Hearst Foundations' Mission

The Hearst Foundations identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives.

Hearst Foundations' Goals

The Foundations seek to achieve their mission by funding approaches that result in:

• Improved health and quality of life
• Access to high quality educational options to promote increased academic achievement
• Arts and sciences serving as a cornerstone of society
• Sustainable employment and productive career paths for adults
• Stabilizing and supporting families

Funding Priorities

The Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of interests – 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.

Culture

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those which enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Education

The Hearst Foundations fund educational institutions demonstrating uncommon success in preparing students to thrive in a global society. The Foundations’ focus is largely on higher education, but they also fund innovative models of early childhood and K-12 education, as well as professional development.

Types of Support: Program, scholarship, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Health

The Hearst Foundations assist leading regional hospitals, medical centers and specialized medical institutions providing access to high-quality healthcare for low-income populations. In response to the shortage of healthcare professionals necessary to meet the country’s evolving needs, the Foundations also fund programs designed to enhance skills and increase the number of practitioners and educators across roles in healthcare. Because the Foundations seek to use their funds to create a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health, support for medical research and the development of young investigators is also considered.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, endowment support

Social Service

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.

Types of Support: Program, capital and general support

Walmart’s more than 2 million associates are residents, neighbors, friends and family in thousands of communities around the globe. Walmart works to strengthen these communities through both retail business and community giving, and we support and invest in communities through local giving. The following programs have open application processes with specific deadlines for eligibility and consideration.

Local Community Grants

Each year, our U.S. stores and clubs award local cash grants ranging from $250 to $5,000. These local grants are designed to address the unique needs of the communities where we operate. They include a variety of organizations, such as animal shelters, elder services and community clean-up projects.

Areas of Funding

• There are eight (8) areas of funding for which an organization can apply. Please review the areas listed below to ensure your organization’s goals fall within one of these areas.
• Community and Economic Development: Improving local communities for the benefit of low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Diversity and Inclusion: Fostering the building of relationships and understanding among diverse groups in the local service area
• Education: Providing afterschool enrichment, tutoring or vocational training for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Environmental Sustainability: Preventing waste, increasing recycling, or supporting other programs that work to improve the environment in the local service area
• Health and Human Service: Providing medical screening, treatment, social services, or shelters for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Hunger Relief and Healthy Eating: Providing Federal or charitable meals/snacks for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Public Safety: Supporting public safety programs through training programs or equipment in the local service area
• Quality of Life: Improving access to recreation, arts or cultural experiences for low-income individuals and families in the local service area

NOTE:

Application forms must be requested each year online prior to submitting an application. When you submit an LOI, a member of the foundation staff will be contacting you within the next five business days regarding the status of your request.

Full applications are due at the "full proposal" deadline above. 

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.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

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

About Us

Our Mission

The mission of the Derby Community Foundation is to enrich the quality of life in the Derby area by being a catalyst for connecting people and resources with community needs and initiatives.

To fulfill this mission, the Derby Community Foundation is committed:

• As a grant maker—we award grants and scholarships to improve the lives of Derby area residents.
• As a vehicle for philanthropy—we encourage private giving for public good.
• As a community leader—we inspire, educate and cultivate a spirit of philanthropy.
• To respond to changing needs—we promote community involvement and collaboration.

A Little About Who We Are:

In order to better our lives we must better where we spend our lives. For us, that’s Derby, Kansas! This is why the Derby Community Foundation was established; helping our community and its citizens raise a shared standard of excellence in all we do. The spirit of the Derby Community Foundation is refreshing and invigorating. Its contagious persistence brings together people who yearn to share a vision and have the courage to do something about it.

Community Enrichment Grant

Community Enrichment Grants are grants of up to $2,500 made to grassroots non-profits and government entities doing innovative and meaningful work that fits within the Derby Community Foundation’s mission and that enriches or responds to immediate needs within the community. Community Enrichment Grants expand the Foundation’s support to a broad range of organizations throughout the Derby area. The Foundation awards up to $10,000 annually in two cycles per year using a competitive application process.

The Community Enrichment Grants Program is competitive, because a limited amount of funding is available each year. As with any competitive process, the grants are awarded to the applicants whose projects best fit our mission. The Foundation regrets that funds are not available to recognize the meaningful work of all who apply. 

NOTE: The Foundation will not accept applications for new Social Justice or Education grants in 2023.

About Us

The Foundation exists to promote Social Justice, Environmental Justice, and Education. It was started in 2003 by Dianne Shumaker and the late Paul Shumaker, one of the founding engineers at Garmin International.

We take an active interest in the work of all our grantees. We also try to serve as a resource for our grantee organizations and their staffs by introducing them to other grantees with related projects and/or others in the community with the same or similar goals. All of our grantees are invited to utilize us in this way.

We like to support solutions that are upstream and can have longterm impact, systemically or through a cultural shift. Our goal is to make the biggest impact we can with the limited funds we have available to grant each year.

Social Justice

We emphasize domestic violence and child abuse prevention and treatment, as well as leadership development programs for Black, Latino, and women leaders. We prefer to invest in efforts that lead to an equitable distribution of wealth, privilege, and opportunities.

Education 

We favor projects that strengthen STEM, arts, and early childhood programs, and those that strengthen the education process, such as teacher leadership. We focus on children who might not otherwise receive exposure to such programs and on those grassroots organizations whose leadership reflects those communities they serve.

Grant Awards

We prefer innovative projects that have potential for long term systemic or cultural impact. We also fund organizational strengthening, including capacity-building or operating funds, when we are satisfied that the organization has prepared itself to attain the next level of effectiveness. 

Generally, our grants range in size from $10,000 to $40,000. An appropriate request depends on the size of your organization, the project or program for which you want support, and how well we know you. 

We fund Social Justice and Education projects in the Greater Kansas City Region, where site visits can be made in a day.

NOTE: If you are interested in applying for the BPEP initiative, please fill out the Form of Interest. Completion and submission of this form represents the first step in this grant process.

Building Power and Equity Partnerships Initiative

This year KHF is continuing its commitment to the Building Power and Equity Partnership (BPEP) initiative. Organizations selected as BPEP partners will receive funding and resources to help them address the root causes of health disparities. These grants are designed to support long-term solutions for community-identified issues and expanded networks for greater impact.

The purpose of the Building Power and Equity Partnership initiative expansion is to advance racial and health equity across Kansas, by building and/or increasing the power and influence of organizations serving communities with the greatest racial and health disparities. We believe keeping equity at the heart of our work will eliminate racial and health inequities for communities that have the highest levels of health disparities. This initiative will be the most significant commitment to racial equity in KHF history.

Rather than just a funding opportunity we see BPEP as a vehicle for transformative change. This investment is part of a 10-year vision to build long-term partnerships with small grassroots organizations. They will be go-to-partners to create lasting change as part of a larger network. By offering core support we anticipate organizations will be able to experiment with new approaches to complex problems.

Partner Opportunity

KHF will fund 30 organizations who are currently working in communities to advance racial and health equity in Kansas and whose work aligns with the Foundation’s support of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Selected partner organizations will be awarded in the amount of up to $100,000 each year for the initial three-year grant period. This opportunity includes:

• Multi-year funding for core support
• Collaboration with KHF’s network partners
• Access to additional services to support the infrastructure of the organization such as, website development, organizational assessments, budgeting, grant writing, board development, marketing, etc.
• Building a powerful cohort of organizations across the state, networked together and working effectively to advance racial equity

What Organizations Are We Looking For?

Has your organization been operating with too few resources to meet community needs? Do you have a solid base of volunteers supporting your organization, but need to staff up for more impact? Do you have a 10X growth mindset with a vision for ways in which your community could be more vibrant and thriving? KHF wants to help smaller grassroots organizations facing challenges like these tackle interconnected issues. If you want to change larger systems and structures impacting health inequities, we want to work with you to accomplish that goal. Imagine your organization 10 years from now with, power, influence and a network capable of addressing some of the most daunting challenges in your community and across the state.

Ms. Foundation for Women

The mission of the Ms. Foundation for Women is to build women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all. We achieve our mission by investing in, and strengthening, the capacity of women-led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural and economic change in the lives of women. Ms. has six grantmaking initiatives, one of which is the Birth Justice Initiative.

Birth Justice Initiative

Our Birth Justice Initiative aims to:

• advance equitable birth outcomes and experiences;
• strengthen the capacity, organizational infrastructure, and financial stability of grassroots Black, Indigenous and women of color-led birth justice organizations; and
• expand the frame of birth justice to support intersectional movements and strategies that recognize the full spectrum of experiences and identities in birthing, parenting, and family building.

We believe that Black, Indigenous, and women of color (including trans women and non-binary people) are key experts and should be decision-makers in shaping policy and culture change around birth justice. By investing directly into organizations led by and for women and girls of color, we are ensuring that the movement to address racial based disparities in healthcare, including birth outcomes and experiences, is led by those who are impacted most. Strengthening the collective power of communities of color is critical to addressing the root causes of these disparities and advancing birth justice for all.

The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates of all developed nations and Black women die at three to four times the rate of white women in birth – one of the widest racial disparities in women’s health. Systemic racism, implicit bias, and anti-Blackness all contribute to the significant disparities in birth outcomes among Black, Indigenous and birthing people of color. Moreover, the spectrum of intersectional issues that comprise birth justice and the ability to have children and parent with dignity, are not only limited to the birth process.

As such, the Ms. Foundation’s Birth Justice Initiative invests in organizations who represent the full spectrum of birth experiences including–but not limited to–preconception health, mental health and wellness, infertility, abortion access and abortion care, comprehensive sex and sexuality education, non-racist culturally affirming and gender expansive healthcare, access to birth workers of color, access to lactation support and services, postpartum health and wellness, grief and loss care and support, and sexual assault prevention and survivor support services. Organizations supported collectively utilize a range of movement building strategies to advance birth justice—such as narrative change, policy and systems change, advocacy, leadership development, direct service among others. And finally, they work at the intersection of birth justice and other movements, such as disability justice, youth justice, LGBTQIA+ justice, environmental justice, economic justice, and criminal legal reform.

Funding

During this cycle, Ms. will provide one-time grants ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 to selected organizations not currently receiving funding from Ms.’ Birth Justice Initiative. The grant period will comprise two years.