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Get operating grants for nonprofits covering essential expenses, staffing, program delivery, and organizational sustainability.
33,000+
Available grants
$9.00B
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 graduate students who are 2+ year residents of Kent County attending college in the state of Michigan and with a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a public charitable foundation based in Aurora, Illinois, dedicated to improving quality of life across the Fox River Valley, including the Greater Aurora area and Kane and Kendall counties. The Foundation partners with donors to fulfill philanthropic goals by managing charitable funds and distributing grants and scholarships that address local needs in areas such as education, health and human services, arts and culture, and community development, while ensuring responsible stewardship of resources to create lasting community impact.
Child Welfare Society Endowment Fund
This fund was created to provide income for the educational, health and welfare needs of children. This fund also supports annual scholarships for local students who are majoring in Early Childhood Education or Elementary Education. The Child Welfare Society was established in 1938 to assist children requiring transportation to medical facilities. The following year, the membership identified day care as a critical unmet need for the children of women working in defense industries. The organization responded by opening the Jack and Jill Nursery School on Beach Street in Aurora. Several years later, the school relocated to Clark and LaSalle Street where it remained for most of its history. In 1997, it made its final move to the Carriage House at Mutual Ground on Oak Avenue. The school closed in the summer of 2001. Funds to operate the school were raised by members who volunteered at the Gift Corner and through various fundraisers supported by the community. The Gift Corner opened in 1949 at Copley Memorial Hospital. In 1986, the shop moved to its current location at Dreyer Medical Clinic on Galena Boulevard.
Iowa Workforce Development
Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) is a state agency committed to providing employment services for individual job seekers and to serving employers by helping them find the skilled workforce they need.
IWD supports employers through its Business Engagement Division and provides a variety of resources and one-on-one support. This includes helping employers to post jobs, recruit veterans, apply for qualifying federal tax credits, and connect with workforce training programs available through several state programs.
Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Development (AMP’D) Iowa Program
Program Purpose
The purpose of the Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Development (AMP’D) Iowa is to increase training opportunities in the targeted industry of advanced manufacturing (manufacturing). AMP'D Iowa will reimburse Iowa manufacturing employers a portion of expenses to train and/or upskill new or current employees due to the implementation of new technology, creation of new workforce pipelines, and to address the skilled labor gap.
Iowa’s manufacturing sector spans a wide variety of industries and products including but not limited to: agricultural and construction equipment, tires, windows, lighting, medical devices and machinery, appliance/furniture, food production, fuels, and the biotech industry, impacting not just the economy of Iowa, but the entire nation. This is not an exhaustive list of Iowa’s manufacturing sector but represents a description of the variety of the manufacturing industries within Iowa.
Applicants for the AMP’D Iowa program are not limited to these stated industries and are encouraged to review the eligibility requirements for this opportunity. Through Work Based Learning (WBL), manufacturing employers will increase domestic skills of Iowa’s manufacturing workforce and ensure a well-trained workforce to meet the growing demand for the future.
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is the Commonwealth's coordinating body for higher education. SCHEV was established by the Governor and General Assembly in 1956. Then as now, our mission, which is outlined in the Code of Virginia, is "to advocate and promote the development and operation of an educationally and economically sound, vigorous, progressive, and coordinated system of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and to lead state-level strategic planning and policy development and implementation based on research and analysis …. The Council shall also seek to facilitate collaboration among institutions of higher education that will enhance quality and create operational efficiencies and shall work with institutions of higher education and their boards on board development.”
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s coordinating agency for higher education. As an entity of the Commonwealth of Virginia government, SCHEV exists to serve the public interest and to assist the state’s system of higher education. Our Mission is to advocate and promote the development of an educationally and economically sound, vigorous, progressive and coordinated system of higher education in Virginia.
Fund for Excellence and Innovation
The Fund for Excellence and Innovation (FFEI) was established during the 2016 legislative session to focus on two primary activities: stimulate collaborations among public school divisions, community colleges and universities and to expand affordable student pathways; and pursue shared services and other efficiency initiatives at colleges and universities that lead to measurable cost reductions.
between secondary and post-secondary education (and/or within post-secondary education) in AI-related student outreach, academic integration, labor-market alignment and/or shared services for institutions of higher education and/or K-12 institutions; assess the impact of the supported activities; and share the results. Some activities may include leveraging AI to retool current programs to attract nontraditional learners, broaden credentialing options (including stackable micro-credentials), or scaling existing projects for broader impact. The goal will be furthering the readiness of current and future students for work and life involving artificial intelligence.
within Virginia postsecondary education (and/or between Virginia secondary and postsecondary education) to support the integration of AI in instructional and student support. This integration may include professional development to bridge gaps in expertise among faculty, student support services that provide AI training or AI tools and resources, stackable micro-credentials/micro-badging opportunities, efforts to shorten time to degree/credential, supports for nontraditional learners (e.g., retooling programs for shorter semesters to support adult learners), efforts to reduce transfer curricular complexity (i.e., identifying the most efficient course sequence along the two- and four-year curricular pathway), analysis of credit for prior learning and alignment to transfer pathways (e.g., Military experience, AP, CLEP), or other similar projects and initiatives.
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 students who are residents of Kent County. Preference to Challenge Scholar students through 2032.
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation is a nationally respected leader in charitable giving, dedicated to improving quality of life in Greater Kansas City by increasing philanthropy, educating and connecting donors to community needs, and leading on critical local issues. Founded in 1978 with a simple belief that charitable giving should be accessible to all, the Foundation has grown into one of the largest and most innovative public charities in the country, offering donor advised funds and other giving vehicles that make philanthropy convenient, efficient, and impactful. Today, it manages more than $7 billion in assets, administers over 7,000 charitable funds, and has distributed more than $8 billion in grants, consistently ranking among the top community foundations nationwide.
Joseph J. LeMark Memorial Scholarship Fund
Joseph J. LeMark Memorial Scholarship Fund honors the character, integrity, and love for the game of golf exemplified by Joseph J. LeMark by providing scholarship support to students who share a passion for golf. Eligible applicants must be high school seniors or current college students in the Kansas City area who play golf and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. The application requires a video submission addressing specific questions, with assistance available through Grow Your Giving. The scholarship provides an award of $5,000 to support the recipient’s educational pursuits.
The WIOA, Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) grant provides supplemental funds over a 4 year grant cycle for adult education to:
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 $3.34B 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 $32,500.
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 29.7% 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 $32,500, while the average grant awarded is $633,837. 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.