Best Grants for 501(c)(3) in Kentucky

Arnold Ventures is dedicated to enhancing lives in America through evidence-based policies that address social injustices. Their Evidence and Evaluation team seeks to discover and evaluate solutions for pressing social issues by funding rigorous causal research. This initiative focuses on studies that employ quasi-experimental methods to assess the impact of programs and policies in key areas like education and public finance, ultimately guiding effective resource allocation and policy reform.

The Small Grants That Enrich Communities Grant Program, supported by The Amcor Cares Foundation, aims to enhance community welfare through funding for various initiatives. Eligible organizations include 501c3 designated nonprofits and accredited educational institutions. The program supports youth sports, educational enrichment, and community events, while it does not accept applications from individuals or political organizations. Committed to community development, Amcor Cares has been actively contributing since 1959.

The CDC is allocating funds through NOFO DD-27-0028 to enhance maternal child health surveillance and partnerships. This initiative targets public health challenges such as alcohol use during pregnancy and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). It aims to improve clinical surveillance systems, data quality, and timely reporting, while fostering national partnerships to prevent FASDs and support affected infants and children. The approach focuses on translating high-quality surveillance data into actionable prevention strategies.

The Bank of America Foundation Sponsorship Program aims to enhance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities through partnerships with nonprofit organizations. This initiative focuses on critical areas such as workforce education, basic needs like food and housing, and community development. The Foundation invested $350 million last year and encourages employee volunteerism and giving, supporting nonprofits in various sectors, including arts, culture, and diversity initiatives.

The heart of The NRA Foundation’s mission is preserving the core of our American values and traditions in our steadfast effort to Teach Freedom.

The NRA Foundation Supports Freedom, Family, and the Future of the Shooting Sports

Established in 1990, The NRA Foundation, Inc. (“NRA Foundation”) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that raises tax-deductible contributions in support of a wide range of firearm-related public interest activities of the National Rifle Association of America and other organizations that defend and foster the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans.

The heart of The NRA Foundation’s mission is preserving the core of our American values and traditions in our steadfast effort to Teach Freedom.

Established in 1990, The NRA Foundation, Inc. (“NRA Foundation”) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that raises tax-deductible contributions in support of a wide range of firearm-related public interest activities of the National Rifle Association of America and other organizations that defend and foster the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans. These activities are designed to promote firearms and hunting safety, to enhance marksmanship skills of those participating in the shooting sports, and to educate the general public about firearms in their historic, technological and artistic context. Funds granted by The NRA Foundation benefit a variety of constituencies throughout the United States including children, youth, women, individuals with physical disabilities, gun collectors, law enforcement officers, hunters and competitive shooters.

Women's Wildlife Management Conservation Scholarship

The Women’s Wildlife Conservation Scholarship, established by the NRA Women’s Policies Committee, is a renewable one-year $5,000 scholarship available to full-time college sophomores, juniors, or seniors. Thank you for your interest in the field of wildlife management, forestry, parks, or fish and wildlife conservation.

Scholarship Value

$2,500 per semester for up to two semesters. Recipients must maintain qualifications listed above to receive second installment.

The ACFM Project Support Program offers funding between $2,000 and $20,000 for special projects that enhance public appreciation of contemporary American concert music and jazz. Eligible applicants include performing ensembles and music organizations with a minimum of two years of programming history. Projects must focus on contemporary works by American composers and can involve live performances, recordings, or educational initiatives. This support is pivotal for fostering innovation and creativity in the American music scene.

About Us

Interact for Health works so that people in our region are healthy and thriving, regardless of who they are or where they live. We advance health justice by tackling the root causes of unfair systems, amplifying community power and partnering with trust.

Responsive Fund

The goal of the Responsive Fund RFP is to address immediate, emerging, or unanticipated needs within the community, recognizing that opportunities to build resilience require dedicated funding.

2) In-Kind Support for Sustainability Consultations and Capacity Building

Participants in this program will receive 1:1 consulting services tailored to an organization’s identified needs. Interact for Health will work with local consultants and community partners based on needs shared by grantee organizations.

Examples of needs include the following:

• Scenario planning  
• Legal support 
• Sustainability and development planning and implementation
• Diversified funding strategies and implementation
• Exploring collaboration, partnerships/alliances, shared services, and/or mergers
• Strategic planning and revisions 

Sustainability Consultations will include up to 30 hours of 1:1 support and will begin in late 2026. 

About Us

Interact for Health works so that people in our region are healthy and thriving, regardless of who they are or where they live. We advance health justice by tackling the root causes of unfair systems, amplifying community power and partnering with trust.

Responsive Fund

The goal of the Responsive Fund RFP is to address immediate, emerging, or unanticipated needs within the community, recognizing that opportunities to build resilience require dedicated funding.

Grant Funding for Critical Services – Sustaining Civic Infrastructure: Total investment up to $1.5 million  

This funding supports the continuity of critical community infrastructure and services by addressing the time-sensitive operational and programmatic needs. Proposals for funding should focus on critical gaps or unmet needs with deep ties to community relationships. Organizations should demonstrate readiness to deploy resources quickly if funding is provided. This RFP will prioritize funding organizations essential to advancing health justice and youth well-being among our priority populations. Grants are available at three levels: $50,000, $75,000, or $100,000 for general operating or programmatic support.

The Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program (TCRGP) aims to enhance research capacity at Tribal colleges, focusing on agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. By fostering leadership skills and knowledge, the program prepares students for competitive careers in agriculture and related fields. Projects involving innovative agricultural technologies, such as AI and data science, are encouraged. TCRGP also emphasizes training opportunities for undergraduate students to equip them for success in a digital society and explore pathways in AI for food and agricultural sciences.

The Small Grants for New Investigators program aims to enhance participation in health-related research by supporting new investigators from diverse backgrounds. This initiative encourages projects in the scientific areas of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Eligible applicants may receive funding for small research projects, promoting research independence and innovation while addressing the underrepresentation in biomedical research.

Joyful Heart Foundation

Since 2004, Joyful Heart has been a leading national organization with a mission to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse by building a world that prioritizes survivors’ healing.

Our Areas of Focus

We continue to carry out our mission through programming centered on survivors’ needs. We strive to fill gaps where those needs aren’t being met, without duplicating existing programs. In order to build a more compassionate, more informed culture rooted in the possibility and promise of healing, we focus on three key areas: Awareness and Community Building, Policy and Advocacy and Healing Programs.

• Healing Programs and Resources: Creating and fostering a culture of healing and nurturing for survivors and the professionals who support them.
• Policy and Advocacy: Advocating for policies and practices that forge a path to safety, justice and hope for survivors.

• Awareness and Community Building: Creating spaces and conversations that channel a drive for change into action and transformation.

Heal the Healers Grant 

Helping alleviate the effects of secondary trauma for the long-term wellbeing of professionals who support survivors

Building for a System of Care and Compassion

Heal the Healers Grantmaking Program provides critical support for professionals who help survivors heal and seek justice. People working on the frontlines of survivor-centered services are subject to the often overlooked effects of secondary trauma that can emerge as a result of continuous exposure to people who have recently experienced abuse and violence.

The Heal the Healers Grant Fund and Grantee Learning Cohorts provide resources to mitigate the effects of secondary trauma among the practitioners responsible for the earliest stages of survivors’ paths to justice and healing. Creating a safer, more compassionate world for the people who do this work helps lay a foundation for lasting change and a world where every survivor’s healing is prioritized.

The Heal the Healers Fund provides micro-grants of up to $5,000 to nonprofit, Tribal, or governmental organizations supporting survivors for training, small capital projects, or organizational activities.

Areas of Support

The Joyful Heart Foundation has established the following guidelines for its Heal the Healers Fund grants to support those working directly with survivors in the following areas.

• Training and/or program development on self-care practices such as training in trauma-informed yoga, breathwork, somatic therapy, etc.
• Small capital items and equipment that specifically allow staff and volunteers to address their self care needs such as daylight lamps for staff or new furniture for a break room.
• Staff activities to build and support connections between colleagues such as, trust building experiences, monthly pizza nights, or bagel Fridays.
• Or any combination of the above. 

In addition to the financial support, grantees will also be invited to join a peer learning community cohort that includes:

• Opportunities to amplify their fellowship/cohort experiences to inspire others in the field
• Virtual peer-to-peer networking opportunities
• Virtual training/presentations by leading healers, therapists and other professionals with expertise in cutting edge vicarious trauma, empowerment, leadership and therapeutic modalities

The Health Access Heroes Awards, initiated by Sun Life Financial, aims to enhance health access and outcomes for underserved communities. This initiative highlights the crucial connection between oral health and diabetes, focusing on prevention and management. It recognizes impactful nonprofits and unsung heroes who contribute significantly to community health. Selected awardees will receive a $10,000 donation to support their charitable efforts, promoting diabetes awareness, management, and overall health equity.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) intends to release an Implementation of Findings From PCORI's Research Investments PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) on Aug. 4, 2026, seeking to fund implementation projects that promote the uptake of peer-reviewed findings from specific PCORI-funded patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) in the context of the body of related evidence. This PFA is an open competition opportunity for principal investigators to propose implementation projects that move evidence toward practical use in improving health care and health outcomes. Applicants may propose projects with budgets up to $1.8 million in total direct costs.

PCORI seeks to fund implementation projects that incorporate active, multicomponent strategies that will lead to uptake and integration of evidence generated by PCORI-funded research in practice settings. Implementation should target specific end users with a clear interest in — and ability to benefit from — the evidence. Proposed implementation projects will adapt findings as needed to facilitate uptake in the proposed settings and accomplish scale-up to reach larger numbers and/or scale-out to reach broader populations and settings. Applicants must demonstrate commitment and buy-in — including from leadership as well as frontline staff critical to the success of the project — from proposed implementation sites across multiple health systems, such that they provide a supportive context and infrastructure for undertaking the proposed project. In addition, projects should involve regional and national stakeholder organizations positioned to extend uptake in broader venues.  

Applications must be guided by an established conceptual model or framework and, where possible, by evidence regarding effective strategies for implementing evidence-based practices and interventions. Additionally, applications must include a rigorous evaluation plan that documents the successful execution of the implementation approach and the impact of the project on health care and health outcomes as feasible and appropriate within the project scope.

The Stray Dog Institute Grants aim to transform food systems by providing funding and support to nonprofits focused on animal welfare, environmental advocacy, and food justice. With grant amounts typically ranging from $2,500 to $10,000, the Institute prioritizes pragmatic solutions that foster dignity, justice, and sustainability. By addressing systemic issues in food production, they promote a compassionate approach that respects both people and animals. This initiative seeks to create a sustainable future for all stakeholders in the food system.

BMO Gives is committed to fostering positive societal impact through community support and charitable initiatives. It focuses on enhancing community and economic resilience, as well as environmental sustainability. Eligible applicants must be registered charities or non-profits operating in Canada or the U.S. and align with BMO's corporate values, which promote inclusivity and non-discrimination. The program aims to support projects that address significant societal needs and empower local communities.

The CREST program by the NSF aims to bolster research capabilities at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) through education and research integration. It specifically supports STEM doctoral programs and encourages proposals in high-priority areas such as AI and climate change. By enhancing the institutional capacity, the program seeks to increase the number of underrepresented doctoral graduates in STEM fields, thereby fostering diversity and innovation in scientific research.

The REPI Challenge, initiated by the DOD's REPI Program, aims to protect critical testing and training capabilities through funded projects. Since 2012, over $193 million has been allocated to 69 initiatives, leveraging more than $512 million in partner contributions. The upcoming 2026 REPI Challenge will focus on strategic mission safeguarding, with up to $20 million available for preventing land use conflicts and enhancing military resilience, thus ensuring the longevity of vital defense capabilities.

The Vineyard Family Foundation

The Vineyard Family Foundation is the product of decades of work across three generations and five states. Having enjoyed the benefits of our hard work and community patronage, the Vineyard family has chosen to provide to others what so many have graciously provided to us. 

What Sets Us Apart

The Vineyard family has always been committed to its communities. Whether supporting Boys & Girls Clubs, pediatric hospitals, the Ronald McDonald House, arts organizations, or youth recreation leagues, the family has taken a great interest in the care, health, and education of children and the families that nurture them. We take great pride in personally administering our Foundation’s charitable giving, resulting in fewer expenses and more funding for those organizations aligned with the Foundation’s purpose.

Grants

• Supporting Our Communities and Their Families
• Working Towards the Health, Education, and Overall Well-Being of Parents and Their Children

You are steps away from creating an opportunity to receive full or partial funding of your charitable organization. So that you use your time wisely, we offer the following advice for your efforts:

• As a family foundation, we are prohibited from funding individuals or any entity that is not an IRS-recognized Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity or a Section 509(a)(1), (2), or (3) support organization. Thus, while we cannot award a scholarship to an individual, we can fund a 501(c)(3) charity that provides such scholarships.

• If you qualify as a Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization or a support organization pursuant to Section 509(a)(1-3), we will need the IRS Determination Letter confirming as much, as well as a statement signed by your organization’s President or Chief Executive Officer verifying that your organization’s purposes, structure, and operations have not changed substantially since the date of the IRS’s Determination Letter.

• If you are a “supporting organization” under IRS Code section 509(a)(1-3), please provide a list of the public charities that you support. Please also advise whether you are a Type I, Type II, or Type III supporting organization. If you are a Type III supporting organization, please advise whether you are “functionally integrated” with your supported public charity and provide an explanation of that relationship.

Supported Charities

The Vineyard family has historically provided funding for family-related charities such as the Ronald McDonald House, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, pediatric hospitals, autism-related organizations, and youth recreational leagues. The Foundation looks forward to continuing this support and extending itself to educational, research, and cultural experiences that focus on the needs of children and their parents.

Impact100 Owensboro offers transformational grants of at least $100,000 to empower women in philanthropy and support local nonprofits. The grant focuses on five key areas: Arts & Culture, Education, Family, Health & Wellness, and Environment & Recreation. Organizations must document their 501(c)(3) status and demonstrate community support. Grants cannot fund operating expenses unrelated to new programs or projects already completed. This initiative aims to uplift the Greater Owensboro community through strategic philanthropic endeavors.

The B.W. Bastian Foundation Grant supports organizations committed to equality for all Americans, including the LGBTQ+ community. Grants typically range from $100 to $15,000, and applicants must have 501(C)3 tax status. Funding is primarily for projects in the Intermountain West and may include general operating support or specific programs. Organizations should first inquire before applying, especially if requesting more than previous grants. The foundation does not fund individuals or lobbying efforts.

The CDC's National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (YVPCs) aim to expand the evidence base for preventing youth violence among individuals aged 10 to 24. This initiative supports rigorous evaluations of prevention approaches, community engagement, and training for early career researchers. By establishing partnerships and focusing on communities with above-average youth violence rates, the YVPCs seek to enhance collaborative efforts and effectively disseminate research findings to inform future prevention strategies.

About

The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was established in 1919 for the purpose of promoting interest in the study of mammals.

ASM Mission Statement

The mission of the American Society of Mammalogists is to advance the scientific understanding of mammals globally, to diversify the profession of mammalogy, and to promote science as the basis for the conservation and management of mammals. The Society achieves these goals through publications, grants and fellowships, annual meetings, and other education and outreach activities.

Stephen Jenkins Scholarship in Mammalogy

One of Steve Jenkins’ most meaningful legacies is found in the hundreds of students he taught and mentored over his 37 years in the Biology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. He taught a wide range of classes including introductory biology, ecology, mammalogy and research design, and served as graduate advisor to more than 30 students. His research focused on beavers, wolves, wild horses, and ground squirrels. Steve worked to pass on his own belief that critical thinking is not just a fundamental tenet of sound science, but a force for good. He wrote the book How Science Works, an effort to demystify the scientific process for nonspecialists. In his retirement he wrote a second book, Tools for Critical Thinking in Biology. Steve has been a member of American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) since 1974.

Scope and Rationale of the Award

The new Stephen Jenkins Scholarship Award would be available to a graduate student in a North American university whose research is focused on one or more mammalian species. This would include field research (and lab research that supports and augments field research) in such fields as animal behavior, ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. ASM supports research on all aspects of mammalian biology, and the award will provide support for early career mammalogists. 

Use of Funds:

The award may be used only for research expenses, in the field or in the laboratory, research related travel, laboratory supplies, equipment, and attendance at professional meetings.  The current award is for $5000.

The National Forest Foundation’s Collaborative Capacity Program offers financial support to enhance collaboration among local communities and partners, focusing on improving wildfire resilience and forest health. Grants range from $10,001 to $75,000, with a 20% cash or in-kind match requirement. The program aims to foster long-term stewardship outcomes for National Forest System lands, ensuring benefits to both forests and local economies through collaborative efforts.

The National Forest Foundation’s Collaborative Capacity Program offers financial awards to enhance collaboration among communities, tribes, and the Forest Service. Aimed at improving wildfire resilience and forest health, these grants support efforts that lead to long-term stewardship outcomes. Funding ranges from $10,001 to $75,000, with a 20% match required. The program seeks to empower local partners to develop strategic plans and strengthen collaborative initiatives, ultimately benefiting National Forest System lands.

About

The Portland Cement Association (PCA), founded in 1916, is the premier policy, research, education, and market intelligence organization serving America’s cement manufacturers. PCA supports sustainability, innovation, and safety while fostering continuous improvement in cement manufacturing, distribution, infrastructure, and economic growth.

ACA Education Foundation Fellowship

The American Cement Association Education Foundation funds a wide variety of educational activities that will increase public knowledge regarding appropriate uses of cement and concrete. Within that global goal is a specific purpose to:

Advance general scientific understanding of cement and concrete by providing scholarships, fellowships, grants, and other support for the study of engineering and the physical sciences relating to the production and use of cement and concrete.

The support provided by the Education Foundation is used to identify and attract outstanding candidates in the field of engineering and the physical sciences and provide them with the necessary support to complete their studies. Additionally, this support is intended to provide candidates an opportunity for productive work in the cement and concrete industries.

Sustainability and Resilience

• Estimating the impact of optimized use of recycled materials, including alternative fuels and raw materials in clinker manufacture, in hydraulic cements, and in concretes, to improve the CO2 footprint, improve life-cycle performance, reduce the burden on landfills, and improve the circular economy.
• Improving recognition of concrete system performance through better use of life cycle assessments (LCAs) and environmental product declarations (EPDs) to account for both service impacts and embodied impacts of construction.
• Other research investigating the optimization of cement and concrete for sustainable and resilient concrete construction, including use of novel approaches to optimize the clinker-to-cement ratio of cement blends, or to optimize design of structural concrete.

Cement Manufacturing

• Improving raw mix burnability using mineralizers, alternative raw materials, or other means.
• Advanced grinding technology for raw materials or cements.
• Optimizing performance by separate grinding and blending of cement ingredients.
• Advancement of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology, including novel approaches to capture CO2 from cement kiln emissions, beneficially utilize the captured carbon, or transport and store it.

Testing and Tools

• Quantitative method to characterize the reduction in CO2 footprint of cement manufacture using alternative fuels.
• Method or method(s) for quantitative determination of CO2 uptake in fresh and/or hardened concrete, mortar, or paste, in either laboratory or field exposures or both.
• Updated software tools with consideration of blended cements for mass concrete, crack prediction, and service life prediction of transportation structures.
• Novel non-destructive test (NDT) techniques to assess finishing timing of flatwork, especially when using concrete mixtures containing newer cementitious materials or other ingredients that may affect concrete performance.
• New or novel test methods for assessing the finishability, pumpability, bleed rate, set time, and sensitivity to early age curing that may be different for blended cements compared to traditional portland cements.

The Gladys Brooks Foundation supports innovative projects in libraries, education, hospitals, and clinics. Grants focus on resource endowments, capital construction, and equipment aimed at improving public access to information and educational resources. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) organizations located in specific states and demonstrate that projects will be funded primarily by the grant. Applications for direct salary support or research projects are not accepted.