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33,000+
Available grants
$8.25B
Total funding
$6K
Median grant
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Grand Rapids Community Foundation
Connecting people, passion and resources
The Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization that connects people, passion and resources. With our partners, the Community Foundation uses the tools of philanthropy to find solutions to pressing issues. We provide grants to support the work of nonprofits, scholarships to local students and other forms of support to communities working to eliminate barriers to opportunity, prosperity and belonging.
Our Mission is to build and manage our community’s permanent endowment and lead the community to strengthen the lives of its people.
We envision a magnetic and interconnected West Michigan community.
Integrity, Excellence, Inclusion, Sustainability and Bold Aspirations
Give and Receive Openly, Build Trust with Each Other, Create Brave and Safe Space, Embrace Vulnerability, Accountability
Our North Star
For West Michigan to grow and prosper, we must make sure that everyone can apply their talents and creativity to fuel our future. It is only by connecting across perspectives and overcoming inequities that we can build and sustain an inclusive economy and thriving community.
Opportunities for students
Apply for scholarships to support your ambitions
Each year Grand Rapids Community Foundation supports hundreds of students on their college or career training journeys. We are excited to remove barriers to academic success so that students like you can pursue what you're passionate about.
Scholarship Fund Details
Support for West Michigan Students
Attending college or trade school increases opportunity and opens doors to careers. Donor partners who establish a scholarship fund give students a boost on their path to higher education. Students who complete the general scholarship application are considered for these scholarships.
Open to full time undergraduate students who are residents of Kent County, and are a child of a veteran of first responder who was killed or disabled while on duty.
Sustainable Solutions for Housing Stability – Addressing Critical Needs Grant
Background
At The Chicago Community Trust, we believe that people are our region’s greatest asset. Central to our Critical Needs strategy is the recognition that access to stable, healthy and secure housing is fundamental in paving the way toward economic stability for individuals and families. Understanding the Chicago region’s formidable homelessness challenges, the Trust is offering this funding opportunity aimed at bolstering direct service organizations that provide housing and homeless prevention services. Through a human-centered approach, we are dedicated to ensuring that communities experiencing homelessness or unstable housing receive the support and resources necessary to achieve and maintain stable housing.
Need/Opportunity Statement
The Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness estimates that 58,625 people experienced homelessness in 2024 – nearly three times higher than the 18,836 individuals counted in the city’s annual Point-in-Time survey. Unlike the Point-in-Time count, this estimate includes people who are doubled-up or living in overcrowded and unstable housing, revealing the broader reality of housing insecurity across Chicago.
Both reports show that homelessness is widespread and disproportionately impacts Black and Latine communities. Black residents make up about 30 percent of Chicago’s population but account for more than 50 percent of those experiencing homelessness. Latine residents also represent about 30 percent of the population and over 90 percent of those living doubled-up.
While Illinois and the City of Chicago have multi-year plans to address homelessness, philanthropic support remains essential. The Chicago Community Trust is committed to providing flexible, multi-year funding to help make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.
Priority Strategies & Activities
The Sustainable Solutions for Housing Stability RFP will fund programs that support individuals and families experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
Grants will support initiatives in two primary categories:
Prevention:
Housing:
The ultimate goal is to foster sustainable solutions that promote housing stability and address the root causes of homelessness within the Chicago region.
Goals & Outcomes
The Sustainable Solutions for Housing Stability RFP supports the Trust’s 10-year goal of increasing the number of households meeting their basic needs. Progress measures focus on tracking how housing programs help people move from homelessness to stable housing and stay housed, while also capturing the impact of prevention efforts that keep people in their homes.
Grant Amounts Available & Grant Term
These multi-year, general operating grants will span three years. Yearly grant amounts will be between $75,000 and $125,000. The Trust estimates it will make between 20 and 25 grant awards.
About the Department
The Nevada Department of Education (NDE or Department) leads and collaborates with Nevada's 17 school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority to advance educational equity Statewide. With offices in Nevada's capital, Carson City, and Las Vegas, NDE oversees all pre-K-12 education in the State with mission of improving student achievement and educator effectiveness by ensuring opportunities, facilitating learning, and promoting excellence. Under the leadership of the State Board of Education and the Executive Team, NDE impacts the achievement of nearly half a million children and 30,000 educators.
Open Enrollment Transportation Support Grant
Assembly Bill 533 (AB533) and Senate Bill 460 (SB460), passed during the 2025 Legislative Session, allocated $7M to support transportation services for students residing in the zone of attendance of a 1- or 2-star school who enroll in a program of open enrollment to attend a school outside of their zone of attendance and have attested to requiring financial assistance. The Nevada Department of Education (NDE or Department) is tasked with establishing a program to award grants of money to school districts and organizations so that they may develop a program to provide transportation directly to pupils, provide reimbursement to the parents or legal guardians of students for the cost of transportation, or to identify the need and eligibility of students for a program of transportation assistance. Please note that details regarding this funding are explicated through regulatory amendments to the Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) and are currently in draft as R076-25RP3. As these regulations have not yet been approved, excerpts of draft regulatory language are included in this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
Yawkey Foundation
The story of Tom and Jean Yawkey and their impact on the lives of children and families goes back over eight decades to the commitments they made to the people of Massachusetts, New England, and Georgetown County, South Carolina. The Yawkeys’ love for these communities, and their quiet sense of responsibility for those in need, is captured in the careful steps they took to ensure that their legacy would live on through the work of the Yawkey Foundation. The Yawkeys were perhaps best known for their longtime ownership of the Boston Red Sox. More quietly, but with just as much passion and commitment, Tom and Jean Yawkey were also engaged in an unwavering dedication to those most in need.
Today, the Yawkey Foundation remains as committed as ever to continuing to honor Tom and Jean Yawkey and their commitment to those in need. Having awarded more than $620 million to-date in charitable grants to organizations focused on Health Care, Education, Human Services, Youth and Amateur Athletics, Arts and Culture, and Conservation and Wildlife, the Yawkey Foundation is committed to preserving and sustaining the charitable values of the Yawkeys by investing in impactful nonprofits providing resources, opportunity, and dignity to the vulnerable and underserved.
Program and Small Capital Grants
Program and Small Capital Grants support high-impact, strategic, and responsive nonprofit organizations in delivering their core missions through discrete and timebound projects. Program & Small Capital Grants help address an immediate need that is critical to the organization’s work.
Program and Small Capital Grants may fund a discrete timebound program need, one small project, or a piece of equipment aligned with a nonprofit’s purpose. These grants are extremely competitive, and the Yawkey Foundation will receive many more compelling Initial Proposals than it will be able to fund. Initial Proposals should demonstrate an awareness of and alignment with the Yawkey Foundation’s mission and Areas of Giving. Additionally, the most competitive Initial Proposals will reflect a nonprofit’s strong leadership and proven impact in providing direct services and programs for unmet needs in underserved regions aligned with the Yawkey Foundation’s geographic priority areas, including Gateway Cities in Eastern Massachusetts.
Nonprofits may submit only one Initial Proposal to the Yawkey Foundation during a calendar year, irrespective of the Type of Grant. Organizations that have not been previously funded by the Foundation in recent years are encouraged to submit Initial Proposals for Program & Small Capital Grants to familiarize the Foundation with its work before submitting an Initial Proposal for Strategic Investment or Transformational Capital.
Areas of Giving: Human Services; Youth & Amateur Athletics; Education; Conservation & Wildlife; Arts & Culture; and Health Care.
Conservation & Wildlife
Tom and Jean Yawkey had a deep appreciation for nature and a passionate desire to protect our natural resources. The Yawkeys’ gift of more than 20,000 acres of shorefront land to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is their most enduring legacy in conservation.
In 1914, Tom Yawkey’s uncle purchased a small amount of land along the shoreline in Georgetown County, South Carolina. Tom inherited the land from his uncle and went on to purchase additional parcels until the area totaled over 20,000 acres. Upon his death in 1977, Tom bequeathed the land to the State of South Carolina.
Today, the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center is considered one of the most outstanding grants to wildlife conservation efforts in North America; the world’s longest alligator study started there over 40 years ago and the area remains one of the premier nesting locations for endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtles and is home to hundreds of species of migratory birds. Over the years, the Yawkey Foundation has developed collaborative research partnerships with institutions such as Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Horry-Georgetown Technical College and many others using the Wildlife Center as a research laboratory for important wildlife conservation efforts.
DREAMS Grant Program
DREAMS For Duchenne
Launched in 2023, Entrada DREAMS is a competitive annual grant program designed to fund efforts within the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community to better identify, understand and reach those who are currently underrepresented and underserved.
DREAMS and Belonging
Entrada is building a company culture where everyone can belong, contribute and grow. In the same way, we are committed to working toward a healthcare system that is equitable and inclusive. Entrada DREAMS is part of our commitment to support Duchenne-focused non-profit organizations in their efforts to address disparities in healthcare and to better serve all people living with Duchenne.
DREAMS and Impact
DREAMS has funded transformative projects that bridge healthcare disparities and strengthen community connections. Keep reading to learn more about past recipients and their projects.
This year, two nonprofit organizations will each receive a $50,000 USD grant to fund projects that advance equity, accessibility and inclusion for individuals with Duchenne. Entrada will award one grant to a U.S.-based nonprofit and another to a nonprofit in the UK or EU.
Operating grants for nonprofits provide essential funding to support day-to-day operations, staff salaries, and infrastructure. The following grants help organizations build capacity, maintain sustainability, and focus on achieving their mission-driven goals.
Explore 8,000+ funding opportunities for operational support, with $3.43B in resources. Instrumentl helps nonprofits secure essential funding by offering grant discovery tools, deadline tracking, and strategic funder analysis to ensure long-term success.
How common are grants in this category?
Quite common — grants in this category are more prevalent than in others.
Over the past year, when are grant deadlines typically due for Operating grants for Nonprofits?
Most grants are due in the first quarter.
What's the typical grant amount funded for Operating Grants for Nonprofits?
Grants are most commonly $34,887.
Nonprofits of all types can apply for operating grants, but they are especially useful for organizations needing flexible funding to support the core work of their mission. Operating grants are ideal for nonprofits involved in general population well-being. Specific sectors include healthcare, education, social services, and the arts. Unlike project-based grants that fund specific initiatives, operating grants help with essential costs like staff salaries, rent, and general admin costs. Funders often look for groups with a clear mission who serve a meaningful purpose and have potential for long-term impact.
Based on Instrumentl’s live grant database for operating, grant deadlines are most common in Q1, accounting for 29.8% of all submission dates. The slowest period for new grant opportunities in this category falls in Q4, making it a less competitive time for preparation and strategic planning.
Operating grants exist to help nonprofits function smoothly and grow effectively. The goal is to give organizations the financial means they need to focus on their mission, serve their communities, and support long-term stability. These grants allow nonprofits to improve everyday operations, invest in staff development, and expand programs. Funders want to see nonprofits thrive, not just survive, and providing operational support is a key element to making that happen.
Funding for operating grants varies widely, with award amounts ranging from a minimum of $0 to a maximum of $188,250,000. Based on Instrumentl’s data, the median grant amount for this category is $34,887, while the average grant awarded is $655,609. Understanding these funding trends can help nonprofits set realistic expectations when applying.
Operating grants are often funded by private foundations like the popular Ford Foundation. Some government agencies offer grants to strengthen nonprofit infrastructure, especially in sectors like health, education, and social services. Corporate giving programs may also support nonprofits that align with their values and create lasting impact.
To improve the chances of getting operating grants, nonprofits should:
For more advice on finding and winning operating grants, check out our step-by-step guide to general operating grants.
Instrumentl simplifies the process of applying for operating grants by offering an intuitive platform that helps nonprofits discover relevant funding opportunities, track deadlines, and analyze funder-giving patterns. The platform's automated alerts ensure users never miss a deadline, while detailed funder insights help organizations tailor their applications to align with grantor priorities.
Check out how Habitat for Humanity delivered over 200% ROI within just a few weeks.