Search Through Northern Mariana Islands Grants for Nonprofits in the U.S.

Background

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe by supporting scalable, innovative, and impact-first solutions that leverage existing systems and stakeholders. Our goal is to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic products or services that have a proven ability to positively impact the lives of underserved people, and nurture those organizations at the early stages by providing capacity, capital, and community.

Our application process is designed to be open and accessible, and we accept applications year round from across our priority geographies and sectors. Borrowing from our venture capital legacy, we find exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with: 

Capacity

• The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through dedicated hands-on Board service and specialist capacity-building resources for fundraising, board and organizational development, leadership, financial support, and scaling strategy,

Capital

• DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, and

Community

• DRK convenes our portfolio and alumni annually, facilitating connections and community. 

What We Fund

DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems using bold, scalable approaches.

What stage of growth does DRK Foundation typically fund?

Early stage: Organizations who are early stage, which we define as post-pilot and pre-scale. This typically means: 

• Your program, product or service is already being used in the market or in the field, 
• You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact on the beneficiary populations,
• Your organization is relatively young (ideally between two and five years old, although we will consider both younger and older organizations).

Venture funding: In the case of for profits, we typically support Seed to Series A organizations, and never lead rounds; we also generally but not exclusively refrain from participating in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation.  

Global Impact Cash Grants

Cisco welcomes applications for Global Impact Cash Grants from community partners around the world who share our vision and offer an innovative approach to a critical social challenge.

We identify, incubate, and develop innovative solutions with the most impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofits and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We’re looking for programs that fit within our investment areas, serve the underserved, and leverage technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services. We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. An initial information form is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application.

Social Investment Areas

At Cisco, we make social investments in three areas where we believe our technology and our people can make the biggest impact—education, economic empowerment, and crisis response, the last of which incorporates shelter, water, food, and disaster relief. Together, these investment areas help people overcome barriers of poverty and inequality, and make a lasting difference by fostering strong global communities.

Education Investments

Our strategy is to inclusively invest in technology-based solutions that increase equitable access to education while improving student performance, engagement, and career exploration. We support K-12 solutions that emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as literacy. We also consider programs that teach environmental sustainability, eliminate barriers to accessing climate change education, and invite student engagement globally to positively affect the environment.

What we look for:

• Innovative early grade solutions using the internet and technology to bridge the barriers preventing access to education for underserved students globally.
• Solutions that positively affect student attendance, attitudes, and behavior while inspiring action by students to improve learning outcomes, whether they participate in person, online, or in blended learning environments. 
• Solutions with high potential to replicate and scale globally, thereby increasing the availability of evidence-based solutions that support student-centricity, teacher capacity in the classroom, and increased parental participation to help students learn and develop.

Economic Empowerment

Our strategy is to invest in early stage, tech-enabled solutions that provide equitable access to the knowledge, skills, and resources that people need to support themselves and their families toward resilience, independence, and economic security.

Our goal is to support solutions that benefit individuals and families, and that contribute to local community growth and economic development in a sustainable economy.

We target our support in three interconnected areas:

• Skills development to help job seekers secure dignified employment and long-term career pathways in technology or other sectors, including environmental sustainability/green jobs.
• Inclusive entrepreneurship with small businesses as engines of local growth as well as high growth potential start-ups as large-scale job creators nationally and internationally, in technology or other sectors, including environment sustainability/green businesses.
• Banking the unbanked through relevant and affordable financial products and capacity building services.

Cisco Crisis Response

We seek to help overcome the cycle of poverty and dependence and achieve a more sustainable future through strategic investments. We back organizations that successfully address critical needs of underserved communities, because those who have their basic needs met are better equipped to learn and thrive.

What we look for:

• Innovative solutions that increase the capacity of grantees to deliver their products and services more effectively and efficiently
• Design and implementation of web-based tools that increase the availability of, or improve access to, products and services that are necessary for people to survive and thrive
• Programs that increase access to clean water, food, shelter, or disaster relief and promote a more sustainable future for all
  • By policy, relief campaigns respond to significant natural disaster and humanitarian crises as opposed to those caused by human conflict. Also by policy, our investments in this area do not include healthcare solutions.

Climate Impact

Our strategy is to invest US$100 million in Cisco Foundation funds over the next decade to help reverse the impact of climate change, working toward a sustainable and regenerative future for all.

The commitment includes both grant and impact investment funding for early-stage climate innovation. Both categories of support will be focused on bold climate solutions, and the grants side will also concentrate on community education and activation. Grants will go to exceptionally aligned nonprofit organizations, while impact investments will go to highly promising for-profit solutions through the private sector and climate impact funds.

Funding comes from the Cisco Foundation and will focus on:

• Identifying bold and innovative solutions that:
  • Draw down the carbon already in the atmosphere
  • Regenerate depleted ecosystems and broadly support the transition to a regenerative future
• Developing curricular initiatives to spur community engagement that can lead to measurable behavioral change and collective action

We will prioritize organizations that can achieve, measure, and report outcomes such as:

• Reduction, capture, and/or sequestering of greenhouse gas and carbon emissions
• Increased energy efficiency and improved mapping and management of natural resources, such as ecosystem restoration, forest treatments, reforestation, and afforestation that also will help repair our water cycles
• Transition to inclusive, just, coliberatory, and regenerative operating models, ways of being, and ways of organizing economies
• Creation of, and increase in, access to green jobs and job training
• Changes in community and individual behavior that lead to carbon footprint reduction, community climate resilience, and localized roadmaps to a sustainable shared climate future for all

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

About

The Audacious Project is a collaborative funding initiative catalyzing social impact on a grand scale. Every year we select and nurture a group of big, bold solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges, and with the support of an inspiring group of donors and supporters, come together to get them launched.

Housed at TED, the nonprofit with a long track record of surfacing ideas worth spreading, and with support from leading social impact advisor The Bridgespan Group, the funding collective is comprised of several respected organizations and individuals in philanthropy.

Our goal is to match bold ideas with catalytic resources.

• We encourage the world’s inspirational changemakers to dream bigger than ever before.
• Help shape their best ideas into viable multi-year plans.
• Present those solutions in a compelling way to potential supporters.

The Process

Every year, The Audacious Project works with proven change-makers to surface their best, boldest ideas for tackling global problems.

Sourcing & review

Projects are sourced from public applications and a global network of partners and donors. They are narrowed down to a group of finalists whose ideas are representative of a broad range of geographies and issue areas while elevating leaders with proximity to the communities they serve.

Idea shaping & investment support

Each finalist project goes through a rigorous ideation, due diligence, and investment support process, to ensure their proposal is achievable and compelling.

Funding & launch

Finalist projects are presented privately to groups of donors and are then publicly unveiled at TED. Funded projects then pursue their plans and share regular updates on key milestones reached with donors and the public.

Is Your Idea Audacious?

• Are you a changemaker with a bold vision?
• Are you a non-profit with an experienced team equipped to receive large scale philanthropic support?
• Is your idea a proven concept that aspires to create a better world?
• We look for ideas that cover a wide range of issues, from global health and climate change, to social justice and education.

What Makes An Idea Audacious?

Inspire

• Transformative vision
  • Your idea should capture a bold vision for tackling one of the world's most urgent topics.
• Creating a better world
  • It is your opportunity to take a giant leap forward; you may be tempted to think incrementally, but remember for it to be bold, your idea should offer significant, enduring impact.
  • This vision should bring us much closer to your version of an ideal world in a matter of years rather than generations.
• Innovative and original
  • There should be a unique aspect or creative element to your approach that challenges convention or status quo or changes the narrative for the greater good.

Convince

• Proven concept
  • There should be evidence that the idea will have impact based on a track record of past success, a demand from those that would be affected, and justified confidence that results can be sustained in the future.
• A bold vision that has clear outcomes
  • There should be a sense of where you will be at the end of a multi-year funding term and the strategy, resources and timeline required to achieve it. We want to hear about the changes that would take place because of your idea, not just the components that go into implementing it.

• Established support
  • You and your capable and confident team have the backing of a nonprofit, NGO, or institution (or is part of a collaboration between multiple such entities). This organization should be able to receive philanthropic funds and have the core infrastructure necessary to support the work. (Note: Past projects have had an annual operating budget of $1 million or more.)

Please refer to FAQ for additional guidelines.

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation collaborate with a wide range of nonprofit organizations that align with our strategic funding priorities. We prioritize our funding to activities and programs that have a broad reach and support the needs of underserved communities. We aspire to have a positive impact on the communities we serve by using our financial and volunteer resources and business expertise in collaboration with community organizations to help solve complex societal problems.

• Financial health
• Housing affordability
• Small business growth
• Sustainability

We may also support other local needs in eligible communities such as disaster relief, arts and culture, civic engagement, education, human and social services, and workforce development. However, opportunities are limited as our intent is to direct the majority of our giving within our major focus areas.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

REPI Program

From its 2012 pilot project, the REPI Program designed the REPI Challenge for partners and installations to develop and execute projects that protect critical testing and training capabilities. From 2012 through 2025, the REPI Program has distributed over $193 million to REPI Challenge projects in 69 locations across the country. REPI Challenge projects have leveraged more than $512 million in partner contributions that promote compatible land use, enhance military installation resilience, and relieve current or anticipated environmental restrictions on military testing, training, or operations in areas of strategic importance to DOD.

2026 REPI Challenge Request for Proposals

On May 19, 2025, the DOD REPI Program is pleased to announce the release of the 2026 REPI Challenge Request for Proposals (RFP). The 2026 REPI Challenge will focus on safeguarding strategic missions across the United States and its territories to restore trust in the military, rebuild our military, and reestablish deterrence. This year, the REPI Program may provide up to $20 million in funding for activities in the vicinity of DOD installations and ranges that support the 10 U.S. Code (U.S.C.) § 2684a, 10 U.S.C. § 2679, and 16 U.S.C. § 670c-1 statutory authorities by preventing land use conflicts (including unwanted foreign investment), alleviating environmental restrictions, and enhancing military installation resilience.

The REPI Program is a cost-effective tool available to DOD and our partners to protect the significant investments funded by taxpayer resources to ensure the viability of these key mission capabilities for decades into the future. Key mission capabilities may include one or more of the following:

• Hypersonic
• Next-generation aircraft training and development
• Nuclear modernization
• Space, including space launch
• Cyberspace
• Artificial Intelligence
• Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
• Missile defense
• Advanced autonomous systems (e.g., testing of deployment of unmanned aerial and underwater vehicles)
• Capabilities hosted within or supporting missions across the Pacific region (e.g., Hawai’i, Guam, Alaska, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands)

WESTAF’s TourWest Grant provides flexible funding for presenters/presenting organizations within the WESTAF region to support their regional touring program. WESTAF also encourages the inclusion of community/educational outreach as part of an organization’s presentation of touring artists. 

TourWest is a competitive grant program funded by the National Endowment for the Arts to provide subsidies to arts and community organizations in the 13-state WESTAF region and jurisdictions, including Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa for the presentation of touring performers and literary artists. 

Through TourWest, WESTAF and the National Endowment for the Arts aim to encourage the presentation of performing arts programming to culturally diverse audiences and those that do not typically enjoy ready access to the performing arts. In order to understand local needs and interests, WESTAF advocates working directly with individuals and groups from the communities that your organization seeks to serve. Community engagement and participation are key components of a successful TourWest grant application. 

WESTAF defines regional touring as programming that presents out-of-state touring artists and/or in-state touring artists traveling at least 50 miles to your venue. Presenters/presenting organizations are defined as organizations that present or host guest artists for engagements in their communities. Presenters can include but are not limited to community cultural organizations, community centers, churches, schools/colleges/universities, libraries, museums, film festivals/series, and performing arts centers. Typically, producing organizations or performing arts groups are not considered presenters, and are encouraged to contact WESTAF to discuss eligibility.

TourWest seeks to support the engagement of new audiences as well as collaboration between the presenters, artists, agents, and communities. In addition to working collaboratively with the artist(s) and/or community partners in planning the project, WESTAF encourages presenters to take advantage of opportunities such as block booking, presenter networks, and booking conferences to reduce costs and make artistic opportunities available to a broader audience. Partnerships and collaborative efforts between presenters are considered in the panel’s evaluation of an application and project.

Program Overview

Creative West’s TourWest grant program, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, provides funding to presenters and presenting organizations to bring touring performers and literary artists to communities throughout the Western region.

Regional touring is defined as:

Programming that brings out-of-state touring artists to your venue, or In-state artists traveling at least 50 miles from their home base TourWest focuses on expanding access to the performing arts, especially in underserved communities.

To support this goal:

• Creative West encourages working closely with local individuals and groups to understand and meet community needs.
• Applicants are urged to include community engagement or educational outreach activities in their projects.
• Collaboration with artists, agents, and community partners is highly encouraged, along with strategies like block booking and using presenter networks to reduce costs and maximize impact.

This Program Announcement is issued under the provisions of section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (codified at 42 USC 10301 et seq.) and amended by Public Laws 101-397, 104-147, 106-374, 109-471, and 117-58. The Water Resources Research Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to administer program grants to Institutes established under the provisions of section (a) of the Act. Water Resources Institutes or Centers have been established in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. The Institute in Guam also serves the Federated States of Micronesia and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Institute in Hawaii also serves American Samoa. Institute Directors or their designee(s) are responsible for submitting applications.

Responsibility for administration of the State Water Resources Research Institute program has been delegated to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).Section 104(b) of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 requires the Institutes or Centers to:

"plan, conduct, or otherwise arrange for competent applied and peer reviewed research that fosters –

• improvements in water supply reliability;
• the exploration of new ideas that –address water problems or expand understanding of water and water-related phenomena;
• the entry of new research scientists, engineers, and technicians into water resources fields; and
• the dissemination of research results to water managers and the public.

"cooperate closely with other colleges and universities in the State that have demonstrated capabilities for research, information dissemination, and graduate training in order to develop a statewide program designed to resolve State and regional water and related land problems."

"cooperate closely with other institutes and other organizations in the region to increase the effectiveness of the institutes and for the purpose of promoting regional coordination."

Applications submitted under this Announcement are to be in furtherance of these objectives and promote the national mission and objectives of the U.S. Geological Survey which are focused on providing water-quality and -quantity information, understanding water availability, addressing the influence of climate on water resources, and responding to water-related emerging needs. Specific areas of emphasis are at the discretion of the individual Institute or Center Directors.

Radical Imagination

Grant awards of $50,000 for one year are provided to individual artists, artist cooperatives, or small nonprofits who are deeply engaged with their communities to inspire and develop radical, alternative visions for the future and who are emphasizing solution building for Indigenous/Racial Justice.

This includes Artists, Creatives, Culture-bearers, Storytellers of any genre who are at any stage of their work life, but must have momentum, be visionary, and on a journey within a movement; have demonstrated experience in producing or co-designing community art projects; experience in managing funds, including any tax obligations; and a willingness to participate in broader community dialogue or participatory research.

Reimagining a better world through radical artistic visions.

The Radical Imagination Artists Grant offers power-building resources to visual and performance-based artists, writers, filmmakers, storytellers, and other creatives who are deeply engaged with their communities to develop alternative visions that inspire the Indigenous movement towards a new future and just world for all people and Mother Earth.

Radical Imagination Artists Grant Intent

The grant provides direct support to 10 individual Indigenous artists, artist collectives, or small non-profits for the development and amplification of their work. We believe in the ability of Indigenous creatives to radically imagine and develop alternative visions that inspire the Indigenous movement towards a new future and just world for all people and Mother Earth.

Radical Imagination Artists Grant supports efforts to:

Defend

Propose solutions to dismantle structural racism while defending the air, land, waters, and Indigenous rights.

Develop

Imagine and practice justice within their communities while working to build a just world for all people and Mother Earth.

Decolonize

Reclaim Indigenous lifeways while amplifying community voices to dismantle inequitable systems.

The Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) Program

The program provides planning assistance to small towns and rural communities to help them boost their outdoor recreation economy and revitalize their main streets. The program is a partnership between EPA's Office of Community Revitalization, the USDA Forest Service, the Northern Border Regional Commission, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Denali Commission.

Selected communities will work alongside federal agency partners and consultants to participate in a planning process that helps identify the community's vision, goals and actions they wish to take to boost outdoor recreation, revitalize their main streets and promote equitable access to the outdoors for residents and visitors alike.

Past RERC projects have included:

• Improving access to trails and nearby natural attractions.
• Promoting outdoor-oriented businesses.
• Expanding lodging and other services for visitors.
• Supporting economic growth and amenities in downtowns.
• Ensuring that residents and visitors from all backgrounds can access and benefit from outdoor recreation opportunities.

Ms. Foundation for Women

The mission of the Ms. Foundation for Women is to build women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all. We achieve our mission by investing in, and strengthening, the capacity of women-led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural and economic change in the lives of women.

Birth Justice Initiative

In 2022, Ms. Foundation for Women launched our first national, open call request for proposals for our Birth Justice Initiative to support Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities in addressing racial based health disparities in birth experiences and birth outcomes. Through this initiative, Ms. will mobilize funding and capacity building resources nationally to organizations implementing birth justice strategies rooted in movement building and organizing.

The Birth Justice Initiative will build upon our decades of experience supporting grassroots leaders fighting for reproductive justice. The overall goals of our initiative are to:

• Build power within the birth justice movement
• Increase connectivity and collaboration between Birth Justice Organizations and movement leaders.
• Provide philanthropic advocacy, thought partnership, and thought leadership, to influence the movement of more resources to the Birth Justice movement.

We are committed to deepening our investment in grassroots Black, Indigenous and WGOC-led organizations working toward achieving birth justice. In our first round of grant making, we will invest over $1,000,000 in support of birth justice organizations across the spectrum of movement building and organizing, and supporting our communities to advance more equitable birth outcomes.

NDN Collective

NDN Foundation’s grantmaking upholds our mission to build the collective power of Indigenous Peoples, communities and Nations to exercise our inherent right to self-determination while fostering a world built on a foundation of justice and equity for all people and Mother Earth.

As changemakers, we are committed to dramatically increasing philanthropic investment into Indigenous-led organizations and modeling a mindset of abundance. We integrate culture and ceremony into our work by acknowledging and paying respects to our elders and past while taking control of our future. We believe in, invest in and support: Indigenous self-determination, free and liberated thought and expression, Indigenous genius and ingenuity, and sustainable community-based solutions.

Our grantmaking will support and advance these values and the following three core principles and strategies:

Defend

Indigenous Peoples, communities and Nations defend and protect our land, air, water, and natural resources from negative resource extraction and exploitation.

Develop

Indigenous Peoples, communities, and Nations are developed in a regenerative and sustainable manner based on our values and connection to land, culture and identity.

Decolonize

Indigenous ceremonies, cultures, languages, and ways of life are revitalized, recognized and celebrated. We use grantmaking as a temporary tool with the hope that our movements for liberation and justice will end its necessity. We use it less for charitable purposes, but for mutual aide, solidarity with movement builders and in the spirit of intentional reciprocity.\

Community Action Fund 

Modest urgent response grants are provided to frontline organizations, groups and individuals most impacted by local challenges, ensuring that resources and decision-making lies with those who are best equipped to solve pressing issues and address imminent threats. The Community Action Fund is a one-time, short-term grant for direct action initiatives.

What does support look like

CAF supports community organizing and movement building work designed to shift the political and financial systems that negatively impact our communities.  This may include direct action and climate disaster response efforts, comprehensive organizing work; frontline and camp infrastructure, and community-based responses to climate disasters such as flooding, fires, and earthquakes.

Direct expenses may include funding for travel, climate response items, supplies, equipment, consultants, contractual services and staff that support various forms of NVDA (non-violent direct action), i.e., marches, camps, boycotts, prayer vigils and walks that are part of an action, organizing or protest to affect change. Action may also include community-based response to climate events such as flooding, fires and earthquakes.

Community Action Fund Purpose and Intent

We support Indigenous frontline communities, Nations, organizers, actions and movements in their work to DEFEND Indigenous Peoples’ rights, and protect their land, air, water, and natural resources.  

Community Action Fund (CAF) grants support direct actions and organizing efforts that are often urgent and time sensitive. CAF prioritizes frontline, grassroots and community-based efforts that defend Indigenous peoples rights, communities and nations, including responses to climate disasters.

Grant Amount

The average grant award is $15,000 but can range up to $40,000.

Grant Term

Grant terms are a maximum of six months.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

NDN Collective

NDN is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.

Community Self-Determination Grants 

Purpose and Approach

Community Self-Determination Grants are intended to support community-based and community-driven sustainable solutions in all three of NDN Collective’s core strategies to Defend, Develop and Decolonize. Grants are intended to support and invest in the long-term visions and sustainability of Indigenous communities and Indigenous-led organizations, fortifying the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples to create a just, equitable, and sustainable world for all people and the planet. Significant, flexible, multi-year funding will include the infusion of general operating support, capacity building, capital and holistic support for comprehensive initiatives and specific programs.

Community Self-Determination Grants are intended to strengthen and leverage long-term financial sustainability of Indigenous-led organizations, including capital support and investments. This type of funding will not only give Indigenous organizations the kind of runway that has been long understood as healthy for startups and private-sector companies, but transformative for community-based and grass-roots organizations, including those who are closest to the issues and the impact. While we fund national efforts, we intentionally prioritize grassroots, community-based efforts. Climate justice and Indigenous justice are at the heart of the intent behind the Community Self-Determination Grant.

NDN’s grantmaking approach is based on reciprocity and mutual aid, which may include thought partnership and capacity building resources. Relationship is at the core of this approach, encouraging systemic change and participation in which the people most affected take responsibility for one another and for changing systemic conditions. It is up to the community to determine the steps for true self-determination. NDN funds can support the material needs of communities while also addressing root causes and solution building that is shaped by the community. This approach encourages innovative, creative and free thinking for long-term change.

NDN will remain steadfast in its commitment to uphold and advance regenerative, Earth-centered principles of community and economic development. ‘Regenerative’ is the ability to regrow, renew or restore, particularly after loss or damage. NDN’s commitment to a new and better normal is also part of community self-determination, resilience and sustainability, therefore NDN seeks to support Tribes, Indigenous nations, communities and organizations who are also committed to more innovative, sustainable solutions. NDN is deeply committed to supporting Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination that supports justice and equity for people and the planet.

These principles and the NDN Collective’s framework of Defend, Develop, Decolonize will be utilized as a lens in which to review and select grantee-partners.

Community Driven Solutions

Because this program focuses on community-driven solutions, we encourage larger nations and organizations to coordinate among your various departments to submit an application reflecting your community’s efforts to Defend, Develop and Decolonize.

It is the intent of NDN Collective to provide meaningful support across multiple regions, therefore, applicants will be expected to describe their community self-determination efforts within one of the following strategic focus areas that is best suited for their community’s intentions and goals. New or expanded initiatives, or capacity building of existing efforts and entities may also be supported.

Defend

Efforts may include but are not limited to protecting and reclaiming lands, water, and natural resources, such as:

• Grassroots, frontline organizing and community mobilization to defend and protect clean water, air and land from extractive industries and exploitation;
• Indigenous-led environmental movements and efforts to stop the extraction of the earth’s natural resources on and near tribal territories.
• Direct action efforts of the climate and environmental justice movement.

Develop

Efforts may include but are not limited to community and economic development/resilience based on sustainable, regenerative principles, climate change solutions and mitigation, such as:

• Sustainable food systems, food sovereignty and security initiatives; sustainable community agriculture, gardens, food harvesting and processing, community hunting and fishing, sustainable herd management, shared community food pantries and food distribution;
• Community water initiatives; protecting or developing clean water sources; community pumps or wells, water purification and sanitation, ecological wastewater treatment systems, such as constructed wetlands, greywater systems, and composting toilet implementation, and bioremediation of contaminated soils and water;
• Community planning and implementation of sustainable, regenerative, and innovative solutions for community preparedness and resiliency;
• Renewable energy sources, i.e.; wind, solar, geo-thermal
• Energy transition that is environmentally, socially and economically just; that reduces carbon emissions and footprints; Net-Zero initiatives;
• Financial planning and transition to new or alternative revenue streams based on regenerative principles of economic and community development;
• Resilient and regenerative infrastructure improvements or development, including housing, broadband or increased internet speed and capacity; improved or upgraded software systems and technological training to support virtual and tele-abilities to learn, access health, conduct business, up-to-date communications access;
• Capital investments for economic mobility to diversify economies, long-term regenerative business development in various sectors, including decreasing risk of a larger investment; investments in building the capacity of people through education, training, and consulting to be well-equipped leaders in creating just, and resilient economies and infrastructure.

Decolonize

Efforts may include, but are not limited to intergenerational transmission and continuity of language, culture, ceremonial practices, traditional governance and decision-making structures, and lifeways, such as:

• Governance and leadership transformation, transition or development grounded in Indigenous values and practices, including constitutional reforms, reintegration of traditional governance structures, or decentralized, consensus-based decision making practices;
• Indigenous health and safety; providing and reclamation of Indigenous health, wellness, community care, healing and medicinal practices, including social, emotional, and cultural support;
• Language revitalization – Community immersion programs; teacher preparation and language apprentice programs; family language nests;
• Decolonized education models;
• Youth, family and community initiatives to restore, renew and support Indigenous language, cultural practices, creativity and lifeways;
• Community harmony, safety and protection efforts, including addressing physical and sexual violence; Indigenous peace-making and conflict resolution initiatives, community restorative justice practices, protocols and teachings.

Funding

Grants of $100,000 per year, with commitments of two years, are available to Indigenous-led organizations working in the defense, development, and/or decolonization of Indigenous Peoples and Mother Earth, with a maximum grant award of $200,000 for commitments over two years.  

Supporting innovative temporary public art projects that enhance the vibrancy of cities.

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge encourages mayors to partner with artists, elevating the value of including the creative sector when developing solutions to significant urban issues. The program supports temporary public art projects that celebrate creativity, enhance urban identity, encourage public-private collaborations, and strengthen local economies.

Over 600 cities have applied to the three challenges, where mayors of U.S. cities with 30,000 residents or more submit proposals for projects that demonstrate close partnership between artists, arts organizations and city government, with selected cities receiving up to $1 million each.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

The Black-Led Movement Fund (BLMF), based at Borealis Philanthropy, supports the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and other politically-aligned organizations to better shape policy agendas for Black communities, create alternatives to institutions that have been harmful to Black people, and build local Black community power. The BLMF is a donor collaborative that provides a dedicated vehicle for funders to support the ecosystem of grassroots, Black-led power building organizations working towards community safety, justice and liberation. 

The Black-Led Movement Fund is rooted in a commitment to:

• Intersectional feminism and the leadership of Black queer and trans people, as well as women/femmes/girls;
• Funding organizations addressing the root causes of anti-Black racism, misogyny, ableism, xenophobia, homophobia, and transphobia;
• Being adaptive, flexible and responsive;
• Funding work that centers Black joy;
• Resourcing anchor organizations in interconnected movement ecosystems, and
• Solidarity, collaboration, and transparency.

Funding Opportunity

The Black-led Movement Fund will provide $183,300 general operating support grants ($91,650 per year) over a two year period, 2025-2027, to U.S. based Black-led power building organizations that are in alignment with the grant eligibility criteria and funding priorities below.

Performing Arts Global Exchange (“PAGE”) is a nationwide grant program designed to increase availability of international performing arts programming throughout the United States and to promote a greater understanding of other cultures through the performing arts. PAGE provides fee support grants to nonprofit presenters located anywhere in the United States and its territories that contract performing artists from the annually curated PAGE roster. Artists on the roster have not widely toured in the United States and reside in a focus region, selected for its rich diversity of artists. The 2025 touring roster features ensembles and artists based in Morocco and South Africa.

All funded engagements are required to include a public performance and a community engagement activity that provides audiences direct interaction with the visiting artists. An emphasis is placed on funding engagements in underserved communities that have little access to this type of artistic work.

PAGE is a program of Mid Atlantic Arts with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts (“Endowment”).

About Third Wave Fund

Third Wave Fund resources and supports youth-led, intersectional gender justice activism. We build on the brilliance of our communities using responsive and participatory grantmaking so we can sustain our movements and thrive—now and long term. We define gender justice as a movement to end patriarchy, transphobia, homophobia, and misogyny. Since gender oppression is tied to capitalism, classism, racism, ageism, and ableism, gender justice can only truly be achieved when all forms of oppression cease to exist. 

Our grantmaking and donor mobilizing advances the community power, well-being, and self-determination of young Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) most directly impacted by and best positioned to end gender oppression. We specifically resource grassroots movements that are 1) multi-issue, 2) community-led (we define "community-led" movements as being led by those who are directly impacted by oppression) and 3) unapologetically queer, trans, intersex, and sex worker-led.

Our vision is a world where ALL people have full autonomy over our own bodies and lives. 

About the Sex Worker Giving Circle

The Sex Worker Giving Circle (SWGC) launched in the spring of 2018. The SWGC was created because sex workers are best positioned to confront and transform the oppressive conditions of their own lives. However, movements led by sex workers and people with experience in the sex trade are critically under-resourced despite increasing political attacks. 

The SWGC is a giving circle made up of individuals with current or past experience in the sex trade. The Fellows participate in grantmaking trainings and make all high-level funding decisions and grantmaking recommendations.

About the Fund

In 2018, Third Wave Fund launched the SWGC, the first sex worker-led fund housed at a U.S. foundation, with the dual goal of funding a diverse range of sex worker-led groups throughout the country and bringing current and former sex workers to the philanthropic decision-making table. More than twenty years of funding sex worker-led organizing has taught us that sex workers are best positioned to transform the oppressive conditions impacting their lives but their movements remain critically under-resourced even as political attacks have continued to mount. We were inspired by community-led grantmaking at other funds as well as the long history of sex worker communities taking care of each other, especially sex workers of color and trans and gender non-conforming sex workers.

In 2022, we continued to facilitate the cohort nationally and we distributed a total of $585,000 to 25 new and returning grantees from across the United States. Pati Morales, SWGC Fellow from 2021, joined the fund as Program Associate.

In 2023, we welcomed Pati Morales as the new Program Officer for the fund, and CJ Bell, as the new Program Associate. With the program now being fully former Fellow-staffed, distributed $700,000 to new & returning grantees from across the United States.

In 2024, we welcomed our first fully former-Fellow staffed advisory board and increased our grants to up to $35,000 per year or $70,000 over two years.

Community Connect Program

What is the Community Connect Grants Program?

The purpose of the Community Connect Program is to provide financial assistance in the form of grants to eligible applicants that will provide, on a “community -oriented connectivity” basis, broadband service that fosters economic growth and delivers enhanced educational, health care, and public safety benefits. 

Program Benefits

The Community Connect Program helps rural communities extend access where broadband service is least likely to be commercially available, but where it can make a tremendous difference in the quality of life for people and businesses. The projects funded by these grants help rural residents tap into the enormous potential of the Internet for jobs, education, healthcare, public safety, and community development.

Rural Development Key Priorities:

The Agency encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance the following key priorities (more details available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/​priority-points):

• Creating More and Better Markets.
  • Assisting rural communities to recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure.
• Advancing Racial Justice, Place-Based Equity, and Opportunity.
  • Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to RD programs and benefits from RD funded projects.
• Addressing Climate Change and Environmental Justice.
  • Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities

Abbey Mural Prize

Created in 1932 through an endowed bequest in honor of illustrator and muralist Edwin Austin Abbey NA, the Abbey Mural Prize awards grants to support the creation and restoration of public murals in the United States. Since 1940, the National Academy of Design has awarded funds to hundreds of individuals or organizations who are building on a tradition of public murals as instruments of social activism, neighborhood revitalization, and community engagement.

Selection Criteria

• Conceptual strength or compelling justification of impact as outlined in the proposal.
• Applicants' and/or Project Leads’ demonstrated ability to execute a high-quality end result.
• Feasibility of the project scope within the budget outlined in the application and appropriate use of Abbey Mural Prize funds.
• Connection or relationship to the community that will be impacted by the project.
• Projects must have an intended start date before June 30, 2026.

Funding

• Grants typically range from $10,000 to $40,000 USD in minimally restricted support for the production and installation of mural(s) on and within public buildings and on buildings owned by charitable institutions.
• The jury reserves the right to award grantees full or partial funding in any amount.
• Up to the $125,000 total awarded annually.

Community Solutions Challenge 

The Community Solutions Challenge (CSC), launched in 2021, works to advance health equity through the support of community-based nonprofit programming that prioritize the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of historically excluded and disenfranchised populations. To date, CSC has provided more than $2.6 million to over 100 local nonprofit programs working to address health inequities and advance opportunities in STEM among underserved communities.

Program Focus: Community-based programs must cover one of the following areas:

Nutrition

Address nutrition as a social determinant of health, including reducing food insecurity and providing comprehensive nutritional education to improve health outcomes.

Healthcare Access

Improve access to quality healthcare by addressing barriers, including health education, access to preventive screenings, and transportation services.

Lung Health

Improve lung health and achieve improved health outcomes for those impacted by asthma, COPD and lung cancer

Mission

AIDS United’s mission is to end the HIV epidemic in the United States.

In the ongoing work for social justice and true equity, ending the HIV epidemic in the United States is our chosen role. We’ve seen firsthand how the intersectionality of social injustice, discrimination and health care disparity impacts those living with HIV, and we believe alleviating this struggle is a pivotal step toward our national well-being.

Vision

AIDS United envisions a time when all people, governments, and organizations commit to ending the epidemic and strengthening the health, well-being, and human rights of everyone impacted by HIV.

Harm Reduction Futures Fund

The Harm Reduction Futures Fund (formerly the Syringe Access Fund) is a collaborative grantmaking initiative that seeks to reduce the health, psychosocial, and socioeconomic disparities experienced by people who use drugs (PWUD). The Harm Reduction Futures Fund invests in evidence-based and community-driven approaches to prevent the transmission of both HIV and viral hepatitis, reduce injection-related injuries, increase overdose prevention and reversal efforts, and connect people who use drugs to comprehensive prevention, treatment, and support services.

The Harm Reduction Futures Fund will award grants this Round to three kinds of organizations:

• syringe services programs providing direct services,
• harm reduction organizations supporting multiple syringe service programs providing direct services

Please note, we are currently not offering advocacy grants. At this time only direct service applications will be accepted. 

Purpose

The primary goal of the Harm Reduction Futures Fund is to provide core support for programs that demonstrate:

• an ability to provide high quality syringe and other drug user health services to one or more identified communities

The Harm Reduction Futures Fund seeks to identify and support organizations across intersecting movements to enhance and coordinate services for people who use drugs. It supports and funds organizations that are led by and/or meaningfully involve and serve networks of people who use drugs, including in the design, delivery, and evaluation of services. In Round 16, the Harm Reduction Futures Fund will prioritize support for programs that are led by and serve Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC), as well as those in jurisdictions of high need and low resources. Other compelling factors may include the leadership of current or former sex workers; prevalence of HIV, viral hepatitis, and other blood-borne pathogens in a community; injection drug use prevalence; opioid use; overdose incidence; availability of local funding.

Funding

AIDS United expects to provide one-year cash grants to a total cohort of  7 to 15 organizations.

• Direct Service organizations are invited to submit proposals for $10,000 to $25,000 for one year.
  • AU anticipates 5-13 programs will receive funding
• Multi-Program Support organizations are invited to submit proposals for $25,000 to $40,000 for one year.
  • AU anticipates 1 program will receive funding