Best Private Grants for Nonprofits in Maryland

The Jane Bruckel Early Career Investigator Award in Axial Spondyloarthritis, offered by the Spondylitis Association of America, aims to support MDs and PhDs at the Instructor or Assistant Professor level in the US and Canada. This annual $30,000 research grant promotes innovative research in ankylosing spondylitis and enhances patient care by encouraging emerging researchers to contribute to this important field.

The National Fish Passage Program (NFPP) offers vital assistance for removing barriers to aquatic life, enhancing safety, and promoting local economies. By investing in projects like culvert replacements and floodplain restorations, the program not only supports native fish populations but also delivers significant economic benefits, estimated at $1.5 million for every $1 million invested. With a recent allocation of $15 million, including $5 million for specific restoration initiatives, NFPP continues to advance aquatic connectivity nationwide.

About Colin Farrell FoundationThe Colin Farrell Foundation is committed to transforming the lives of individuals and families living with intellectual disability through education, awareness, advocacy, and innovative programs. Inspired by his two sons, he is excited and deeply humbled by the hope that the Colin Farrell Foundation can help those who the larger systems of governance have neglected.

CFF Innovation GrantsWe’re looking for bold, scalable solutions focused on one or more of these priority areas:

• Affordable co-housing models for individuals and families
• Employer-partnered day programs and inclusive job opportunities
• Tools and technologies that enhance accessibility at home and in community spaces
• Cross-sector collaborations between public, private, and nonprofit organizations

The Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Research Grants aim to support impactful research that enhances cardiovascular and pulmonary health through physical therapy interventions. This grant emphasizes studies that assess patient characteristics, improve health outcomes, and address disparities. Research proposals must align with the 2023 APTA Research Agenda and prioritize clinical relevance, employing various investigative designs. The goal is to foster innovative approaches that significantly reduce cardiovascular disease risks and improve patient care in the U.S.

The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund supports habitat conservation through land acquisition grants. Established in 1997, this program aims to minimize conflicts between listed species conservation and land use. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides matching grants to state agencies for projects that ensure the long-term protection of habitats. By acquiring land or conservation easements, this initiative facilitates species recovery and helps prevent future listings under the Endangered Species Act, enhancing overall ecosystem health.

The Store-Based Giving Program by Ross Stores Foundation supports socioeconomically disadvantaged youth by providing gift cards for school or professional clothing. Organizations must be federal tax-exempt and serve at least 60% low-income youth. Eligible programs include academic achievement and life skills initiatives. Award amounts typically range from $300 to $500, depending on budget and mission alignment. Applications are not accepted from organizations that have received donations within the past 12 months.

The Jack Feldt Ambucs Memorial Scholarship, established in 1997, supports students in the Tri-Cities area pursuing a degree in Physical Therapy. Funded by the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation, this scholarship prioritizes applicants demonstrating financial need. It considers college juniors and graduating high schoolers, reflecting the spirit of community and collaboration championed by Ambucs. Eligible candidates need to provide transcripts and additional required documents to complete their application.

The Pathways Out of Poverty Grant, established by the Herb Block Foundation, aims to empower disadvantaged youth and adults in the greater Washington, DC area through education and vocational training. Grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 will support projects that enhance student achievement, provide literacy and GED preparation, and promote job placement. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations dedicated to supporting the underserved and improving community outcomes.

The Estelle Massey Osborne Scholarship supports exceptional African American nurses pursuing master's degrees. Applicants must have at least two semesters remaining in their program, maintain a minimum GPA of 3.6, and hold a current RN license. This scholarship, provided by Nurses Educational Funds Inc., honors Estelle Massey Osborne, the first African American nurse to earn a master's degree in the U.S. It aims to promote nursing leadership through financial assistance for advanced education.

The Charles Hamlin Scholarship, established by Nurses Educational Funds, Inc., supports professional nurses pursuing master's or doctoral degrees in nursing. Applicants must hold a current RN license and demonstrate a commitment to nursing leadership, particularly in orthopedic care and the well-being of Native American communities. The scholarship honors Dr. Charles Hamlin's legacy, emphasizing the importance of cultural sensitivity in healthcare and preventing burnout among healthcare professionals. This award aims to empower future nursing leaders and enhance diversity in the field.

The Harry Kramer Memorial Fund Grant supports U.S. charitable organizations that assist individuals and institutions in Israel, focusing on welfare, healthcare for the sick and aged, and education in South Florida. Founded by Harry A. Kramer, a successful entrepreneur and veteran, the fund reflects his deep commitment to charitable causes. Organizations must qualify under Section 501(c)(3) and meet specific eligibility criteria to apply for funding, ensuring that aid reaches those in need.

Nurses Educational Funds

Nurses Educational Funds, Inc. depends solely on donations to advance our only mission, to promote nursing leadership through annual scholarship support for professional nurses seeking masters and doctoral degrees in nursing education, practice, research, and administration.

NEF’s only purpose is to provide nursing scholarship assistance to make graduate level nursing education possible. NEF is one of the largest, national, private, professionally endorsed source of funds for advanced nursing study with over one hundred years of service to and for professional nursing. NEF is a non-profit organization with 501(c) status.

Rita Reis Wieczorek Scholarship for Maternal-Infant and Pediatric Nursing

Created in 2020, by Rita Reis Wieczorek, EdD, RN, PNP, FAAN, together with NEF. Dr. Wieczorek is an NEF Board Member Emeritus and longtime board member. This scholarship is the first NEF Scholarship to focus on maternal-infant and pediatric nursing. For over four decades Dr. Wieczorek has devoted her career to providing the best maternal-infant and pediatric care to her patients as well as teaching the highest standards of care to master's and doctoral nursing students, motivating them to excel in their care for the well-being of mothers, infants and children.

The FirstEnergy Foundation Grant supports nonprofit organizations within FirstEnergy's service areas, aiming to enhance community quality of life, workforce development, and safety initiatives. Grants are directed towards local economic development and volunteer efforts aligned with corporate interests. However, the Foundation does not fund individuals, political activities, or certain organizations, ensuring support is focused on broad community benefits. Interested applicants should consult local FirstEnergy management before applying.

RRCU Gives Foundation Grant

Mission Statement:

RRCU Gives strengthens our region by providing meaningful financial support to nonprofits addressing hunger, housing, and financial education. Through our annual grant awards and major funding initiatives, we help local organizations grow, thrive, and create lasting change.

 We award grants annually, with applications in June and awards in August.

Focus Areas

• Hunger
• Housing
• Financial Education

The Women's Club of Grand Haven Grant, established in 2001, offers scholarships to non-traditional students from the Tri-Cities seeking further education. Funded through community efforts such as an annual Used Book Sale, this grant prioritizes financial need and is open to applicants residing in Northern Ottawa County or those who graduated from local school districts. Preference is given to female applicants aged 21 and older, supporting educational advancement for those whose academic journeys have been interrupted.

The AHRF Discovery Grants support innovative research on hearing and balance disorders, offering up to $50,000 for one year. Targeting early-career investigators, these grants aim to generate preliminary data for larger funding applications. Special consideration is given to projects exploring Meniere's disease and sudden hearing loss. Grants cover direct research costs, excluding principal investigator salaries and indirect expenses. The initiative strives to fund promising studies that can advance our understanding of auditory and vestibular health.

Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation

The Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation is a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals who are blind or visually impaired by fostering independence and self-sufficiency. Its mission is to support programs that help people with vision loss lead independent, productive lives, while its vision is an accessible and inclusive world where individuals have the tools, resources, and opportunities to fully participate in society.

The Foundation’s funding priorities focus on supporting nonprofit organizations and initiatives that provide education, training, and rehabilitation services, assistive technology innovations, vision care and access to aids, and capacity building for professionals serving the visually impaired community. It also invests in programs that enhance employment opportunities, promote independence, and improve service delivery systems for people with vision loss, emphasizing practical, community-based solutions and long-term impact.

Small Discretionary Grants

The Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation (RDPFS) Track #3 Small Discretionary Grants provide flexible, year-round funding for smaller-scale initiatives that support individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Grant requests are accepted on a rolling basis and awarded at the discretion of the Executive Director. Awards are made until available funds are exhausted, allowing the Foundation to respond to timely or emerging needs.

The AISES Indigenous Peoples Education Fund (IPEF) Scholarship offers $5,000 to support Indigenous students pursuing degrees in STEM fields. This scholarship is available to current AISES members who are full-time students and enrolled citizens or descendants of recognized Native American tribes. AISES aims to empower these students, fostering diversity in STEM while recognizing the importance of education as a tool for personal growth and community development.

St. Baldrick's Foundation

The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer and donor powered charity committed to supporting the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. It started with a friendly dare: would you shave your head to raise money for kids’ cancer research? What happened next would change the world. This bold act of baldness has gained major momentum, since its start in 2000. Today, we have more than 1,000 head-shaving events taking place around the world at pubs, restaurants, schools, churches, parks, firehouses, military bases – you name it. It is our constituents’ way of changing the world, in a meaningful way. Volunteers also raise funds through athletic challenges, livestream fundraisers and many other activities.

Since the Foundation's first grants as an independent charity in 2005, St. Baldrick's has invested more than $380 million in childhood cancer research grants worldwide.

About Allied World

Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd, through its subsidiaries, is a global provider of insurance and reinsurance solutions. The company operates under the brand Allied World and has supported clients, cedents and trading partners with thoughtful service and meaningful coverages since 2001. Since the inception of St. Baldrick’s, Allied World has supported childhood cancer research through the Foundation, and it is the largest of many reinsurance company sponsors, making this life-saving mission a top priority.

Survivorship and Supportive Care Research Grant

These grants are for specific one-year research projects which are hypothesis-driven and focus on areas related to survivorship and supportive care of children and adolescents with cancer. Examples include but are not limited to: studies related to the burden of morbidity, cause-specific mortality, understanding the pathogenesis of treatment-related complications, patient-reported outcomes or quality of life, health communication, health promotion, and psychosocial support across the trajectory from diagnosis to survivorship or end-of-life care.

Projects must have direct applicability and relevance to pediatric cancer. They may be in any discipline of basic, clinical, translational, or epidemiological research.

The Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation offers Single Program Grants to support impactful programs for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. These grants, ranging from $25,000 to $50,000, prioritize initiatives that enhance independence and service delivery. Eligible organizations must be US 501(c)(3) non-profits, and unsolicited proposals are not accepted. The foundation emphasizes community-based solutions and invites qualified applicants to submit a Letter of Inquiry followed by a full proposal.

The National Institutes of Health is launching a funding opportunity to explore the mechanisms of skin injuries caused by toxic chemicals. This initiative aims to understand the common pathways of injury from various harmful substances, facilitating the discovery of therapeutic targets. Researchers are encouraged to collaborate and apply their expertise in cutaneous wound healing. The goal is to develop broad-spectrum medical countermeasures for mass casualty events involving toxic exposures, enhancing public health safety.

The SCORCH Program: Phase 2 aims to enhance the understanding of single cell biology in the context of HIV and Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Building on previous research, this initiative will explore new single cell approaches to investigate the interactions between SUD and HIV progression at various biological levels. By leveraging advanced techniques, the program seeks to identify candidate mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets, ultimately contributing to innovative solutions for SUDs and HIV-related challenges.

The upcoming National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funding opportunity aims to explore the effects of HIV immunotherapies on central nervous system (CNS) outcomes. It seeks to identify mechanisms, benefits, and risks associated with these therapies, focusing on overcoming CNS-specific barriers. The initiative encourages collaborations to develop strategies for achieving sustained virologic remission and improving neurological outcomes for individuals with HIV, particularly targeting neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation.

The Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Foundation, established in 1959, focuses on enhancing educational opportunities and community vitality in Baltimore. It supports nonprofit organizations in two areas: Youth Development, promoting trauma-informed enrichment programs for high school youth, and Environmental Stewardship, aiming to foster community engagement in small-scale environmental initiatives. The foundation accepts proposals on a rolling basis and prioritizes organizations with proven success in improving educational outcomes and community well-being.

The RFP for the Rural Rental Housing Preservation Academy offers no-cost training sessions aimed at empowering rural housing providers to acquire and preserve affordable housing financed by USDA, HUD, and LIHTC. Participants will engage in peer learning, receive targeted technical assistance, and access expert guidance tailored to their needs. This initiative seeks to enhance the preservation of affordable housing opportunities, particularly those with rental assistance, in rural communities across the region.

About the Emporia Community Foundation

Our Mission

To connect caring people with causes that build stronger communities within the Emporia area which includes Chase, Coffey, Greenwood, Lyon, Morris, Osage and Wabaunsee counties.

Never Let Go Fund

The purpose of the Never Let Go Fund is to provide funds to qualified individuals to cover expenses related to the treatment of childhood cancer. Grant requests will be considered for children under the age of 18.

The Youth Unplanned Pregnancy Prevention Fund, managed by the Community Foundation of Washington County Maryland, aims to address the significant issue of teen pregnancy in the area, which ranks fifth highest in Maryland. With a focus on empowering parents and providing educational resources, this fund supports programs that target youth and unplanned pregnancies. Grants of $600 are suggested, but flexibility exists to accommodate varying needs, ensuring impactful community engagement in preventing teen pregnancy.