Best Public Policy Grants in Idaho

Nonprofit organizations in Idaho working on public policy, education, youth development, community building, arts, culture, museums, or immediate needs can seek support from the Robert D and Marcia H Randall Charitable Trust. With a mission to enrich lives in the Pacific Northwest, this funder provides grants that strengthen social well-being and community institutions.

The FY2027 Grants to Highest State Courts aim to enhance guardianship systems by evaluating and improving the fairness and effectiveness of adult guardianship proceedings. This initiative, funded by the US HHS Administration for Community Living, seeks to implement necessary changes based on assessments, streamline filing processes, and better detect fraud, ultimately ensuring the safety and integrity of protected individuals.

The HKS American Service Fellowship provides full scholarships and stipends for mid-career public service leaders to pursue a one-year Mid-Career Master in Public Administration at Harvard Kennedy School. Targeting U.S. military veterans, public employees, and alumni of service programs, this fellowship emphasizes skill development and community impact. Participants learn from esteemed faculty and engage with a network of changemakers, equipping themselves to address pressing societal challenges and enhance their leadership capabilities.

The Scott and Isabelle Black Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School supports students in two-year degree programs focused on addressing societal issues such as homelessness, poverty, and education. Awarded based on merit and financial need, this fellowship aims to cultivate future leaders in government and nonprofit sectors. It encourages studies that explore the causes and solutions to problems affecting vulnerable populations, ensuring that graduates are equipped to make a meaningful impact in their communities.

Graduate students focused on public policy and technology issues in Idaho can receive fellowship support for study and research through the Harvard Kennedy School. Harvard Kennedy School provides Idaho public policy scholars with funding to develop leadership at the intersection of science, technology, and public policy, based on merit and financial need for both U.S. and international students.

PPIA Junior Summer Institute alumni pursuing graduate study in public policy or international affairs can apply for Harvard Kennedy School’s Public Policy & International Affairs Scholarship, including applicants from Idaho. This merit- and need-based institutional funding supports advanced education in public policy, higher education, and international affairs at Harvard Kennedy School.

Public policy graduate students in Idaho and beyond interested in higher education focused on LGBT+ issues can receive fellowship support for study. Harvard Kennedy School supports public policy and higher education in Idaho by offering the Margaret Traub and Phyllis Dicker LGBT+ Graduate Fellowship to students committed to LGBT+ community issues, based on merit and financial need.

Public policy and related higher-education students, including those from Idaho, can apply for Harvard Kennedy School’s Kennedy Fellowships and Presidential Scholarships to support graduate study. Awards are merit- and need-based, with some funding tied to area of study or region, and are open to both U.S. and international applicants in public policy fields.

Harvard Kennedy School provides Idaho public policy students with fellowship support for its Master in Public Policy program. The John Berger Fellowship supports MPP students who are Harvard College graduates and plan careers in U.S. or international institutions focused on international affairs, which may benefit Idaho residents pursuing advanced policy training.

Graduate students pursuing public policy and related science and technology studies can access funding through the Charles Edison Fund Fellowship, which supports the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program. Harvard Kennedy School grants help advance leadership, research, and higher education opportunities in public policy fields for emerging scholars and practitioners.

Nonprofits and educational institutions in Idaho working on food-system public policy, farmed animal protection, or food systems transformation can apply for Stray Dog Institute’s grants, typically US $2,500 - US $10,000. Eligible 501(c)(3)s or fiscally sponsored groups may receive project or unrestricted support for advocacy, research, movement building, or related systems-change efforts.

Muslim undergraduate or graduate students in film, television, acting, or theater at accredited U.S. universities can apply for the Islamic Scholarship Fund’s film scholarships, awarding US $3,000 - US $5,000 for their studies. Students in Idaho pursuing ISF-supported majors related to media and public policy may benefit from this opportunity.

Law students active in the Muslim community pursuing public policy or law internships in Idaho can receive a US $3,000 stipend for an 8-week judicial internship. Islamic Scholarship Fund provides U.S.-based first- and second-year law students with support for internships in district, state, or federal judges’ chambers, including those focused on public interest law.

Undergraduate seniors and law students focused on public interest law and public policy can receive US $5,000 - US $10,000 in scholarship support to study at accredited U.S. universities. With a mission to increase American Muslim representation, Islamic Scholarship Fund backs those committed to improving access to justice, including students from Idaho.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) charities, research institutions, and universities working on pollinator health, public policy, and ecologically responsible agriculture can apply for up to US $75,000 in the U.S. and Canada, including Idaho. With a mission to promote pollinator health, One Hive Foundation provides support for research, advocacy, education, and policy-linked projects.

Idaho public policy and international affairs nonprofits can access funding through the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission for U.S.-Japan research, education, exchanges, and arts or culture projects. Eligible 501(c)(3) organizations in the U.S. or qualified nonprofits in Japan may propose initiatives that deepen people-to-people understanding and address shared global challenges between the two countries.

Idaho nonprofits and advocacy organizations working on early childhood development, preschool education, or related public policy can access funding through the Ohio Children’s Foundation, with awards up to US $20,000. Programs serving at-risk children ages 0–5, strengthening early learning, literacy, and supportive policy environments may be competitive.

Agronomy, crop, and soil scientists with a Ph.D. interested in public policy can apply for a one-year Congressional Science Fellowship based in Washington, D.C. Grants from Crop Science Society of America help Idaho public policy professionals and researchers engage directly with Congress, receiving a stipend, relocation support, and specialized policy orientations.

The Advancing State Implementation of the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers grant aims to support state-level projects that align with the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. Grantees will form cross-agency partnerships to implement the Strategy's recommendations, focusing on sustainability through planning phases. The initiative encourages innovative solutions to enhance caregiver support while ensuring that project outcomes are maintained beyond federal funding.

The OJP FY 2026 Integrity in American Elections Grant Program aims to enhance election integrity across the United States. This initiative, supported by the US Department of Justice, focuses on empowering state and local prosecutors to effectively prevent and prosecute voter fraud and maintain the integrity of voter rolls. By safeguarding elections against illegal voting and registration practices, this program is vital for upholding public confidence in democratic processes and ensuring that every American's vote counts.

The NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Human Trafficking funding opportunity aims to support comprehensive research and evaluation projects. It focuses on preventing human trafficking, assessing the impact of federal policies, and enhancing services for victims. This initiative, led by the National Institute of Justice in partnership with the Office for Victims of Crime, seeks to generate insights that can inform better responses to human trafficking in the U.S.

The SMART FY26 Support for Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program aims to enhance sex offender registration and notification practices across jurisdictions in the U.S. By supporting the implementation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), this grant facilitates the establishment of comprehensive sex offender registries, ensuring that states, territories, and federally recognized tribes comply with federal standards. This initiative also promotes interjurisdictional information exchange and helps maintain public safety.

The NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Justice System Responses to Illegal Immigration invites proposals for impactful research on the adult criminal justice system's response to illegal immigration. This initiative aims to explore innovative solutions and evaluate their effectiveness across various jurisdictions, focusing on challenges like location, apprehension, and crime prevention. By fostering collaboration among federal, state, local, and tribal entities, the program seeks to enhance strategies that address illegal immigration effectively.

Request for Proposals: Launchpad Funds

Background

Coefficient Giving is increasing its giving, primarily to prepare for the billions of dollars in new philanthropic capital that may become available in the coming years. Our increased giving in global health and wellbeing is a temporary surge, with two objectives: to smooth funding and pull forward initiatives we expect to be cost-effective, and to help create an ecosystem of regrantors and implementers with the capacity to allocate this new money as cost-effectively as possible. Additional context on our scaling is provided in this blog post. 

With new potential capital on the way, we want to increase the supply of actionable and fundable plans to address some of the world’s hardest problems. We’re looking for specific, credible strategies to convert funding into measurable progress. Our ideal funds are:

However, we are also open to funds that are thematic and don’t have a quantified goal — for example, a fund organized around a promising type of intervention. Such funds still need to be led by a single, identifiable person who is accountable for the fund’s direction.

Through this request for EOIs, we aim to seed or scale Launchpad Funds that can grow to $100m+ over the next few years. We don’t seek scale for its own sake; it is a proxy for the ambition of the fund, and a signal that the problem is large and tractable enough to justify deploying significantly more capital over time.

What we will fund

• We expect to support established ideas that have either not yet secured anchor support or could significantly scale beyond their existing level of funding.
• This funding can cover operating expenses, but we expect most of it to be used for activities that make progress on the fund’s goals — whether through regranting or direct implementation.
• For exceptional proposals, we may consider funding levels beyond $50m. We anticipate higher funding levels will involve more thought partnership from our team.
• While we don’t expect to make grants longer than 36 months, funded proposals may later be considered for additional funding beyond the initial period.

The BJA FY 2026 Capital Case Litigation Initiative aims to enhance legal representation in state capital cases. By providing essential funding, this initiative supports both prosecutors and defense attorneys to ensure equitable legal processes for indigent defendants. The U.S. Department of Justice emphasizes the importance of upholding the rule of law and protecting citizens' rights. Applications are due by November 5, 2026, at 8:59 p.m. ET, marking a critical opportunity for improvement in capital case litigation.

Better Food Policy Fund 

Since its inception, the Better Food Policy Fund has set its strategic direction in a participatory fashion. We are intentionally building capacity for engagement to ensure the Fund aligns with the needs of food policy council stakeholders.   

Thus far, the Fund has engaged 300+ food policy council stakeholders to help co-develop the Fund. We are immensely grateful for the individuals who helped shape the initial direction of this fund. We view this growing stakeholder audience as the people to whom the Fund’s governing body, the Independent Advisory Committee, is ultimately accountable.

Grantmaking

The Better Food Policy Fund invests in US-based food policy councils, empowering community and government collaboration for progressive food policy. We utilize participatory processes to enhance equity and redistribute power in the funding landscape. We seek to celebrate and uplift the work of food policy councils, and believe every food policy council is worthy of financial support.

We define “food policy councils” as councils, networks, coalitions, or other groups working across boundaries at the tribal, municipal, county, state, or regional level.  

We support actions aimed at ensuring an enabling environment for policy change, such as: 

• increasing levels of inclusive and equitable stakeholder engagement in public processes
• engaging systems thinking when tackling complex food system challenges
• facilitating collaboration with and across local government agencies and departments 
• developing or revising local policies and plans  

We define “better food policy” as practices, procedures, ordinances, laws, etc. of governing institutions which strengthen community-based food systems.

We define “civic collaboration” as people joining together at the intersection of community and government to address public issues.

Grant Guidelines

To advance its mission to build a responsible and equitable technology ecosystem, the Kapor Foundation makes strategic grants across three focus areas: (1) Computing Education, (2) Innovation, and (3) Governance.

Within each focus area, we fund research on critical topics at the intersection of racial equity and tech, capacity-building that strengthens coalitions and movement-building infrastructure, and policy advocacy that drives systemic change.

Funding Priorities

We fund organizations and initiatives aligned with our core focus areas:

Given advances in Al, a new vision of education is urgently needed — one that ensures students are equipped with the technical skills to build emerging technologies and the critical skills to navigate their socio-technical implications. We fund computing education initiatives across K-12, postsecondary, and alternative pathways that expand computing participation at scale, shift policy to ensure equitable access, and expand the pipeline of educators prepared to teach computing.

2. 

Al is being designed, developed, and deployed rapidly, yet the communities most affected by its impacts are largely excluded from its creation and subsequent economic benefits. We support organizations and individuals that build responsible Al technologies, leverage technology to close gaps in access and opportunity, and invest in initiatives and coalitions that advance responsible Al in the entrepreneurship and venture capital ecosystems.

3.

As Al adoption accelerates, bolder approaches to regulation are necessary to protect marginalized communities from technological harm, expand economic opportunity, and ensure the benefits of technology reach everyone. We support efforts that build awareness of key policy issues, develop policy agendas, and mobilize coalitions.

For 2026, our priority advocacy areas are: 1) computing education, 2) algorithmic bias, 3) Al safeguards for children, 4) data center development, and 5) surveillance and civil rights.