NOTE: For nonprofit organizations new to U.S. Bank Foundation, a Letter of Interest is available. Community Affairs Managers will review Letter of Interest submissions periodically to learn about new and innovative programs and organizations in their regions and markets. After reviewing a Letter of Interest, a Community Affairs Manager may reach out with a request for a full application. You can access the Letter of Interest by clicking the “Submit a letter of interest” link at the bottom of this page. Letters of Interest may be submitted at any time during the year.

Community Possible Grant

Through U.S. Bank’s Community Possible® grant program, we invest in efforts to create stable jobs, safe homes and communities.

Funding Types

Within these general guidelines, we consider the following funding request types:

Operating grants

An operating grant is given to cover an organization’s day-to-day, ongoing expenses, such as salaries, utilities, office supplies and more. We consider operating support requests from organizations where the entire mission of the organization fits a Community Possible grant focus area.

Program or project grants

A program or project grant is given to support a specific, connected set of activities, with a beginning and an end, explicit objectives and a predetermined cost. We consider highly effective and innovative programs that meet our Community Possible grant focus areas.

Capital grants

A capital grant is given to finance fixed assets. The U.S. Bank Foundation considers a small number of requests for capital support from organizations that meet all other funding criteria, whose entire mission statement fits a Community Possible grant focus area, and with which the Foundation has a funding history. All organizations requesting capital funding must also have a U.S. Bank employee on the board of directors. U.S. Bank does not fund more than 1% of the non-endowment total capital campaign fundraising goal. All capital grant requests are reviewed and approved by the national U.S. Bank Foundation Board or by the U.S. Bank Foundation President.

Focus Area: PLAY

Creating vibrant communities through play.

Play brings joy, and it’s just as necessary for adults as it is for kids. But in low-income areas there are often limited spaces for play and fewer people attending arts and cultural events. That’s why we invest in community programming that supports ways for children and adults to play and create.

Access to artistic and cultural programming and arts education

Our investments ensure economic vitality and accessibility to the arts in local communities, as well as support for arts education. Examples of grant support include:

• Programs that provide access to cultural activities, visual and performing arts, zoos and aquariums and botanic gardens for individuals and families living in underserved communities
• Funding for local arts organizations that enhance the economic vitality of the community
• Programs that provide funding for arts-focused nonprofit organizations that bring visual and performing arts programming to low- and moderate-income K-12 schools and youth centers

Supporting learning through play.

Many young people across the country do not have the resources or access to enjoy the benefits of active play. Supporting active play-based programs and projects for K-12 students located in or serving low- and moderate-income communities fosters innovation, creativity, and collaboration and impacts the overall vitality of the communities we serve. Funding support includes:

• Support for organizations that build or expand access to active play spaces and places that help K-12 students learn through play and improves the health, safety and unification of neighborhoods in low- and moderate-income communities
• Programs that focus on using active play to help young people develop cognitive, social and emotional learning skills to become vibrant and productive citizens in low- and moderate-income communities

Focus Area: WORK

Supporting workforce education and prosperity.

We know that a strong small business environment and an educated workforce ensure the prosperity of our communities and reducing the expanding wealth gap for communities of color. We provide grant support to programs and organizations that help small businesses thrive, allow people to succeed in the workforce, provide pathways to higher education and gain greater financial literacy.

Investing in the workforce.

We fund organizations that provide training for small business development, as well as programs that support individuals across all skill and experience levels, to ensure they have the capability to gain employment that supports individuals and their families. Examples of grant support include:

Small business technical assistance programs

Job-skills, career readiness training programs with comprehensive placement services for low- and moderate-income individuals entering or reentering the labor force

Providing pathways for educational success.

To address the growing requirements for post-secondary education in securing competitive jobs in the workplace, we support:

• Organizations and programs that help low- and moderate-income and at-risk middle and high school students prepare for post-secondary education at a community college, university, trade or technical school and career readiness
• Programs and initiatives at post-secondary institutions that support access to career and educational opportunities for low- and moderate-income and diverse students

Teaching financial well-being for work and life.

Financial well-being is not only critical for financial stability, it’s crucial in helping individuals be successful in the workplace. Examples of grant support include programs that positively impact:

• K-12 and college student financial literacy
• Adult and workforce financial literacy
• Senior financial fraud prevention
• Military service member and veteran financial literacy

Focus Area: HOME

Working to revitalize communities one neighborhood at a time.

Children and families are better positioned to thrive and succeed in a home that is safe and permanent. Access to sustainable low-income housing is increasingly challenges for low-moderate income families. In response, our giving supports efforts that connect individuals and families with sustainable housing opportunities.

Access to safe, affordable housing

We provide financial support to assist people in developing stability in their lives through access to safe, sustainable and accessible homes. Examples of grant support include:

• Organizations that preserve, rehabilitate, renovate or construct affordable housing developments for low- and moderate-income families, individuals, seniors, veterans, and special-needs populations
• Organizations that provide transitional housing as a direct steppingstone to permanent housing
• Organizations that focus on Veterans housing and homeownership
• Construction of green homes for low- and moderate-income communities
• Energy retrofit programs for low- and moderate-income housing developments

Home ownership education

Owning and maintaining a home requires significant financial knowledge, tools, and resources. We support programs that assist low- and moderate-income homebuyers and existing homeowners. Examples of grant support include:

• Homebuyer education
• Pre- and post-purchase counseling and coaching
• Homeownership-retention programs designed to provide foreclosure counseling

NOTE:

• LOIs accepted throughout the year without deadline. LOI reviewed by grants committee within 60 days.
• If approved, an organization receives an invitation to submit a proposal. Proposals due 45 days from invitation. 
• Note that, if invited, full proposal application windows for specific regions are as follows:
• The Piedmont Triad & Western N.C. - eligible to submit proposal between October 1 & December 1
• Upstate S.C. & the Midlands - eligible to submit proposal between January 1 & March 1
• The Research Triangle - eligible to submit proposal between April 1 & June 1
• Charleston & Coastal S.C. - eligible to submit proposal between July 1 & September 1

Leon Levine Foundation

The Leon Levine Foundation funds some of the most compelling, impactful nonprofit programs in our region. Our grantees must meet rigorous requirements for funding that set them up for success, and our community benefits from their outcomes.

The Leon Levine Foundation funds a variety of organizations and programs that serve the public without discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status or national origin.

What kind of funding does the Foundation provide?

The Foundation will provide funding consideration for general operating support, project/program support, scholarship support, capital campaign support, and in some cases, endowment support. 

Healthcare

Supporting quality healthcare, improving access, & investing in local programs/medical research to prolong & improve quality of life. 

One of the characteristics of a successful and thriving community is access to quality physical and mental healthcare. By investing in effective healthcare programs, we have a unique opportunity to enrich lives. The Foundation not only funds local programming and medical research to improve health outcomes, but also supports grantees that improve access to healthcare for those who are living with disease and illness.

Access to Care: Bridging the access gap between healthcare and patients

Good health is important to all of us. We are working to ensure that everyone in our community has access to the highest quality healthcare.

Our region is fortunate to have some of the best healthcare services in the Southeast if not the nation, and we are proud to be partners with many of these facilities. Whether it’s the largest children’s hospital between Washington D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia or a unique, comprehensive, cancer option for rural citizens, we work to improve the overall quality of offerings in our region.

Complementing our Human Services focus, many of our healthcare grants seek to assist hardworking and motivated individuals, who may have fallen on hard times. Circumstances beyond a person’s control should not prevent access to quality healthcare.

The Foundation funds nonprofits supporting patients and their families to improve access to care and medical support services. We take a special interest in funding organizations that provide assistance to those who may not otherwise be able to afford such care.

Local Programming & Research: Funding local programming and research to prolong and improve lives

The Leon Levine Foundation wants to improve quality of life through our support of local programming and research to help individuals live longer and healthier lives.

The Foundation has a special interest in local programs and research for cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s and mental health—some of the most prevalent diseases of our time.

We welcome impactful ideas from strong nonprofits who share our commitment toward promoting a healthier future through outstanding programs, research, and treatments.

Education

Strengthening birth-12th grade public education & providing post-secondary access to disadvantaged & motivated individuals.

Education and opportunity come hand-in-hand. At The Leon Levine Foundation, we believe education is one of the keys to a thriving economy and community. By investing in students from birth through post-secondary education, we are helping to end generational poverty and building a prosperous future for us all

Scholarship Programs: Providing the toolbox to succeed

The Leon Levine Foundation seeks to support driven minds who need a boost to reach their full potential.

We strive to invest in the most effective scholarship programs that allow the disadvantaged and motivated among us the ability to better their lives through their own hard work.

We focus on providing need-based scholarship opportunities for students attending universities or community colleges in the Charlotte region. The Foundation takes a special interest in scholarship programs that provide additional support services and enhanced programming.

Student Achievement: Lifting students up to success

At the Foundation, we believe all of our young people should have access to a quality education no matter whom they are or what they wish to pursue.

Our funding helps nonprofits support disadvantaged and motivated individuals achieve self-sufficiency through education. Our grants focus on innovative and/or research-proven models that raise student achievement or close the achievement gap between different socio-economic backgrounds.

Our investments focus on giving teachers and school leaders the resources they need to create thriving educational programs, including programs for pre-school aged children and programs expanding the school calendar.

Jewish Values

Carolinas: Instilling Jewish values and strengthening communities

At the Foundation, we believe that spiritual and emotional fulfillment improves society overall.

Therefore, we invest in Jewish organizations helping to instill Jewish values, traditions and customs in the lives of Jewish people in Charlotte and the Carolinas.

Human Services

Helping motivated individuals & families attain self-sufficiency by addressing personal crisis, affordable housing & sustainable income.

The Leon Levine Foundation works to ensure everyone in our community, who has the desire and motivation, has an equal opportunity for success. We focus our investments in organizations that serve people who want to make a better life for themselves and their families through education and hard work. Our grantees make the region stronger by increasing access to affordable housing and a living wage, improving the lives of children and families, and providing quality services to seniors and veterans.

Crisis: Creating an environment where everyone can succeed

The Foundation understands that good people can catch a bad break sometimes. We invest in programs that provide emergency temporary housing, clothing and food along with utility and rental assistance. These programs meet basic life needs for the “working poor” or recently unemployed who have fallen on hard times and are facing financial emergencies.

As opposed to a handout, this “hand up” approach is intended to help individuals and families get back onto the path of self-sufficiency. It’s critical for organizations in this sector to partner across the continuum of care to ensure their clients achieve this goal.

Self Sufficiency: Working to break the cycle of poverty, preserve dignity and restore community

The Foundation assists hardworking individuals who have a positive outlook and a sincere desire to improve themselves and others by funding highly effective programs that help individuals and families break the cycle of poverty.

Access to housing and income are important components of building a path toward sustainable self-sufficiency. We support programs that help individuals in their pursuit of earning a living wage, accessing earned benefits (e.g., veterans, disability or social security benefits) and obtaining affordable housing.

The Foundation believes children are our hope for building a stronger and better community. We look for programs that specifically support children, improve their lives and also benefit the lives of the generations that follow. Therefore, we invest in programs that rebuild and reinforce basic principles of family, marriage, parenting and caring for children.

The Foundation also works to assist those who have made countless contributions to our community. We believe all seniors should be given the ability to live an independent lifestyle, if they are willing and able. Our funding seeks to create a sense of community and fund care for those who cannot fully care for themselves.

Because of veterans’ numerous sacrifices in defense of this country and our freedoms, the Foundation believes Americans have the obligation to make certain these men and women are treated with dignity and respect. The Foundation seeks to fund initiatives that provide avenues for veterans to successfully re-enter society upon their return from service, whether it be through employment, education, access to healthcare and housing, or family support.

Community 

Improving our communities by enriching the lives of citizens through meaningful arts and culture programs and facilities.

We contribute to enhancing the cities of the Carolinas by supporting institutions—cultural, historical and educational—that enrich the region for current residents, and make it a destination for new residents. The Foundation invests in cultural projects and programs that support cultural diversity and have a significant and meaningful impact on these communities. There is primary interest in best-in-class organizations with long track records of quality programming and substantial budgets.

Priority Grants

Priority Grants are awarded to grantees that are pursuing projects that align with specific funding opportunities available. They are awarded based on their alignment with the Foundation’s strategic funding areas of Access to Healthcare and Prevention (see below). This funding will focus on programs and outcomes that make significant long-term impact on our community.

Access to Healthcare

• Strengthening the Safety Net
• A strong safety net, alongside coordinated wraparound supports, is key to overall community health. Safety net providers may include Federally Qualified Health Centers, emergency departments, community-based health centers, local health departments and free and charitable clinics. Coordinated wraparound services may include health education, transportation, housing and case management. The goal of Strengthening the Safety Net is to provide support for quality comprehensive care, including physical, oral and mental health, and coordinated wraparound services to improve overall health.
• Improving Maternal and Child Health
• Addressing potential health issues in pregnancy or early infancy can prevent death and disability and allow children to reach their full potential in life.
• The goal of the Maternal and Child Health initiative is to improve outcomes for moms, infants and families in the first year of life.

Prevention

• Healthy Behaviors
• According to Healthy People 2020, regular physical activity can improve the health and quality of life for people of all ages, even ones with chronic disease or disability.
• The focus of this initiative is to increase access to nutritional foods and physical activity and to improve health outcomes related to chronic diseases.
• Early Childhood Education
• What if every young child in Virginia had the education foundation he or she needs for success in school and life? This goal is at the core of the new early childhood education initiative and partnership between the Obici Healthcare Foundation and the University of Virginia for young children in Western Tidewater.
• After observing the state’s investment in early childhood initiatives, the Obici Healthcare Foundation made the decision to contribute $1M to boost initiative engagement in Western Tidewater. This funding is a movement toward the importance of early learning opportunities as a long-term health investment. CEO Annette Beuchler states, “Improving the level of early childhood education is the primary path for improving overall academic achievement and ultimately better health status.
• The investment paves the way for Western Tidewater to become a model case study for the impact of high quality early childhood educational experiences in a wide-range of preschool settings.
• Capacity Building
• In October 2018, the Obici Healthcare Foundation entered a strategic planning process with the Curtis Group. Together we will design a capacity building initiative to strengthen the overall capacity of nonprofit organizations in the service area. By gathering data and insights from local nonprofits and other successfully modeled capacity building initiatives, we will form the key components of the strategic planning process. The Obici Healthcare Foundation will bring together a suite of resources and tools to help organizations adapt impactful measures.

NOTE: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications must be submitted at least 60 days prior to the project start date. Applicants will be notified by email within four weeks of submission. Projects must take place between between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

New applicants are encouraged to contact the director of presenting & touring to discuss eligibility prior to submitting an application.

Detailed Program Description

South Arts believes that rural communities deserve great art, and can require specialized support to make that vision viable. Distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis, Express Grants support rural organizations and communities with expedited grants of up to $2,000.

To be eligible for funding, applicants must program arts experiences featuring an out-of-state Southern artist. Express Grants can be used to support fees for presenting Southern guest film directors, visual and performing artists, or writers from outside of the presenter’s state. Touring support is awarded for film (documentary, fiction and animation), performing arts (theater, music, opera, musical theater and dance), literary arts (fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry), and visual arts (crafts, drawing, experimental, painting, photography, sculpture and mixed media). Projects must include both a public presentation (film screening, performance, reading or exhibition) and an educational component.

South Arts is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. We have prioritized this commitment to ensure that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) led organizations, LGBTQIA+ led organizations, and organizations led by people with disabilities are represented as both applicants and grantees. In addition, we encourage applications for projects that engage BIPOC artists, LGBTQIA+ artists, and artists with disabilities. 

Guidelines

The project must include both a public presentation (film screening, performance, reading or exhibition) and an educational/community engagement component. Presentations at conferences and school-focused presentations (primarily engaging students, whether taking place at the school or another venue) will not be considered public presentations that are open and accessible to the general public; however, school-focused presentations will satisfy the educational component requirement.

The public presentation must meet the following requirements:

• For a public reading, a minimum of 30 minutes of presentation by the writer is required. 
• For a public performance, a minimum of 60 minutes of performance by the artist/company is required.
• For a public film screening, a minimum of 40 minutes of running time (this can include a full-length film or a collection of shorts) with the film director is required.
• For a public exhibition, a presentation with the artist is required.

The educational/community engagement component is an integral part of the engagement and should be carefully planned. A meaningful educational component should involve concentrated preparation by the artist/company and presenter, and include a learning event that has a lasting impact upon the audience (e.g., workshops, lectures and master classes). The artist(s)/company must conduct the educational activity. Please be aware that failure to include an educational/community engagement component will result in ineligibility.

NOTE: Micro Accessibility Grants will be accepted on a rolling basis beginning July 2022 through May 15, 2023. 

MICRO ACCESSIBILITY GRANTS

Micro Accessibility Grants provide up to $2,500 for organizations to make arts programs accessible to persons with disabilities.

The Southeast is home to some of the world’s more diverse and vibrant artistic communities. At South Arts, we believe that the arts are for everyone. The arts enrich the lives of people of all abilities and backgrounds. In our commitment to amplifying the success of the Southeast’s arts ecology, South Arts offers micro-funding to supplement the efforts of arts organizations throughout our service area. 

Art making is for everyone too! South Arts encourages arts organizations to hire artistic personnel of all abilities at all levels; for these grants in particular, we encourage arts organizations to work directly with artists who identify as disabled. 

Through our partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, South Arts offers small grants that compliment existing efforts by arts organizations to include audiences and artists with disabilities. Accessibility micro-grants are available to support Nonprofit, 501c3, arts organizations located within the South Arts Service region states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. This funding program is open to a wide variety of organizations, including community cultural organizations, museums, performing arts presenters, theatre companies, visual arts and music organizations. 

South Arts has prioritized the following:

• South Arts prioritizes applications from BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ identifying organizations.
• South Arts prioritizes applications from organizations led by persons with disabilities or organizations that provide significant programming to artists or audiences with disabilities. 
• South Arts is committed to funding artists organizations in rural communities (with populations under 50,000).

Grant Requests

Applicants may request funding of $500-$2,500 for eligible projects. Organizations must provide a 1:1 funding match; note that 50% of the recipient's match must come from a cash match.

Mission

The mission of Southern Partners Fund (SPF) is to serve rural Southeastern communities and organizations seeking social, economic and environmental justice by providing them with financial resources, technical assistance, training and access to systems of information and power. There are two central ideas embraced in the democratic philanthropy of Southern Partners Fund: compassion and community. Compassion implies an understanding or concern for community members lacking local political power to impact the decisions that affect their lives. Community relates to the things that bring us and hold us together.

Purpose

The Purpose of SPF Grantmaking is to:

• Develop and nurture grassroots community-based leaders and organizers.
• Build the capacity of rural, grassroots community organizing groups and leaders.
• Strengthen rural communities and people.
• Develop equitable peer relationships, which support real transformation toward a just society.

Hubert E. Sapp Regular Grants Cycle

SPF’s grantee partners are transforming their communities by building sustainable organizations aimed at reversing the inequities of the rural South. They are learning not to focus on the symptoms of inequities, but on the root cause; racist and anti immigrant mindsets of small-town mayors and city council members. SPF’s grantees are tackling social and economic systems that for them have been rooted in persistent poverty and lack of resources, compounded by poorly performing schools.

We are proud to partner with extraordinary community organizations and coalitions through our regular grants cycle, assisting them to build capacity and power. We believe general operating support is best for building capacity, particularly for small to midsize community-based organizations in the rural South.

In 2013, SPF’s board adopted its Southern Organizing Strategy, focusing 60% of grant funds on three special initiatives:

• Voter Rights & Engagement
• Immigration Rights
• Education Reform

In 2019, under the banner of “revolutionary change,” SPF’s board decided to integrate census and redistricting work into the ongoing major initiatives above as each was directly impacted by the Census and Redistricting process that laid ahead. Though there are still pending redistricting lawsuits in many of our southeastern states, for 2022, SPF is back to its original SOS strategy, with at least 60% of regular grant cycle funds going to Voter Rights & Engagement, Immigration Rights, and Education Reform.

The remaining 40% of grants will continue to fund:

• Environmental Justice
• Healthcare Reform
• Women & Girls' Leadership
• Economic Justice
• Incarceration Reform
• Youth Leadership
• Housing Reform
• LGBTQ Rights
• Disability Rights

During this cycle SPF will not consider grants to organizations with operating budgets over $350,000 for general operating support. If the budget is over $350,000 an organization may apply for project support.

With a funding contribution from Toyota in connection with the launch of the RAV4 Hybrid Woodland Edition, NEEF is seeking projects that will help make public lands more accessible and enjoyable for Americans of all abilities together with their families and friends. Through the Driving Mobility and Accessibility on Public Lands grant, NEEF aims to:

• Increase the capacity of local organizations to address mobility and accessibility considerations on public lands and waterways; and
• Improve the level of access, comfort, and enjoyment experienced by public lands visitors of all abilities together with their families and friends.

Description

The mission of the Union County Community Foundation is to inspire philanthropy and strengthen our community by supporting initiatives that address local needs and providing quality services to donors and constituents.

The Board of Advisors supports this mission through an annual competitive grantmaking program. The Foundation is an investor in the community and is interested in creating the highest possible levels of community gain, focused on improving the lives of citizens in Union County, North Carolina.

Result and Investment Areas

Priority will be given to requests for projects and programs that address the following investment areas:

• Broad charitable purposes
• Professional development for Union County public school teachers
• Support for individuals with mental or physical disabilities due to visual or hearing impairments

Projects and programs which clearly demonstrate their ability to attain measurable results will receive higher consideration. The Board will review each proposal's described evaluation metrics and expected results to decide how to invest the limited dollars of the Foundation. Grant requests are reviewed with the following questions in mind:

• What results are we investing in for this project?
• Is it likely this project will achieve these results?
• Is this the best possible use of funds?

NOTE: New applicants are encouraged to contact Nikki Estes at 404-874-7244 x816 to discuss eligibility before applying.

Presentation Grants Program

Presentation Grants are an opportunity for organizations in South Arts' nine-state region to receive fee support to present Southern guest film directors, visual and performing artists, or writers from outside of the presenter's state. Artist fee support is awarded for:

• film (documentary, fiction, experimental, and animation),
• performing arts (theater, music, opera, musical theater, and dance),
• literary arts (fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry),
• traditional arts, and
• visual arts (crafts, drawing, experimental, painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media).

Projects must include both a public presentation (film screening, performance, reading, or exhibition) and an educational/community engagement component. These grants are limited and very competitive. Based on the artist fee, the maximum request is $9,500 for modern dance and contemporary ballet or $7,500 for other artistic disciplines. 

South Arts is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. We have prioritized this commitment to ensure that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) led organizations, LGBTQIA+ led organizations, and organizations representing persons with disabilities are represented as both applicants and grantees. In addition, we encourage applications for projects that engage BIPOC artists, LGBTQIA+ artists, and artists with disabilities.