Best Grants for Youth Programs in Michigan

The Youth Sports Grant offers up to $5,000 in travel funding for nonprofessional youth sports teams to participate in sporting events in North Carolina and beyond. This grant is available on a rolling basis and is limited to one application per county each year. Eligible applicants include local government units and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. The aim is to support youth engagement in sports and facilitate travel costs such as transportation and lodging.

The 15 and the Mahomies Foundation Grants aim to enhance the lives of children by supporting health, wellness, and community initiatives. This private foundation seeks to fund 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, focusing on charitable causes. Grant requests are reviewed quarterly, and applicants must meet eligibility criteria. However, the foundation does not accept applications from individuals or for non-charitable items such as autographs or game tickets.

Blue Meridian Partners Grant aims to transform lives of young people and families in poverty by investing in scalable strategies that enhance economic and social mobility. The organization seeks stand-alone nonprofits with a proven track record, a compelling vision, and strong leadership. With a commitment to performance-based investing, Blue Meridian provides significant capital, often exceeding $100 million, to foster impactful solutions and address pressing social challenges effectively.

The Allstate Foundation - College Service Grants support youth empowerment through community service initiatives at community colleges and HBCUs across the U.S. Grants of $10,000 aim to enable youth-led projects that redefine service in the wake of a global pandemic. With over $1 million allocated to this effort, the program encourages innovative approaches to civic engagement and volunteerism, fostering a new generation of community leaders.

The Boustany Foundation's Sport 4 Children Award aims to enhance children's lives through sports, fostering happiness, health, and social skills. Open to organizations globally, the award supports projects that utilize sports for children's well-being. With a funding of 50,000 Euros, it encourages innovative and inclusive initiatives that promote participation in sports, aiming to create positive behavioral changes and community engagement. The foundation believes in the transformative power of sports to build responsible and healthy adults.

The Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day Mini-Grant supports events that honor civil rights activist Ruby Bridges by encouraging students to walk to school and engage in discussions about activism, anti-racism, and anti-bullying. Grants of $500 or $1000 are available based on the number of students reached. This initiative aims to inspire positive changes within communities and promote meaningful dialogue among young people about social justice issues.

The All Kids Play: Youth Sports Grant aims to support families and community-based organizations in low-income areas, ensuring access to recreational sports for children in grades K-12. This grant assists those who struggle to afford youth sports, providing essential funding on a first-come, first-served basis. Eligible organizations must demonstrate budget constraints and operate in areas with high low-income student percentages, promoting inclusivity in youth sports participation.

Impact100 Traverse City provides transformational grants across five counties, focusing on environment, education, arts, family, and health initiatives. Eligible organizations must be tax-exempt and serve the local community. Grants promote innovation and sustainability, ensuring funds are fully utilized within 24 months. Collaborative proposals are welcomed, emphasizing partnership among nonprofits. This funding aims to enhance the quality of life in the region, fostering cultural growth and well-being for residents.

The Impact100 Little Traverse Bay Grant Program supports nonprofits in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties, focusing on community improvement in areas such as Arts & Culture, Environment, Health & Wellness, Education, and Family. Eligible organizations must be 501(c)(3) charities based in these counties, with funds exclusively used within the region. The program promotes innovative initiatives that enhance life quality while ensuring sustainability and accountability through periodic progress reports.

Impact100 Genesee County is dedicated to providing grants to nonprofits that focus on enhancing community welfare through various sectors, including arts, education, environment, and health. Eligible organizations must be 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, based in Genesee County, and meet specific financial criteria. The initiative prioritizes projects that support underserved populations and address critical community needs, ensuring impactful use of funds within two years.

Steve's Foundation Grant is a small private funding opportunity providing grants between $500 and $5,000, averaging $2,600. It supports organizations that empower disadvantaged individuals, focusing on cost-effective programs that yield significant impacts. The foundation prioritizes proposals from non-profits that directly assist those in need, especially children and marginalized communities. Applications are evaluated annually in May or June, but due to high demand, the foundation cannot respond to every inquiry.

The Boys and Girls Club of Grand Traverse Endowment supports programs that empower young people to reach their full potential. By providing a safe environment and fostering relationships with caring adults, the endowment enables youth to engage in life-enriching activities and character development. Serving Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties, it aims to create productive, responsible citizens who contribute positively to their communities.

The Grief Reach Grants: Community Education Cycle, funded by the National Alliance for Children's Grief (NACG), aims to empower organizations that support grieving youth. With $10,000 grants available, the initiative enhances access to essential bereavement resources and education, addressing the needs of children coping with loss. This program is crucial as 1 in 12 children will experience the death of a loved one by age 18, highlighting the urgent need for support in diverse communities.

The Reading is Fundamental Matching Grant - Books for Ownership program supports local literacy initiatives by providing funding for diverse books and literacy resources. Established in 1966, RIF aims to foster a culture of literacy among children in under-resourced communities. Eligible organizations can apply for funding to double their impact through matched funds, ensuring children have access to high-quality books that reflect their experiences and broaden their perspectives.

The Reading is Fundamental Matching Grant for Read for Success empowers local organizations to enhance literacy by providing matching funds for books and resources. Since 1966, RIF has partnered with communities to foster a culture of reading among children in need, offering diverse books that reflect their lives. This grant matches local investments dollar-for-dollar, maximizing the impact of funding for educational programs. Eligible applicants include schools and youth-serving organizations across the U.S., supporting children from birth through grade 12.

The Total Wireless + Empower Work: Working Students Pilot Grant aims to support working students in Dallas, Detroit, and Chicago through grants ranging from $50,000 to $150,000. Nonprofits will be selected to fund programs that provide job training, skill development, and host events to assist these students. This initiative encourages partnerships with organizations committed to fostering equitable workplaces and enhancing the educational journeys of working students.

The Service Club Alliance Grant, offered by the Midland Area Community Foundation, is designed to facilitate collaboration among Midland area service clubs. This initiative streamlines the grant process, allowing nonprofit organizations to submit a unified application to multiple clubs for support. By sharing applications, the Alliance enhances resource allocation effectiveness, ensuring impactful community support. Nonprofits can apply without a limit on requests, promoting flexibility in addressing urgent community needs.

Adaptive Sports in Schools Mobility Grants

Request for Proposals

More than 7 million students in the U.S. receive special education services for disabilities in public schools. A 2010 study by the U.S. General Accountability Office found that students with disabilities participated in athletics at significantly lower rates than their peers. Currently, 2,490 k-12 public schools in the U.S. are members of the American Association of Adaptive Sports Programs schools and have adaptive sports programs for students.

The Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund seeks public schools pursuing funding to start adaptive sports programs or increase access to adaptive sports and equipment for children and youth. Bridgestone is offering eight $25,000 “mobility” grants to organizations that can establish new athletic programming for students with disabilities. Organizations must articulate a clear plan to provide access to new athletic programs for students with disabilities in one or more public schools for students grades K-12.

About

With deep roots in California’s Central Valley, The Save Mart Companies and its family of stores prides itself in being a part of neighborhoods and putting people first. Our dedication to customers is reflected in the connections we’ve made in the communities we’ve served for more than 70 years.

The Save Mart Companies CARES Foundation

In 2000, we established The Save Mart Companies CARES Foundation, our philanthropic, non-profit organization, supporting programs and organizations that provide vital resources for children and families in the communities we serve. The CARES Foundation focuses on building stronger communities through fresh foods, accessibility, and programs that support youth and helping them to thrive. Annually, The CARES Foundation contributes approximately $500,000 in small grants to support community-based, non-profit organizations.

The Save Mart Companies CARES Foundation Grant

The CARES Foundation’s focus is building stronger communities through fresh foods, access to food, and programs that support youth and helping them thrive.

The CARES Foundation will review, on a quarterly basis, among other things, the breadth of the audience served; the likely impact in the community; the importance of the need to be addressed in the community; and the community reputation, service history, and financial stability of the group or program seeking funds. No one of these or other factors will necessarily be weighted more heavily than another. Instead, each group or program will be measured against all groups and 2 programs seeking funding at the time. For example, a program serving a small segment of the community but that addresses an especially important community need, and thus has the potential for a strong and meaningful impact, would be favored over a group serving a wider clientele but that fills a less important community need. Requests for Grants should be a minimum of $500.00 up to $10,000.00. Programs and organizations requesting smaller grants should contact the Store Manager of the nearest Save Mart Companies’ store location for request consideration.

Recipients that receive grants for more than one year must demonstrate meaningful outcomes for the previous investment made by The CARES Foundation.

About Us

Mission

We enhance the quality of life for all by working together to collectively address challenges and opportunities throughout West Michigan.

Vision

We advance the well-being of our communities by creating the best places to live, learn, work, give, and engage.

Who We Serve

We serve our entire community, without exception. Our commitment is for every individual, family, and organization who works in, visits, or calls the greater Northern Ottawa County area home.

The GHACF is a welcoming place for all people. We believe all people should:

• Feel welcome, safe, and accepted
• Be treated with respect and dignity
• Have equitable access to opportunities to improve their lives and the lives of their families
• Have a voice in the community

Grant Application Process

The Coopersville Area Community Foundation:

• Encourages programs which are collaborative, comprehensive, and have potential for continuity.
• Encourages leveraging and matching grant opportunities involving multiple funding sources.
• Supports “seed money” requests to assist innovative projects.
• Encourages programs and projects focused on problem prevention rather than cure.

Coopersville Area Youth Grant Program

The Coopersville Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council awards grants annually to support local programs and projects that work to expand programming and opportunities for the young people in our community.

Young Health Programme

The Young Health Programme (YHP) is a global disease prevention initiative, aiming to provide education for young people to feel empowered to make informed choices about their health and catalyse a global, youth-led advocacy movement.

The programme operates in over 40 countries and partners with more than 60 non-profit organisations, including UNICEF and Plan International. The YHP combines community programmes, research, advocacy, and the development of young leaders, with a focus on underserved communities.

Since its launch in 2010, the YHP has directly reached over 23 million young people, trained over 1 million, and engaged more than 23,000 AstraZeneca employees, who have volunteered their time with more than 140,000 hours.

The YHP aims to prevent the most common non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and respiratory disease, by addressing five main risk factors: tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol, and air pollution. Additionally, the programme tackles climate-health impacts to build healthier communities, recognising, as projected in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, that children born after 2010 will be the first generation to enter adulthood in a world where the average temperature will reach 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and are expected to experience a +2°C rise within their lifetime.1

AstraZeneca Young Health Programme Impact Fellowship 2026

AstraZeneca is looking for passionate, driven young leaders to join their 2026 Young Health Programme (YHP) Impact Fellowship. The Fellowship supports young advocates to create actionable change to: 

• Advance health equity – with a focus on acting early to prevent non-communicable diseases among young people, or supporting young people living with rare diseases.
• Take action on climate and nature – advocating for the mitigation of the harmful effects of climate change on the health and well-being of young people.
• Build health systems resilience – contributing to stronger health systems that prioritise earlier intervention to meet today’s needs and mitigate tomorrow’s disease burden.

Benefits

The selected Fellows will gain access to networks, funding and development opportunities, enabling them to drive a global health movement led by and for young people:

A fully-funded scholarship to attend the 2026 One Young World Summit in Cape Town, South Africa (3–6 November 2026) as well as access to the One Young World Ambassador Network and the Young Health Programme (YHP) Alumni group of other young changemakers working to improve youth health.

Structured learning and development offerings to enable them to scale their impact, including both self-directed and live learning. This includes access to the One Young World Academy, an award-winning mini-MBA programme, mentorship from AstraZeneca colleagues and professional training.

Each selected Fellow will receive a grant of either USD $10,000 or USD $50,000 (if selected as the Lead2030 winner** for Sustainable Development Goal 3, for which applicants will be automatically considered) from AstraZeneca, through their non-profit organisation. Fellows are expected to use the grant to implement a project focused on either (1) advancing health equity (2) taking action on climate and nature (3) building health systems resilience.

The Rare Impact Fund, founded by Selena Gomez, is dedicated to transforming mental health support for young people. With a commitment to mobilizing $100 million, the fund aims to enhance access to mental health services and promote a stigma-free community. Through public Requests for Proposals, the initiative seeks to strengthen the nonclinical youth mental health workforce, ensuring effective support systems that reflect the diverse backgrounds of youth. This innovative approach fosters lasting change in mental health care.

Empowering Monroe County Nonprofits

At the Community Foundation of Monroe County, we partner with organizations that drive meaningful change. From health and education to the environment, we provide the resources to help our local nonprofits thrive.

Monroe Health Endowment

The Community Foundation of Monroe County (CFMC) is seeking implementation-focused proposals for projects that directly advance Monroe County’s Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). We are investing in collaborative, community-driven solutions that produce measurable health outcomes for our residents.

Otsego Community Foundation

The Otsego Community Foundation (OCF) is a nonprofit organization created by and for the people of our community. We help meet critical local needs by collaborating with donors and nonprofits serving Otsego county, managing permanent funds, and awarding purposeful grants. We magnify your generosity and impact and ensure that charitable funds are directed where they matter most. Our services cover the entire county and all fields of interest including Arts and Culture, Conservation, Community and Economic Development, Health and Human Services, Education and Youth Initiatives.

Ultimately, our efforts help fill forests with trees, minds with knowledge, youth with dreams, workforce with skills, society with art & culture, pantries with food, communities with connections, and hearts with that joyful feeling of making a difference.

Adapt Grants

Adapt Grants are designed to fund projects that are small in scale, meet an unanticipated need, explore new opportunities, sponsor an event, and grow capacity. These grants are meant to be flexible and support you in adapting to changing needs, so whether you’re dreaming up a new project that could use seed or matching support, or are tackling a challenge that popped up suddenly, we want to support you in executing your day-to-day mission. Compared to the Community Grant Program “big rocks”, we consider these to be “pebble” projects. Both are important for advancing one’s mission. You can apply for both an Adapt Grant and the Community Grant Program in the same year.  

For 2025-2027 the OCF has identified three high impact partners areas to proactively support the community:

• OCAN-Advanced training
• Housing Task Force-Attainable housing
• START-Coordinated human service

Proposals that align with these areas will be strongly considered. 

Navigant Credit Union 

Navigant Credit Union is the longest-operating, member-owned credit union in Rhode Island. Since its founding in 1915, Navigant Credit Union has been dedicated to providing its members with unparalleled financial products and services, while working every day to stay committed to the financial well-being of the families, businesses and communities we serve. 

Navigant Credit Union Charitable Foundation Grant

For over a century, Navigant Credit Union has been committed to making a meaningful difference in the community. In 2017, we established the Navigant Credit Union Charitable Foundation to further amplify our impact in five strategic areas:

• Education & Financial Literacy: Organizational and capital support for programs, supplies, building products, sports facilities and teams.
• Social Services: Financial support for programs and organizations for children, veterans, hunger and housing.
• Public Health, Safety & Well-Being: Support for programs addressing public safety, emergency care and eradication of disease.

The FY 2026 Continuum of Care Competition and Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program Grants aim to eliminate homelessness through community collaboration. The program provides funding to various entities to help rehouse individuals and families in need, especially those affected by domestic violence and youth experiencing homelessness. Additionally, it focuses on promoting access to mainstream resources and enhancing self-sufficiency among those impacted by homelessness, particularly targeting youth aged 24 and younger.

Our Mission

KidsGardening creates opportunities for kids to play, learn, and grow through gardening, engaging their natural curiosity and wonder.

We want every child to experience the unique transformation that occurs when they spend time caring for a garden, be it outside, in a classroom, or in a cup on the kitchen windowsill. Since 1982, KidsGardening has served as a premier support provider for youth garden programs nationwide.

We support educators and families with grant funding, original educational resources, inspiration, and community to get more kids learning through the garden.

Growing the Future Intergenerational Garden Grant

In celebration of Miracle-Gro’s 75th anniversary, Miracle-Gro and KidsGardening are partnering to fund 75 intergenerational youth garden grants in 2026.

Intergenerational gardens provide opportunities for older gardeners to pass along traditions, knowledge, and skills to the next generation or share the experience of developing skills if new to gardening. In turn, young people bring their curiosity, wonder, and contagious enthusiasm for learning and life, exciting everyone involved in the growing process.

The 2026 Growing the Future Intergenerational Garden Grant is designed to support gardens that intentionally bring children and older adults together through shared gardening experiences.

Funding Priorities

The selection of winners is prioritized based on demonstrated need and program impact. KidsGardening considers a variety of factors when determining needs, including:

• Socioeconomic & Sociodemographic Factors: How does the program exist within or engage a community that has been systematically denied resources, whether physical assets and money or representative leadership and community services? Organizations affected by multiple socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors are given priority.

• Program Funding and Support: Does an organization have access to consistent, substantial monetary support or prior grant funding? Or are pre-existing resources (financial or otherwise) limited? Organizations experiencing the latter are given priority.

• Impact: Will grant funding dramatically expand learning opportunities for program participants? Does the intended impact reflect the needs of the community? Organizations working with more than 50 youth will be given priority.

Award Packages

Grantees will receive:

• A $500 cash award check
• A $250 coupon to purchase essential gardening supplies from ScottsMiracleGro.com