Search Through Hearing and Vision Grants in the U.S.

Charitable Contributions

Costco Wholesale’s primary charitable efforts specifically focus on programs supporting children, education, and health and human services in the communities where we do business. Throughout the year we receive a large number of requests from nonprofit organizations striving to make a positive impact, and we are thankful to be able to provide support to a variety of organizations and causes. While we would like to respond favorably to all requests, understandably, the needs are far greater than our allocated resources and we are unable to accommodate them all.

Warehouse Donations:

Warehouse donations are handled at the warehouse level - please consult your local warehouse for up-to-date information regarding their donations contacts and review process.

Grant Applications

If the request is under consideration, you may be contacted by staff for any additional information needed. Applications are reviewed within 4-6 weeks, and decisions are made based on several factors, including: type of program; identified community need not otherwise available; indication that evidenced based data will establish measurable results of intended outcomes; community collaboration; broad base of financial support; project budget and operating expenses.

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.

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Social Service Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund direct-service organizations that tackle the roots of chronic poverty by applying effective solutions to the most challenging social and economic problems. The Foundations prioritize supporting programs that have proven successful in facilitating economic independence and in strengthening families. Preference is also given to programs with the potential to scale productive practices in order to reach more people in need.

Funding Priorities in Social Service

In the recent past, 15% of total funding has been allocated to Social Service. Organizations with budgets over $5 million have received 60% of funding in Social Service.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted for new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and general support

Funding

Minimum grant size is $100,000.

The Labcorp Charitable Foundation

We believe every person deserves equitable care and education.

In 2020 Labcorp established a private charitable 501(c)(3) foundation to advance our desire to bring quality healthcare access to all by supporting education and our local communities. 

Common grant opportunities include:

• Supporting food pantries and meal programs
• Providing healthcare and patient services for underserved populations
• Encouraging STEM programming
• Advocating for healthy lifestyles through ongoing medical research and screening

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.

Nourishing Neighbors Innovation Incubation Fund RFP

Background

Nourishing Neighbors, a program of Albertsons Companies Foundation, is committed to ensuring that everyone including children, seniors, and families- have access to nourishing food.

Over the past 10 years, Nourishing Neighbors has made significant progress:

• Provided 1 billion meals to individuals in need
• Supported 1,400 organizations working to fight hunger
• Enabled 78 million breakfasts for kids in need
• Helped 250,000 individuals connect to federal meal benefits- unlocking at least $69 million for families in need.

We acknowledge that fighting hunger isn’t just about providing food- it’s about creating lasting solutions that break the cycle of hunger. That’s why we are increasing our focus on collaboration, capacity building, and long-term strategies to drive sustainable solutions.

Introducing the Third Round of the Innovation Spark Incubation Fund:

For the past two years, the Innovation Spark Grant has invested $18 million in six organizations, supporting transformative projects across the hunger relief landscape. You can find organizations we have supported over the past two years at this link.

When we launched previous RFPs, we received an overwhelming number of applications, each filled with innovative ideas and promising concepts, but unfortunately, many of them didn’t fit within our past funding model. We had set a $3 million project scale and required organizations to have an annual budget of at least $1 million- which meant that many creative, promising ideas couldn’t move forward.

This year, we are changing that.

We understand that great ideas come in all sizes- from small grassroots initiatives to large-scale programs. We want to provide all organizations- big or small-- the opportunity to bring their ideas to life. Whether your idea needs $50,000 or $300,000, if it’s new, innovative, and focuses on breaking the cycle of hunger, we want to hear about it.

Think of our program as venture capital for ending hunger. We are here to listen to your ideas, big or small. Bring us your vision, needs, and budgets, and let’s work together to create sustainable solutions for hunger relief.

Program Focus

This grant is for new and innovative ideas or concepts that help end hunger forever.

Ask yourself:

• Is your idea new- something that has never been tried before in the U.S.?
• By the end of your program, will the people you are helping be equipped with the resources and tools to feed themselves, be self-sufficient, and no longer rely on your programs for food assistance?
• Does your program create lasting independence from food assistance?
• Will your idea break the cycle of hunger permanently?

Funding Details

Single year or multi-year grant (up to 4 years)

: Flexible, based on project needs

Selection Criteria

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.

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

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.

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.

Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation collaborate with a wide range of nonprofit organizations that align with our strategic funding priorities. We prioritize our funding to activities and programs that have a broad reach and support the needs of underserved communities. We aspire to have a positive impact on the communities we serve by using our financial and volunteer resources and business expertise in collaboration with community organizations to help solve complex societal problems.

• Financial health
• Housing affordability
• Small business growth
• Sustainability

We may also support other local needs in eligible communities such as disaster relief, arts and culture, civic engagement, education, human and social services, and workforce development. However, opportunities are limited as our intent is to direct the majority of our giving within our major focus areas.

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.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

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.

Emerging Research Grants Program

Through the Emerging Research Grants (ERG) program, Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) provides seed money to researchers working on the entire spectrum of hearing research and balance research, including many underfunded areas of otology. The ERG program has since 1958 played a foundational role in the careers of many academic researchers and clinicians in otolaryngology and related hearing and balance fields. As the program’s remit is so broad, HHF solicits applications for ERG awards under a number of opportunity types.

ERG awards are for up to $50,000 per year, one year in length in the first instance, and renewable for a second year. The program is governed by the Council of Scientific Trustees, which is comprised of senior researchers and physicians from across the nation who assess each application for scientific merit and relevance. The ERG program is particularly targeted to early career researchers, but has funding streams open to researchers at all career stages. 

The ERG program is a competitive process that awards grants to only the most promising investigators. Recipients are exceptionally well-positioned to win future grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal research funders, leading to dramatic innovations in the field. In fact, ERG alumni have gone on to be awarded an average $56 of additional federal funding for every dollar of investment through ERG (2002–present).

HHF welcomes applications from scientists who are based at research institutions (higher education, government, and/or non-profit) located in the U.S. and who hold an Au.D., M.D., Ph.D. or equivalent. Please see the full Policy on Emerging Research Grants for all eligibility information.

Funding

A grant cannot exceed $50,000 for one Project Year or $100,000 for one Project Period.

Research Topics

Applications must only be submitted in one of the stated research topic areas below. Applications outside of these areas will not be considered.

Age Related Hearing Loss

• Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of age-related hearing loss
• Role and management of comorbidities especially relevant to older populations
• Auditory processing, particularly in loud or reverberant environments
• Genetic factors in the development and/or treatment of age-related hearing loss
• Devices or medications specifically for older populations

General Hearing Health

• Physiology of hearing and balance
• Epidemiology of auditory and vestibular disorders
• Human otopathology
• Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of hearing loss and balance disturbance
• Human genetics and mouse models of peripheral and central auditory/balance dysfunction
• Innovation in cellular and molecular therapies
• Auditory and vestibular implants, and hearing aids

Central Auditory Processing Disorder

• Normal and abnormal auditory processing
• Creating testable models of auditory processing disorders
• Etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of CAPD
• Genetics of CAPD
• Development of screening tools and diagnostic tests for CAPD including behavioral, physiologic and neuroimaging
• Language, music, learning and communication issues related to CAPD

Hearing Loss In Children

• Etiology of childhood hearing loss (e.g., genetic, infectious, traumatic)
• Assessment and diagnosis of childhood hearing loss
• Auditory neuropathy
• Behavioral, cognitive, developmental, and psychosocial consequences of childhood hearing loss
• Impact of early intervention
• Education of the hearing impaired child
• Cochlear implants and Auditory Brainstem Implants in children

Hyperacusis

• Mechanisms of hyperacusis
• Development of animal models
• Genetics of hyperacusis
• Etiology, diagnosis and treatment ofhyperacusis
• Brain imaging, biomarkers, electrophysiology of hyperacusis
• Distinctions between hyperacusis and tinnitus
• Interaction between auditory nerve and trigeminal nerve information

Meniere’s Disease

• Mechanisms of endolymphatic hydrops including mechanisms of cochlear fluid regulation
• Genetics of Meniere’s disease
• Animal modelsof Meniere’s disease
• Imaging of hydrops
• Etiology, diagnosis and treatment of Meniere’s disease
• Vestibular function and dysfunction

Tinnitus

• Peripheral and central mechanisms
• Role of ion channels, ototoxicity, genetics
• Subjective and objective assessment
• Etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
• Imaging of tinnitus

Usher Syndrome

• Etiology, diagnosis and treatment of Usher Syndrome
• Genetics of Usher syndrome
• Role of identified genes in hearing and vision
• Creation of mouse models of Usher syndrome
• Development of molecular and cellular therapies

We support early-stage organizations and new initiatives within existing organizations in the following areas:

• Learning Solutions
• Teaching Reimagined
• Innovative Schools

Cross-Cutting Priorities

Across our portfolios, we seek solutions that:

• Leverage generative artificial intelligence to improve teaching and learning
• Embrace learning that happens outside of school, and support students in achieving college and career success
• Enhance teaching and learning for students with learning differences within and beyond our three main focus areas

Teaching Reimagined

We’re excited to launch our $5M funding opportunity. If you have a bold idea to reimagine the role of educators, empower students with learning differences, or accelerate literacy or math outcomes, we are eager to hear from you. This is your chance to bring your vision to life with a one-year grant of $150,000 to $250,000.

Overview

Investing in talent solutions isn’t a new priority. Since our inception, NewSchools has invested in early-stage talent focused organizations that have grown their impact and reach. More recently, our Diverse Leaders portfolio focused on growing the number and improving the quality of diverse teachers and leaders to keep pace with shifting student demographics. While the sector has made great strides to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce in education, we haven’t done enough to fundamentally shift the profession to make it a more viable and desirable vocation.

It’s time to reimagine the role of teachers and right-size the job. We must evolve beyond the one teacher to 30 students classroom model to design engaging learning environments that meet the academic and social-emotional needs of students.

What We're Looking For

NewSchools will invest in innovative ideas that evolve how teachers work and strategies that involve caregivers and community experts in supporting student success. Our goal is to build on current efforts, catalyze new approaches and leverage generative AI to accelerate progress and make teaching a more sustainable, effective, and joyful profession that attracts a diverse group of educators.

• Evolve how educators work: Innovations that redesign the teacher role and reimagine how we organize talent
• Leverage generative AI: Generative AI solutions that increase teacher effectiveness by expanding access to content, research and/or feedback and learning
• Surface new roles and talent: Solutions that leverage caregivers and community experts in new school roles to support student success

What We Offer

• Funding: A one-year grant of $150,000 to $250,000, depending on the stage of the organization or idea. After one year, ventures become eligible for additional support.
• Communities of Practice: Opportunities to build relationships with and learn from other leaders who are doing similar work.
• Management assistance: Access to relevant, timely and customized support from our team and external experts.

Funding Opportunity Description

The ADDF seeks to support precision prevention studies, combination therapy studies, and comparative effectiveness research that probe whether the use or choice of interventions may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. Studies that are not in humans will not be considered.Clinical Populations of Interest:

 Primary Prevention

Primary Prevention studies include people without biomarker evidence of dementia pathology or dementia symptoms but who have specific risk factors for dementia. Relevant risk factors include: APOE4 genotype, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, depression, obesity, hearing loss, vision loss, traumatic brain injury, postoperative delirium, postoperative cognitive dysfunction, menopause-related cognitive dysfunction, and others.

Secondary Prevention

Secondary Prevention studies include people with biomarker evidence of dementia pathology who do not yet have dementia symptoms. Biomarker evidence may include PET amyloid positivity, CSF biomarkers, or blood biomarkers indicating dementia pathology. Subjects may have specific risk factors for dementia, including APOE4 genotype, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, depression, obesity, hearing loss, vision loss, traumatic brain injury, postoperative delirium, postoperative cognitive dysfunction, menopause-related cognitive dysfunction, and others.

The Prevention RFP Supports:

Precision Prevention and Risk Reduction: In July 2024, the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care reported that 45% of dementia cases may be prevented by fully addressing 14 modifiable risk factors. These modifiable risk factors include diabetes, hypertension, high LDL cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity, depression, traumatic brain injury, hearing loss, vision loss, and others.

Dementia risk reduction through Precision Prevention can be achieved with a targeted, mechanism-specific preventative intervention in specific populations who are at risk for developing dementia due to these risk factors and/or genetic risk factors, such as APOE4, as well as other medical conditions linked to dementia risk, including postoperative delirium/cognitive decline, menopause-related cognitive symptoms, chemotherapy-induced decline, and long COVID-19.

The ADDF will consider funding programs that target and treat people with specific risk factors with the goal of modifying their dementia risk, as measured by outcomes related to dementia (e.g., cognitive function, neuroimaging outcomes, fluid biomarkers, and others). While interventions that are limited to lifestyle modifications alone (e.g., diet, exercise, etc.) will not be considered, studies combining a risk factor-targeted medication and/or supplement with lifestyle interventions can be considered (see “Combination Therapy Studies”).

Methods may include randomized controlled trials or epidemiologic studies. Long-term follow-up studies of successfully completed prevention clinical trials will also be considered. For clinical trial proposals, please see below detailed instructions and priorities under “Expectations and Evaluation.”

 Combination Therapy Studies: Combination therapies are the standard of care for the treatment and prevention of many diseases of aging. While individual interventions may have only incremental benefits, the combination of two or more drugs targeting multiple risk factors or mechanisms related to the biology of aging may exert synergistic effects on outcomes related to dementia risk (e.g., cognitive function, neuroimaging outcomes, fluid biomarkers, and others). Randomized controlled studies testing a combination therapy of two or more agents (novel drugs, repurposed drugs, or supplements) or a combination product (containing two or more active substances within a single pharmaceutical or supplement form) will be considered. Studies combining a medication and/or supplement with lifestyle interventions will also be considered.

Comparative Effectiveness Research: For many medical conditions, physicians have a choice of prescribing clinically equivalent drugs. Some of these drugs are being investigated for repurposing to treat Alzheimer's or related dementias, due to potential disease-modifying properties that go beyond the treatment of their approved disease indication. The ADDF will consider funding research to test whether one or more clinically equivalent drugs of medical conditions is superior in protecting from Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Priority will be given to studies that fill a gap in literature and knowledge. Methods may include randomized controlled trials or epidemiology. For clinical trial proposals, please see below detailed instructions and priorities under “Expectations and Evaluation.” For epidemiological studies, those utilizing quality data from large sample sizes with detailed information on patient characteristics and relevant outcomes will be prioritized. Pooling or meta-analyzing data from multiple cohorts may also be appropriate, such as through leveraging the Cohorts for Alzheimer’s Prevention Action (CAPA).Type of therapy:

Novel, repurposed, and repositioned drugs, as well as natural products, supplements, and devices will be considered. The ADDF prioritizes studies of interventions with composition of matter intellectual property (IP), concrete strategies to develop novel IP, and/or a promising commercial path forward. Studies combining medications and/or supplements with lifestyle interventions will be considered. Lifestyle interventions (e.g., non-pharmacologic interventions, such as diet, meditation, and exercise) that are not combined with a study drug will not be considered.Drug mechanisms or modes of action: Mechanisms and modes of action that target dementia risk reduction or biology of aging are considered high priority. These include, but are not limited to:

• Metabolic and mitochondrial function
• Vascular function
• Inflammation
• Neuroprotection
• Epigenetics
• Proteostatsis
• Synaptic activity and neurotransmitters
• Other mechanisms and modes of action related to the biology of aging (e.g. senescent cells)
• Other novel mechanisms or modes of action that are supported by compelling evidence demonstrating a rational biological connection to dementia risk or onset
• Please note: Anti-amyloid approaches (e.g., anti-amyloid aggregation, beta-amyloid vaccines, beta- or gamma-secretase inhibitors) and cholinesterase inhibitor proposals will not be considered

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.

Project CASK Grant Program

Project CASK, in collaboration with the Orphan Disease Center, is seeking proposals to advance research that supports therapeutic development for CASK gene disorders.

Background

The X-linked CASK gene provides instructions for making a protein called calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase (CASK), which is primarily found in neurons and helps control the expression of other genes involved in brain development. Mutations on the CASK gene are currently associated with two disorders, microcephaly with pontine and cerebellar hypoplasia (MICPCH) and XL-ID with or without nystagmus. The spectrum of neurological phenotypes associated with CASK variants is broad and includes global developmental delays, intellectual disability, epilepsy, or other seizure disorders, hypotonia, swallowing or feeding challenges, hearing and vision issues, and other neurological symptoms. 

Funding

Proposed funding period is one or two years, beginning about one month after full applications are received.  

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here.  The focus areas for 2025 are:

• Animal Wellbeing: We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
• Early Childhood Education: We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:
  • Life Skills
  • Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers   
  • Having Fun   
  • Montessori Teachings   
  • Project Based Teachings   
  • Diversity   
  • More Time Outside   
  • Less Screen Time
• Teachers: Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations.
• Get Outside: Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 

True Inspiration Awards

The True Inspiration Awards® program was created in 2015 to honor the legacy of Chick-fil-A® founder S. Truett Cathy. Through these annual grants, it is our pleasure to celebrate and support nonprofit organizations making an impact in their local communities.

S. Truett Cathy Honoree

One organization will be selected as the S. Truett Cathy Honoree. The S. Truett Cathy Honoree embodies the generous, innovative spirit of Chick-fil-A’s late founder — pioneering new ways to solve problems and serve others.

Category winners

In 2025 we will continue to support nonprofits with a total commitment of $6 million in grants ranging from $30,000-$350,000.

Sixteen organizations will be awarded for their work in these areas.

Caring for People (four winners): Programs or projects supporting educational initiatives, including fostering character and leadership development, academic excellence and community involvement in underserved youth.

Caring through Food (four winners): Programs or projects focused on addressing hunger and food insecurity facing children and their families.

Community (four winners): Programs or projects focused on providing housing and other direct services to support young people and their families.

Caring for our Planet (four winners): Programs or projects that show care for our environment and our planet, or that demonstrate environmental stewardship through initiatives directly related to our other True Inspiration Awards categories of food, community and people (i.e., community beautification, education opportunities, community gardens, outdoor classrooms, etc.) 

Calling to Serve

Since its inception in 2016, the Robinson Foundation has sought to demonstrate God’s love through sharing the gifts we have received. We understand the often unspoken hardships and struggles that people in and outside of our community face everyday. As such, our contributions are focused on relieving these hardships for the betterment of our world.

As a family-operated foundation, we pray that our small efforts will not only create immediate change in the lives of our neighbors, but will help set those lives on a course for success in the future. We are thankful for each and every day we have on this earth to use what God has granted us to make a difference.

Areas of Interest

• Animal Welfare
• Children & Families
• Disaster Relief
• Education
• Medical Assistance
• Nature & Wildlife Conservation
• Poverty Relief
• Religious & Spiritual Endeavors
• Veterans' Issues

Grant Considerations

We take many different aspects of applications into account when making grant issuing decisions, however these are some of the high-level questions we ask ourselves during the process:

• How does the organization serve their key audience goals?
• Is the organization fiscally responsible?
• Will a grant have a tangible, meaningful impact?
• Will we see direct results from this grant?
• Does the organization have other financial contributors?

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

We are a nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world.

About Grand Challenges

Grand Challenges is a family of initiatives fostering innovation to solve key global health and development problems.

A Family of Initiatives with One Purpose

Grand Challenges initiatives use challenges to focus attention and effort on specific problems, and they can be traced back to the mathematician David Hilbert, who over a century ago defined a set of unsolved problems to spark progress in the field of mathematics. Grand Challenges initiatives launch challenges as open requests for grant proposals, refining the process of sourcing innovation over time. Each challenge is an experiment in focusing innovation on making an impact. Each addresses some of the same problems, but from differing perspectives. Each builds a grant program that fosters collaboration across projects to speed impact.

Innovations for Exceptionally Low-Cost Monoclonal Antibody (mAb) Manufacturing

Background

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are one of the most powerful tools in modern medicine, offering a highly specific and effective treatment for a range of conditions - from infectious diseases like COVID-19 to chronic illnesses such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. These biologic therapies provide targeted interventions that can save lives and improve the quality of life for millions of patients globally. Yet, the high production costs associated with mAbs limit access to these lifesaving treatments for patients in low- and middle-income settings.

With efforts to improve technology and affordability, mAb costs have decreased significantly in the last 30 years and have stagnated at around $50-100 per gram. These high costs are driven by the complexity of the manufacturing process, which involves sophisticated methods, strict regulatory compliance, expensive raw materials, and significant infrastructure investments. Reducing production costs is critical, as many applications of anti-infective antibodies may require doses on the order of hundreds of milligrams (as seen for the antibodies that achieved emergency use authorization and/or approvals for COVID-19). In order to improve mAb affordability in low- and middle-income countries, we will need to reach a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram - a goal long championed by our late colleague, Dr. Steve Hadley, former Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation.

To reach our goal, we will need to draw on innovation and novel approaches from a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines. While those in the biopharmaceutical field are already deeply engaged in the challenge of reducing mAb manufacturing costs, there is tremendous potential for breakthroughs as we incorporate learnings from adjacent industries, such as dewatering and filtration, blood fractionation, industrial enzymes, and food and beverages. By bringing together diverse expertise and encouraging out-of-the-box thinking, we believe it is possible to achieve this ambitious goal.

The Grand Challenges family of initiatives seeks to source and seed innovations and accelerate the development of transformational solutions. The Gates Foundation, in collaboration with LifeArc, a self-funded medical research charity in the UK, is calling on innovators, scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs- whether they are seasoned experts in biologics or pioneers in related fields- to join us in this Grand Challenge. Together, we can unlock new pathways to reduce costs, enhance production efficiency, and ultimately expand access to life-saving treatments for all.

This Grand Challenge is calling for proposals that are bold in their vision and approach, offering clear pathways to achieving the $10 per gram target. This is not just a technical challenge; it is an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of millions of people worldwide. We invite you to bring your expertise, creativity, and passion to this effort and help shape a future where the best medical treatments are available to everyone, everywhere.

The Challenge

The Gates Foundation and LifeArc are soliciting proposals to develop proof-of-concept for manufacturing platforms that produce monoclonal antibodies at a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram (Option A). The goal is to catalyze and accelerate multiple, diverse, innovative bioprocessing approaches that hold the promise of low cost-of-goods mAbs.

Additionally, the Gates Foundation is interested in hearing from organizations that have already completed proof-of-concept work that could result in cost-of-goods of $10 per gram and may be interested in additional support (Option B).

Applicants can apply with solutions meeting the criteria for either Option A or Option B but should not submit entries to both options.

Objectives of the Challenge (both Option A and Option B)

• Advance innovative and bold ideas that enhance production efficiency and improve overall process economics for mAb production, resulting in a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram.
  • This includes, but is not limited to:
    • Alternative hosts to mammalian cell culture
    • Alternative to standard downstream purification methods
    • Reduction in material costs
• Push the boundaries of current technology by harnessing disruptive innovations, possibly from parallel industries, and identify process improvements to reduce manufacturing costs
• Rethink existing methods of working such as release testing process and costs, high-quality and affordable raw materials and critical reagents

Option B: Operationalization and Economic Viability

Independent of the Proof-of-Concept (Option A), the Gates Foundation recognizes that some organizations may already have proof-of-concept data that could support a final drug substance cost of-goods of $10 per gram and would like to partner for further development funding. If you have existing data meeting Technical Readiness Level 3-5 (POC Defined, Lab Scale Demonstrated, or Pilot Scale Demonstrated) please share a solution with additional information listed below, as well as any non-confidential data demonstrating Technical Readiness Level 3-5 for production of a monoclonal antibody at a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram. The proposal review committee will evaluate this information and reach out to you if there is interest in exploring further.

Option B: Funding Level

Potential funding and grant terms will be evaluated on a per-project basis. The funding and timeline are intentionally open given that the work is exploratory at this time. Application budgets should be commensurate with the scope of work being proposed.

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.

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