Best Grants for Small Nonprofits in Michigan

Community Foundation of the North State

The Community Foundation builds trust through relationship, integrity, and by providing safe places for donors to give their resources.

We are a nonprofit, public charity serving the people of Shasta, Siskiyou and Tehama counties, with a mission to impact the region through the power of giving.

Scholarships

The Community Foundation of the North State manages many scholarship funds that are awarded to graduating high school seniors as well as students already in an undergraduate program. Some scholarships were started by families or individuals; others by businesses or organizations. All scholarships share one important focus: helping young people reach their educational goals.

Nicholas Gaynor Memorial Fund

A scholarship opportunity to provide financial support to local North State students seeking a career in nursing.

The Nicholas Gaynor Memorial Fund was created by his mother, Maureen, and Grandmother, Patricia, to honor the life of Nicholas.

Nicholas was born with a rare heart condition, Tetralogy of Fallot. He died at home in December 1988 after complications from open heart surgery at Stanford University Medical Center, at the age of 18 months old. The nursing staff at Stanford were phenomenal in caring for Nicholas and providing support to the family at such a tragic time. To honor Nicholas’ short life and the nursing team, this scholarship will be used to provide financial support to local students seeking a career in nursing.

At the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, we work with donors, grantees, and advisors to address key community issues.

Louis S. and Nancy L. Rubinsky Scholarship

This scholarship has been made possible by the generosity of Nancy L. Rubinsky, who established the Louis S. and Nancy L. Rubinsky Scholarship of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County in honor of Louis. Lifelong residents of Muskegon, Nancy and Louis Rubinsky, had been active members of the Muskegon community. Louis was a fixture on Western Avenue as a salesman at Vets Clothing. Nancy was active at the Muskegon Community College, first, as an instructor of nursing, and, then, as a Board Trustee. Grants from the fund will mirror the Rubinsky's individual passions. In honor of Louis, the fund will support community education projects in the visual and performing arts and Nancy's interests will be expressed by supporting adult/returning students pursuing nursing degrees.

The Community Foundation of Shelby County

Our Mission

To inspire donor generosity and transform it into meaningful, lasting impact through charitable gifts.

Our Vision

To be the primary partner for donors who want to advance the community’s quality of life and capacity for excellence.

Jim and Pat Dietz Skills Scholarship

Must be planning to attend an accredited adult education program or trade school or pursuing up to an Associate’s Degree, where the completion of coursework satisfies requirements leading to a skilled profession.

Selection based upon:

• Demonstrated interest and passion for a specific career path, demonstrated work experience, demonstrated community or school service, and recommendations.

Awards

• Two $1,000 scholarships

American Physical Society

The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance physics by fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and global community dedicated to science and society. APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and around the world.

APS Honors recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of the global physics community. Guided by our core values, APS Honors encourages nominations that reflect the full range of talent, distinction, and experience in our field, and supports broad canvassing for professional achievement across diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise.

Neil Ashcroft Early Career Award for Studies of Matter at Extreme High Pressure Conditions

The award recognizes outstanding theoretical or experimental contributions by an early-career scientist to studies of matter at extreme high pressure conditions. This includes static and/or dynamic compressions within the disciplines of Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Earth and Planetary Science, Soft Matter and Biology. The honor is conferred annually and includes of a $5,000 stipend, a certificate citing the contributions of the recipient, and an allowance for travel to an APS meeting to receive the award to deliver an invited lecture at either the biennial SCCM Conference or the APS March Meeting.

Nominations are active for three years provided the the nominator re-certifies the nomination before the next deadline and all eligibility criteria are still met.

The Community Foundation of Shelby County

Our Mission

To inspire donor generosity and transform it into meaningful, lasting impact through charitable gifts.

Our Vision

To be the primary partner for donors who want to advance the community’s quality of life and capacity for excellence.

James P. Humphrey, Black Achievers Scholarship

Shelby County residents who are of African-American descent and a graduating senior at a Shelby County High School maintaining a high school GPA of no less than 2.0.

Selection based upon (in order of priority):

Financial need, academic ability, demonstrated community and school service, and recommendations, and an interview.

Awards Vary.

The Rolland J. Van Hattum Award honors individuals for their outstanding contributions to audiology and speech-language pathology within school settings. Recipients receive a plaque and $2,000, with an additional $500 awarded to their school system. This award commemorates Rolland J. Van Hattum, whose dedication to these fields greatly impacted educational services. Eligible nominees include clinicians directly employed by school systems, who demonstrate exceptional commitment through innovative programs or support for these essential services.

Reineman Family Scholarship

This scholarship recognizes and provides financial support to graduating high school students who participate in Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection.

Number and Size of Awards

• One award of $6,000; paid as $1,500 per year for up to four consecutive years of undergraduate study. Award paid in the Fall and divided equally between the Fall and Spring semesters.

Allowed Use of Award

• Awards may be used for tuition, fees, books, and other expenses associated with higher education.

St. Julian and Adrienne Simpkins Book Award

To provide book awards to students pursuing higher education.

Number and Size of Awards

Up to five awards of $500 each; paid in one lump sum in the Fall semester.

Allowed Use of Award

Awards may be used for college textbook expenses.

The Community Foundation of Shelby County

Our Mission

To inspire donor generosity and transform it into meaningful, lasting impact through charitable gifts.

Our Vision

To be the primary partner for donors who want to advance the community’s quality of life and capacity for excellence.

Tom and Sandy Shoemaker Skills Scholarship

Adults or graduating seniors who reside in Shelby County, Ohio or in the School Districts of Shelby County, Ohio, who are enrolling in an accredited adult educational program or trade school or pursuing an Associate’s Degree shall be eligible to apply.

Selection based upon:

• Demonstrated interest and passion for a specific career path, demonstrated work experience, demonstrated community or school service and recommendations.

Awards

• One $1,000 scholarship

The Community Foundation of Shelby County

Our Mission

To inspire donor generosity and transform it into meaningful, lasting impact through charitable gifts.

Our Vision

To be the primary partner for donors who want to advance the community’s quality of life and capacity for excellence.

Vera DoLean Ginn Kiwanis Scholarship

Shelby County resident pursuing a career in elementary education. 

Selection based upon:

• Intent to pursue the field of elementary education, financial need, academic ability, community and school service, recommendations.

Awards

• Two $1,000 scholarships

The Paris Patla Manual Therapy Research Grant, funded by the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research, aims to advance physical therapy research that enhances movement and health. With a funding opportunity of $200,000 available for one to two years, this grant supports both emerging and established researchers. The Foundation emphasizes addressing health disparities and fostering a pipeline of skilled researchers to improve patient outcomes and evidence-based practices in physical therapy.

Louis P. and Betty A. Iacona Nursing Scholarship

To provide financial assistance to students in Monroe County pursuing a career in nursing.

Number and Size of Awards

One award of $12,000; divided into equal annual installments paid over four consecutive years of undergraduate study. Award may be split between two recipients and is paid in the Fall and divided equally between the Fall and Spring semesters. Minimum award $4,000; paid as $1,000 per year for up to four years.

Allowed Use of Award

Awards may be used for tuition, fees, books, and other expenses associated with higher education.

About Scholarships

Through the incredible generosity of our donors, the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound manages 26 scholarship funds that offer a wide range of scholarship awards and encourage students of all backgrounds and educational interests to apply. We also want to extend a sincere thank you to our many scholarship donors, advisors, and scholarship committee members for their investment in our student's bright futures this year and for many years to come!

L&E Bottling Company Scholarship

The L&E Bottling Company Scholarship Fund was established by the L&E Bottling Company, Inc. to assist graduating high school seniors in Thurston County in obtaining a higher education. This scholarship has the potential to be renewed for up to an additional three years of undergraduate education. Reapplication each year is required.

The National Science-Health-Environment-Reporting Fellowships are intended to support early-career journalists who are pursuing—or have a strong interest in pursuing —careers reporting on science, health, or environmental issues (or all three).

The program is primarily aimed at journalists in their first decade of professional work, who are interested in boosting their ability and confidence to tackle some of the most important stories of the 21st century.

The fellowship is designed to enable fellows to maintain their regular employment while attending concentrated training opportunities across the country, many of which will lead to stories for their employer or clients. Fellowship leaders and mentors will provide support and guidance through seminars, calls and e-mail consultations.

Curriculum will include basic science, interpreting medical studies, analyzing data, explaining evidence-based decisions, understanding climate science and more.

The program hopes to provide essential on-the-job training that might otherwise take years to accumulate.

Over the course of a year, selected fellows will: 

• Participate in workshops and other events held at the annual Environmental Journalism , Health Journalism  and Science Writers conferences. 
• Learn from custom webinars scheduled throughout the year for additional opportunities to gain skills, connections and resources to inform their reporting. 
• Be matched with a professional mentor.
• Receive prepaid memberships in the National Association of Science Writers, SEJ and AHCJ.
• Participate in peer-to-peer networking platforms. 
• Receive project support stipends if they are an independent journalist.

The Combined Pilot Research Grants by the Plastic Surgery Foundation and the American Association for Hand Surgery aim to promote innovative research in hand surgery and related fields. Grants of up to $15,000 are available for one-year pilot projects to help develop surgeon scientists and advance clinical practices. Applicants must be affiliated with U.S. or Canadian institutions and hold relevant qualifications. The initiative emphasizes funding projects that contribute to the scientific knowledge of hand surgery.

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.

The Community Foundation of Shelby County

Our Mission

To inspire donor generosity and transform it into meaningful, lasting impact through charitable gifts.

Our Vision

To be the primary partner for donors who want to advance the community’s quality of life and capacity for excellence.

William and Patsy Zorn Veterans Scholarship

Selection based upon (in order of priority):

• Academic ability, demonstrated community and school service, and recommendations.

Awards

• One $1,300 scholarship

DeKalb County Farm Bureau Foundation

Mission – The Foundation’s mission is to broaden awareness and understanding of agriculture through outreach and education.

Scholarships

The DeKalb County Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is proud to offer numerous scholarships for high school seniors and college students. Preference will be given to applicants of Farm Bureau members or their children with certain eligibility requirements.

College Students Scholarships 

The DeKalb County Farm Bureau Foundation endeavors to recognize students for their academic, school and community performance while in college. The recognition is in the form of a scholarship to the student’s school of choice. The scholarship award will be sent directly to the recipient’s school to be applied toward college costs. 

Ag Discipline Scholarship

This scholarship is available to college students in agriculture-related degree programs. The $2,000 scholarship is for sophomores, juniors, and seniors in college pursuing a field of study related to agriculture. Up to three scholarships will be awarded.

Community Foundation of New Jersey

Over our 46-year history, the Community Foundation of New Jersey has collaborated with individuals, families, organizations, and businesses to design charitable funds and implement the philanthropic solutions they want to see in their communities. We leverage $1.17 billion in assets and 1,200 funds to help our partners think boldly and creatively about ways to give.

Scholarship Fund Overview

Beyond a shared commitment to educational opportunity, families establish scholarship funds with a variety of goals and purposes in mind. They may offer traditional scholarships or customize fund awards for alternative scholarships.

Currently, CFNJ administers more than 135 scholarship funds. Our scholarship opportunities run the gamut, from those exclusive to a local high school or geographic region to those supporting specific majors or career pursuits. Last year, we awarded over $2 million in scholarship assistance to 271 scholars.

Applicants may be evaluated on academic performance; extracurricular activities; community involvement; paid or unpaid work; and a statement of their personal aspirations, educational goals, and demonstrated unmet financial need in our scholarship review process.

Wilhelmina Holder Student Assistance Emergency Fund

Nurturing the brilliance of Newark’s youth

Wilhelmina Holder believed that we all have a role to play in changing the world around us. As a Newark resident, education advocate, parent organizer, and co-director of an after-school college access and prep program, her no-nonsense and energizing approach made her a “community mom” to many. She encouraged those around her to live with purpose and nurtured the brilliance of Newark’s youth.

In 2023, an emergency fund was created in honor of Wilhelmina’s life’s work. It’s maintained, funded, and distributed by Newark residents who value and embody her spirit of aspiring to greatness through postsecondary success and uplifting the community through advocacy. 

Emergency Support

This emergency fund focuses on Newark residents currently enrolled in postsecondary programs — including colleges, universities, and certification programs — who need assistance with daily and unexpected costs that financial aid doesn’t cover. Covered costs include books, fees, transportation, food, etc., along with any unexpected emergencies that might derail students’ chances of earning a postsecondary degree or certificate.

If your home address is located in Newark, fill out a fund application. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and awards are given four times a year in January, May, August, and November. Students may apply for any amount up to $5,000 and must demonstrate a documented need.

The U.S. Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism, awarded by the Sidney Hillman Foundation, recognizes outstanding journalism that serves the common good. Open to journalists globally, the prize honors works published or broadcast in English within the last year. Winners receive a $5,000 honorarium and a certificate at a ceremony in New York City. This prestigious award promotes impactful storytelling that resonates with a U.S. audience and champions social justice.

The STEM Higher Education Grant Program, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, aims to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM graduate education. The program focuses on transforming educational pathways, empowering universities, and supporting innovative initiatives that cultivate a diverse faculty body. By addressing systemic barriers and promoting inclusive environments, the Foundation seeks to ensure that all students have equitable opportunities to succeed in STEM fields, ultimately strengthening the scientific enterprise.

The SAA Native American Undergraduate Archaeology Scholarship, funded by the Society for American Archaeology, supports Native American students pursuing undergraduate studies in archaeology. With an award of up to $6,000 available annually, this scholarship aims to empower students and promote the preservation of cultural heritage through education and collaboration. It encourages participation from all Native peoples across the Americas, ensuring accessibility and support for educational advancement in the field of archaeology.

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.

Sue Bailey Service Scholarship

• Graduating senior, graduating early college student, current college student, or adult from the greater Holland/Zeeland area or Byron Center
• Accepted and enrolling/enrolled at an accredited post-secondary school (including vocational/technical school) within the United States
• Working to pay their way through school and committed to service

Puget Sound Energy Scholarship

Scholarship for graduating high school seniors pursuing a degree in engineering. Applicants must live in Island, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Skagit, Thurston or Whatcom counties.

We are about helping children, right here in Marietta!

Kiwanis Club of Marietta members participate in service projects, hold fundraisers, and change children’s lives in our community. In addition, club members contribute to Kiwanis International initiatives helping clubs around the world assist children with education, basic needs, and medical care.

The Kiwanis Club of Marietta was chartered March 3, 1930 - Marietta, GA.

The Kiwanis Club of Marietta has proudly established and contributed to several scholarship endowments over the years to support deserving college students in our community. These scholarships are made possible through our club's Flag Project, which places over 1,300 American flags in front of homes and businesses five times each year.

Bill “Scoop” Kinney Journalism Scholarship

This scholarship was established in 2006 by the Marietta Kiwanis Foundation in honor of Mr. Bill Kinney, the Senior Associate Editor of the Marietta Daily Journal. 

Selection emphasis will be placed on academic performance with priority given to current or former Cobb or Marietta.

Awards

• $2500

Hero Fund America Fund Seeks Applications for its First Responders Grant Round

Hero Fund America (HFA) Fund, a field-of-interest fund of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, is seeking applications for its First Responders Grant Round for programs, projects, and other needs that will support education, training, lifesaving equipment, and mental health of fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and law enforcement agencies.

Hero Fund America Fund was founded in partnership with Hero Fund America by Garth Roberts of Sharon Springs, NY. Inspired by the selfless and heroic efforts of first responders during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, Roberts initiated the Provincetown First Responders Appreciation Month, honoring 45 Boston EMS paramedics, emergency medical technicians, dispatchers, and their families. The success of that project inspired the 2016 creation of Hero Fund America.

Since 2016, the fund has awarded more than 100 grants totaling over $123,000 to meet the needs of first responders across the nation.

“Grants awarded through the Hero Fund America Fund have helped departments improve their abilities to better serve and protect the civilian population,” said Roberts. “Hero Fund America remains firmly committed to raising both funding and awareness in support of the First Responder community.”

The Leonard and Dorothy Custer Memorial Scholarship supports undergraduate students in Colorado who have experienced foster care for at least two years within the last five years. With a minimum award of $4,000, this scholarship can be utilized for tuition, fees, and educational supplies. Candidates must demonstrate financial need, maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and be enrolled in an accredited institution. Applications are evaluated based on academic performance and potential.