Best Private Grants for Nonprofits in Pennsylvania

The Benton Community Foundation will be awarding over $132,330 this year in scholarships to graduating high school seniors from Benton County high schools.

Ruth & Julian Adams Memorial Scholarship

Ruth died in 1983, and Julian died in 2002. Both had a passion for journalism. Ruth’s daughter Shirley McDonald, and her husband Marv McDonald, established the Ruth and Julian Adams Memorial Scholarship Fund as a lasting tribute to Shirley’s parents’ memory. The fund benefits Benton County high school students pursuing careers in journalism.

The Mary Kay Owens Memorial Fund, managed by the San Antonio Area Foundation, supports high school seniors from Bexar County pursuing education in physical therapy. This fund aims to assist students actively participating in varsity athletics who require financial aid to attend college. Established to make a meaningful impact, the foundation has been providing grants and scholarships since 1964, enhancing the quality of life in the San Antonio community.

Seattle Foundation

Seattle Foundation is an agent of change, igniting powerful, rewarding philanthropy to make Greater Seattle a stronger, more vibrant community for all.

At Seattle Foundation, we believe that community is more than a place. It’s the shared understanding that our joy and well-being are tied to one another. Every day we work with nonprofits, philanthropists, and partners like you to strengthen community by igniting powerful philanthropy and advancing long-term solutions. Because it takes all of us to create a joyful region where every person can thrive.

Patricia Fisher Endowed Scholarship

The Seattle Association of Black Journalists (SABJ) established this scholarship in honor of Patricia Fisher, a Puget Sound native, journalist, educator and role model for her support of young people and her community. Scholarships of $5,000 help students of African descent who are from or attending college in Washington and who are pursuing college careers in communications, such as print, photo, broadcast journalism or multimedia and online journalism. Scholarships are awarded based on scholastic achievement, financial need, community service and a serious interest in communications. Recipient(s) will be matched with a mentor who is a SABJ member.

The NEI Postbaccalaureate Opportunities in Vision Science (POVS) Research Education Program aims to enhance the training of a diverse workforce in biomedical research. This NIH-funded initiative focuses on providing intensive, hands-on research experiences for recent college graduates from various backgrounds, preparing them for doctoral programs in biomedical fields. The program encourages participation from individuals without prior research opportunities in vision sciences, fostering a nationally recruited cohort for substantial impact in the field.

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley of Illinois.

We are a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to establish permanent endowments and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation.

Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The Foundation also hosts a Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program, which helps high school students learn more about philanthropy and empowers them to make a difference in the community.

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley serves the City of Aurora, Kane County, and Kendall County within the State of Illinois.

Kendall’s Kindness Scholarship Fund

The Kendall’s Kindness Scholarship Fund was created by the Maffia Family in loving memory of their daughter, sister, niece, and granddaughter Kendall Marie Maffia (6/12/2000-10/11/2021). This scholarship has been established to provide two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors from either St. Charles North High School or St. Charles East High School. The Kendall’s Kindness Scholarship is intended for students who are planning to continue their education at a 4-year college and will major in an Arts-related degree.

Kendall’s family and friends want Kendall’s kind-hearted, gentle, loving, and passionate spirit to continue to impact others. The Kendall’s Kindness Scholarship Fund has been established to support young people who are interested in art, have a passion for their community, and exhibit the gentle spirit and kindness that Kendall showed others every day.

The monetary value of each scholarship award varies depending upon the amount available in each individual scholarship fund. The most common scholarship award amount is $1,000 for a single year. Scholarships are designated as non-renewable one-year awards or renewable multi-year awards depending upon the scholarship fund criteria, as established by the donor of the scholarship fund.

The ISTAART Grant Program for Conferences and Convenings (IGPCC) Grant, funded by the Alzheimer's Association, aims to support innovative initiatives that enhance research discussions among Professional Interest Areas (PIAs). This funding mechanism encourages collaboration and networking opportunities for ISTAART members, allowing for the organization of educational workshops and conferences. Grants of up to $20,000 are available, with a focus on new projects that haven't received funding in the last 24 months. Applications are reviewed year-round.

The Delesky-Wetmore Scholarship, established in October 2025 by Cathy Delesky and Doug Wetmore through the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, aims to support high school seniors in Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, or Colleton Counties, South Carolina. This scholarship focuses on students with financial need pursuing a four-year degree in STEM, finance, or economics, requiring a minimum GPA of 3.5 and above-average ACT or SAT scores.

The Bayer Fund: Food & Nutrition Grant supports high-quality programs that combat malnutrition and improve access to nutritious foods, particularly for underserved communities and families with young children. Eligible organizations include 501(c)(3) nonprofits and government units. The fund prioritizes long-term behavioral change towards healthy eating and nutrition, with grants typically not exceeding 25% of an organization's operating budget. International requests start at $25,000, fostering sustainable food security and education initiatives.

The Motherless Queen Scholarship Fund, established by Linda Hope, honors her mother’s legacy and supports college students who have lost their mothers. For over 30 years, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has been committed to fostering positive change in Nashville's community. This scholarship specifically aids students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities, especially those with ties to Florida A&M University, promoting educational opportunities and honoring the value of education.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society offers Postdoctoral Fellowships to support innovative research aimed at advancing the understanding and treatment of multiple sclerosis. These fellowships are designed for promising researchers holding advanced degrees, providing funding for training that enhances their ability to conduct impactful studies. The Society prioritizes applications that align with high-priority research questions outlined in its Pathways to Cures Roadmap, emphasizing the importance of diverse methodologies and engagement with underserved populations.

Community Foundation for Mason County, MI

At the Community Foundation for Mason County, we work with donors, grantees, and advisors to address key community issues. As a leader in community philanthropy, building a vibrant community with great opportunities for all, we are focused on advancing education, increasing recreation opportunities, and community and economic development.

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.

Drs. Ruth & John Carney & Irene Carney Kendrick Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship has been made possible by the generosity of Dr. John Carney, who established the Drs. Ruth & John Carney & Irene Carney Kendrick Memorial Scholarship of the Community Foundation for Mason County.

The Carney’s love of Ludington ran deep, and they served the Ludington community through their family medical practice for over 42 years. Dr. Carney valued education and wanted to help others achieve their dreams. John’s encouraging spirit lives on through this scholarship, established in memory of his first wife and their late daughter, to create opportunities for adult students, students pursuing postgraduate degrees, or those facing barriers to getting a college degree.

The National Fish Passage Program (NFPP) offers technical and financial support to restore aquatic connectivity for fish and other organisms. By improving infrastructure like culverts and bridges, the program enhances fish populations and ecosystem resilience, providing quality fishing experiences. Managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, NFPP collaborates with partners to implement strategic projects that align with conservation goals, ensuring biological diversity and effective use of scientific principles in project planning.

FY25 Veterans Treatment Court Program

Executive Summary

This NOFO will support the implementation and enhancement of veterans treatment court (VTC) operations. VTCs connect veterans who come in contact with the justice system to treatment for substance use disorders (SUD), mental health disorders (MHD), co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (MHSUD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Funding supports service coordination, and recovery support services. VTCs integrate mandatory drug testing, incentives and sanctions, and transitional services in judicially supervised criminal court settings that have jurisdiction over veterans with behavioral health treatment needs. These courts aim to reduce recidivism and overdose fatalities, while increasing access to treatment and recovery support that leads to long-term recovery.

Category 1 supports the planning and implementation and/or launch of a VTC. These courts will support core capacity and provide critical behavioral health treatment, case management and coordinated judicial supervision, sanctions and incentives, and other supportive services, such as transitional housing, peer recovery services, relapse prevention and employment services, that can reduce recidivism.

Program Description

Planning and Implementation grants are available to eligible jurisdictions ready to commit to a 6- month planning phase followed by an implementation and/or launch of a VTC that supports core capacity and provides critical behavioral health treatment, case management and coordinated judicial supervision, sanctions and incentives, and other supportive services, such as transitional housing, peer recovery services, relapse prevention and employment services, that can reduce recidivism, including serving veterans who cannot or do not have access to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services

The Veterans Treatment Court Program Enhancement Grant aims to bolster the operations of veterans treatment courts (VTCs) that serve veterans involved in the justice system. By addressing substance use and mental health disorders, these courts facilitate access to essential treatment services, reducing recidivism and overdose fatalities. The grant supports jurisdictions in enhancing their VTC capacity, improving service quality, and ensuring veterans receive the necessary support for long-term recovery. Funding of up to $1,000,000 is available for eligible jurisdictions.

The FSR Early Career Fellowship Grant supports early-stage researchers in sarcoidosis, fostering skills and knowledge advancement. With $150,000 over two years, this grant aims to enhance medical care and scientific understanding of the disease. Eligible applicants, including international candidates, must present innovative study proposals and demonstrate a commitment to sarcoidosis research. FSR encourages transitions from fellowships to faculty positions, thereby strengthening academic credentials and promoting impactful research contributions.

Bureau of Justice Assistance

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) was created in 1984 to reduce violent crime, create safer communities, and reform our Nation’s criminal justice system.

BJA strengthens the Nation’s criminal justice system and helps America’s state, local, and tribal jurisdictions reduce and prevent crime, reduce recidivism, and promote a fair and safe criminal justice system. BJA focuses its programmatic and policy efforts on providing a wide range of resources, including training and technical assistance, to law enforcement, courts, corrections, treatment, reentry, justice information sharing, and community-based partners to address chronic and emerging criminal justice challenges nationwide. 

FY25 Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Training and Technical Assistance Program

Executive Summary

This NOFO will provide training and technical assistance (TTA) to state and local grantees of the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program to enhance implementation of comprehensive residential substance use treatment during detention or incarceration and aftercare services to prepare individuals for successful reintegration into the community. The selected TTA provider will also maintain and update the RSAT TTA website to serve as single source of information for RSAT grantees that reflects evolving needs and emerging evidence-based approaches.

Marion Community Foundation

Since 1998, area residents have been turning to Marion Community Foundation to make their philanthropic giving as effective as possible. We are a public charity serving thousands of people who share a common concern … improving the quality of life in Marion County. We use distributions from the more than 500 charitable funds — created by generous, local donors — to award more than $2.5 million in grants and scholarships each year to many of the humanitarian, educational and cultural organizations in this remarkable community we call home.

Marion Community Foundation is the area’s leading philanthropic organization, providing charitable donors the opportunity to easily create endowment funds to benefit and support our community through grants and scholarships. We serve communities throughout Marion County through philanthropy, leadership, and civic engagement.

Marion Rotary Club’s Karl W. Schell Scholarship

The Marion Rotary Club was chartered in 1922, as club number 1051, with 23 charter members led by Fred Guthery, the first president. The Marion Rotary Club, along with the Marion Rotary Foundation, which was incorporated in 1959, has contributed to many organizations and scholarships over the years.

The Marion Rotary Club Karl W. Schell Scholarship migrated to Marion Community Foundation in 2017. It honors the late Karl Schell and provides financial support for Marion County graduating seniors. Recipients will have been a resident of Marion County for at least two full years and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher based on a 4.0 scale.

Special consideration will be given to applicants who intend to pursue an education and career in, or related to, business, management, or the real estate industry.

Community Foundation for Mason County, MI

At the Community Foundation for Mason County, we work with donors, grantees, and advisors to address key community issues. As a leader in community philanthropy, building a vibrant community with great opportunities for all, we are focused on advancing education, increasing recreation opportunities, and community and economic development.

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.

Emily & Frank Smiddy Scholarship

This scholarship has been made possible by the generosity of Emily & Frank Smiddy who established the Emily & Frank Smiddy Scholarship Fund of the Community Foundation for Mason County.

Frank Smiddy, former owner of ProAct Environmental Services located in Ludington, has always had a passion for STEM-related learning and wants to give back to the community where he owns his business. He and his wife, Emily, wanted to leave a legacy of students going into this field the best chance possible to get their college education with as little debt as possible, so they established the Emily & Frank Smiddy Scholarship Fund. It is their hope that students receiving this scholarship will be motivated, when they are financially able, to give back to the community to help others see success.

The National MS Society offers Harry Weaver Scholar Awards to support emerging researchers in multiple sclerosis. This prestigious award honors Dr. Harry Weaver's legacy and aims to facilitate independent research careers. Eligible candidates must have a doctoral degree and relevant postdoctoral training. The funding is designed to provide salary and grant support for five years, allowing awardees to establish competence in their research area. Applications should align with the Society's Pathways to Cures Roadmap.

Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners (RSAT) Program

Overview

The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program is a formula grant program that enhances the capabilities of state, local, and tribal governments to provide residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment to adult and juvenile populations during detention or incarceration, initiate or continue evidence-based SUD treatment in jails, prepare individuals for reintegration into the community, and assist them and their communities throughout the reentry process by delivering community-based treatment and other recovery aftercare services.

The RSAT Program encourages the establishment and maintenance of drug-free prisons and jails and development and implementation of specialized residential SUD treatment for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. The program also encourages the inclusion of medication-assisted treatment as part of any SUD treatment protocol.

The Fred and Betty Worsh Scholarship Fund, managed by the North Carolina Community Foundation, offers financial support to residents of New Hanover and Brunswick Counties who are U.S. citizens attending accredited four-year colleges or universities. Scholarships are available to undergraduates, graduates, and adult re-entry students, and may be renewed annually based on academic performance and financial need. Applications open on December 16, 2025, and close on March 3, 2026.

The Cloutier-Valenti Legacy Scholarship, funded by the Delaware Community Foundation, offers a one-time award of $1,000 to graduating seniors from selected high schools in Delaware. Eligible students must enroll in an accredited institution, demonstrate financial need, and show involvement in community activities. The scholarship aims to support students pursuing degrees in science, contributing to the foundation's mission of enhancing educational opportunities and equity in the community.

The National MS Society's Clinician Scientist Development Awards aim to cultivate promising young investigators in multiple sclerosis research. This program supports postdoctoral fellows with three years of comprehensive training in academic medicine focused on MS. Applicants must hold a clinical degree and be licensed in the U.S. The Society prioritizes research that aligns with its Pathways to Cures Roadmap, which emphasizes stopping disease progression, restoring function, and preventing MS.

The Student Enrichment Grants: Level II Awards, offered by the Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA), provide up to $500 for non-institutional members to support student activities in music and entertainment. Eligible applicants include faculty in good standing, promoting diverse initiatives. Grants can fund workshops, guest speakers, and community projects, with a focus on enhancing student education and engagement in the industry. Special consideration is given to first-time applicants and impactful projects.

The Young Investigator Grants, offered by the Breast Cancer Alliance, aim to support early-career researchers focused on breast cancer. This two-year grant provides up to $125,000 in funding, split across the duration, to facilitate independent research projects. Applicants must be affiliated with U.S. institutions and should not have held major grant support previously. This initiative fosters innovation in breast cancer research, ultimately enhancing survival rates and quality of life for affected individuals.

The Pauline H. Bruce Memorial Scholarship, administered by the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation, offers $2,000 to students in Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, and Rappahannock counties. This scholarship honors Pauline Bruce, a dedicated educator with over 40 years of service in local public schools. To qualify, applicants must demonstrate a strong desire and aptitude for success in their college education, reflecting the spirit of community and educational excellence.

The Craft Archive Fellowship supports archival research on underrepresented craft histories in the U.S., including feminist, queer, Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities. It offers a $5,000 stipend for scholars and artists to conduct research in chosen archives, encouraging innovative approaches. Participants will present their findings in a virtual program, and their work will be published in Hyperallergic, broadening accessibility and awareness of vital craft research.