Upcoming Webinar
Instrumentl Fall Launch: Your Grant Operating System Has Leveled Up.
Wed, Nov 4
@ 2PM ET
Why Instrumentl
Full Cycle Grant Platform
By Customer
Featured
$1.1m More Per Year
The Instrumentl Impact Report
Explore
Learn
Connect
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
Skip the search. Get matched with grants that fit your non-profit.
Smart recommendations based on your profile — in minutes.
Cherokee Nation Foundation
The Cherokee Nation Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving the Cherokee Nation, a federally recognized tribe of more than 470,000 citizens. Its mission is to provide educational opportunities to Cherokee students so they can reach their full potential. The Cherokee Nation Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Scholarships
Cherokee Nation Foundation offers a diverse range of scholarships to help reverse the trend of rising student debt. Students may receive up to two CNF scholarships per academic year. All opportunities are reserved for Cherokee Nation citizens, unless otherwise noted in the description.
Brent & Janees Taylor RSU Business Scholarship
Applicant must be an undergraduate student majoring in business at Rogers State University with a minimum 2.5 GPA. This is a one-year scholarship awarded in the fall semester, reserved for a Cherokee Nation citizen residing in Rogers or Mayes County.
Cherokee Nation Foundation
The Cherokee Nation Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving the Cherokee Nation, a federally recognized tribe of more than 470,000 citizens. Its mission is to provide educational opportunities to Cherokee students so they can reach their full potential. The Cherokee Nation Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Scholarships
Cherokee Nation Foundation offers a diverse range of scholarships to help reverse the trend of rising student debt. Students may receive up to two CNF scholarships per academic year. All opportunities are reserved for Cherokee Nation citizens, unless otherwise noted in the description.
Audie Baker Memorial Scholarship
Applicant must be an undergraduate or graduate student majoring in education with an emphasis on special education at Northeastern State University with a minimum 3.0 GPA. This is a one-year scholarship awarded in the fall semester, reserved for Cherokee Nation citizens.
Art League of Hilton Head Island
We are the community catalyst for the visual arts.
For over fifty years, the nonprofit Art League of Hilton Head has been the Lowcountry’s creative core for the visual arts with our innovative Gallery, teaching Academy and special community art events.
Art League sponsors satellite galleries, hosts the Gullah show and brings both traditional and cutting-edge works to our island with CraftHiltonHead, the Biennale National Juried Art Exhibition, special events, lectures, classes, workshops and so much more.
We award an annual scholarship to a local graduating High School senior to pursue a career in the visual arts in addition to sponsoring programs with local schools.
We partner with arts and cultural nonprofits and businesses to benefit residents, visitors and the artists who enrich our community.
Art League of Hilton Head Art Scholarship
Since the year 2000, Art League of Hilton Head awards a $2000 scholarship to a graduating high school senior studying or living in Beaufort County, who has been accepted into an accredited art school or a college where he/she will be majoring in the visual arts. Only one scholarship will be awarded each year.
The successful applicant will be selected based on an interview, a review of a portfolio and completion of this application.
Arizona Community Foundation
For more than four decades, the Arizona Community Foundation has worked in tandem with generous individuals, families, and organizations to address some of the biggest challenges facing our state.
Scholarships
In partnership with our generous donors, we award millions of dollars annually to help students achieve their educational goals. Through our online system, students complete one application and are matched with available scholarships, based on their eligibility requirements.
Ewing Employee Assistance Foundation Scholarship
The Ewing Employee Assistance Foundation Scholarship Program established this scholarship to provide post-secondary educational funding for the dependents of Ewing Irrigation employees. Scholarship awards are for one year of undergraduate college, university or vocational school education.
Council on Foundations
The Council on Foundations is a nonprofit membership association that serves as a guide for philanthropies as they advance the greater good. Building on our 75-year history, the Council supports over 1,000 member organizations in the United States and around the world to build trust in philanthropy, expand pathways to giving, engage broader perspectives, and co-create solutions that will lead to a better future for all.
Council Awards
Our awards program recognizes excellence in philanthropy and honors leaders for their dedication to explore creative ways to advance the common good and fund solutions for complex issues. The Council Awards recognize exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact across the philanthropic sector.
Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking
The Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking was originally created and endowed by friends and colleagues in 1984 as a tribute to Robert Scrivner, a former staff associate of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and first executive director of the Rockefeller Family Fund.
This prestigious award has historically recognized outstanding creativity in grantmaking at the individual level. Starting in 2021, it now recognizes a grantmaking organization that, with a combination of vision, principle, and commitment, is making a critical difference in an innovative way.
Award Criteria
Through your nomination, you can acknowledge the work of a trustee or staff member working in philanthropy who has made a critical difference in the field and demonstrated leadership in times of crisis, charting new paths for the social sector.One supplemental material upload is required (no more than five total items) may be uploaded to provide documentation and support of achievements. These supplemental materials may include, but not limited to: reference letter, endorsement, or letter of support for the nomination from the community leadership (i.e., nonprofit, grantee partner, or a government leader), videos, news articles, report, or publication, organizational strategic plan or annual report, or individuals resume.
The Council on Foundations prohibits discrimination based on race, gender, sex, ethnicity, religion, or national origin, to each such award.
Council on Foundations
The Council on Foundations is a nonprofit membership association that serves as a guide for philanthropies as they advance the greater good. Building on our 75-year history, the Council supports over 1,000 member organizations in the United States and around the world to build trust in philanthropy, expand pathways to giving, engage broader perspectives, and co-create solutions that will lead to a better future for all.
Council Awards
Our awards program recognizes excellence in philanthropy and honors leaders for their dedication to explore creative ways to advance the common good and fund solutions for complex issues. The Council Awards recognize exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact across the philanthropic sector.
Outstanding Corporate Philanthropy Leadership Award
The Outstanding Corporate Philanthropy Leadership Award will recognize an individual at a corporate foundation or a corporate giving program that is advancing the greater good. This award celebrates those who embody the integrity, leadership, and accomplishment that defines excellence in the field of philanthropy.
Award Criteria
The criteria for this award reflects the characteristics and attributes of corporate philanthropy’s foremost leaders. The individual should possess qualities such as:
Through your nomination, you can acknowledge the work of a trustee or staff member working in philanthropy who has made a critical difference in the field and demonstrated leadership in times of crisis, charting new paths for the social sector.One supplemental material upload is required (no more than five total items) may be uploaded to provide documentation and support of achievements. These supplemental materials may include, but not limited to: reference letter, endorsement, or letter of support for the nomination from the community leadership (i.e., nonprofit, grantee partner, or a government leader), videos, news articles, report, or publication, organizational strategic plan or annual report, or individuals resume.
The Council on Foundations prohibits discrimination based on race, gender, sex, ethnicity, religion, or national origin, to each such award.
Council on Foundations
The Council on Foundations is a nonprofit membership association that serves as a guide for philanthropies as they advance the greater good. Building on our 75-year history, the Council supports over 1,000 member organizations in the United States and around the world to build trust in philanthropy, expand pathways to giving, engage broader perspectives, and co-create solutions that will lead to a better future for all.
Council Awards
Our awards program recognizes excellence in philanthropy and honors leaders for their dedication to explore creative ways to advance the common good and fund solutions for complex issues. The Council Awards recognize exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact across the philanthropic sector.
Excellence in Community Foundation Leadership Award
The Excellence in Community Foundation Leadership Award recognizes an exceptional senior leader at a community foundation who demonstrates outstanding vision, integrity, and impact in advancing their institution's mission and the broader philanthropic field. Nominees should exemplify the unique leadership demands of community philanthropy.
Award Criteria
Council on Foundations
The Council on Foundations is a nonprofit membership association that serves as a guide for philanthropies as they advance the greater good. Building on our 75-year history, the Council supports over 1,000 member organizations in the United States and around the world to build trust in philanthropy, expand pathways to giving, engage broader perspectives, and co-create solutions that will lead to a better future for all.
Council Awards
Our awards program recognizes excellence in philanthropy and honors leaders for their dedication to explore creative ways to advance the common good and fund solutions for complex issues. The Council Awards recognize exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact across the philanthropic sector.
Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award was first presented in 1984 and highlights those who not only have accomplished a great deal in the field of philanthropy, but have also done so while exemplifying the intellect, integrity, and leadership to which the field aspires.
Award Criteria
The criteria for this award reflects the characteristics and attributes of philanthropy’s foremost leaders. The individual should possess qualities such as:
Through your nomination, you can acknowledge the work of a trustee or staff member working in philanthropy who has made a critical difference in the field and demonstrated leadership in times of crisis, charting new paths for the social sector.One supplemental material upload is required (no more than five total items) may be uploaded to provide documentation and support of achievements. These supplemental materials may include, but not limited to: reference letter, endorsement, or letter of support for the nomination from the community leadership (i.e., nonprofit, grantee partner, or a government leader), videos, news articles, report, or publication, organizational strategic plan or annual report, or individuals resume.
The Council on Foundations prohibits discrimination based on race, gender, sex, ethnicity, religion, or national origin, to each such award.
Council on Foundations
The Council on Foundations is a nonprofit membership association that serves as a guide for philanthropies as they advance the greater good. Building on our 75-year history, the Council supports over 1,000 member organizations in the United States and around the world to build trust in philanthropy, expand pathways to giving, engage broader perspectives, and co-create solutions that will lead to a better future for all.
Council Awards
Our awards program recognizes excellence in philanthropy and honors leaders for their dedication to explore creative ways to advance the common good and fund solutions for complex issues. The Council Awards recognize exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact across the philanthropic sector.
Building Together Award
The Building Together Award grew out of the Council on Foundations’ strategic focus on Building Common Ground. The award:
Award Criteria
Nominators will be asked to share a story (with quantitative and/or qualitative evidence) about how the philanthropic organization, initiative and/or collaborative:
The nominee will provide evidence of meaningful outcomes and impact for the following criteria:
One supplemental material upload is required (no more than five total items) may be uploaded to provide documentation and support of achievements. These supplemental materials may include, but not limited to: reference letter, endorsement, or letter of support for the nomination from the community leadership (i.e., nonprofit, grantee partner, or a government leader), videos, news articles, report, or publication, organizational strategic plan or annual report, or individuals resume.
The Council on Foundations prohibits discrimination based on race, gender, sex, ethnicity, religion, or national origin, to each such award.
Robert B. Baumann Memorial Scholarship Fund
The scholarship was established to provide financial assistance to senior and graduates of any Harvey County, Kansas High School or be a resident of Harvey County, Kansas graduating from a neighboring area high school. Applicants must be pursuing career path in a mechanical or building trade (i.e. carpenter, electrician, auto mechanic, HVAC installer, carpet installer, heavy equipment operator, insulation installer, landscaper, painter plumber, machinist, mechanical drafter, locksmith, mechanical insulator, elector mechanic, mechanical installer, machine and manufacturing field, welder, diesel technologist, and heavy equipment operator). Qualified candidates may plan to attend a 2- or 4-year college or university, community college, trade, technical or vocational school.
If recipient is interested in reapplying, they must reapply annually. No reminder will be sent to recipients. Consecutive awards are not guaranteed.
Earl Wineinger Memorial Scholarship Fund
The scholarship was established to provide financial assistance to current graduating Marion County high school seniors who are furthering their careers through higher educational or vocational pursuits.
Final candidates may be invited for a personal interview in Hillsboro, Kansas. The dollar amount given is based on money available. Recipient will be notified of their award status.
Arizona Community Foundation
For more than four decades, the Arizona Community Foundation has worked in tandem with generous individuals, families, and organizations to address some of the biggest challenges facing our state.
Scholarships
In partnership with our generous donors, we award millions of dollars annually to help students achieve their educational goals. Through our online system, students complete one application and are matched with available scholarships, based on their eligibility requirements.
Alexandra Ryan Swanson Live Your Dream Scholarship
This scholarship was created to support residents and participants in United Methodist Outreach Ministries (UMOM) Housing Programs earn a GED, College Degree, or certificate from a trade or vocational program. Applicants must list out program and supply expenses in the additional questions. Previous recipients may continue to apply in subsequent years through the same application process.
Ellwood City Community Health Foundation Scholarships
The Ellwood City Community Health Foundation will issue scholarships each year to individuals who enroll in higher education to pursue a career in the medical field. The individual needs to be a resident of either Ellwood City, Lawrence County, or Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
Arizona Community Foundation
For more than four decades, the Arizona Community Foundation has worked in tandem with generous individuals, families, and organizations to address some of the biggest challenges facing our state.
Scholarships
In partnership with our generous donors, we award millions of dollars annually to help students achieve their educational goals. Through our online system, students complete one application and are matched with available scholarships, based on their eligibility requirements.
100 Club of Arizona Scholarship
The 100 Club of Arizona scholarship program provides financial education assistance to immediate family members-children, spouses, or stepchildren (cousins, aunts/uncles or other extended family are not eligible) of sworn or certified public safety or fire employees of any local, municipal, county, state, federal or tribal agency in Arizona.
ASPCA PRO
ASPCApro.org provides tools and resources for animal welfare professionals, veterinary personnel and volunteers. We take a progressive approach to helping the country's at-risk animals, promoting cutting edge research to advance the field.
ASPCA Research Grants
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®) research grants fund high-quality research with a clear potential to benefit animals, either directly or through effecting systems-level change. Proposals to extend existing studies, focused on other disciplines, will also be considered if they can clearly demonstrate substantial potential benefit to animal welfare.
This year we are soliciting proposals in the following six research areas:
Proposals focused on evaluating the effectiveness of a program or service must demonstrate methodological rigor and a clear plan to produce generalizable scientific knowledge. Please view eligibility information for specific projects from the research area you are interested in.
Access to Veterinary Care (AVC) Research
Proposals that address AVC for cats, dogs, and equines from any angle (e.g., medical, legal, impact, program delivery, community engagement, veterinary engagement). Ideally, the research will establish tools or guidelines that professionals and organizations can use to improve access to veterinary care.
Proposals that include a shelter-researcher partnership aspect are especially encouraged. Examples include, but are not limited to, inclusion of both shelter and academic staff on the study team, the creation of a shelter-facing deliverable, an implementation prospectus that includes a feasibility assessment and identified partner shelter.
Community Foundation for Muskegon County
At the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, we work with donors, grantees, and advisors to address key community issues.
The mission of the Community Foundation is to engage donors and connect them with opportunities to make a lasting impact, build community endowment, provide leadership on key issues, and make grants that reflect the communities we serve.
Scholarships
Our scholarship funds seek to empower and encourage Muskegon County residents to pursue their dreams, hone in their gifts, and give back to our community.
If you’re a high school or homeschooled senior, current college student, early college senior, or adult learner, the Community Foundation for Muskegon County may have a scholarship for you. We manage one of the largest scholarship programs in our area, with over $1 million committed to students in over 500 new and renewed scholarships awarded each year.
Dr. Philip H. and Esther J. Frandsen Scholarship
This scholarship has been made possible by the generosity of Esther Frandsen, who established the Dr. Philip H. and Esther J. Frandsen Scholarship of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County. Esther Frandsen created the Dr. Philip H. and Esther J. Frandsen Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships for students from the Muskegon area who wish to train for careers in medicine or a medical related field. Mrs. Frandsen established the fund to honor the memory of her husband, Philip, who contributed so much to this community as a surgeon, and who worked tirelessly to improve the health of his patients through his surgical skills.
Community Foundation for Muskegon County
At the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, we work with donors, grantees, and advisors to address key community issues.
The mission of the Community Foundation is to engage donors and connect them with opportunities to make a lasting impact, build community endowment, provide leadership on key issues, and make grants that reflect the communities we serve.
Scholarships
Our scholarship funds seek to empower and encourage Muskegon County residents to pursue their dreams, hone in their gifts, and give back to our community.
If you’re a high school or homeschooled senior, current college student, early college senior, or adult learner, the Community Foundation for Muskegon County may have a scholarship for you. We manage one of the largest scholarship programs in our area, with over $1 million committed to students in over 500 new and renewed scholarships awarded each year.
Dr. J. Max Elizabeth Busard Scholarship
This scholarship has been made possible by the generosity of Dr. J. Max and Elizabeth Busard, who established the Dr. J. Max and Elizabeth Busard Scholarship of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County. Following a distinguished medical career spanning decades, Dr. Max Busard and his wife made a commitment to support students pursing a medical degree at the University of Michigan Medical School, Dr. Busards' alma mater. The Dr. J. Max and Elizabeth Busard Scholarship will be available to residents of Muskegon and Ottawa counties who have graduated from any post-secondary institution and are attending the U of M Medical School. Dr. Busard worked at Hackley Hospital from 1949-1989 and also as medical director of Hospice of Muskegon-Oceana for 14 years. Following a distinguished medical career spanning decades, Dr. Max Busard and his wife made a commitment to support students pursing a medical degree at the University of Michigan Medical School, Dr. Busards' alma mater. The Dr. J. Max and Elizabeth Busard Scholarship Fund will be available to residents of Muskegon and Ottawa counties who have graduated from any post-secondary institution and are attending the U of M Medical School. "This is something I have been thinking about for quite awhile," says Dr. Busard. Dr. Busard worked at Hackley Hospital from 1949-1989 and also as medical director of Hospice of Muskegon-Oceana for 14 years.
Community Foundation for Muskegon County
At the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, we work with donors, grantees, and advisors to address key community issues.
The mission of the Community Foundation is to engage donors and connect them with opportunities to make a lasting impact, build community endowment, provide leadership on key issues, and make grants that reflect the communities we serve.
Scholarships
Our scholarship funds seek to empower and encourage Muskegon County residents to pursue their dreams, hone in their gifts, and give back to our community.
If you’re a high school or homeschooled senior, current college student, early college senior, or adult learner, the Community Foundation for Muskegon County may have a scholarship for you. We manage one of the largest scholarship programs in our area, with over $1 million committed to students in over 500 new and renewed scholarships awarded each year.
Dorothy Creason Tyler English Scholarship
This scholarship has been made possible by the generosity of the Tyler Family, who established the Dorothy Creason-Tyler English Scholarship of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County. This scholarship is intended for graduating seniors from North Muskegon High School, who have an aptitude and passion for English. The scholarship will be awarded to a student who has demonstrated overall academic achievement with a special interest in and passion for reading, writing and discussing the ideas generated from great literature.
EMC Health Foundation Grant
The grants shall be used to fund direct healthcare services, wellness programs, health research, health education, and public/private partnerships formed to improve the health of the residents in the EMCHF community.
EMC Health Foundation will provide funding and technical support for nonprofit programs to create healthcare solutions within Stanislaus and Merced counties.
Scholarship amounts vary depending on the scholarship applied for. Applicants are encouraged to apply for as many awards as they are eligible to increase the likelihood of receiving one or more awards.
Scholarships can be used for cost of attendance, direct education expenses, including tuition, books, and/or other school-related fees.
If you receive an award, be sure to complete your scholarship acceptance form (online portal). Scholarship awards are paid directly to the academic institution by the end of August.
Oneita J. Waltenberger Scholarship Fund
Established in 2015, this scholarship provides support to current or former residents of DeKalb County, IL, who are pursuing undergraduate or post-graduate education in the healthcare field. Current high school students, including high school seniors, do not qualify.
Scholarship amounts vary depending on the scholarship applied for. Applicants are encouraged to apply for as many awards as they are eligible to increase the likelihood of receiving one or more awards.
Scholarships can be used for cost of attendance, direct education expenses, including tuition, books, and/or other school-related fees.
If you receive an award, be sure to complete your scholarship acceptance form (online portal). Scholarship awards are paid directly to the academic institution by the end of August.
Wehrli Custom Fabrication Scholarship Fund
The Wehrli Custom Fabrication company created the scholarship to aid students interested in pursuing a career in the trades. The Fund supports two annual scholarships. The first is for a student attending a trade school or 2-year college, and the second benefits a student attending a 4-year college or university. Eligible areas of study include welding, machine tooling, auto mechanics, auto body, business management, and mechanical, industrial, manufacturing, or agricultural engineering.
MSU Staff Scholarship
Award
Supplemental Questions
United Negro College Fund
“A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”®
For more than seven decades, this principle has remained at the heart of UNCF, enabling us to raise more than $5 billion and help more than 500,000 students and counting not just attend college, but thrive, graduate and become leaders.
We do this in three ways: By awarding more than 12,000 students scholarships, worth more than $65 million, each year. By providing financial support to 37 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). And by serving as the nation’s leading advocate for the importance of minority education and community engagement.
Henry C. McBay Faculty Research Fellowship
Dr. Henry Ransom Cecil McBay (May 29, 1914 – 1995) was an American chemist renowned for his excellence in teaching and mentorship. He received numerous awards for his commitment to encouraging disadvantaged students to pursue careers in the chemical sciences, including the American Chemical Society Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences.
The Henry C. McBay Faculty Research Fellowship is open to faculty members at UNCF member institutions and supports faculty-led research conducted in partnership with a student researcher or intern.
The fellowship provides:
All funded projects must be completed within one academic year and no later than Spring 2027.
Reporting Requirements
Each principal investigator is required 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.