Best Large Grants for Nonprofit Organizations

The Wyoming County Community Grant Program, managed by the Beckley Area Foundation, aims to support projects that address community needs in Wyoming County. Grants up to $3,000 are available, prioritizing innovative approaches, urgent needs, and initiatives that foster collaboration. Eligible organizations include nonprofits and public institutions. The program emphasizes funding projects benefiting underserved residents and encourages diverse funding sources. Applications must comply with specified timelines and guidelines, excluding operating expenses and political activities.

The Brunswick Community Foundation offers unrestricted grants to support local needs in Brunswick County, NC. Established in 1997, it facilitates philanthropic efforts through tax-exempt public charities and local government units. Grants typically range from $500 to $1,000, with a focus on programs that benefit the community while ensuring non-discrimination. Organizations can apply annually, and collaborative efforts are encouraged to maximize impact.

The Grayson Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Shreveport-Bossier, offers grants to support programs in health, human services, and education for disadvantaged populations. Grant applications are accepted twice a year, but organizations can apply only once annually through the Community Foundation grant portal. This structured approach ensures targeted assistance to those in need within the community.

The IH: Project Grants - Multiplier by Illinois Humanities support nonprofit organizations in Illinois that foster collaboration through humanities projects. These grants, up to $10,000, prioritize initiatives engaging under-served communities and exploring overlooked histories. Successful applicants will work closely with partners and should focus on enhancing civic engagement through public humanities. The program encourages innovative approaches to discussions surrounding community issues, aiming to make the humanities accessible and relevant to all.

The Central New York Community Foundation's Strategic Partnership Funds support nonprofit organizations in creating collaborations, such as mergers and affiliations, to enhance their effectiveness and resource use. Grants typically do not exceed $25,000, but innovative projects may qualify for larger funding. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) organizations serving Onondaga, Madison, Oswego, Cortland, or Cayuga counties, focusing on initiatives that address community needs and foster partnerships.

The Princeton Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts offers interdisciplinary fellowships in humanities and related social sciences. Open to diverse applicants, the program emphasizes innovative scholarship and teaching, with postdoctoral fellows conducting research while teaching at the University. The Society fosters a collaborative community, creating opportunities for intellectual exchange and growth, particularly welcoming underrepresented backgrounds and ensuring a rich diversity of perspectives in academia.

The Edwardsville Community Foundation (ECF) offers Community Impact Challenge Grants to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that significantly benefit the Edwardsville community. Grants up to $5,000 are available throughout the year, aimed at enhancing quality of life, supporting underfunded projects, and fostering collaboration among local organizations. Applicants must raise a 10% cash match of the grant amount. This initiative underscores ECF's commitment to enriching the communities it serves.

Nebraska Humanities Council

The mission of Humanities Nebraska is to help people explore what connects us and makes us human.

There are two organizations that fall under the Humanities Nebraska umbrella — the Nebraska Humanities Council is the entity that conducts programs and makes grants. The Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities works with the Council to secure private funding and advocate for public funding at the state and federal levels to support these programs. A third organization, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, serves as the endowment for both Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Arts Council, a state agency.

Sower Award in the Humanities

Humanities Nebraska presents the Sower Award in the Humanities annually to honor an individual who has made a significant contribution to the public understanding of the humanities in Nebraska. This contribution can be made through any combination of time, expertise, or resources. The selection committee will consider how nominees have helped enrich the lives of Nebraskans through the humanities: history, literature, culture, philosophy, and all the ways we explore what it means to be human.

Each year, the Sower Award in the Humanities is presented prior to the annual Governor’s Lecture in the Humanities. The award recipient must be present. In some past years the Sower Award was presented to organizations or communities; as of 2016, only individuals are eligible for nomination. Current board and staff members of Humanities Nebraska are not eligible.

Previous honorees have included:

• Talented humanities faculty who have taken the humanities to the public beyond their classroom;
• Committed volunteers dedicating their time and energy to enhancing the cultural life of Nebraska;
• Thoughtful journalists and filmmakers bringing the humanities to bear on important public issues;
• Generous philanthropists who have directed significant financial support to humanities-related programs and projects accessible by Nebraskans

The Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation offers discretionary grants aimed at initiating or supporting projects that can be completed with a single grant in a short timeframe. Eligible applicants are tax-exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3). The foundation prioritizes emergency grants for urgent needs that threaten the existence of an agency or its programs. However, it rarely awards grants for ongoing support or projects outside the Greater Philadelphia area.

Legacy Health

Legacy Health is a nonprofit, community-based health system dedicated to improving the health and well-being of individuals and families across the Pacific Northwest. Founded on a mission of compassionate, patient-centered care, Legacy Health operates a network of hospitals, clinics, and specialty services that emphasize high-quality medical care, health equity, and community benefit. The organization is committed to advancing health through clinical excellence, education, research, and partnerships that address both immediate healthcare needs and the broader social factors influencing health outcomes. Through its integrated system and community-focused approach, Legacy Health strives to deliver accessible, innovative, and trusted care to the populations it serves.

Legacy Health Sponsorships

Legacy Health Community Benefit provides sponsorship funding for community events and activities that align with priority areas identified through Legacy Health’s Community Health Needs Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans. Funding is intended to support initiatives that address key social and health-related needs within the communities served by Legacy Health.

For organizations serving Marion County, current community health grant priorities include improving access to health care, strengthening economic stability, and addressing mental health and substance use challenges.

For organizations serving the Portland metro area, funding priorities focus on expanding access to affordable, culturally and linguistically responsive health care; supporting essential community services and resources such as economic and educational opportunities and access to culturally specific and healthy foods; and promoting safe, inclusive neighborhoods that enhance physical safety in the community.

The Judd S. Alexander Foundation, established in 1973, has distributed over $55 million in grants to enhance quality of life and economic growth in Wausau, Wisconsin. It supports diverse projects in economic development, arts, education, and community services, engaging local leaders and residents. The Foundation encourages non-profit applications that directly benefit Marathon County and is committed to championing significant development initiatives while promoting public-private partnerships for sustainable community improvement.

The Bergel Institute

The Bergel Institute is dedicated to the advancement of human knowledge and the human condition.

The Institute focuses on six major areas:

• Economics
• Science
• Technology
• Consciousness
• Health
• Culture

The common theme in all of the Institute’s work is the pursuit of what is possible. It brings a commitment to critical thinking and the questioning of accepted norms and approaches to issues that lie at the foundation of what we think and how we live. In every discipline, assumptions are tested against evidence.

In addition to its research and programmatic endeavors, the Institute offers fellowships. Fellowships come with high expectations and are supported with structure and active mentorship.

Bergel Institute Fellowships

The Bergel Institute offers Fellowships to individuals of all ages who wish to spend a year in intensive study and project development in a subject area that aligns with the advancement of human knowledge and the human condition. Each year, the Institute will list specific fellowship topics within these areas. Applicants may pick one or propose a different topic, as long as it aligns with the Institute’s goals.

Fellowships run from June to May and are primarily virtual, with two paid Institute visits (to the home office in Florida) as the only in-person expectations during the Fellowship year. Fellows are expected to work approximately 20 hours per week and to bring a strong intrinsic motivation for the project. They will spend the year conducting intensive research and/or project development, supported by Institute staff, with monthly meetings and quarterly progress reports to help maintain momentum.

The Fellowship is also intended to function as an incubator, providing time, guidance, and structure for work that continues beyond the Fellowship year.

As noted above, Fellows travel to the Institute twice during the Fellowship year to present to leadership: once in August, at the end of Q1, and again in May, at the end of the Fellowship year. The May presentation focuses on what was accomplished during the year and the Fellow’s plans for next steps. Final work may take many forms, including detailed manuscripts, the launch of a business or organization; or a video series, documentary films, etc. Travel and lodging for both presentations are covered by the Institute.

Upon completion of the Fellowship year, all Fellows are required to serve as mentors for future Fellows, ensuring that accumulated knowledge and experiences are passed to their successors.

FE1: Bringing an End to the Poverty-Violence Connection in the U.S.

Economic instability and neighborhood disinvestment are closely linked to disproportionate rates of violence and premature death. This reality has persisted for generations, reflecting a broader failure to value human life equally across places and populations.

This Fellowship is a deep immersion into the poverty–violence relationship, with the aim of developing a credible roadmap to reduce violence through practical, measurable action. Fellows will analyze who is most affected, where violence concentrates, what conditions correlate with risk, and what has and has not worked in past efforts.

Fellows will create a database of all murders, shootings, violent assaults, and knifings across the U.S. and keep a running, up-to-date count that will be part of the Bergel Institute website beyond this Fellowship year. The Fellowship also includes direct engagement with community leaders, service providers, researchers, and relevant public, nonprofit, and private-sector programs to identify effective approaches and develop partnerships that can be tested across communities.

The Central Montcalm Community Foundation offers the Discretionary Fund Grant to address unanticipated community needs beyond standard application periods. This fund utilizes annual earnings from permanent endowments, ensuring principal amounts remain intact. By engaging in fundraising events and accepting designated contributions, the Foundation aims to support various programs that enhance the quality of life for Central Montcalm residents, providing essential resources to local organizations throughout the year.

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2028: Humanities Plural

The Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry is pleased to open applications for our Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships. We invite applications from scholars in any humanistic discipline who are eager to be part of a community engaged in interdisciplinary conversations around our theme of Humanities Plural.

At a moment when fields such as "history of the humanities" and "humanities theory" are coming into view, and as hybrid formations such as digital humanities, health humanities, and public humanities are taking humanities scholarship into new academic and extra-academic spaces, we seek scholars whose research expands our horizons for thinking about the humanities as they have existed or are unfolding in our current moment. Applications are open to scholars in any field, area, or historical period.

Projects need not explicitly foreground "the humanities" (or related formations such as "liberal arts") as an object of inquiry, but they should clearly address any core issue of humanities scholarship or learning, including its methods, its objects, its histories, its values and social valuation, its contradictions, its publics, or its institutional or social locations.

The Fox Center will appoint two Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows for one year (August 1, 2027-July 31, 2028), with the possibility of renewal for one additional year. Fellowships include a stipend of $62,000, a research budget of $2,000, and a one-time additional payment of $2,000 to defray the costs associated with moving to Atlanta, and competitive benefits including medical, dental, and vision care. Fellows are required to be in residence during the academic year for the term of the fellowship.

The CFMC Save-the-Day Grant Program provides essential funding to nonprofits facing urgent needs that hinder their mission. Grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 assist organizations in overcoming unanticipated emergencies, such as equipment failures or staffing transitions. Priority is given to projects that demonstrate a clear plan for impactful use of the funds, ensuring that nonprofits can continue their vital services effectively. Applications are accepted annually starting in August until funds are exhausted.

The Fox Family Foundation Grant offers financial support to non-profit organizations, including those not designated as 501(c)3, with a focus on Southeastern Colorado. Applications are accepted each fall, with a deadline on the last Friday of October. Grant amounts typically range from $500 to $1,000, awarded before the year ends. This foundation values the contributions of organizations working to enhance their communities and is dedicated to fostering their efforts.

The South Canterbury Trusts, including the A & R Edgar South Canterbury Trust and The General Charitable Fund, aim to provide support for charitable purposes in South Canterbury. Managed by Perpetual Guardian, a leading estate planning provider in New Zealand, this grant focuses on assisting local charities in their philanthropic endeavors. With a commitment to preserving wealth and legacy, Perpetual Guardian has a rich history of serving the community and ensuring that charitable projects thrive.

The Martin Samuelsohn Scholarship Fund, established by the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation, offers a $6,485 scholarship to support local Jewish undergraduate seniors and law students at Southern Methodist University. This scholarship aims to promote academic excellence and assist students in advancing their legal education in a highly regarded program. By investing in the future of these students, the fund exemplifies a commitment to education, community service, and the values of philanthropy.

The Resorts World Las Vegas Community Partnership Grant supports local non-profits, emphasizing collaboration and community engagement. Applications for partnerships can be submitted year-round but are reviewed annually from September 1 to October 15. Eligible organizations must provide a valid 501(c)(3) tax-exempt form and tax-ID. While the grant aims to accommodate requests, it cannot guarantee fulfillment due to high demand. This initiative represents Resorts World's commitment to fostering positive community relations and supporting those in need.

Key Bank Philanthropic Support - Community Sponsorships aims to enhance community welfare by providing financial backing to nonprofit organizations. With grants ranging from $500 to $5,000, these sponsorships focus on fundraising events and operational support for initiatives that foster economic inclusion and community growth. Applications are accepted from January to October, with decisions typically made within 90 days, ensuring timely support for impactful local projects.

The Massillon Community Charitable Fund Grant, established in 1982 by Stark Community Foundation, aims to enhance civic spirit and charitable giving in Western Stark County. It supports tax-exempt organizations and government entities with proposals that directly benefit local residents. The grant encourages innovative solutions to community challenges while fostering stewardship and collaboration among local agencies. This initiative ultimately seeks to improve the quality of life for all in the Massillon area, ensuring that charitable efforts align with community needs.

The Japanese Studies Fellowship Program by the Japan Foundation offers short-term research fellowships ranging from 21 to 89 days for scholars in the humanities and social sciences. This program aims to enhance Japanese Studies worldwide by supporting outstanding researchers conducting studies in Japan. Benefits include airfare, monthly stipends, and insurance. Priority is given to experienced scholars expected to publish their findings post-fellowship. Established in 1972, the Japan Foundation fosters cultural exchange and mutual understanding.

DACO Affiliate Grantmaking Program

The DACO Community Foundation works to improve the quality of life for individuals in Dade County through thoughtful grantmaking and community leadership. The DACO Community Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors, chosen for their knowledge of the area. Grant decisions are made by the grant committee. The unique role of a community foundation is to conduct a flexible community grantmaking program which addresses the most important needs of the community at any one time. The flexibility this requires is made possible by charitable donors who established unrestricted or field-of-interest funds and place the decision-making in the hands of the community leaders serving on our Board of Directors as well as dollars raised by the DACO Community Foundation.

In awarding grants, affiliates of the CFO will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status. Grantees must not, in the use of CFO grant funds, 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.

Funding

Applicants may apply for up to $1,000.00 in funding for this grant cycle.

The Japanese Studies Fellowship Program, offered by the Japan Foundation, supports doctoral candidates conducting research in Japan. This program, lasting 4-12 months, provides significant benefits including airfare, monthly stipends, and insurance. Applicants must be ABD at the start of the fellowship, with preference given to those poised to complete their dissertations shortly thereafter. The foundation aims to enhance cultural exchange and understanding between Japan and other nations, fostering future scholars in Japanese studies.

KeyBank's Community Grants support tax-exempt organizations that align with the Foundation's funding priorities, focusing on improving community well-being. With grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000, eligible organizations must have an operating budget of at least $100,000 and a minimum of three years in operation. The application process is invitation-only, requiring interested organizations to submit an Expression of Interest for review, typically receiving feedback within 90 days.

The Daniel Foundation of Alabama offers Special Project Grants aimed at substantial capital projects, new programming, or strategic expansions that significantly enhance community life. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)3 public charities and can only apply again after a two-year hiatus. These grants are not intended for ongoing operational costs. The foundation's mission is to support initiatives that improve the quality of life for Alabama citizens through healthy and educational advancements.

The David Sursa Leadership Award, established by the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, honors exceptional leaders who impact the community positively. This award recognizes individuals who demonstrate commitment and service to Delaware County, reflecting the values of its first Board President, David Sursa. A $2,500 grant is awarded to the nominating organization in the recipient's honor, fostering continued philanthropy and community engagement.