Search Through Operating Grants for Nonprofits in Arkansas in the U.S.

Division of Arkansas Heritage

The Division of Arkansas Heritage (DAH) was created by Act 101 in 1975 to preserve and promote Arkansas’s natural and cultural heritage. Originally known as the "Department of Arkansas Natural and Cultural Heritage," the legislation grouped together several culturally oriented divisions under one department. The agency name change to the Division of Arkansas Heritage occurred in 1985. Today, DAH consists of eight divisions and a director’s office which manages general administrative and marketing operations.

Arkansas Arts Council

The Arkansas Arts Council advances and empowers the arts by providing services and funding for programming that encourages and assists literary, performing and visual artists in achieving standards of professional excellence. The Arkansas Arts Council also provides technical and financial assistance to Arkansas arts organizations and other providers of cultural and educational programs. This statewide programming and assistance ultimately provides cultural, educational and economic opportunities for the benefit of all Arkansans.

The Arkansas Arts Council was established in 1966 to enable the state of Arkansas to receive funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1971, Act 359 (A.C.A. § 13-8-101 et seq.) gave independent agency status to the Arts Council. In 1975, the Arts Council became an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, now the Division of Arkansas Heritage.

The Arkansas Arts Council is an agency of Arkansas Heritage and shares its goals of preserving and enhancing the heritage of the state of Arkansas. 

The  Arkansas Arts Council Major Arts Partners Grant

The Major Arts Partners program is a General Operating Support program that funds established not-for-profit and nonprofit local arts agencies or single discipline organizations with a three-year budget average equal to or greater than $1 million. 

AmeriCorps Funding

AmeriCorps (officially the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS) is an independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer work programs in many sectors.

The mission of AmeriCorps is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic participation through service and volunteering. Through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, AmeriCorps has helped to engage millions of citizens in meeting community and national challenges through service and volunteer action. Several different types of AmeriCorps program funding are available from CNCS, but the requirements, processes, and allowable service activities are different for each program.

Engage Arkansas STATE AmeriCorps Funding

AmeriCorps State grants are available through Engage Arkansas to Arkansas nonprofits, higher education institutions, local and state governments, and tribal agencies proposing to engage AmeriCorps members in evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions/practices to strengthen communities. An AmeriCorps member is an individual who engages in community service through an approved national service position. Members may receive a living allowance and other benefits while serving.

Upon successful completion of their service, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award from the National Service Trust that members can use to pay for higher education expenses or apply to qualified student loans. Successful AmeriCorps State program applicants can engage at least 4 full-time or 8 half-time AmeriCorps members in an intervention, program, or service that meets critical community needs in the areas of education, disaster services, health, environmental stewardship, economic opportunity, and veterans and military families.

AR AmeriCorps Concept Paper

To maximize the impact of the investment in national service, Engage Arkansas is focused on funding programs that can demonstrate a sound plan to engage AmeriCorps members in meeting an unmet community need and the ability to design and implement effective systems to capture the outcomes of the AmeriCorps program and member’s service.

AmeriCorps operational grants are awarded to eligible organizations to recruit, train, and manage AmeriCorps members during a defined term of service. Planning grants are available to qualified organizations wishing to explore the feasibility of hosting an AmeriCorps program.

Charitable Contributions

Our goal with financial contributions from BOK Financial and the BOKF Foundation is to enhance the quality of life and economic wellbeing in the communities where BOK Financial operates and where our employees work and live including Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Our charitable contributions are focused on four pillars of giving: United Way, economic development, education and basic needs

Our long-term strategic plan guides all contributions to assure maximum impact in the community and to develop mutually beneficial relationships with our nonprofit partner agencies. BOK financial contributions are budgeted on an annual calendar basis. We accept online charitable contribution/grant applications throughout the year.

Pillars of giving

Basic Needs

We provide volunteer and financial support to organizations serving the most vulnerable members of our community. Our efforts largely focus on organizations providing direct services addressing such issues as poverty, hunger, healthcare, housing and safety.

Education

An equitable, robust educational system drives long-term community growth. We support local nonprofits whose primary mission is promoting basic education, including public school foundations, early childhood education, financial literacy, and institutions of higher education.

Economic Development

Actions that raise the standard of living and economic health of our communities make them better places to live and work. We provide support to local chambers of commerce; nonprofits focused on workforce development, job training, etc.; and public/private partnerships investing in our communities.

United Way

Our focus on strategically investing in the community aligns perfectly with United Way’s approach to achieving its mission of mobilizing the caring power of communities to advance the common good.

What does this program do?

This program helps eligible communities prepare, or recover from, an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water.

What kind of event can qualify as an emergency?

• Drought or flood
• Earthquake
• Tornado or hurricane
• Disease outbreak
• Chemical spill, leak or seepage
• Other disasters

How may the funds be used?

• Water transmission line grants up to $150,000 to construct waterline extensions, repair breaks or leaks in existing water distribution lines, and address related maintenance necessary to replenish the water supply
• Water source grants up to $1,000,000 for the construction of new wells, reservoirs, transmission lines, treatment plants, and/or other sources of water (water source up to and including the treatment plant)

Why does USDA Rural Development do this?

This program helps prevent damage or restore households and business' access to clean, reliable drinking water in eligible rural areas and towns following natural disasters. Funding can improve the natural environment and encourage manufacturers and other businesses to locate or expand operations.

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

We support initiatives that prioritize oral health issues and are committed to health equity. Grant-Making FocusThe Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation (DDARF) Strategic Initiative grants help organizations discover, test, and share creative ideas that will improve oral health for everyone and inspire, empower, and connect leaders to better lead equitable change.It is the intention that funded programs will align with DDARF’s strategic goals to deliver:

• Empowerment & Knowledge: Opportunities that strengthen the connection of oral health to overall health and wellness for individuals, families, and communities.
• Equitable Access: Opportunities that support oral health initiatives that meet individuals where they live, work, and play; prioritizing health equity and social determinants of health.
• Systemic Change & Advancement: Opportunities to test innovative ideas that challenge existing oral health processes and can be successfully replicated.

Grant Overview

Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation’s Strategic Initiative Grant program provides statewide support to nonprofit organizations focusing on efforts that involve a range of activities, from advocacy to changing socio-cultural perceptions and actions that seek to improve oral health through positive social and behavior change. We’re seeking ideas that have the most potential to improve the oral health for those most in need. This could refer to large-scale programs or small-scale ideas with the potential to expand and replicate.

We prefer proposals that improve oral health systems in order to make the state more equitable in terms of opportunities and outcomes, specifically for uninsured and underinsured Arkansans. We welcome initiatives that complement or amplify other programs we’ve already funded, particularly those aligned with our strategic roadmap.

We welcome grant requests that have a clear oral health focus and incorporate one or more of the following:

• Demonstrated operational and financial stability,
• A project plan detailing how and when the program will be carried out and who will be responsible for each task,
• Ability to monitor, assess, and document the impact of the change(s) being sought, strategies being used, and the progress being made,
• Active collaboration among organizations, schools, and dental and/or healthcare providers,
• Inclusion of diverse groups,
• Wrap-around support that links participants to other social services,
• Initiation of oral health programs in counties where none or few exist, and/or
• Previously funded organizations that have submitted complete interim and/or final reports

Since its inception, the Foundation, which is still led by Lester T. Sunderland's descendants, has focused on supporting construction projects, awarding grants to nonprofits in the Kansas City region and other markets traditionally served by the Ash Grove Cement Company. 

 The Foundation prefers to make grants for construction and special interest projects rather than for annual operating expenses. 

Grants for planning, design, construction, renovation, repairs and restoration of facilities are considered. Areas of interest include higher education, youth serving agencies, health facilities, community buildings, museums, civic projects and energy efficient affordable housing projects sponsored by qualified tax-exempt organizations. 

Funding Areas

In recent grant cycles, the Board of Trustees has awarded the majority of grants in four broadly defined areas:

Higher Education

In 2022, the Foundation awarded $49 million to more than 35 educational organizations. Grantees included community colleges, private colleges, and public universities.

Human Services

The Foundation awarded $30 million to human service nonprofits in 2022, and many grants in this area went to groups that provide essential services to youth and families. Grantees included a range of youth-focused groups, including Reconciliation Services, the Nebraska Youth Justice Initiative in Omaha, Nebraska and the Sno-Valley Senior Center in Carnation, Washington. 

Arts and Culture

Arts and culture projects received $23 million in 2022, including grants to the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield, Missouri, the Omaha Zoo and the Seattle Aquarium in Seattle, Washington. Health Care and Hospitals.

Health Care and Hospitals

This is a growing area of need in many communities the Foundation serves. In 2022, $65 million was awarded to hospitals and health-care groups to build and improve their facilities.

Ted & Shannon Skokos Foundation Grant

The Skokos Foundation is a family foundation established in 2008. The Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that impact communities in the fields of arts, humanity, education, and faith.

The Skokos Foundation invests in visionary leaders of nonprofit organizations that provide impactful programs and services to individuals with sustainable minimal overhead, integrity, transparency, and collaboration.

We believe there is a direct connection between a nonprofit's results and the strength of its leadership. This leadership includes staff as well as its board of directors. We take an all-encompassing look at the people, infrastructure, values, past and present practices, and policies that the staff and board embrace and promote for organizational success. We realize that a cross-section of stakeholders, rather than isolated efforts by a single organization or individual, result in more effective means of tackling an issue. 

The Skokos Foundation receives considerably more requests for funding than we can support. 

Criteria

• Leadership: (Executive Director, Board & Key Staff)
  • What level of visionary leadership does your organization have within the executive director, board and key management or programmatic staff? We look at both individual and collective experience, expertise, passion, commitment, recognition and professional and community reputation. We compare your group’s approaches and solutions to what others are doing.
• Impact: (Program, Project, Service Model)
  • What impact on the community does your program or project have? Is it a model of service for others in the nonprofit sector? We consider your group’s unique circumstances and ask more questions. Will your proposal’s impact be direct and exponential? Will it bring about systemic change? Is your project idea unique? How are you measuring impact and effectiveness? Is there an evaluation system in place? If yes, please describe.
• Sustainability: (Organization and/or Program, Project or Service Model)
  • We look at the sustainability of both your program or project and your organization as a whole. We assess the strength, stability and diversity of your nonprofit’s finances as well as your board’s contribution to your organization’s financial strength. At the program or project level, we assess whether a grant would trigger significant contributions from other sources or whether a sustainability model may require on-going foundation involvement. We insist on sustainable minimal overhead.
• Organizational Strength: (History, Reputation, Structure & Management Systems)
  • What is your group’s history, reputation, structure and management? Is your organization regarded as a provider of high-quality, relevant and meaningful services? Qualities that are needed to do the hard work of system change include strong management and communication systems, positive staff morale, integrity, and financial and operational transparency.
• Collaboration: (Collaboration with other nonprofits, sponsors, patrons, government)
  • Collaboration is an important tool among nonprofits. We ask whether your organization is well-integrated into its community and involved in public-private partnerships. We also consider whether your organization has developed strategic partnerships as an ongoing part of its work.

What does this program do?

This program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.

How may the funds be used?

Funds may be used to finance the acquisition, construction or improvement of:

• Drinking water sourcing, treatment, storage and distribution
• Sewer collection, transmission, treatment and disposal
• Solid waste collection, disposal and closure
• Storm water collection, transmission and disposal

In some cases, funding may also be available for related activities such as:

• Legal and engineering fees
• Land acquisition, water and land rights, permits and equipment
• Start-up operations and maintenance
• Interest incurred during construction
• Purchase of facilities to improve service or prevent loss of service
• Other costs determined to be necessary for completion of the project
• See 7 CFR Part 1780.7 and 1780.9 for a complete list

Our Mission

The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation exists to relentlessly pursue economic, educational, social, ethnic and racial equity for all Arkansans.

Our Vision

WRF affirms the legacy of our founder who envisioned a thriving and prosperous Arkansas that benefits all Arkansans.

How We Work

 Our approach to philanthropy centers on changing systems and policies to solve problems over the long term and expand power and access for marginalized communities. 

We work with multiple sectors —public, private, and nonprofit—to support the leadership, policies, movements and cultural changes that are required to achieve widespread equity and prosperity in Arkansas.

We use our tools and resources in grantmaking and capacity building, strategic communications, strategic partnerships, convenings, and program- and mission- related investments.

General Operating Support Grant

General operating support grants are flexible and allow funds to be used when and where they are needed most. This is especially important for organizations led by and serving people of color who tend to receive less grant money with more strings attached compared to their white counterparts.

Arkansas Arts Council

The Arkansas Arts Council advances and empowers the arts by providing services and funding for programming that encourages and assists literary, performing and visual artists in achieving standards of professional excellence. The Arkansas Arts Council also provides technical and financial assistance to Arkansas arts organizations and other providers of cultural and educational programs. This statewide programming and assistance ultimately provides cultural, educational and economic opportunities for the benefit of all Arkansans.

The Arkansas Arts Council was established in 1966 to enable the state of Arkansas to receive funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1971, Act 359 (A.C.A. § 13-8-101 et seq.) gave independent agency status to the Arts Council, with an executive director and a 17-member council appointed by the governor. In 1975, the Arts Council became an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, now the Division of Arkansas Heritage.

The Arkansas Arts Council is an agency of Arkansas Heritage and shares the goals of all big Division of Arkansas Heritage agencies, that of preserving and enhancing the heritage of the state of Arkansas. Funding for the Arkansas Arts Council and its programs is provided by the State of Arkansas and the National Endowment for the Arts.

General Operating Support Grants

These grants are designed to help fund administrative and operational costs for established nonprofit organizations with programs involving the arts. The program is for local arts agencies or single discipline arts organizations with total incomes between $50,000 and over. GOS funding may only be spent for non-programmatic, administrative expenses, including, but are not limited to, administrative staff salaries, general marketing and fundraising costs, facility rental, utilities, maintenance of the facility and staff travel. 

Our Mission

Transforming oral health through collaboration, innovation, education, and service.

Our new mission statement charts a bolder, more innovative path. We are focusing on building dynamic partnerships with Arkansas non-profits, government agencies, and schools to develop long-term solutions. Our goal is to fund projects and initiatives that prevent severe oral health issues in an effort to avoid costly interventions later on. We will still fund smaller-scale, transactional programs and will continue to work with organizations to integrate oral health into existing or new programs.

Oral Health Education Grants

Oral Health Education Grants seek to increase oral health knowledge and empowerment through community partnerships that reach underserved, uninsured, and/or underinsured Arkansas residents of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and socio-economic statuses in Arkansas.

Oral Health Education Grants seek to improve oral health care through funding innovative educational programs that build the following healthy habits:

• Brushing Teeth
• Flossing Teeth
• Visiting a Dentist

Funding

Oral Health Education Grants range from $2,500 up to $30,000 per organization

Who/What We Fund

DDARF will prioritize grant requests that incorporate the following (as applicable):

• A clear oral health focus
• A project plan detailing how and when the program will be carried out and who will be responsible for each task
• Active collaboration among organizations, schools, and/or healthcare providers
• Inclusion of diverse groups led by individuals who reflect the community being served
• Referral protocols that link individuals needing dental care with a source of dental care
• Wrap-around support that link participants to other social services
• Initiation of oral health programs in counties where none or few exist
• Previously funded organizations that have submitted complete Interim and Final Reports (final reports for previously funded programs must be submitted before a new application is made)

Our Mission

The Kerr Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit charitable and educational Oklahoma corporation, established to identify and support 501(c)3 organizations, programs and institutions that provide new or enhanced opportunities for those within the granting areas, particularly the young.

Program Categories

Education - Institutions of elementary, junior high, pre-collegiate, along with institutions of higher learning to include health science centers and medical research done by educational institutions

Arts and Culture - Organizations in the visual arts and performing arts areas, museums and libraries

Health - Institutions providing health care, doing medical research, or outreach organizations employing primarily professionals from the allied health area

Human Services - Organizations providing services in diverse areas to the public, and specifically to the disadvantaged, people with special needs and the elderly

Project Categories

Capital - Bricks and mortar projects, including equipment

Program - Programs having an objective and specified time span

Operating - Funds to be used to cover basic ongoing administrative and personnel expenses

Truist Foundation

The Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation's (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. Established in 2020, the foundation makes strategic investments in nonprofit organizations to help ensure the communities it serves have more opportunities for a better quality of life. The Truist Foundation's grants and activities focus on building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening small businesses.

Inspire Awards

We’re collaborating with MIT Solve to kick off our third year of the Inspire Awards. Nonprofits from across the country are invited to pitch their solution to advance workers through career navigation and workforce development.

This year’s Inspire Awards challenge aims to improve resources and wraparound services for workers seeking reskilling, upskilling, and career transitions to uplift themselves—and their families. For workers looking to develop skills to help them adapt to industry changes, career navigation and workforce development solutions can make an impact. These tools can aid smoother career transitions, foster economic mobility, and empower workers to pursue personal growth.

2025 Truist Foundation Inspire Awards Challenge Question

How are nonprofits providing innovative solutions for the reskilling, upskilling, and career navigation needs of adults who are in the middle or late stages of their careers?

Challenge Dimensions

We are seeking innovative nonprofit solutions that improve resources and wraparound services for adults who are in the middle or late stages of their careers seeking reskilling, upskilling, and career navigation support, including:

• Wraparound Services – Supporting unemployed and underemployed individuals on their journey to economic mobility through innovative and comprehensive resources including transportation support, childcare, mentorship, mental health services, and more.
• Coalition Building – Generating greater buy-in and support for workforce navigation efforts through coalitions, promoting communication and collaboration across diverse sectors and stakeholders including businesses, nonprofits, and government entities.
• Career Navigation – Enabling workers to navigate their career choices more easily, helping to facilitate informed decisions about which high-quality jobs and career trajectories best suit them.
• Upskilling and Reskilling – Providing accessible, high-quality, skill-building and training opportunities for those transitioning between careers or facing unemployment.

Here are the grants for this challenge

• First place: $250,000
• Second place: $150,000
• Runners-up: $25,000
• Audience favorite: $75,000

Tyson Foods Community Giving Grants

Tyson Foods works to improve the quality of life and opportunities for all our team members. We typically look to scale existing programs with positive outcomes for the community at large as well as our team members and their families. For example, Tyson Foods supported the Arkansas Foodbank Mobile Pantry Initiative with a grant of $25,000 to help provide nutritious food for the community and to expand the reach of the services.

Community giving is advised and directed by our local operating locations. If your community organization would like to secure in-kind or financial resources and your organization meets the requirements listed in the program guidelines, please submit a grant application.

Community Giving 

• Relationship management is between the plant and the community.
  • Realigns the relationship between the plant and the nonprofit community by relying on recommendations from plants to fund a community organization.

Signature Employment Grants

Transforming Employment Outcomes with Novel Solutions

Innovation lies at the core of all the Foundation’s Signature Employment Grants. It involves developing or adapting ideas, processes, or services to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities. Innovation requires assessing needs, applying knowledge, creativity, and initiative to develop new solutions or repurpose existing ones in a novel way. To qualify, proposed interventions must demonstrate broader impact beyond your organization and be innovative at the state, national, or industry level.

2025 Grants Target States with Low Employment

For our 2025 Signature Grants, the Foundation invites proposals for groundbreaking employment projects from tax-exempt organizations operating in states with some of the lowest employment participation rates for people with disabilities. These states – Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and West Virginia – represent areas where targeted interventions can have a transformative impact.

Supporting Historic Sacred Places

A program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Fund for Sacred Places provides financial and technical support for community-serving historic houses of worship across America.

What We Offer

The National Fund for Sacred Places provides matching grants of $50,000 to $250,000 to congregations undertaking significant capital projects at historic houses of worship, along with wraparound services including training, technical assistance, and planning support.

What We’re Looking For

The National Fund for Sacred Places assesses applicant eligibility according to the core criteria shown below, while also striving to build a diverse participant pool that reflects a broad range of geographic, cultural, and religious identities.

Historic, Cultural, or Architectural Significance

We are looking for buildings that have historic, cultural, or architectural significance—and sites that have important and relevant stories to tell. Many of our participants are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the state register, or the local register. Your building does not have to be on one of these lists, but eligibility for one or more of these lists is a good benchmark for National Fund eligibility.

As part of the National Trust’s commitment to telling the full American story, we particularly encourage congregations to apply that illuminate a unique or overlooked aspect of American history and that expand our understanding of our shared national heritage. We encourage submissions related to historic sacred places of importance to historically and contemporaneously underrepresented communities including, but not limited to, women, immigrants, Asian Americans, Black Americans, Latinx Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and LGBTQIA communities.

Successful applicants are able to demonstrate their place in history by answering questions such as:

• Does the building tell a story relevant to our history—either cultural or religious?
• Does the history highlight previously underrecognized communities, stories, or locations?
• How has the building served the community over time? Does the building have a great physical presence in its community due to its location or programming?
• Is the building the work of a notable architect? If so, is it a high-quality example of their body of work?
• Is the building an exceptional example of its architectural style or building technology?
• Does the building embody the congregation’s resilience over time?

Community-Serving Congregations

We are looking for congregations that are engaged in their communities and that are serving others. Engaged congregations operate and host programming that serves vulnerable, at-risk, and diverse populations; share space with non-affiliated groups and organizations (often at subsidized rates); work with other congregations, faith-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and/or municipalities; and have a widespread reputation for being a welcoming center of community life.

Project Scope and Need

We fund historic preservation projects addressing urgent repair needs and/or life safety. We also fund projects that increase congregations’ ability to open their buildings to new populations or to serve greater numbers of people. All projects must adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, which is a universally accepted framework for doing work to older and historic properties.

We prioritize congregations/projects where there is a demonstrated need (meaning that the congregation cannot raise the funds alone) or where it is clear that our grant will have a catalytic effect (meaning that our grant is likely to lead to additional monies being contributed to the project).

Readiness

Once-in-a-generation capital projects require a great deal of planning. We are looking for applicants that understand their buildings’ needs and that are ready to undertake a capital campaign. National Fund congregations typically have a history of successful capital campaigns, which demonstrate an ability to raise significant funds and complete a project.

Successful congregations come to us with a realistic fundraising goal, which has been generated with the help of qualified preservation professionals and is not too far beyond the congregation’s fundraising capacity.

Healthy Congregations

The National Fund prioritizes healthy, stable congregations so that our investment is truly impactful and lasting. We look for the following, although this is not an exhaustive list of characteristics that indicate healthy congregations: tenured, well-respected clergy; capable lay leadership; stable or growing membership; financial strength and stability; support of the judicatory or governing body, if applicable; and a history of weathering any congregational conflict or trauma with resilience.

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here.  The focus areas for 2025 are:

• Animal Wellbeing: We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
• Early Childhood Education: We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:
  • Life Skills
  • Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers   
  • Having Fun   
  • Montessori Teachings   
  • Project Based Teachings   
  • Diversity   
  • More Time Outside   
  • Less Screen Time
• Teachers: Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations.
• Get Outside: Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 

Our Mission

To identify Arkansas’s heritage and enhance the quality of life by the discovery, preservation, and presentation of the state’s cultural, historic and natural resources.

Small Museum Grants Program

Goals

The Division of Arkansas Heritage has set these goals for Small Museum Grants:

• Promote education, awareness and enjoyment of Arkansas history
• Increase ability of community-based small museums/organization to research, preserve, present and conserve Arkansas history

Funding

The maximum grant award is $2,500. All, part, or none of the applicant’s request may be awarded.             

Background

Walmart’s more than 2 million associates are residents, neighbors, friends and family in thousands of communities around the globe. Walmart works to strengthen these communities through both our retail business and community giving. We support and invest in communities through local giving. The following programs have open application processes with specific deadlines for eligibility and consideration.

Northwest Arkansas Grant

Arkansas has been home to Walmart since 1962, when Sam Walton opened his first store in the town of Rogers. For the Northwest Arkansas Giving Program, eligible nonprofit organizations must operate within Northwest Arkansas or be affiliates/chapters of larger organizations that operate within the region and whose work directly relates to specific focus areas. To learn more, check out our Northwest Arkansas Giving Guidelines.

Improving Access and Availability to Healthier Food: 

We support programs that work to systematically improve access and availability to healthier food for underserved communities, including improving access to federal nutrition programs and evolving food recovery models. We also support collaboration between local nonprofits to meet the area’s long-term needs.

Arkansas Community Foundation, in partnership with CACHE (Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange), invites small arts nonprofits state-wide to apply to the Arts in Arkansas Fund which will provide a total of $5,000 to support general operations ($2,500 in year one, and final installment of $2,500 in year two.)

Grant decisions will be made based on the following considerations:

• The need expressed in the application for general operating support
  • This can also include maintaining vital arts programming and/or providing or expanding new arts programming that is otherwise inaccessible or limited to the organizations’ target audience
• Geographic representation
  • Grants will be distributed throughout the state

Globe Life and the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, with help from Bally Sports Southwest, partner annually to provide grants to nonprofit baseball and softball programs across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Arkansas.

The Rangers and Rangers Foundation are committed to supporting the growth of baseball and softball and making sure that every child is afforded the opportunity to experience joy and community through sports. This grant program is designed to continue to build baseball and softball by providing funding for field renovations, equipment needs, uniforms, and league development for teams throughout the five-state territory.

Since its inception in 2012, the Globe Life Baseball and Softball Grant Program has donated over $1,125,000 to more than 150 organizations helping countless communities in need.

Division of Arkansas Heritage

The Division of Arkansas Heritage (DAH) was created by Act 101 in 1975 to preserve and promote Arkansas’s natural and cultural heritage. Originally known as the "Department of Arkansas Natural and Cultural Heritage," the legislation grouped together several culturally oriented divisions under one department. The agency name change to the Division of Arkansas Heritage occurred in 1985. Today, DAH consists of eight divisions and a director’s office which manages general administrative and marketing operations.

Arkansas Arts Council

The Arkansas Arts Council advances and empowers the arts by providing services and funding for programming that encourages and assists literary, performing and visual artists in achieving standards of professional excellence. The Arkansas Arts Council also provides technical and financial assistance to Arkansas arts organizations and other providers of cultural and educational programs. This statewide programming and assistance ultimately provides cultural, educational and economic opportunities for the benefit of all Arkansans.

The Arkansas Arts Council was established in 1966 to enable the state of Arkansas to receive funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1971, Act 359 (A.C.A. § 13-8-101 et seq.) gave independent agency status to the Arts Council. In 1975, the Arts Council became an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, now the Division of Arkansas Heritage. The Arkansas Arts Council is an agency of Arkansas Heritage and shares its goals of preserving and enhancing the heritage of the state of Arkansas.

Arts In Education Grants

The Arts in Education program initiates new arts programs, or enhances existing ones, in schools and local arts agencies by providing direct interaction with professional artists in residencies for pre K–12 students.

 Arts for Lifelong Learning Mini-Grants Program

The Arts for Lifelong Learning Mini-Grants program enriches the lives of adults of all experience levels and abilities through quality arts learning experiences. This program provides funding for eligible institutions that wish to host a short-term (up to 10 days) residency program with professional artists who are listed on the Arts in Education Artist Roster. Programs should have hands-on arts activities for adult populations in community-based or governmental organizations and institutions. An in-service workshop may also be included in the mini-residency program. Grants are available up to $2,000 and must have a 1:1 match with 50 percent being a cash match. Up to 50 percent of the match can be in kind. 

Division of Arkansas Heritage

The Division of Arkansas Heritage (DAH) was created by Act 101 in 1975 to preserve and promote Arkansas’s natural and cultural heritage. Originally known as the "Department of Arkansas Natural and Cultural Heritage," the legislation grouped together several culturally oriented divisions under one department. The agency name change to the Division of Arkansas Heritage occurred in 1985. Today, DAH consists of eight divisions and a director’s office which manages general administrative and marketing operations.

Arkansas Arts Council

The Arkansas Arts Council advances and empowers the arts by providing services and funding for programming that encourages and assists literary, performing and visual artists in achieving standards of professional excellence. The Arkansas Arts Council also provides technical and financial assistance to Arkansas arts organizations and other providers of cultural and educational programs. This statewide programming and assistance ultimately provides cultural, educational and economic opportunities for the benefit of all Arkansans.

The Arkansas Arts Council was established in 1966 to enable the state of Arkansas to receive funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1971, Act 359 (A.C.A. § 13-8-101 et seq.) gave independent agency status to the Arts Council. In 1975, the Arts Council became an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, now the Division of Arkansas Heritage. The Arkansas Arts Council is an agency of Arkansas Heritage and shares its goals of preserving and enhancing the heritage of the state of Arkansas. 

Arts In Education Grants

The Arts in Education program initiates new arts programs, or enhances existing ones, in schools and local arts agencies by providing direct interaction with professional artists in residencies for pre K–12 students.

Arts for Lifelong Learning Mini-Grants Veteran's Project program

The Arts for Lifelong Learning Mini-Grants Veteran's Project program enriches the lives of veterans through quality arts learning experiences. This program provides funding for eligible institutions that wish to host a short-term (up to 10 days) residency program with artists. The professional artists do not need to be listed on the Arts in Education Artist Roster. Programs should have hands-on arts activities for veterans in community-based or governmental organizations and institutions. An in-service workshop may also be included in the Veteran's Project program. Grant request is up to $2,000 and does not require any cash or in kind match. 

Improving the oral health of communities throughout Arkansas

Launched in 2008, the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation’s Community Grant opportunity provides statewide support to communities and nonprofit organizations focusing on oral health education and services to underserved and uninsured Arkansas residents. Community Grants support transactional projects and services promoting good oral health practices and increasing access to dental care.

Funding focuses on increasing access to oral health care through community partnerships by funding preventative services and/or treatment for underserved individuals of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and socio-economic statuses in Arkansas.

Focus Areas

• Prevention: Provide preventive and basic oral healthcare needs for the community.
• Education: Educate communities on proper oral health regimens, oral disease, and how to access oral health treatment and supplies.
• Treatment: Treat at-risk or low-income populations with oral health conditions.

Community Foundation of Greater Memphis

A community foundation is a philanthropic organization that manages charitable funds with a broad base of donors to benefit a specific geographic area—in our case, West Tennessee, eastern Arkansas, and northern Mississippi.

Founded in 1969, the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis brings a half-century of experience and expertise, working with donors, professional advisors, and nonprofits to help strengthen our community through philanthropy. Together, we have built a trusted resource that helps transform the way you give.

Mission

The mission of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis is to strengthen our community through philanthropy. To accomplish this mission, the Community Foundation will:

• Develop and effectively manage charitable funds and endowments, offering the highest levels of service and expertise to individuals, families, and institutional donors and their successors; 
• Actively address the needs of the community by examining community issues, securing and distributing resources, advocating for positive change, and convening meetings and conversations which encourage donors and the community to respond;
• Encourage philanthropy and the growth of charitable resources among individuals, families, businesses, and community institutions.

Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants

The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis seeks to address the organizational strength and overall health of nonprofits in the Mid-South by supporting their capacity building efforts through financial grants. Reviewed by a committee of community volunteers, these grants are awarded to established nonprofits for one-time projects that address a part of the organization’s strategic plan to improve the management, governance, and administration of the organization, not direct programmatic improvements. By strengthening the internal capacity of an organization, the Community Foundation believes the programs and services will also be strengthened. Nonprofit Capacity Building grants require the recipient to raise matching funds ($1 for every $1), thereby encouraging the grantee to use our grant to leverage resources from other donors and funders.

Types of Projects Supported

The average Nonprofit Capacity Building grant is around $15,000, and there is approximately $210,000 available this year. Project examples include but are not limited to:

• Evaluation of core programs
• Staff or board training
• Assessment of technology systems or implementation of technology upgrades
• Human resources planning, succession planning, or fundraising planning
• Merger or formal collaboration between organizations

For more specific examples, please see previous Nonprofit Capacity Building grants awarded here.

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

Hubert Ellis Sapp, a transformative visionary and grassroots organizer, was instrumental in turning the concept of Southern Partners Fund, a democratically led foundation directed by grassroots leaders, into a reality. To honor his legacy in the wake of his passing in February of 2021, we are honored to add his name to our Regular Grant Cycle, which from here on, will be referred to as the Hubert E. Sapp Regular Grant Cycle. 

• Applicants may request general support or project support.
• Applicants must have operating budgets of $350,000 or less to receive general support.
• Organizations with operating budgets over $350,000 can apply for project support only.

Members of SPF’s grants committee will contact organizations being considered to schedule a site visit, required for new applicants, or phone interview. SPF’s grants committee, made up of SPF members, makes grants decisions during a September grants panel meeting, which are then ratified by the Board. Groups will be notified of grants decisions after October 1st, 2024.

If an organization has received five consecutive years of regular grant cycle funding, it must take a year off before making a new RGC grant request.