Best Private Grants for Nonprofits in Kansas

The Kansas State Scholarship supports financially needy students in the top 40-50% of Kansas high school graduates. Eligible seniors must complete the FAFSA and the State of Kansas Student Aid Application. Awarded scholars can receive up to $1,000 annually, renewable for up to four years based on financial need. Scholars must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA and enroll in at least 12 credit hours per semester to remain eligible for funding.

The NRP Young Investigator Award is designed to support research on optimizing newborn care during delivery using Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) techniques. This grant encourages innovative projects addressing gaps in transitional physiology and resuscitation practices. Eligible applicants include researchers from Canadian and US institutions, particularly those in training or within four years of completing medical training. Awardees may receive up to $15,000 to enhance their skills and knowledge, ultimately improving neonatal outcomes.

The Kansas Hero's Scholarship provides tuition waivers for eligible dependents and spouses of deceased or disabled public safety officers and military personnel attending public postsecondary institutions in Kansas. This scholarship is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and applicants should submit their applications early as funding is limited. Waivers only cover tuition and required fees for undergraduate courses, with students responsible for other academic costs.

The McKesson Foundation Grant provides funding above $25,000 to support health equity initiatives across North America. Founded in 1943, its mission focuses on removing barriers to quality healthcare for vulnerable communities. The foundation prioritizes projects that align with strategic pillars: reducing cancer burdens, preparing the healthcare workforce, and enhancing crisis response. Eligible organizations include national and local nonprofits. Funding is limited to specific regions and assessed based on demonstrated need and expected impact.

The National Trust Preservation Funds provide grants ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 to support local preservation projects and ongoing work. These funds aim to enhance community engagement in preservation, foster technical expertise, and stimulate financial participation from the private sector. Eligible applicants include public agencies and nonprofit organizations focused on planning and education efforts related to preservation. The program is particularly interested in initiatives that reach new audiences and further the preservation movement.

The Critical Needs List by Community Foundation Tampa Bay addresses urgent, unforeseen needs of nonprofits that threaten their ability to serve the community. This innovative program allows nonprofits to submit requests for funding up to $250,000 for critical expenses such as emergency repairs and essential equipment replacement. With a focus on supporting local organizations, the program aims to match funding with community philanthropists, ensuring timely assistance to those in need.

The Pratt Family Foundation Grant, established in 1999, supports initiatives in education, healthcare, and community welfare. It prioritizes organizations that aid housing assistance, support for women in crisis, and disadvantaged youth programs, particularly in North Carolina. The Foundation favors established religious and charitable organizations that are tax-exempt and have a local presence. Preference is given to areas connected to the Pratt family, such as Texas and Florida, ensuring impactful contributions to community development.

The Day-End Dough-Nation® Program by Panera Bread exemplifies community generosity through the donation of unsold bakery products to local charities. This impactful initiative supports various organizations that distribute food to those in need, including shelters, health centers, and youth programs. By partnering with thousands of non-profits nationwide, Panera Bread not only reduces food waste but also plays a crucial role in addressing hunger and promoting equality within communities.

The High Priority HIV and Substance Use Research funding opportunity aims to support innovative research that addresses the intersection of HIV and substance use. Researchers are encouraged to submit proposals that include a detailed research plan and preliminary data, exploring new avenues for prevention, treatment, and potential cures for HIV among people who use drugs. Applications are due by 5 PM local time, with optional Letters of Intent recommended 30 days prior.

The McKesson Foundation Grant provides funding up to $25,000 for organizations focused on improving health outcomes in underserved communities. Established in 1943, the foundation prioritizes health equity through strategic partnerships aimed at reducing cancer burdens, preparing healthcare professionals, and enhancing crisis response efforts. Eligible applicants include national and local nonprofits targeting specific regions in the U.S. and Canada. The foundation emphasizes projects that align with its mission and demonstrate significant community impact.

The DGLF Youth Literacy Grants, established by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, aim to enhance literacy among underperforming students in K-12. Organizations such as schools and libraries can apply for funding to implement or expand literacy programs, purchase necessary materials, and acquire technology. With over $159 million awarded to date, the foundation supports efforts that provide equitable education opportunities, ensuring every child has the chance to learn and succeed, regardless of their background.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation offers the DGLF Summer Reading Grants, which support the development and expansion of summer reading programs aimed at Pre-K to 12th grade students, particularly new and below-grade-level readers, including those with learning disabilities. Eligible organizations, such as nonprofits, schools, and libraries within 15 miles of a Dollar General store, can apply for grants up to $3,000 to foster literacy and education initiatives.

The Dunkin' Joyful Spaces Grant supports children's hospitals and community health centers in creating joyful environments for pediatric patients. Launched in 2022, this initiative helps fund play areas, healing gardens, and other kid-friendly spaces, enhancing the hospital experience. Grants typically range from $25,000 to $65,000 annually, with a maximum of $150,000 over three years. This opportunity encourages creativity in designing spaces that provide comfort and joy to children and their families during hospital stays.

The NCAA Division II Degree Completion Award provides financial assistance to student-athletes who have exhausted their athletics eligibility, enabling them to complete their first undergraduate degree. Since its inception in 2001, nearly $9 million has supported approximately 1,875 athletes, with a remarkable 90 percent graduation rate among recipients. The award covers tuition costs up to $15,000 for remaining credits and may be used in the summer term or short terms surrounding the final undergraduate year.

The Ashland County Wildlife Conservation League David McClure Memorial Scholarship supports graduating seniors from Ashland County high schools and alternative education programs pursuing a degree in wildlife-related fields. Applicants must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and be accepted into accredited colleges or vocational programs. This scholarship fosters educational growth while promoting conservation efforts, reflecting the commitment of the Ashland County Community Foundation to enhance community development and support future leaders in wildlife conservation.

The IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program aims to enhance biomedical research capacity in underfunded states by fostering collaborations among research institutions. By supporting faculty research, mentoring, and student involvement, INBREs create pathways for undergraduate students to enter biomedical careers. This initiative not only promotes institutional partnerships but also strengthens research infrastructure, ultimately contributing to a more robust scientific community in IDeA states.

Greater Salina Community Foundation

Our mission is to build permanent endowment funds and meet charitable community needs. The Foundation achieves its mission by:

• Enabling donors to fulfill their charitable desires
• Increasing the capacity of nonprofit organizations to fulfill their individual missions
• Facilitating prudent management and care of funds
• Promoting community philanthropy through education
• Providing affiliate services to neighboring communities
• Meeting needs through grants, scholarships, and pass-through funds

Scholarship Program

The community foundation offers a wide variety of scholarships for students, provided by the generosity of local donors. Whether you are a high school senior, a current college student, or a non-traditional student we work with donors to help you take the next step in your education.

David E. Freeland Accounting and Business Administration Scholarship

For Saline County High School seniors attending Kansas State University.

Renewals

• This award is not renewable.

Mission

The Foundation was established in December 2013 by Kathryn B. McQuade, after retiring from 33 years of working in the business community. I was blessed to have been born into a loving middle class family. My father worked very hard to insure that all of his children were given an opportunity for a good education and my mother, “a stay at home Mom’ was always there for us. My world was safe and comfortable. My life is in stark contrast to how much of the rest of the world lives. I continue to read of the terrible injustices waged against women and children globally and hope that this foundation can provide them the opportunity and resources to succeed. We will support organizations that help us achieve our goal of Striving to make sustainable improvements in women and children’s rights education and welfare.

Kathryn McQuade Foundation Grant

The Foundation will make timely decisions on your grant request and provide clear communications on our expectations of reporting progress.

Women

The Foundation’s goal is to provide women assistance and provide them an opportunity to succeed. Assistance can take many forms, however our goal is to help them become self sufficient and enable them to lift themselves out of poverty and provide for their children. Access to education, job training and professional skills, even access to capital in order to build a business are possible ways we will consider helping women to succeed. Grant requests should focus on enabling the women to sustain financial independence.

We look forward to hearing of the many creative ways organizations are working on helping women succeed through out the world. To help women is to help their children and the communities they live in.

Children

Too many children in the US and across the world live in poverty and lack the access to education. Education and/or appropriate skills training are necessary to break the cycle of poverty and crime. While the assistance to women may take many forms, the foundation’s focus for children will target education and/ or skills training. The Foundation is open to many ideas on how to accomplish this goal and look forward to receiving proposals to help all children achieve their potential.

Coover/Rural Schools Partnership Celebrate Rural Schools Grant Program

The Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Foundation, a partnership between Community Foundation of the Ozarks and The Commerce Trust Company is proud to offer the Celebrate Rural Schools grant program, which will support projects that celebrate, strengthen, and elevate the unique identity of rural schools and the communities they serve. This grant supports projects that celebrate the unique culture, achievements, and identity of rural schools and their communities. It encourages districts to amplify local voices, showcase student success, and strengthen community connections. 

• Eligible applicants must be a member of the CFO's Rural Schools Partnership program.
• Total amount to award is $100,000.00.
• This is a single year grant program with final reports due in May 2027.
• Applicants may apply for up to $5,000 in funding for this grant cycle. 

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks and its Rural Schools Partnership Program are committed to supporting rural schools. In awarding grants, the CFO and its affiliates will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status. As part of the grant process, all grantees will be required to affirm that, in providing services funded in whole or in part by a CFO grant, the grantee will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status either in its employment practices or in its policies and procedures concerning access to services. 

Our Mission

The Community Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in Greater Kansas City by increasing charitable giving, educating and connecting donors to community needs they care about, and leading on critical community issues.

Scholarships

We offer hundreds of different scholarships for students in and around Kansas City.

Stephen and Karen Kohler Clegg Scholarship Fund

The Stephen & Karen Kohler Clegg Scholarship will support 6 scholarships at MCC’s ATSI. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide a student in each of the following areas:

• Welding
• Industrial Technology
• HVAC

Our Mission

The Community Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in Greater Kansas City by increasing charitable giving, educating and connecting donors to community needs they care about, and leading on critical community issues.

Scholarships

We offer hundreds of different scholarships for students in and around Kansas City.

Lois Oxley Sandford Scholarship Fund

The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships for students pursing a degree in nursing, public school teaching or to become a Licensed Unity Teacher.

This scholarship is renewable through completion of the program. This scholarship is intended for students currently in college and is not for high school seniors.

Our Mission

The Community Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in Greater Kansas City by increasing charitable giving, educating and connecting donors to community needs they care about, and leading on critical community issues.

Scholarships

We offer hundreds of different scholarships for students in and around Kansas City.

Kansas City Direct Marketing Jack Schmid Scholarship Application

In 1995, the Kansas City Direct Marketing Association Education Foundation, known as KCDMAEF, was established as an entity independent of the Kansas City Direct Marketing Association. The mission of the KCDMA Jack Schmid Scholarship Fund is to promote and foster direct marketing education in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. The Kansas City Direct Marketing Association (KCDMA) provided the initial funding for the Jack Schmid Scholarship and will continue to build its general fund through fund-raising event(s), memorial gifts, and gifts from individuals or companies interested in the future of direct marketing in Kansas City.

Scholarships will be awarded based on merit and the recipient’s potential contribution to the practice of direct marketing in the Kansas City region.

What does the scholarship include?

• Financial assistance in the amount of $1,000 per year.
• Eligible for a subsequent annual scholarship based on: Marketing coursework.; GPA.; Letter explaining your experience of the last year considering coursework and why you would be a suitable candidate.
• Support and Counsel of a mentor from the Jack Schmid Scholarship Committee.

Our Mission

The Community Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in Greater Kansas City by increasing charitable giving, educating and connecting donors to community needs they care about, and leading on critical community issues.

Scholarships

We offer hundreds of different scholarships for students in and around Kansas City.

Erin Langhofer, MSW, LCSW Scholarship Fund

This scholarship opportunity was established in memory of Erin Langhofer. Erin was a graduate of the University of Kansas and a practicing therapist in the Kansas City area working with survivors of domestic violence. She had a bright future ahead of her when she was killed from a random act of gun violence. The scholarship fund was established to honor her memory and continue the good she was doing in the world, by assisting students in the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas.

Candidates will be selected from an application completed by their Field Practicum Instructor or Liaison that will be used to identify individuals that are doing outstanding work in the field. This pool of candidates will be further reviewed by the School of Social Welfare Scholarship Committee to select the top 2 candidates.

Our Mission

The Community Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in Greater Kansas City by increasing charitable giving, educating and connecting donors to community needs they care about, and leading on critical community issues.

Scholarships

We offer hundreds of different scholarships for students in and around Kansas City.

Betty Charlton Scholarship Fund

This fund was established by the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce in memory of Betty Charlton, a strong supporter of education. It provides scholarships for education to high school seniors who either reside in the City of Shawnee or attend a school in the City of Shawnee, who have demonstrated involvement in community leadership and received special honors, and who meet the criteria outlined below.

Our Mission

The Community Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in Greater Kansas City by increasing charitable giving, educating and connecting donors to community needs they care about, and leading on critical community issues.

Scholarships

We offer hundreds of different scholarships for students in and around Kansas City.

Life on Purpose Scholarship Fund

We provide scholarships for college tuition and expenses to students who demonstrate an interest in developing their unique potential in and beyond the classroom and using their talents to foster the well-being of themselves and others. This scholarship is renewable for up to 4 years ($10,000 per year) pending all requirements are met.

Cohort

The cohort program is grounded in developing authentic, meaningful relationships and connections. Learning experiences are designed to explore our strengths, personalities, guiding principles, and unique potential in a safe and accepting environment. If selected for this scholarship, you can expect to meet scholars, instructors and leaders all focused on improving themselves, their relationships, and the community.

Our Mission

The Community Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in Greater Kansas City by increasing charitable giving, educating and connecting donors to community needs they care about, and leading on critical community issues.

Scholarships

We offer hundreds of different scholarships for students in and around Kansas City.

Chicken N Pickle Scholarship Fund

The purpose of this scholarship fund is to assist the employees at Chicken N Pickle who have demonstrated a strong work ethic to further their education.

Past recipients must reapply annually to be considered for future awards.

Our Mission

The Community Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in Greater Kansas City by increasing charitable giving, educating and connecting donors to community needs they care about, and leading on critical community issues.

Scholarships

We offer hundreds of different scholarships for students in and around Kansas City.

QTS Student Scholarship

In support of our Core Value of Support for Family, we (Quality Technology Services, LLC) are pleased to offer the QTS Student Scholarship Program. This program provides competitive, need-based scholarships with a maximum annual award of $5,000 which can be used to cover higher education expenses including tuition, room and board, and other institutional expenses related to receiving a degree. The scholarship is renewable for a total of four years of college education as long as the student meets the renewal requirements.

If selected as a recipient, a student will receive a $5,000 scholarship award to be applied in two equal installments for the following academic year of undergraduate study. The first installment will be made prior to the Fall semester after the recipient confirms the college/university in which they will be enrolled with the Greater Kanas City Community Foundation. The second installment will be made once the recipient provides the Community Foundation with their cumulative transcript after the Fall semester demonstrating they have maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.