Best Marion County Grants for Nonprofits in Kansas

About Us

advancing the science of water ®

Who We Are

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.

5432 - Validating Reverse Osmosis Conductivity Profiling for Pathogen Log Reduction Value Credit

Grant Information

• Validate conductivity profiling against pathogen removal by establishing the relationship between conductivity-profile response and MS2 bacteriophage removal under intact and controlled membrane integrity-defect conditions.
• Demonstrate the robustness and applicability of conductivity profiling across representative reverse osmosis conditions, including new and aged membranes, different defect types and severities, operating conditions, variations in feedwater quality/composition/salinity, and temperature.
• Develop a validation implementation framework that defines testing procedures, log removal value calculation methods, sensitivity and performance criteria, continuous monitoring, alarm/response thresholds, and operational requirements needed to support regulatory pathogen log removal values credit for reverse osmosis.

A better world, built with better teamwork

We bring Atlassian's funding, tools and teamwork expertise to help nonprofits drive greater impact.

Our mission

Atlassian's mission is to unleash the potential of every team. The Atlassian Foundation extends that mission to teams solving the world's hardest problems.

Atlassian Foundation – Open Call for Proposals

The Atlassian Foundation is deploying US$8 million over the next two years to help disadvantaged learners thrive in the AI era. If you're driving collective action in this space, we want to hear from you.

Reshaping education for the AI era will take teamwork

The Atlassian Foundation focuses on education because it's the most empowering force in the world – it's the key to breaking cycles of poverty and disadvantage.

But that key is slipping out of reach for far too many. UNESCO estimates that more than 250 million children are out of school. And for those in the classroom, learning isn't guaranteed: 57% of children worldwide (nearly one billion) lack the basic skills they need for the era they're growing up in. AI can expand access and accelerate learning. It can also widen inequality where it lands unevenly.

No single organisation can tackle a challenge this complex. That's why the Atlassian Foundation is backing collective action: coordinated efforts by multiple players to solve shared problems at scale. Atlassian's mission is to unleash the potential of every team, so we're uniquely positioned to power these efforts. We've spent 20+ years learning what makes teams work well together, and we're offering that expertise – plus our funding, tools and hands-on support – to help collective action initiatives drive greater impact.

We believe a better world is built with better teamwork, and collective action is teamwork at its most ambitious. Together, we want to shape a future where emerging technology closes gaps for learners the current system leaves behind, rather than widening them.

About this open call

In this open call, we're seeking partnerships with collective action initiatives that are working to improve education for disadvantaged learners in the AI era.

What our partners will receive

Each partnership will include:

State Funded Highway-Railroad Crossings Program

KDOT offers several highway-railroad funding opportunities to improve safety at highway/railroad crossings. These include: 

Highway/Railroad Crossing Program Safety Funds: This federal-aid program finances up to 100% of the cost for installing protective devices and eliminating hazards at public highway/railroad grade crossings. Crossings are prioritized based on a hazard index that considers highway and train traffic, as well as warning devices. 

Railroad Crossing Surfacing: This program focuses on improving the surfaces and approaches of at-grade crossings on rural state highways and City Connecting Links in small cities. Funding is split 50/50 between the state and railroad companies. 

State Funded Highway/Railroad Crossing: This state-funded program allocates $300,000 annually for projects that don't qualify for federal aid. Projects are funded with 80% state funds and 20% railroad company funds. 

About Us

advancing the science of water ®

Who We Are

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.

5434 Preparing for UCMR 6: Understanding Occurrence of Trifluoroacetic Acid and Emerging Ultrashort-Chain PFAS

Grant Information

• Characterize the occurrence of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and other ultrashort-chain organofluorine compounds included in the Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6) in representative U.S. drinking water systems.
• Evaluate changes across existing full-scale treatment processes using source and finished water samples to identify treatment trains that demonstrate measurable removal or reduction of these compounds.
• Develop a response and communication protocol to support utilities when communicating the results of the sampling and potential detection of TFA and other UCMR 6 ultrashort-chain organofluorine compounds.

About Us

advancing the science of water ®

Who We Are

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.

5433 - Optimizing Membrane Biofouling Control in Potable Water Reuse Treatment Trains

Grant Information

Main Objective: Evaluate alternative biofouling control chemicals and operational strategies to optimize performance across the potable reuse treatment train while maintaining treatment performance and finished-water quality. Supporting objectives include:

• Identify and assess alternative biofouling control chemicals and operational strategies that can reduce membrane fouling and differential pressure, reduce cleaning frequencies, minimize degradation of ultraviolet transmittance (UVT), and reduce lifecycle cost.
• Evaluate treatment-train performance impacts, including effects on membrane system performance, membrane lifespan, UVT, and ultraviolet advanced oxidation processes (UV-AOP) performance and energy demand, finished-water quality, and concentrate management.
• Quantify lifecycle benefits and tradeoffs associated with selected strategies, including energy and chemical consumption, membrane replacement and cleaning frequency, monitoring and reporting requirements, operator safety and chemical handling, environmental considerations, and capital/operating and maintenance costs.

Arnold Ventures

Overview

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a philanthropy dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through evidence-based policy solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. We focus on improving systems where outcomes are falling short, incentives are misaligned, and the time is right for change.

To advance this mission, we invest in rigorous research to better understand the root causes of problems and strengthen the evidence base on what works to solve them. Using this evidence, we advocate for policy reforms and help build durable, bipartisan coalitions for lasting change.

Request for Proposals

Causal Research on the Impacts of K-12 School Policies 

The next several years present an important opportunity to shape the future of state K-12 education policy. States are making consequential decisions about curriculum, assessment, and accountability systems; school choice and governance policies; and teacher and leader workforce policies. High-quality research in these areas will help policymakers distinguish between reforms that are merely appealing and those that meaningfully improve student outcomes over the long term.

Through this request for proposals (RFP), Arnold Ventures seeks to support research studies that estimate the causal effects of actionable, politically viable U.S. K-12 education policies that can be influenced at the state level and have the potential to improve outcomes at scale. Competitive proposals should employ rigorous causal research methods and, where feasible, examine not only short-term educational outcomes but also longer-term impacts on postsecondary and/or labor market outcomes using administrative data. Given the pace of state policymaking, we place a high value on research that can inform decisions quickly and will give preference to studies that can be completed within 18 months of project kickoff and/or produce actionable findings by the end of 2028.

Fall 2026 Early Childhood Education Funding Cycle

Overall Early Childhood Education Program Blueprint

The Stranahan Foundation’s Early Childhood Education grant program supports efforts to improve access to high-quality early care and education for young children (birth to five), especially those from low-income families. We do this by investing in strategies that strengthen, support, and retain a high-quality, thriving early educator workforce.

The Foundation has a history of supporting professional development (PD) and learning systems through its Provider strategy (). We believe strong professional development systems are essential for building a skilled early childhood workforce and creating positive learning environments for young children.

The Fall 2026 funding cycle is available for organizations that align with this Provider strategy.

Funding Opportunity

This funding opportunity will provide up to $750,000 to support early childhood education providers in strengthening existing professional development (PD) systems. Funding is intended to improve a specific area of an established PD system—not to build a brand-new system from scratch or put the foundational elements in place.

What kind of improvements can funding support?

Organizations should focus their projects on strengthening their professional development systems. The Stranahan Foundation defines a strong professional development system as one that includes:

• Connect learning opportunities that build on one another over time.
• Use adult learning best practices.
• Align staff learning to educator competencies, credentials, career growth, or compensation.
• Provide learning experiences that are individualized, scaffolded, and responsive to educators’ needs, experience, and goals.
• Have dedicated leadership and organizational capacity to support ongoing implementation.

• Gather regular feedback from staff and families.
• Use standardized assessment and evaluation tools to understand what is working and where improvements are needed.
• Make ongoing improvements based on what is learned.
• Support reflective practice, peer learning, and collaborative inquiry among educators.

• Offer both individual and group learning opportunities, such as training, professional learning communities, coaching, and mentoring.
• Provide learning opportunities on an ongoing basis rather than in a one-and-done situation.
• Connect internal and external learning opportunities to make the best use of available resources.
• Support classroom implementation through observation, modeling, feedback, and continuous improvement cycles.

• Provide learning experiences that are practical, relevant, and easy to apply in daily work.
• Include fundamental topics such as family engagement, effective instruction, developmentally appropriate practice, and classroom management.
• Align with established standards, research, and effective practices in the early childhood field.
• Equip educators to support all learners, including multilingual learners, children with disabilities, and children impacted by trauma or adverse experiences.

Pinky Swear Foundation

Our mission

Pinky Swear Foundation's mission is to help kids with cancer and their families with financial support. 

All-Star Fund

Housing, food, and transportation support

The All-Star Fund provides financial support for everyday expenses to families navigating the challenging journey of childhood cancer. This fund provides assistance for rent/mortgage, utility payments, groceries, gas, and car payments, ensuring that families can focus on what truly matters - their child.

About

Founded in 1971, the Mensa Foundation was established by members of American Mensa to extend the organization’s impact. While connected by a shared purpose, the Foundation operates independently, guided by its own Board of Trustees, strategic plan, and initiatives.

Awards

Cooper Black Award for Creativity

The Copper Black Award for Creative Achievement honors Mensa members whose innovative solutions and practical creativity have brought meaningful benefits to the world.

Details

The Copper Black Award annually recognizes Mensa International members who have demonstrated a specific creative achievement with practical value. This award honors innovations that have been implemented, at least in part, to benefit others.

Award Components

About Us

advancing the science of water ®

Who We Are

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.

WRF was formed in 2018 through the integration of three highly respected research collaboratives: WateReuse Research Foundation, Water Environment Research Foundation, and Water Research Foundation. Separately, these organizations focused on research to support varied segments of the water sector—water reuse, wastewater and stormwater, and drinking water, respectively. Now a One Water organization, WRF delivers the research programming the sector needs to address the most pressing water issues holistically.

5425 - Assessing and Managing Manganese Behavior in Drinking Water Distribution and Premise Plumbing Systems

Grant Information

• Characterize spatial and temporal variability of manganese (Mn) concentrations and speciation in distribution systems and potential impacts in premise plumbing.
• Investigate Mn speciation and its influences on interactions with water chemistry, corrosion control treatment, and complexing agents, and assess implications for Mn occurrence, stability, and release in distribution systems and premise plumbing.
• Evaluate the relationships between Mn stability and release, including long-term legacy deposit mobilization, in relation to chemical, hydraulic, and biological processes in distribution systems.
• Evaluate strategies for mitigating Mn accumulation and release, including corrosion control treatments such as phosphate blends, and assess operational practices such as flushing and other system maintenance activities.
• Recommend monitoring strategies to identify system-specific risks, support detection of Mn accumulation, and inform responses to anticipated regulatory changes.

About Us

advancing the science of water ®

Who We Are

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.

5430 - Unlocking Value and Opportunities from Carbon Flows in Water Utilities

Grant Information

• Identify carbon flows across drinking water, stormwater, wastewater, and advanced treatment systems. Carbon flows may include source water, stormwater, process emissions, process inputs, residuals, and biogas.
• Identify the most relevant carbon recovery, capture, conversion, storage, and avoidance opportunities.
• Evaluate value creation pathways, including products, avoided costs, and environmental attributes, and mechanisms and partnerships needed to put them into practice.
• Assess how opportunities vary across system types and local contexts by focusing on more common scenarios for utilities.
• Provide practical, research-based insights to support identification, prioritization, evaluation, and advancement of carbon management opportunities under site-specific conditions and constraints.
• Evaluate implications for greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting, environmental attribute claims, and other potential benefits across pathways.

About Us

advancing the science of water ®

Who We Are

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.

5411 - Practical Playbook for Adaptive Utility Capital Improvement Planning Under Deep Uncertainty

Grant Information

• Assess current utility practices for incorporating adaptive or flexible decision making into capital improvement planning (CIP) at the portfolio or programmatic level.
• Identify where deep uncertainty most affects CIP decision points, including investment areas prone to lock-in or points of no return.
• Document the institutional processes, frameworks, and governance structures that have enabled utilities to embed adaptive and flexible investment strategies.
• Quantify how adaptive capital strategies compare to traditional CIP approaches in terms of lifecycle costs, rate stability, financial risk exposure, and avoided or deferred capital investments across a range of plausible future conditions.
• Establish practical criteria to help utilities determine which types of capital investments are well suited for adaptive approaches.
• Develop a practitioner-focused playbook that equips utilities to apply adaptive CIP in practice, including case studies, decision trees, trigger points, vulnerability assessment tools, financial and risk insights, and governance guidance.
• Produce tiered recommendations that allow utilities to adopt adaptive CIP practices incrementally.

About Us

advancing the science of water ®

Who We Are

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.

5418 - Optimizing PFAS Treatment Systems for Multi-contaminant Removal and Operational Benefits

Project Objectives

About Us

advancing the science of water ®

Who We Are

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.

5426 - Investigation of Non-Point Sources of PFAS in Sewersheds and Potential Mitigation Strategies

Grant Information