Best Operating Grants for Nonprofits

The Dr. Robert W. Ikard Scholarship Fund, established by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, honors the legacy of Dr. Ikard, a surgeon and author committed to education and social justice. This scholarship supports descendants of slaves in Maury County, helping them access higher education opportunities. Eligible candidates must be residents of Maury or Williamson counties, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, and can reapply annually. The fund aims to foster a thriving, inclusive community through education.

The Thomas T. and Christine Hegeman Wheatley Memorial Scholarship Fund, established in 2006 by Berks County Community Foundation, offers annual scholarships to Berks County residents pursuing education in medical fields such as EMT, Paramedics, Phlebotomy, or Nursing. Priority is given to current EMTs transitioning to Paramedics and applicants with a minimum of 30 hours of volunteer service in a medical capacity. This fund honors the legacy of Thomas and Christine Wheatley.

The SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships, offered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), are designed to promote early-career independence by supporting research and training goals in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. Applicants can choose between two tracks: Fundamental Research and Broadening Participation. This initiative addresses significant scientific questions, aligning with NSF's mission to enhance the scientific workforce and foster diversity in research fields.

The We Rise LGBTQ Scholarship, funded by the Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation, aims to uplift individuals and the LGBTQ community through educational support. Grants of up to $3,500 for vocational training and $2,500 for higher education will be awarded to applicants dedicated to advancing LGBTQ rights. This initiative encourages diverse candidates, particularly those from underserved backgrounds, to pursue their educational goals and create pathways to financial stability, fostering a brighter future for all.

The Michael and Carolyn Stelman Scholarship, offered by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, supports students pursuing education in Culinary Arts, Music, or Photography. With annual awards of up to $1,250, this scholarship aims to empower high school graduates from Southern Arizona with a GPA of 2.5 or higher, enabling them to achieve their educational dreams and contribute as future leaders in the community.

The Fall Teacher Fellowship by the Pulitzer Center offers educators an enriching opportunity to engage with global health stories through innovative reporting. This virtual program, open to teachers in grades four–12, emphasizes critical analysis of health inequities and civic engagement. Participants will collaborate with award-winning journalists, develop lesson plans, and receive a stipend, digital badge, and professional learning units upon completion. This fellowship aims to empower educators to connect their students' learning with global issues, fostering a deeper understanding of interconnected health challenges.

The Women's Fund Grant, established in 1991 by the Community Foundation of Lorain County, empowers women and children through education and philanthropy. This permanent endowment supports non-profit organizations and grassroots initiatives that address social, educational, and artistic needs, specifically benefiting women and children in Lorain County. The grant program aims to combat injustices faced by these populations by providing necessary funding and raising public awareness about their challenges.

About Us

At United Way of North Central Iowa, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to live a healthy, secure, and hopeful life. Every day, we bring people, businesses, nonprofits, and community leaders together to create lasting change across our eight-county region.

UWNCI Community Impact Grants

For 100 years, United Way of North Central Iowa has raised funding and fostered community and agency partnerships in the north-central Iowa region. While the United Way has always raised money for good causes, our focus has sharpened to impact communities by advancing the common good in education, income, and health. Our goal is to fund programs that help us advance the common good in our impact areas and further our mission of affecting systemic change in our community. We want to ensure that the programs we fund will provide measurable outcomes in our impact area that will demonstrate to United Way donors and the north Iowa region, our shared commitment to fostering positive changes in our community. When filling out the application for funding, we ask applicants to keep in mind our core impact areas and how their programs best address issues under one of the three impact areas.

United Way of North Central Iowa Impact Areas

• Education: Helping community members connect with the tools they need to reach their potential
• Income Stability: Providing connections to aid in financial stability & independence
• Health: Increasing access to ensure health & well-being

United Way of North Central Iowa Small Grants can be used for projects such as planning, training and/or development, organizational capacity building, including strategic planning, governance, and other types of organizational planning and/or development activities; community and/or human service work, and innovative solutions to local issues.

Highmark Health

For over two decades, the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community has been a powerful force for positive change, uniting individuals and organizations in the shared pursuit of healthier communities. This annual fundraising event is a cornerstone of Highmark's Bright Blue Futures initiative, dedicated to improving equitable access to care, enhancing quality of life, and fostering economic resilience.

Our Mission: To empower local health and human service nonprofits and inspire community members to prioritize their well-being. How We Make a Difference: Highmark proudly underwrites all event costs, ensuring that 100% of every dollar raised by participants goes directly to the participating nonprofits. This allows these organizations to focus on their vital missions, providing essential services and support to those in need.

Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community Program

The Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community offers a unique opportunity for health and human service nonprofits to significantly expand their fundraising efforts. We are seeking dedicated organizations to partner with us in our mission to build healthier communities.

By participating in the Highmark Walk, you're not only investing in your own health through physical activity but also making a tangible contribution to a healthier and more vibrant community for everyone. We invite you to join us in this vital effort.

NIFA requests applications for grants under the RCDG program for FY 2025 to improve the economic condition of rural areas by helping nonprofit organizations who in turn provide technical assistance to start, expand, or improve cooperatives and mutually owned businesses in rural areas. This notice is being issued to allow applicants sufficient time to leverage financing and prepare and submit their applications. This notice identifies the goals and objectives, eligibility criteria, and application forms and instructions.

The purpose of the RCDG program is to enable nonprofit institutions to establish and operate centers for rural cooperative development (Center). The primary objective of the program is to improve the economic condition of rural areas by helping nonprofit organizations who in turn provide technical assistance to start, expand, or improve cooperatives and mutually owned businesses in rural areas.

The goals of a Center funded under this subsection shall be to facilitate the creation of jobs in rural areas through the development of new rural cooperatives, value added processing, and rural businesses.

The Russell Legacy: Women in STEM Scholarship Fund, managed by the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound, aims to support exceptional students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This scholarship is available to graduating seniors from public high schools in Lewis, Mason, or Thurston counties, with a focus on promoting gender diversity in STEM. Applicants may receive funding for up to four years, contingent on reapplication each year.

The Urbani Family Scholarship supports adult learners in San Luis Obispo County who are re-entering education. This scholarship aims to assist deserving students in pursuing post-secondary education at community colleges or vocational programs, ensuring they receive the necessary financial aid to succeed. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and reside in the county, while online programs are not eligible. The scholarship is renewable, providing ongoing support for students as they advance in their educational journeys.

The Healthy Lifestyles in Youth program, funded by the Indian Health Service, aims to empower Tribes and Tribal Organizations to deliver essential public health services. This new cohort of NPHR awards supports initiatives that foster healthier lifestyles among youth in Indigenous communities, addressing critical health disparities and promoting well-being through culturally relevant programs and services.

The Scott Riola Memorial Scholarship Fund, offered by the Amarillo Area Foundation, supports current flight nurses from the Texas Panhandle's top 26 counties who seek to further their education. Applicants must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and possess a flight certification (CEN, CCRN, or CFRN). This initiative exemplifies the Foundation's commitment to enhancing healthcare education and ensuring skilled professionals serve the community's needs.

The FVI Research and Education Grant aims to enhance the economic viability of New York's farms through innovative research and educational outreach. By funding projects that demonstrate clear benefits to farmers, the program seeks to improve farm practices, foster industry innovation, and support the adoption of new technologies. With approximately $1.5 million awarded each round, the initiative emphasizes collaboration with farmers to address production challenges and encourage data-driven decision-making.

The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, administered by the New York Foundation for the Arts, offers an $8,000 unrestricted cash grant to artists residing in New York State and Tribal Nations. This prestigious fellowship supports artists across various disciplines, enhancing their creative pursuits and professional development. Eligible applicants must be at least 25 years old, maintain residency for two years, and not be enrolled in a degree program. The fellowship fosters artistic innovation and community engagement.

The Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia Fund provides crucial financial assistance to underinsured patients suffering from this rare blood cancer. Through the HealthWell Foundation, the fund helps cover prescription copays, insurance premiums, and treatment-related costs, ensuring access to necessary medical care. With over $1.2 billion in grants awarded, the program has supported more than 1.1 million patients since its inception in 2004. Its mission is to alleviate financial barriers to essential healthcare, allowing patients to focus on their treatment and recovery.

The Kyle R. Long Scholarship, managed by the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, aims to support graduating seniors from the Medford area who have special educational needs or learning disabilities. Scholarships encourage these students to pursue post-secondary education in any field. In total, over $300,000 will be awarded to more than 200 students across north central Wisconsin, reflecting a commitment to enhancing community life through educational opportunities.

The Porphyrias Fund, managed by the HealthWell Foundation, aims to alleviate financial burdens for underinsured patients suffering from porphyrias, a group of eight disorders characterized by the accumulation of porphyrins in the body. The fund assists with prescription drug copays and insurance premiums, offering up to $4,000 in financial aid. Established to ensure no patient lacks necessary treatment due to costs, the foundation has awarded over $1.2 billion since 2004, supporting more than 1.1 million patients.

The HealthWell Foundation's Inborn Metabolic or Genetic Bile Acid Deficiency Vitamins and Supplements Fund provides essential financial assistance for individuals facing significant health challenges. By covering copays, deductibles, and related expenses, the fund aims to alleviate the financial burden on underinsured patients. With a commitment to enhancing healthcare access, the Foundation has awarded over $1.2 billion since its inception, ensuring that vital treatments remain accessible to those in need.

The Amyloidosis Fund, managed by the HealthWell Foundation, provides essential financial assistance to underinsured patients facing treatment costs for Amyloidosis. The program covers prescription copays, insurance premiums, and related expenses, ensuring that patients can access necessary medications without financial strain. With a maximum award of $8,000, the fund aims to alleviate the burden of healthcare costs for those diagnosed with this complex disease, promoting better health outcomes and quality of life for patients across the United States.

The Council of Independent Colleges

Founded in 1956, the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils, and higher education affiliates that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society.

CIC is the major national organization that focuses on providing services to leaders of independent colleges and universities and state-based councils. CIC offers conferences, seminars, publications, and other programs and services that help institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, student outcomes, and institutional visibility.

NetVUE Grants to Individuals for Vocational Exploration

CIC is pleased to announce the first NetVUE grant program for individual projects by staff and faculty members. While NetVUE offers a number of grant programs for institutions, this new program—Grants to Individuals for Vocational Exploration—is its first program designed explicitly for individual projects by faculty members and staff at NetVUE member institutions.

Many employees at NetVUE member institutions engage and contribute to the exploration of vocation in undergraduate education through their scholarship, teaching, and practice. The NetVUE program seeks to support this work by offering them more resources to support new research and pedagogical innovation. Through the NetVUE Grants to Individuals for Vocational Exploration, CIC will offer funding and guidance to support projects that will generate artifacts or products (such as scholarly articles, course syllabi and learning activities, program designs, or other resources) that will develop and expand the existing field of scholarship, conversation, and pedagogy on vocation in undergraduate education.

This grant is intended to support innovative projects in the scholarship, pedagogy, leadership, and/or practice of vocation in undergraduate education. Proposals are welcome from both new and established scholars and practitioners. Particularly welcome are projects that seek to make vocational exploration and discernment available to all students, as well as projects that invite the NetVUE community toward fresh considerations and new frameworks in vocation as a lens for undergraduate education.

The Rossin Foundation, established in 1989 by Peter C. and Ada E. Rossin, is dedicated to supporting qualified nonprofit organizations in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The foundation focuses on five key areas: arts, culture, healthcare, education, and religion. Grants are available to 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations and are reviewed semi-annually, although applications are accepted year-round. The foundation’s mission is to give back to the community and empower children and families.

The Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program supports Pennsylvania's public school districts and area career and technical schools by funding facility improvement projects. Grants range from $500,000 to $5 million, covering essential upgrades such as roof repairs, HVAC systems, plumbing, and energy-saving initiatives. This program aims to create safer, more accessible learning environments, enhancing educational opportunities for all students in the Commonwealth.

The NH Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a federally funded program established in 1965, aimed at providing matching grants to state and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreational areas. With funding sourced entirely from offshore oil and gas leases, the program supports a legacy of quality recreational resources. Since its inception, the LWCF has allocated nearly $50 million to over 700 projects, ensuring public accessibility and sustainability in outdoor recreation.

The Career Ready Early Scholars Program (CRESP) Grant aims to support District youth aged 9-13 by offering comprehensive career and educational exploration activities. These activities include occupational skills training, academic enrichment, life skills development, and work readiness training during the summer. Administered by the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, this program seeks to empower young individuals with essential skills for their future careers and personal growth.

The Gerald E. Robinson Memorial Scholarship, established in 2018 by the Community Foundation of NCW, honors the legacy of Gerald "Jerry" Robinson, a devoted animal lover. This scholarship supports college students pursuing veterinary or pre-veterinary programs, ensuring that Jerry's passion for animals continues through future generations. Eligible applicants include high school seniors from Okanogan, Ferry, or Lincoln Counties, with a minimum GPA of 2.5 and experience in animal care.