Best Merced County Grants for Nonprofits in California

Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area

Our Mission

The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area seeks to ensure that our community thrives today, tomorrow, and forever by building our Community’s Endowment to support high impact charitable projects, helping donors achieve their charitable goals, and leading and partnering in community-level initiatives.

Scholarships

CFHZ awards over $1 million in scholarships each year for students to attend schools of higher education throughout the nation. Our scholarships are possible thanks to the generosity of donors who invest in our community’s future by furthering the education of others.

All Holland/Zeeland area individuals interested in post-secondary education are encouraged to apply for CFHZ scholarships.

The Foundation proudly administers over 100 scholarships, each with unique eligibility criteria that must be met before a candidate can be considered.

Kaminski Family Scholarship

• Graduating senior who attends public, private, or home school in the primary service area of the Community Foundation
• Enrolling in a 2 or 4-year degree program at an accredited post-secondary school (including vocational/technical school) within the United States
• Financial need (must submit the page of the FAFSA Submission Summary showing the Student Aid Index amount)

The Kelley Hritz Memorial Arts Scholarship, established in memory of Kelley Hritz, supports high school seniors from Elk, McKean, and Cameron Counties, as well as Chestnut Ridge High School, pursuing post-secondary education in an art-related field. Applicants must be active in school and community activities and submit two pieces of artwork. This scholarship, valued at $1,000 annually, aims to inspire future artists to create and share their passion for the arts.

The APMI West Penn Chapter Scholarship Fund, established by the Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies, supports graduating seniors from specific school districts pursuing degrees in STEM fields related to the powdered metal industry. With an annual amount of $1,000, this scholarship fosters academic growth and career development for students in Ridgway, Johnsonburg, St. Marys, and surrounding areas. The fund aims to enhance educational opportunities and encourage future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The Gilbert “Gibby” Buerk Memorial Scholarship is aimed at Elk County high school seniors and non-traditional students pursuing careers in EMT or paramedic fields. Established by the Elk County Community Foundation, this scholarship honors the legacy of Gilbert J. Buerk, a dedicated EMT. Applicants must demonstrate community involvement and financial need. This fund provides a lasting opportunity for students to advance their education and serve their community, reflecting Gibby's commitment to helping others.

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

Mission: In partnership with our community, we ignite positive change and create a legacy of impact.

Scholarships

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation annually awards more than $2 million in scholarships to students pursuing higher education, job training and certification. The Foundation hosts several different scholarship opportunities throughout the year. 

Music Scholarships

Open to Chautauqua County students (K-11) to assist with the cost of music instruction, or high school seniors and college students from Chautauqua County majoring in music. 

Learning from Abroad to Reimagine Health Knowledge Systems for Equity and Wellbeing Grant

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to dismantling structural racism and eliminating barriers to health equity by working alongside communities, practitioners, and institutions. One way we support this mission is by investing in the knowledge of historically marginalized communities and deepening the relationships that build community power, evidence, and systems of change. Another way we do this is by looking beyond the U.S. borders. The Global Ideas for U.S. Solutions team looks abroad for ideas to improve health equity, justice, and wellbeing in the U.S.  

This funding opportunity invites organizations to learn and produce solutions to build a more inclusive and equitable health knowledge system, inspired by other countries that have faced or are currently facing similar health equity challenges. It allows organizations to learn from efforts outside of the U.S. to reimagine and rebuild the health knowledge system in ways that can withstand systemic threats while advancing health equity and wellbeing for the future. Among many other characteristics yet to be identified, our learnings to date suggest that the following contribute to this reimagined version of the health knowledge system:  

• The experience of people most affected by health inequities is centered in the generation of data and evidence and in policymaking;
• Health is more than the absence of disease. It is about individual and collective healing and wellbeing;
• Mis- and disinformation are eliminated and public trust in science and evidence is restored;
• History, culture, and language are preserved and protected, and ecological and biomedical sciences are braided with Indigenous, traditional, holistic, and community frameworks; and
• Cross-sector approaches and global learning networks break down siloes and allow for more effective and equitable solutions. They leverage lessons from resistance movements and connect artists, researchers, public health, and civil society.

The purpose of this CFP is to support organizations in pursuing action-oriented projects that leverage learning from outside the U.S. to create a more durable and equitable health knowledge system in the U.S. These efforts will advance health equity, justice, and wellbeing through community-driven knowledge generation, preservation, and narrative. Together, these actions lay the foundation for a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient health knowledge system in times of crisis and beyond. 

Total Awards

Type of Award: Awards will be structured as grants and will be made to organizations, not to individuals.

• Number of Awards: Up to 15 awards will be funded.  
• Amount of Award: Awards will be up to $500,000 each. Please request only what is necessary to allow us to fund as many recipients as possible. We expect larger awards to correspond with more distributed funding (e.g., multiple people’s salaries or multiple activities). See more information on RWJF budget categories and allowable costs here.  
• Award Duration: Awards will be up to 36 months.  

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

Mission: In partnership with our community, we ignite positive change and create a legacy of impact.

Scholarships

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation annually awards more than $2 million in scholarships to students pursuing higher education, job training and certification. The Foundation hosts several different scholarship opportunities throughout the year. 

Laurie Baer Olympic Hopeful

To provide financial assistance to cover the cost of training, and national or international competition for talented young athletes from Chautauqua County. 

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

Mission: In partnership with our community, we ignite positive change and create a legacy of impact.

Scholarships

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation annually awards more than $2 million in scholarships to students pursuing higher education, job training and certification. The Foundation hosts several different scholarship opportunities throughout the year. 

Space Camp Scholarship

Open to students (grades 4-12) or adults from Chautauqua County, NY or Warren County, PA to support the cost of attending U.S. Space Camp. 

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

Mission: In partnership with our community, we ignite positive change and create a legacy of impact.

Scholarships

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation annually awards more than $2 million in scholarships to students pursuing higher education, job training and certification. The Foundation hosts several different scholarship opportunities throughout the year. 

Workforce Training

Open to adult residents of Chautauqua County enrolled in a certification program outside of higher educational degree. Examples include phlebotomist, LPN, CNA, EMT, Radiologic Technologist, Automotive Technician, CDL, HVAC, Welding, Machining etc.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Alice Reding Connell Nursing Scholarship

The Alice Reding Connell Nursing Scholarship is offered to graduating seniors in northern Chautauqua County who are pursuing a career in registered nursing.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Benson-Cash Family Scholarship

The Benson-Cash Family Scholarship Fund benefits nontraditional students who are attending college or trade school after having been in the workforce.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Chadwick Bay NYS Women, Inc. Scholarship

The Chadwick Bay NYS Women Scholarship supports nontraditional female students in northern Chautauqua County who are returning or currently enrolled in college.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Chautauqua County Home Auxiliary Fund

The former Chautauqua County Home Auxiliary established this fund in 2014. A scholarship is awarded annually to a current employee of the organization that now runs what was the Chautauqua County Home and who is interested in furthering his/her education in the healthcare field.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

David J Lewandowski Memorial Award

The David J Lewandowski Memorial Award is presented to a graduating senior from Dunkirk, Forestville, or Fredonia who is entering a career in the trades, agriculture, conservation, forestry, or emergency services.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Dunkirk Area Labor Council Scholarship

The Dunkirk Area Labor Council Scholarship supports graduating students who are furthering their education in the trades or manufacturing technology.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Matthew Hazelton Memorial Scholarship for Law Enforcement

The Matthew Hazelton Memorial Scholarship for Law Enforcement supports students in northern Chautauqua who wish to pursue a career in law enforcement or criminal justice.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Rev. Clifford K. Cliver & Lucy Cliver Sumsky Scholarship

The Rev. Clifford K. Cliver & Lucy Cliver Sumsky Scholarship Fund acknowledges and supports Chautauqua County foster children by providing scholarships for continuing education.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Richard D. Pell Future Veterans Award

The Richard D. Pell Future Veterans Award is awarded to each graduating senior entering any branch of the American Armed Forces following graduation.

A monetary gift card will be awarded to each graduating senior residing in the town of Ripley and entering any branch of the United States Armed Forces following graduation. 

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Ruth C. Stacy Counselor Scholarship

The Ruth C. Stacy Counselor Scholarship Fund is presented to students who have earned a Bachelor’s Degree and have been accepted into an accredited Master’s Degree program majoring in school or mental health counseling.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

St. Joseph School Scholarship

The St. Joseph School Scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior who resides in northern Chautauqua County, and intends to pursue a career teaching children with special needs.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Terence J. Centner Agricultural and Environmental 4-H Scholarship

The Terence J. Centner Agricultural and Environmental 4-H Scholarship benefits student that participated in 4-H for a minimum of 3 years and completed an outstanding agricultural or environmental project.

This fund is established in memory of Harry E. and Mary Ellen Centner to honor their dedication and hard work on their family farm in the Town of Dunkirk and their leadership activities in the Chautauqua County 4-H Program.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Timothy Ryan Memorial Scholarship

The Timothy Ryan Memorial Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to students who exemplify characteristics exhibited by Timothy during his brief life: loving, caring, generous, family-oriented, genuine, sincere, and humorous.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Roger Testrake Memorial Scholarship

The Roger Testrake Memorial Scholarship benefits students residing in Ripley, NY who plan on continuing their education after high school and have a relative who has served in the military.

Roger Testrake was instrumental in building a monument in Ripley to honor all veterans. This scholarship was renamed to honor him for all his perseverance, dedication and hard work on behalf of the Ripley Veterans Roll of Honor Organization. 

The ALACRITY Research Centers, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, aim to enhance the effectiveness of mental health interventions for youth and adults. This initiative supports interdisciplinary research to develop innovative approaches for optimizing mental health care access and quality. By fostering collaborations across various fields such as behavioral science and health systems engineering, the program seeks to transform clinical practices and improve outcomes for individuals facing mental health challenges.

The HEAL Initiative aims to enhance therapeutic medical devices through team science research, focusing on the mechanisms that drive their effectiveness. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) seeks to improve clinical outcomes by fostering interdisciplinary collaborations. This initiative invites teams with expertise in engineering, biology, and clinical care to explore innovative device-based therapies. By understanding how these devices work, the program hopes to optimize existing technologies and inspire new designs, ultimately improving patient care.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) invites applications for clinical trials and ancillary studies within its funded research networks. This program supports multi-center trials, emphasizing collaborations and responsive projects. The UG3/UH3 cooperative agreement will fund an initial 2-year planning phase, with a potential 5-year implementation phase. This notice is to prepare applicants for future submissions, as applications are currently not being solicited. Prioritization will be given to studies aligned with network capabilities.

Modeling and Monitoring Air Quality and Co-Benefits of Energy Interventions

The purpose of this solicitation is to fund applied research and development projects that inform California's transition to an equitable, zero-carbon energy system that is climate-resilient and meets environmental goals. Applied research supported by this solicitation will improve existing ambient air quality modeling approaches, advance low-cost measurement technologies, and conduct analyses to quantify the air quality implications and related human health impacts of clean energy interventions across energy use sectors. Ultimately, this research will contribute to a foundation for accurate monetization of non-energy impacts of clean energy interventions.

Improvements in air quality and related human health outcomes are important direct benefits of decarbonizing energy sectors that currently rely on fossil fuels. Capturing these impacts is important to motivate investments in decarbonization strategies but is also a challenging task. Robust air quality modeling and field measurements can help to accurately project the air quality-related benefits and ultimately monetize the human health impacts of clean energy interventions such as implementation of Senate Bill (SB) 100 (SB 100, De León, Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018), transportation electrification, and building electrification.

This solicitation addresses public interest research opportunities at the nexus of human health, air quality monitoring and modeling, and California’s decarbonizing electricity system. Existing ambient air quality simulation models require rigorous evaluation for accuracy of estimates, specific tailoring to California’s complex geography and meteorology, and expanded capability to simulate pollutants such as ozone and secondary particulate matter. Additionally, improvements in the spatial resolution and computational efficiency of existing models are critical to illuminate impacts of decarbonization strategies, and applied research is needed related to low-cost air quality sensors for in-situ household pollution measurement. While existing sensors enable collection of abundant data, they can be afflicted by performance issues and associated inaccuracies.

Projects must fall within the following project groups: 

• Group 1: Advancing Ambient Air Quality Modeling Capabilities and Analysis; and
• Group 2: Developing a Low-cost Air Quality Sensor to Assess Household Air Pollution.