society and can live to their full potential.

Our work advances the rights of children and youth across four focus areas and five regions. We have a deep commitment to courageous organizations that support young people facing poverty, injustice, and discrimination.

We support grassroots organizations that are not afraid to tackle the root causes of poverty with innovative, local solutions. Most offer holistic care to comprehensively address the needs of each child. Many become regional and national leaders in children’s rights—raising awareness, influencing policy, and ultimately impacting thousands of children and youth beyond their doors.

Education

Every child deserves the chance to learn, grow, and dream. We work closely with our partners to make sure children across the world can learn, play, and go to school. We are committed to helping every child reach their potential through equal access to quality education.

Gender justice

GFC and our partners promote gender equity, advance girls’ education, inspire healthy masculinities, support the rights of LGBTQ+ youth, and ensure that young people live free from gender-based violence and exploitation.

Safety and wellbeing

We are committed to ending violence and exploitation of children, to helping young survivors rebuild their lives, and to protecting the mental health and wellbeing of every child and young person.

Climate resilience

Young people are mobilizing to address climate change. They are building resilience in their communities, educating their families and communities, advocating for policy changes, and stewarding the environment. We work with young leaders and youth-led organizations finding real solutions for both people and the planet.

Youth power

Young people are achieving incredible things - creating change in the present and shaping the future. We help young people become leaders and changemakers, making sure they have the opportunities, skills, and confidence to tackle the issues central to their lives and their communities.

Solidarity in emergencies

In times of crisis, we are committed to supporting our partners around the world as they respond in their communities. From natural disasters to conflict or health emergencies, our local partners are well-positioned to address emerging challenges. GFC provides emergency grants, technical support, and wellbeing solidarity to our partners as they navigate emergencies impacting their organizations and their communities.

Impact and Learning

Global Fund for Children funds community-based organizations and works closely with them to strengthen their capacity to create change. Our primary impact is on the organizations we support, and by extension, the impact they create with and for children and young people, in their communities.

Every organization has its unique aspirations and approaches, so our work with each organization is unique, tailored, and made possible by trust and understanding of their unique contexts.

We capture global quantitative indicators to capture how organizations change over time, but qualitative stories of change are critical to understanding the impact of GFC’s work. Our impact and learning approach is rooted in feedback, participatory learning reviews, and a commitment to capture only the information GFC and our partners will actually use to deepen our learning and to become more effective in our closely collaborative work.

Global Impact Cash Grants

Identifying and incubating innovative early-stage solutions. We identify, incubate, and develop innovative early-stage solutions with the highest potential for impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We're looking for programs that fit within our investment sectors, focus on the underserved, and use technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services.

We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. A brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application. Please expand and carefully review each of the three sections below to learn more

Our priority social impact sectors

We focus on investing in innovative, tech-enabled solutions to the challenges and opportunities that matter most to communities in need, prioritizing four social impact sectors:

Cisco Crisis Response

Mobilizing to provide essentials to communities in need and those in crisis, including food, housing, secure connectivity, and disaster relief

By leveraging Cisco’s people, technology, financial resources, and strategic partnerships, we help strengthen community resilience and drive long-term recovery from crises.

Education

Supporting students, teachers, and schools by increasing engagement, building skills, promoting subject mastery, and expanding their capacity to thrive

Cisco is committed to inclusive access to digital skills training and supporting those who use technology to educate. Through programs like Cisco Networking Academy and social investments in education, we create new opportunities for individuals to thrive.

Economic Empowerment

Transforming communities through skill development, long-term career opportunities, entrepreneurship, and access to financial products and services

Strategic grants that unlock economic prosperity and growth for individuals and communities.

Climate Regeneration

Building an inclusive, regenerative, and resilient climate future through education, regenerative agriculture, conservation, protection, and clean energy solutions

Our efforts began in 2021, when the Cisco Foundation committed US$100 million over 10 years to fund nonprofit grants and impact investing in climate solutions. 

Overview

Google Ad Grants helps nonprofits share their causes with the world. Raise awareness, attract donors, and recruit new volunteers using Google search ads. Google Ad Grants shows your message to people searching for nonprofits like yours.

You’ll receive $10,000 USD of in-kind advertising from Google each month to create text-based ads, and get access to tools to help you build effective campaigns that can display on Google Search when people look for information related to your nonprofit.

Established in 1982 in Kingsville, Texas, L'Aiglon Foundation has an established interest in supporting projects in the areas of land/watershed conservation, education, the creative arts.

L’Aiglon Foundation strives to maximize the impact of its charitable giving over a wide spectrum of organizations and groups. We target our funding in the areas of:

• education;
• environment; and
• cultural arts.

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation only accepts unsolicited proposals for specific areas within the education, family economic stability and childhood health sectors in select countries where we work, namely the United States, India and South Africa.

As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25% of a project’s budget or more than 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has always recognized the power of providing grants to partner organizations that we knew were already working hard to improve the lives of urban children living in poverty. By aligning with organizations that are already making a difference, we continue to make an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of children.

Foundation priorities:

We fund social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). These social enterprises may be structured as for-profit or nonprofit entities.

Partnerships

We collaborate with a range of organizations focused on creating opportunities for children and families living in urban poverty, with a deep emphasis on measuring impact. Our funding advances projects already making an impact in education, health, and family economic stability. Through these enduring and long-standing partnerships, we create lasting change together.

About Us

As a family team, we’ve been working together for over 15 years to make happiness possible for underserved communities by promoting basic education, proper nutrition, secure housing, and a healthier environment through our nonprofit organization.

Our Mission

The RNP Foundation is committed to increasing the overall well-being of our neighbors and beyond. As long time meditation practitioners, we believe the path to lasting happiness is through spirituality, but before establishing self-transcendence, an individual must have their basic living, education, nutritional, and environmental needs met. Our mission is to nurture a safer, healthier world in which every person can achieve lasting happiness that spans for generations.

Our Pillars

At the RNP Foundation, we’re driven by the five core pillars of our organization: addressing homelessness, promoting better education, caring for the environment, providing nourishment, and fostering a sense of spirituality.

• HOMELESSNESS - We believe that we are all interconnected, so no part of society should be isolated. Therefore, we help combat the issue of homelessness in our community by being a part of the Kern County Homeless Collaborative.
• EDUCATION - We believe in the power of education and the impact it can have. Therefore, we do what we can to make it easier for people in the community to obtain an education.
• ENVIRONMENT - We believe that protecting the environment is imperative to our society. To do this we make sure we invest our resources in people and organizations that promote the well being of our planet.
• NUTRITION - We understand the importance and impact of good nutrition on the mind, body, and spirit. We love this community, so we are committed to the health of the people who live here. We work with a non profit cafe who promotes these beliefs and values.
• SPIRITUALITY - We believe that true happiness is connected to our spirituality. Therefore, once we help provide the basic necessities, such as a home, food, and education, we can focus on our spirituality.

Our Mission

The Foundation's primary commitment is to improving the overall quality of life for economically and/or educationally disadvantaged individuals and families who manifest a genuine desire to help themselves. The Foundation also supports efforts designed to strengthen communities. Priority is given to those charitable organizations and institutions with an established record of increasing economic and educational opportunities in both low-income, inner-city neighborhoods, as well as in rural areas.

The Foundation provides support in a variety of areas, including: low-income housing, affordable day care, after-school programs, drug rehabilitation clinics, juvenile intervention (pre-incarceration) counseling, job-training, micro-loans to small, family owned businesses in Central and South America, and Africa, rural land/open space preservation, and college scholarship support to exceptional public high school students.

Sachs Family Foundation Grant

Funding Guidelines

The Foundation's most important guiding principle is that it seeks to engage in philanthropic activities and to fund charitable organizations and institutions that have demonstrated they are self-sustaining, or clearly have the potential to become self-sustaining, or that focus on self-sustaining operations and activities.

Accordingly, the Foundation's primary focus is dedicated to strengthening the economic base of low income, disadvantaged communities, primarily within the U.S., but also in developing countries. The Foundation has a keen interest in supporting charitable organizations and institutions that have developed clear and effective economic development programs. To this end, the Foundation provides financial support, usually in the form of low interest rate loans known as Program Related Investments ("PRI's"), to a variety of 501c3 tax exempt charitable organizations and institutions.

In addition to its PRI program funding, the Foundation also makes charitable grants in the areas of education, health and housing. The Foundation has made grants (in the form of merit-based college scholarships) to low-income San Francisco Bay Area students, as well as to performance arts programs providing economical access to lower income individuals and families. The Foundation will also consider grants outside of its established guidelines, provided it can be demonstrated that the grant will be of significant assistance at a critical time in the development of an idea or project that has the clear potential to become self-sustaining/self-supporting.

Once the applicant has determined that its funding request falls within the Foundation’s established guidelines, it may submit a proposal/application for either a PRI or grant.

Our Mission

The Foundation's primary commitment is to improving the overall quality of life for economically and/or educationally disadvantaged individuals and families who manifest a genuine desire to help themselves. The Foundation also supports efforts designed to strengthen communities. Priority is given to those charitable organizations and institutions with an established record of increasing economic and educational opportunities in both low-income, inner-city neighborhoods, as well as in rural areas.

The Foundation provides support in a variety of areas, including: low-income housing, affordable day care, after-school programs, drug rehabilitation clinics, juvenile intervention (pre-incarceration) counseling, job-training, micro-loans to small, family owned businesses in Central and South America, and Africa, rural land/open space preservation, and college scholarship support to exceptional public high school students.

Sachs Family Foundation Program Related Investments (PRIs)

Funding Guidelines

The Foundation's most important guiding principle is that it seeks to engage in philanthropic activities and to fund charitable organizations and institutions that have demonstrated they are self-sustaining, or clearly have the potential to become self-sustaining, or that focus on self-sustaining operations and activities.

Accordingly, the Foundation's primary focus is dedicated to strengthening the economic base of low income, disadvantaged communities, primarily within the U.S., but also in developing countries. The Foundation has a keen interest in supporting charitable organizations and institutions that have developed clear and effective economic development programs. To this end, the Foundation provides financial support, usually in the form of low interest rate loans known as Program Related Investments ("PRI's"), to a variety of 501c3 tax exempt charitable organizations and institutions.

In addition to its PRI program funding, the Foundation also makes charitable grants in the areas of education, health and housing. The Foundation has made grants (in the form of merit-based college scholarships) to low-income San Francisco Bay Area students, as well as to performance arts programs providing economical access to lower income individuals and families. The Foundation will also consider grants outside of its established guidelines, provided it can be demonstrated that the grant will be of significant assistance at a critical time in the development of an idea or project that has the clear potential to become self-sustaining/self-supporting.

Once the applicant has determined that its funding request falls within the Foundation’s established guidelines, it may submit a proposal/application for either a PRI or grant.

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.

About

The Audacious Project is a collaborative funding initiative catalyzing social impact on a grand scale. Every year we select and nurture a group of big, bold solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges, and with the support of an inspiring group of donors and supporters, come together to get them launched.

Housed at TED, the nonprofit with a long track record of surfacing ideas worth spreading, and with support from leading social impact advisor The Bridgespan Group, the funding collective is comprised of several respected organizations and individuals in philanthropy.

Our goal is to match bold ideas with catalytic resources.

• We encourage the world’s inspirational changemakers to dream bigger than ever before.
• Help shape their best ideas into viable multi-year plans.
• Present those solutions in a compelling way to potential supporters.

The Process

Every year, The Audacious Project works with proven change-makers to surface their best, boldest ideas for tackling global problems.

Sourcing & review

Projects are sourced from public applications and a global network of partners and donors. They are narrowed down to a group of finalists whose ideas are representative of a broad range of geographies and issue areas while elevating leaders with proximity to the communities they serve.

Idea shaping & investment support

Each finalist project goes through a rigorous ideation, due diligence, and investment support process, to ensure their proposal is achievable and compelling.

Funding & launch

Finalist projects are presented privately to groups of donors and are then publicly unveiled at TED. Funded projects then pursue their plans and share regular updates on key milestones reached with donors and the public.

Is Your Idea Audacious?

• Are you a changemaker with a bold vision?
• Are you a non-profit with an experienced team equipped to receive large scale philanthropic support?
• Is your idea a proven concept that aspires to create a better world?
• We look for ideas that cover a wide range of issues, from global health and climate change, to social justice and education.

What Makes An Idea Audacious?

Inspire

• Transformative vision
  • Your idea should capture a bold vision for tackling one of the world's most urgent topics.
• Creating a better world
  • It is your opportunity to take a giant leap forward; you may be tempted to think incrementally, but remember for it to be bold, your idea should offer significant, enduring impact.
  • This vision should bring us much closer to your version of an ideal world in a matter of years rather than generations.
• Innovative and original
  • There should be a unique aspect or creative element to your approach that challenges convention or status quo or changes the narrative for the greater good.

Convince

• Proven concept
  • There should be evidence that the idea will have impact based on a track record of past success, a demand from those that would be affected, and justified confidence that results can be sustained in the future.
• A bold vision that has clear outcomes
  • There should be a sense of where you will be at the end of a multi-year funding term and the strategy, resources and timeline required to achieve it. We want to hear about the changes that would take place because of your idea, not just the components that go into implementing it.

• Established support
  • You and your capable and confident team have the backing of a nonprofit, NGO, or institution (or is part of a collaboration between multiple such entities). This organization should be able to receive philanthropic funds and have the core infrastructure necessary to support the work. (Note: Past projects have had an annual operating budget of $1 million or more.)

Please refer to FAQ for additional guidelines.

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.

Mission

To give back by improving the larger world around us and the lives of others where our gifts can yield meaningful tangible impact for a better world.

Zegar Family Foundation Grant

Established in 2007, the Zegar Family Foundation donates to worthy charitable organizations within the scope of our Mission, our Key Focus and/or Other Principal Areas of Giving in the priority order as follows.

Key Focus Areas

• Environment and Sustainability – Addressing the climate change crisis to preserve and conserve our natural biodiverse resources and sustain our world environment.
• Justice and Human Rights – Assisting in seeking justice and protection of rights for people to whom rights are denied, including pursuing racial equality, criminal and legal systems reforms, immigration, LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights through litigation, activism and advocacy for change.

Other Principal Areas of Giving

• Science and Medicine – Advancing scientific and medical knowledge through innovative research, especially basic research, often neglected by governmental and other funding.
• Human Services and Economic Opportunity – Helping disadvantage people help themselves through opportunities for economic growth and/or personal development.
• Arts, Culture, and Heritage – Contributing to societal enrichment through the arts, historical education, preservation of our national and global heritage and other cultural programs.
• Education – Supporting educational institutions, primarily in the higher educational area and providing college access and success for the less advantaged students who desire to attend them.
• Nutrition and Health – Empowering people in underserved communities to improve nutrition and health through education programs encouraging healthier food choices, increased access to fresh foods and increasing options for achieving better health through enhanced medical assistance along with other programs bolstering health in these communities.
• International – Supporting economic relief and development, medical assistance, and human rights for people in need and other compelling causes throughout the world.
• Community Improvement and Development – Supporting projects benefiting and improving life for the communities around us, such as for parks, recreation, libraries and other spaces for community enhancements as well as for public safety.

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Vision

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, "A Foundation for All", was established in 2002. It was begun in order to give a clear voice for those who wish to be a part of the many, worthy, forces for change in our world.

We are a foundation whose purpose is to look ahead towards the future, giving the past its due by remembering where we came from, and how much we can all accomplish together. We aim to make the critical difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever changing world. We respect all Life, the Environment, and all People, no matter who they are.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

Conservation, Food & Health Foundation Grant Program

The Conservation, Food and Health Foundation seeks to protect the environment, improve food production, and promote public health in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Types of Support

The Foundation supports projects and applied research that:

• Generate local or regional solutions to problems affecting the quality of the environment and human life;
• Advance local leadership and promote professional development in the conservation, agricultural, and health sciences;
• Develop the capacity of local organizations and coalitions; and
• Address challenges in the field. 

The Foundation funds applied research, pilot projects, new initiatives, training, and technical assistance, rather than ongoing support for programs that are already well underway. An important goal for the Foundation is to provide seed money to help promising projects, organizations, and individuals develop the track record they need to attract major foundation funding in the future.  

Fields of InterestThe following are examples of the Foundation’s areas of interest within the fields of conservation, food, and health, and are not meant to be exclusive.

• Conservation: Conservation grants promote environmental conservation through field research, projects, and advocacy that:
  • Protect biodiversity and preserve natural resources.
  • Help mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
  • Build the scientific and technical capacity of local conservation organizations and promote local, regional, and international partnerships.
  • Increase engagement between scientists, local communities and organizations, and decision-makers.
  • Partner with indigenous communities and local people.

• Food: Grants in the food and agriculture program area focus on research-based projects that build capacity for self-sufficiency and resilience to climate change, strengthen local food systems, and support healthy nutrition through projects that: 
  • Enhance food security.
  • Develop and promote sustainable agricultural practices
  • Build the capacity of small-scale farmers.
  • Advance farmer research and research partnerships.
  • Develop environmentally sound and affordable approaches to control pests and diseases affecting important local food crops.
  • Promote indigenous food sovereignty and knowledge systems.
  • Address challenges of uptake and scalability through new methods of extension, education, and technology transfer.

• Health: The Foundation supports efforts that test new ideas and approaches that promote public health, with a special emphasis on reproductive health and family planning and their integration with other health promotion activities. It favors community-level disease prevention and health promotion projects and efforts that help strengthen regional and country public health systems over disease diagnosis, treatment, and care provided by clinics, hospitals, and humanitarian aid programs.
  • Activities that help increase capacity include applied research, program development, technical assistance, and training projects that:
    • Promote reproductive health and family planning.
    • Address issues related to mental and behavioral health.
    • Address issues relating to pollution and environmental health.
    • Increase the understanding of zoonotic and neglected tropical diseases.
    • Address issues relating to nutrition and health.

Key Priorities

In all of its areas of interest, the Foundation gives priority to projects that have the potential to advance the field, build local capacity, promote replication, influence public opinion and policy, affect systems change, and benefit people beyond the immediate project and its local context.

Funding

There is no minimum or maximum grant size. It is anticipated that most grants will fall in the $25,000-$50,000 per year range.

Grants are made for a one- or two-year period. Second-year funding is conditional on the provision of a satisfactory progress report, interim financial report, and work plan. Renewal requests for projects that were not originally approved as a multi-year project may be considered, but require a new application.

Grant awards are made twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, with applications due several months prior.  The Foundation will consider only one proposal from an organization in any calendar year.

Clinical Research Grants

The Intuitive Foundation grant program is accepting applications for Clinical Research Grants for Robotic-assisted Surgery in this year.

The purpose of these grants is to support clinical research at non-profit institutions worldwide focused on the field of robotic-assisted surgery. Successful proposals will study important questions related to surgical care and patient outcomes.

Research Areas of Interest

The Intuitive Foundation has identified key research areas of interest for the clinical grant programs. Principal Investigators are encouraged – although not required – to submit proposals that fall into one or more of the following areas:

• Clinical Outcomes-Based Research:
  • Research related to clinical outcomes for robotic-assisted surgical procedures with a particular focus on comparative studies between robotics and alternate surgical modalities, or therapies.
    • Examples include:
      • Assessment of clinical outcome differences (including variation in outcomes) comparing robotic-assisted surgeries vs. other laparoscopic invasive and/or open surgical techniques.
        • For applications from the United States, we are most interested in clinical outcomes related to Thoracic Surgery and General Surgery.
        • For applications from APAC (Asia, Australia, and New Zealand),we are most interested in clinical outcomes related to Urology, Gynecology, Colorectal Surgery, General Surgery, Head and Neck procedures, Thoracic surgery, and other emerging surgical procedures.
        • For applications from Europe, we are most interested in clinical outcomes related to Colorectal Surgery, General/Visceral Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Gynecology, and Urology.
        • For applications from Africa and South America, we are most interested in clinical outcomes related to Colorectal Surgery, General/Visceral Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Gynecology, and Urology.
      • Comparison of opioid use and/or pain between robotic-assisted procedures vs. other minimally invasive and/or open surgical techniques.
      • Evaluating the impact of ERAS or similar protocols.
      • Proposals related to public health or other of-the-moment topics.
• Imaging, Vision and/or Navigational Research (all regions):
  • Research focused on enhanced visualization during surgical procedures.
    • Examples include:
      • The application of preoperative imaging modalities during surgical interventions.
      • The use of intraoperative imaging modalities during surgical interventions.
      • Novel use of fluorescence imaging technology. Note that research that has been published or presented by other groups will not be considered.
      • The use of novel imaging modalities during interventions.
      • New techniques to discriminate between healthy and diseased tissues.
• Health Economic and Outcomes Research including Cost-effectiveness and Cost-utility Studies related to Robotic-assisted Surgery (all regions):
  • Research related to local services utilization, clinical and economic burden of the disease, cost of care, and research focused on quality of life or utilities related to surgical care.
    • Examples include:
      • Patient care pathway or epidemiological studies on clinical and economic burden of illness.
      • Patient/clinician-reported outcomes, quality of life, health utilities.
      • Cost-effectiveness modeling incorporated local services utilization and costs from local data sources (not from the literature.)
  • The Intuitive Foundation strongly recommends that research within this category include a health economist as a part of the research team. Please identify this individual in the capabilities section of the grant submission.
• New Procedure Exploration and Development Research (all regions):
  • Research focused on emerging robotic-assisted surgical procedures using existing technologies. Please note that research conducted on human subjects may require applicable authorizations or favorable opinions from any relevant authorities, such as governmental and medical institution authorities, prior to funding.
    • Example proposals may include:
      • Robotic-assisted procedures that do not have a laparoscopic analog.
      • Procedures that benefit from parallel entry of instruments (e.g., da Vinci SP).
      • Development of replicable workflows to achieve critical surgical access in high volume procedures that do not have standardized port placement positions, such as lysis of adhesions. Such workflows should reliably apply to variations in patient body habitus and pathology.

Funding

Applicants may apply for grant funding total costs up to $75,000 (US) per project.

Grant funds can be used to support salaries for statisticians, lab technicians, fellows, research coordinators, and other support personnel. Funds can cover equipment, supplies, and/or travel required to support the proposed research project for a period of up to one year. No more than 20% of the total budget can be allocated for indirect costs. Hard equipment purchases should not exceed $5,000.

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

 Underwriting Community Well-being: Peace Building Ventures

NextWorldNow (NWN) holds that world communities can work together in an informed and personal way, leveraging technology and resources, to improve the well-being of participants in each community. 

Our Aim

We invest in and support community development projects requiring modest capital. We fund projects that are owned by the local community, whose social impact and return on investment can be measured, and whose success can be sustained. In the spirit of innovation, we aim for a diverse "portfolio" of projects and geographies to spread creative solutions. 

We work to discover and apply best practice social investment models on a small scale personal level. Our process invites ongoing direct connection with the sponsored community rather than an anonymous one-time donation. We believe it is possible to invest in projects that increase the wellbeing of communities while avoiding unintended harm. We operate with minimal overhead and a goal of funneling nearly 100% of grant resources to the intended community project.   

NextWorldNow Community Investments (NWN) works with individuals, communities, and other organizations to make this happen. We invite communities with project ideas to submit their requests for funding. We study the requests and make funding decisions. We welcome scale-able partnerships with other organizations on joint projects. We invest in solutions built to last, looking beyond short term fixes to address long standing problems. We continue to refine our process as we learn more about what works and what does not. NWN is a non profit private foundation with United States 501 (c) (3) status.  

Mission

We partner with communities, providing resources for projects defined by local leaders to improve the lives and well-being of the people in the community.

Vision

We see a world where every person has the basics for well-being: clean water, good food, housing, health care, safety, education, social activity, and jobs. We know that the current state of the world represents many unmet needs. Despite the size of the need which seems unlimited, we choose to act. We believe that small change leads to bigger change and is a preferred option to a default acceptance of the status quo.

Why This Program

We hold that we are connected with one another in the world community. Like thousands of individual cells connected within a single body shaping its health, the actions of individuals within the world community effect the wellbeing of all. Discomfort in a part of our collective body impacts the whole and serves as a source for other downstream social ills. This program is designed for individuals who share a view of a larger self, have decided that they have enough means to live comfortable lives, and want to share their resources with others in a creative and smart way.

Our Values

The following core values inform our mission and guide our actions as investors:

• Respect: We believe the community should decide what the community needs   
• Optimism: We believe that good outcomes can be the rule, not the exception, based on disciplined and continuous effort
• Innovation: We challenge ourselves and our collaborators to think creatively     
• Leverage: We expect that a smart investment process will grow resources, not waste them  
• Accountability: We deliver what we promise and avoid promising more than we can deliver. 
• Efficient: We are careful managers of resources
• Life Affirming: We enjoy being alive and want the same opportunity for all  
• Enlightened Compassion: We care for the well-being of others without neglecting care of self   

How We Work

NextWorldNow learns about community based projects that need more resources to meet their goals. We connect with the leaders, learn about their work, and decide which projects to invest in. Investments may include time spent supporting a project, in-kind resources, and financial grants. We invite community proposals. We rate the likely success and the impact of the project – such as how many people will benefit. We look for people and groups who have new ideas for old problems. We prefer to invest in a variety of geographic locations and issues in order to learn more about the world and its people. We may take on projects that are beyond our funding means by seeking like organizations to partner in the investment. 

What are our target investments?

Consistent with our mission, we are interested in supporting many types of community programs: 

• Civic Participation
• Education
• Effective Development 
• Environmental Mediation – Water, Sanitation, Deforestation
• Health Care Access and Treatment
• Human Rights
• Peace and Human Security
• Shelter
• Smallholder Productivity and Food Security
• Sustainable Markets/Livelihood

Please check back later for information on future funding opportunities. The International Foundation fund US-based non-profit organizations who partner with poor communities in the developing world to improve their health, education and incomes, while strengthening local capacity to sustain their benefits. Our strategy seeks change in the intermediate area between individuals and national organizations, where community members work together toward a shared vision. 

The International Foundation funds grants in three key areas—health, education and incomes. However, each of these areas represents a range of investment opportunities that, if integrated with other program areas, can lead to broader, more balanced and more sustainable results.

The focus of our grant-making combines criteria on the nature of the program, the geographic location, and the level of poverty.

Quantifiable Impact Focus

Our grants support the specific types of programs, in specific geographic regions, that we believe address the most pressing needs in the world today.

Program Focus

We believe each of our priority program categories are linked by our overall goal to benefit an entire region. While grants are awarded to some organizations focused on one category, we look for partners who take a more holistic, community-based approach and are committed to delivering positive and sustained results.

• Agriculture: We support projects working toward agricultural sustainability in developing countries that suffer from the impact of population growth and environmental shifts, poor technology, and policy and management issues. These projects help smallholder farmers with crop management, storage, timely market information, mobile phone-based training services, savings and loan programs, and resource acquisition.
• Education: We support programs that extend the reach of national education systems to remote and undeserved areas. This includes remedial education, access to technology resources, teacher training, and extracurricular projects. We also support formal and informal education programs in information technology and vocational skills in both rural and city communities that prioritize women and girls.
• Environment: We support projects designed to address air and water pollution, environmental shifts, soil degradation, exploitation of natural resources, biodiversity loss, deforestation, desertification, and ocean acidification. Our grants focus on projects that ensure water quality and access, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), and eliminating vector-borne diseases and exposure to toxic chemicals.
• Health: We support community primary health programs as well as maternal and child health care. We also support programs that provided general health education including hygiene, family planning, and birth control. Finally, we support programs that extend the reach of healthcare to remote regions and sectors of countries while also working to extend the reach of national health systems.

Geographic Focus

We support US-based organizations serving vulnerable populations and communities in many parts of the developing world. We prioritize countries in which the need is great and the environment allows for successful outcomes.

Latin America & The Caribbean or Africa or South & Southeast Asia

Mission 

To provide grants to qualified 501(c)(3) organizations supporting education, animal welfare, medical research, and human services.

Foundation Information

The John and Maria Laffin Trust was created under the Will of Valentina Laffin in honor of her parents. The Trust provides support for education at the college and university level, animal welfare, medical research, and human services. Ms. Laffin died on March 19, 1985. She was a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, California.

Grant Guidelines

The John and Maria Laffin Trust awards grants to organizations supporting education, animal welfare, medical research, and human services, as follows:

• 20% Education Funds shall be granted to educational institutions at the college and university level in the Los Angeles City and County areas that are dedicated to maintaining and raising the standards of scholastic excellence.
• 30% Animal Related Funds shall be granted to animal welfare organizations or foundations within Los Angeles City and County that are demonstrably dedicated to the preservation and humane placement of abandoned and/or homeless small domesticated animals.
• 25% Medical Research Funds shall be granted to medical research organizations that do not exclude from consideration any alternative or seemingly radical and/or controversial treatment that the American Medical Association may currently oppose.
• 25% Human Services Funds shall be granted to humanitarian organizations to alleviate human misery, suffering, and starvation in any part of the world.

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.

Our Mission

The Hansen Family Foundation provides opportunities to domestic, international, secular, and non-secular organizations that support the American way of life, which is defined by the principles of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 

Causes

Children

The Hansen Family Foundation supports causes dedicated to helping children both home as well as abroad. Learn More

Education

The Hansen Family Foundation believes that a decent education should be made available to everyone, young or old, the world over. Learn More

Animals

The Hansen Family Foundation believes in helping those who cannot speak on their own behalf. Learn More

Environmental

The Hansen Family Foundation is dedicated to preserving the world we all share. Learn More

Humanitarian

The Hansen Family Foundation views the plight of our fellow man as an opportunity to actively engage and effect change. Learn More

Arts & Culture

The Hansen Family Foundation supports all forms of artistic and cultural endeavors. Learn More

Background

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.

We have set three ambitious goals for our work:

• Economic Inclusion for Family Wellbeing
• Equitable and Accountable Public Health and Healthcare Systems
• Healthy and Equitable Community Conditions

Making progress toward those Generational Goals requires changing the systems that underpin our society. Currently, those systems create and uphold inequity by placing more value on some lives than others, based on race, class, and other factors. To create a more equitable future, we must identify and dismantle structural racism in our systems. We must create space for health practitioners, community leaders, and researchers to rethink the way our systems work, dream up new possibilities, and put one foot in the future to anticipate opportunities or roadblocks that future may bring.

Through our Ideas for an Equitable Future team, we support visionary thinkers—scientists, anthropologists, engineers, technologists, creatives, and others—who are imagining what the world might look like in the next 10 to 100 years.With our funding, they explore how those futures may unfold in ways that could slow down or speed up our collective efforts to dismantle structural racism and improve health equity.

By applying this future-facing lens, our grantees are uncovering how emerging social, cultural, scientific, technological, environmental, and economic trends and forces could shape the future of health for everyone. They are also discovering and experimenting with cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to tear down barriers to health and wellbeing and reinvent our systems so that they work better for us all.