North Dakota Grants for Nonprofits

Bell's Brewery Sponsorships and Donations

Sponsored events and donations play a key role within our Bell’s philosophy. Through these events, we are able to not only give back to the communities we sell our beer in, but also get to have a great time with our fans! We are always looking for new opportunities and welcome your suggestions and applications. Please keep in mind that while we would love to be able to participate in everything, we sometimes must respectfully decline.

We do have a few guidelines we follow for all sponsorships and donations, please read through them below before proceeding to our application.

• Requests must be submitted at least 8 weeks prior to the event start date or the date the donation is needed. Any events submitted with less than 8 weeks’ notice will automatically be declined. We want to give every event we are involved in the best chance for success, which means we need time to plan. While 8 weeks is our minimum time requirement, additional time is always appreciated, especially for larger events.
• We do very little traditional advertising, instead we focus our efforts on sponsorships. When we partner with an event or an organization, we like to be involved! That said, if your proposal only involves a logo placement, we will politely decline in favor of events that offer us a chance to interact with our fans.
• We’re an eccentric bunch here at Bell’s and love to be involved with events that reflect your community’s eccentricities, uniqueness and inclusivity.
• We are always happy to consider requests for donations of Bell’s swag for homebrew competitions, fundraisers and events! That said, due to Michigan state law, we are not legally allowed to donate beer to events in any state. We’re sorry, but we legally cannot make any exceptions.

NOTE: For nonprofit organizations new to U.S. Bank Foundation, a Letter of Interest will be available in January 2021. 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

Our Mission

Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy.

Community and National Initiatives

Supporting successful, inclusive cities

What We Fund

Knight is a national foundation with deep local roots. We have offices in eight cities where the Knight brothers once published newspapers, and work through community foundations in 18 others. We work to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. 

Communities Program

Our work in community focuses on attracting and nurturing talent, enhancing opportunity, and fostering civic engagement. Rather than a single approach, we seek to support efforts authentic to each community. 

Cities with Knight Foundation offices

Learn more about our work in each of the communities where Knight has offices: 

• Akron, Ohio
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Detroit
• Macon, Georgia
• Miami
• Philadelphia
• San Jose, California
• St. Paul, Minnesota

In these cities, Knight program directors are your first point of contact. 

Community Foundations Program

Knight works in 18 small to mid-sized communities in partnership with local community foundations. Learn more about this program. 

• Aberdeen, South Dakota;
• Biloxi, Mississippi;
• Boulder, Colorado;
• Bradenton, Florida;
• Columbia, South Carolina;
• Columbus, Georgia;
• Duluth, Minnesota;
• Ft. Wayne, Indiana;
• Gary, Indiana;
• Grand Forks, North Dakota;
• Lexington, Kentucky;
• Long Beach, California;
• Milledgeville, Georgia;
• Myrtle Beach, South Carolina;
• Palm Beach County, Florida;
• State College, Pennsylvania;
• Tallahassee, Florida;
• Wichita, Kansas

If you are interested in receiving Knight funding in these 18 communities, please read more about our individual community strategies, and ask your local community foundation about the local Knight donor-advised fund.

National Initiatives

Our National Initiatives program seeks to accelerate and amplify the work we do in communities by identifying opportunities in common, and ideas that can be shared across communities. Current areas of focus include:

• Smart cities: Harnessing the growth of digital technology to improve how communities respond, connect to and engage with residents;
• Public Spaces: Investing in spaces such as parks, trails, libraries to engage and connect residents to each other and to the places where they live, such as through our multi-city initiative, Reimagining the Civic Commons.

In addition, our national program responds to opportunities that emerge from the 26 cities where we work. 

The Impact Fund

Our mission is to provide grants, advocacy and education to support impact litigation on behalf of marginalized communities 

Grants

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and/or small law firms who seek to advance justice in the areas of civil and human rights, environmental justice, and/or poverty law. 

Since being founded in 1992, the Impact Fund has granted more than $8 million in recoverable grants. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Funding Sectors

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands.

The cases we are funding allege that:

• In California, police used excessive force against #BlackLivesMatter protesters.
• In Colorado, female police officers face losing their careers because they can’t do enough push-ups and sit-ups.
• In Ohio and New York, a gun manufacturer knowingly sells to dealers that arm criminals.
• In Massachusetts, prisoners with Hepatitis C are going untreated.
• In North Dakota, Native Americans can’t vote because of a recent voter suppression law.
• In Florida, prisoners who request mental health services are abused and, when they complain, the abuse gets worse.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice, with a focus on marginalized comunities. These are often cases no one else will support. 

The cases we are funding are to stop:

• Proposed mining in the Superior National Forest that would contaminate groundwater, damage wetlands, and destroy the local Native American wild-rice economy.
• Unwanted development, after a community garden in New York was bulldozed in the middle of the night.
• Pollution from a lighter fluid factory in New Jersey that is causing illness to residents in a low-income neighborhood.
• Clear-cut logging that is threatening the health and livelihood of the local indigenous community in Ontario.
• Spraying pesticides at will in California.
• A new highway bridge that is the latest in a long history of environmental hazards heaped upon an African American and Latino neighborhood in Corpus Christi, severing it from the rest of the city.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporations accountable. 

The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas, people with unpaid tickets are sent to “debtors’ prison.”
• In California, landlords lose their insurance when they accept Section 8 vouchers from low-income tenants.
• In Idaho, homeless people are jailed for sleeping outdoors, even when there are no shelters to take them in.

Additional Considerations

Is your case set up for success?

No one can guarantee a victory. That's why we look for a coherent strategy and a legal team with sufficient experience and resources to give the case the best chance of success.

Have you collaborated with anyone else?

Legal work can be all-encompassing. But taking the time to talk with others who have argued (or are currently arguing) similar cases can make a huge difference in the long run.

Do you need the money?

You probably wouldn't be reading this if you didn't need financial support, but just in case: We prioritize requests from applicants who need funding to keep their case moving forward.

Have the expenses already been paid?

Our grants can only be used for expenses that have not yet been paid. Raising funds for litigation costs can feel like a juggling act, we know. We’re available to talk by phone if you need help determining when to apply.

Have you estimated what your case will cost?

Litigation costs can be hard to predict, but we’ve found there is value in planning. Once you run the numbers, you might move securing co-counsel to the top of your list. (We can help.)

Have we funded your case before?

Occasionally we will fund a case more than once. In these situations, the case has lasted several years and has a new set of challenges and expenses.

Our nonprofit industry advisory group is thrilled to offer this opportunity for nonprofit organizations who develop outstanding initiatives to support their communities. Our Resourcefullness Award program was established in 2013 and each year we receive an abundance of wonderful applications. It’s hard choosing a winner! Ultimately, we are passionate about helping our nonprofit clients (and non-clients) thrive and succeed. This award program allows us to showcase nonprofit organizations that stand out and in turn, other nonprofits can learn new trends, ideas and campaign strategies.

Eide Bailly’s Resourcefullness Award is our way to support the financial health of the nonprofit sector while recognizing and celebrating nonprofits in Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada and North Dakota for their creative and sustainable revenue-generating initiatives. We give a $10,000 prize to one 501(c)(3) organizations in each of the five states.

Grants for Animal Rescue to Save More Lives: The Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants Rachael Ray Grants regional priorities

The Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants fund projects to reduce the number of cats and dogs killed in American shelters. We welcome project proposals from public and private shelters, rescue groups, and other animal welfare organizations that enable lifesaving in a community.

All projects must demonstrate, with statistics, a direct impact on saving animals’ lives.

Projects can be focused on just one event/program or can include multiple events/programs.

Proposed projects should align with regional priorities as identified by the 2019 National Dataset from the Pet Lifesaving Dashboard. Projects that satisfy these priorities will have the largest impact on lifesaving in each region.

Before you begin an application, please review the priorities for your region to ensure that your project aligns. Contact your regional specialist with any questions you have about priorities and/or how your project meets the requirements for these animal welfare grants. 

Regional priorities

Southeast: (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina)

Competitive proposals must demonstrate, with statistics, a direct impact on saving animals’ lives and/or leading to a reduction in the number of cats and dogs killed in shelters. Proposals without shelter data will not be considered. Priority consideration will be given to projects focused on helping in those areas where the most killing is occurring. Refer to the pet lifesaving dashboard to see where the greatest lifesaving opportunities are your area. 

In the Southeast region, we are looking for programs that:

• Show a measurable reduction in the number of cats killed in shelters. (Types of programming may include targeted spay/neuter, return to field, TNR with intake diversion, or neonatal kitten programs.)
• Increase live shelter outcomes and/or decrease shelter intake.
• Support programming to reduce shelter deaths (managed intake, pet retention and the launch or expansion of foster programs).
• Collaboration between organizations to strategically reduce killing in shelters including programs that fund rescue’s ability to pull more adoptable animals.

South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas)

Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants will be awarded to programs that directly reduce killing in shelters through programs that:

• Directly expand capacity in live outcome programs that may include programs and process improvements that increase adoptions, transports, returns to owner, rescue group transfers or shelter-neuter-return programs (Programs must directly increase live outcomes for animals in the shelter or likely to enter the shelter system, based on data and past practice.)
• Increase community capacity, thereby reserving sheltering services for the animals in greatest need through intake reduction (The programs, which may include return-in-field, trap-neuter-return or managed intake, must directly support animals likely to enter the shelter system because of current practices and supported by historical data.)
• Increase lifesaving within the shelter by expanding capacity to support historically vulnerable populations to achieve live outcomes through programs such as foster programs.

Great Plains (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota)

In the Great Plains region, top priority will be given to projects that demonstrate decreased intake at community animal shelters or increased live shelter outcomes — especially for cats. Foster-based rescue groups interested in receiving grant funds should be reporting their data each month to the Shelter Animals Count Best Friends coalition, working toward minimizing owner surrender and lowering adoption barriers, and be working collaboratively with a shelter or municipal animal control.

Programs that reduce shelter intake could include:

• Community cat (stray and feral cat) programs.
• Increased access to affordable veterinary care for both owned animals and groups that don't/can't employ vet staff.
• Targeted spay/neuter/vaccine/microchip efforts.
• Returning to owner in the field.
• Owner surrender/intake diversion programming or partnerships (scalable and customized to the needs and capacity of the org).

Increasing live shelter outcomes could include:

• Increasing the number of animals pulled from municipal shelters.
• Increasing pet adoptions as a result of lowered adoption barriers and improved engagement.
• Developing behavior/training initiatives and partnerships to increase lifesaving and placement for at-risk dogs.
• Transporting animals, particularly cats and large dogs, from high priority communities or shelters.

Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming)

The Mountain West region will prioritize Save Them All Grants that:

• Show a measurable reduction in the number of cats killed in shelters (Types of programming may include targeted spay/neuter, return to field and TNR)
• Are focused on large dogs in southern Nevada, New Mexico or Arizona (Owner support, spay/neuter, behavioral support, or transports are some examples.)
• Support both cats and dogs on the Navajo Nation. Highest priority will be given to programs that either prevent the necessity for impoundment via spay/neuter and owner support, or result in the direct pulling of animals from animal control facilities - data encouraged.
• Ensure lifesaving programs can be successful by removing barriers.

Northeast (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont)

In the Northeast region, grant projects aimed at directly reducing killing in shelters with the highest impacts will be given top priority. Proposed projects MUST demonstrate (with statistics) a direct impact on saving the lives of animals and/or a trend toward reducing the number of dogs and cats being killed.

The top three priority states within our region are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. Please refer to our pet lifesaving dashboard to help identify other key communities within the region. Some examples of potential granting opportunities include but are not limited to:

• Increasing live shelter outcomes.
• Working in conjunction with shelters to show measurable reduction of shelter killing, such as in return-to-field and targeted TNR programs.
• Creating collaborative programs to directly reduce shelter deaths, such as pulls from shelters in need and transfer/transport programs.
• Decreasing lifesaving gap through collaboration with community shelters.

Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington)

In the Pacific region, competitive proposals must demonstrate (with statistics) a direct impact on reducing shelter killing. Priority consideration will be given to projects focused on helping in areas where the most killing is occurring. Examples include: 

• Programs that show a measurable reduction in the number of cats killed in shelters. Types of programming may include: 
• Return-to-field/shelter-neuter-return cat programs (providing healthy impounded stray cats spay/neuter, vaccinations, ear tipping and returning to the outdoor location they were found).
• Lifesaving neonatal (under eight weeks) kitten programming.
• Medical programs for at-risk shelter animals, such as ringworm, parvo/panleuk, or other conditions previously unable to be saved.
• Programs targeted toward significantly increasing live outcomes for at-risk large dogs. 
• Focus on collaboration between organizations to strategically reduce killing in shelters.

Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin)

In the Midwest region, we are looking for:

• Programs targeted toward increasing life outcomes for cats (foster programs, community cat programs, return-to-field programs, barn cat programs and innovative adoption or medical programs).
• Programs that return to owners in the field.
• Programs targeted toward increasing live outcomes for medium and large dogs (foster programs, behavior programs, adoption programs, promotion programs or diversion programs).

Mid-Atlantic (District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia

Competitive proposals must demonstrate (with statistics) a direct impact on saving the lives of animals and/or a trend toward reducing the number of cats and dogs killed in shelters. Priority consideration will be given to projects focused on helping in areas where the most killing is occurring. Refer to the pet lifesaving dashboard to see where the greatest lifesaving opportunities are in each state or your state (whichever suits you better).

In the Mid-Atlantic region, we are looking for programs that:

• Increase live shelter outcomes.
• Show a measurable reduction in the number of cats killed in shelters (Types of programming may include targeted spay/neuter, return-to-field, intake diversion and TNR, or neonatal kitten programs.)
• Support programming to reduce shelter deaths (managed intake, pet retention and the launching or expansion of foster programs).
• Focus on collaboration between organizations to strategically reduce killing in shelters.