Professional Development Grants for Nonprofits

Philanthropic Focus

The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant communities. The Citi Foundation's "More than Philanthropy" approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation.

We focus our resources on partners working in the following three focus areas:

Youth Economic Opportunities

The Citi Foundation supports efforts that help boost the employability of low-income young people around the world. In particular, we seek to increase the number of low-income youth, primarily aged 16-24, who become employed or start an income-generating business through leadership and skills training, experiential learning, and access to professional networks. Further, we believe that consistent and meaningful engagement of young people in the design and execution of programs that are intended to benefit them can help ensure that those programs are addressing their priorities and aspirations and improving their economic prospects.

Financial Inclusion

The Citi Foundation supports efforts to develop a more inclusive financial system that provides greater access to financial products, services and capital to low-income communities and individuals. Access to capital and financial products empowers adults and young people to build financial assets, enables entrepreneurs to grow or launch businesses that create jobs, and helps community-based organizations strengthen and transform communities. However, we believe access to capital and products alone is not enough. Financial capability—the ability to establish financial plans and develop strategies for preserving a strong financial position during times of both economic prosperity and instability—is critical to the financial well-being and upward economic mobility of individuals and communities.

Community Solutions

The Citi Foundation supports efforts that break down silos and bring stakeholders together to develop and scale solutions to the most pressing challenges confronting low-income communities. By strengthening nonprofit organizations and building partnerships and networks, we seek to transform communities into sustainable and thriving epicenters of economic opportunity. We support collaborations among stakeholders such as local government, community-based organizations and residents, the private sector, and research institutions and invest in efforts that spur innovation in key areas, including affordable housing, environmental sustainability, job training and small business development.

Note: While we’re open to new ideas and projects, funding for unsolicited requests is very limited.

Education - Graduating High School College & Career Ready

We strive to increase high school graduation and college and career readiness outcomes for youth, particularly those in low-income communities.

Every high school student should graduate prepared for work, military service or further education.

How it Works

Mott aims to create a culture in which students have both the aspiration and ability to pursue college or career training after high school graduation. We support promising college and career readiness strategies that help students complete high school prepared to succeed in college, careers and life.

To succeed in life, young people need to acquire a well-rounded education that builds both academic knowledge as well as nonacademic skills. High-quality college and career readiness programming can help young people develop these competencies. In addition to college and career awareness, quality programming can help students develop skills and behaviors associated with success in both educational and employment settings.

Building on our longtime support for community schools and afterschool programs, the Mott Foundation is identifying and filling key gaps for students most in need. Many of the strategies and model approaches that have emerged from our grantmaking not only provide important educational opportunities and supports that assist youth, but also strengthen schools and communities.

To this end, our grantmaking focuses on two outcomes: expanding high-quality college and career readiness programming in afterschool settings, and broadening adoption and investment in innovative strategies, particularly children’s savings accounts. Through these efforts, the Foundation seeks to ensure that more youth have opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviors to be successful in the 21st century.

Currently, our grantmaking is carried out within two objectives:

Expanding Quality Programs

Our funding supports efforts to expand quality college and career readiness programming within the afterschool infrastructure.

We make grants to:

• national nonprofit groups that provide technical assistance and/or regrant funds to state and local groups to support best practices and professional development opportunities that build the capacity of afterschool programs to implement effective college and career readiness strategies.

Advancing Innovations

Our funding seeks to advance effective models that help youth develop the behaviors, mindsets and learning strategies needed to succeed in school and life.

We make grants to:

• nonprofit organizations operating model programs that serve as examples for emerging initiatives;
• national and state-level organizations working to incorporate and embed innovative strategies and practices into relevant networks and systems that serve young people; and
• organizations working at the state and local level to advance public policies that enable scaling and sustainability of innovative strategies and practices.

NOTE:  This program is NOT a grant, but rather a matching funds program.

About Elevation

Mission

Traditionally, technology and nonprofits have existed in separate worlds. At Elevation, we are bridging this longstanding gap by combining these two ostensibly different industries into one. We believe that technology is a catalyst that can propel nonprofits into making a greater impact. Our team at Elevation is that bridge and our solutions are the driving forces behind nonprofits generating quantifiable change and inspiring others to do the same. This idea is the foundation of how we do business every day.

Read more about mission & values here. 

Our Approach

At Elevation, we are united under one goal – provide quality digital solutions to nonprofit organizations so they can continue generating measurable change in their communities. In order to fulfill this mission, we have fostered a design process that is customized, flexible, and results-driven. Our clients receive fully functioning, efficient websites, and more. Your website is a tool and an integral part of fulfilling your nonprofit’s mission. When developed with the right team and ideas, you’ll be able to reach broader audiences and transmit a greater positive impact.

Read more about Elevation's team & clients here.

1 for 1 Matching Fund

For every dollar your nonprofit invests in Elevation’s in-house services, we will match that dollar with one of our own.

Born out of our mission to elevate nonprofits’ impact, our 1 for 1 Matching Fund helps us to provide otherwise out-of-reach services to eligible nonprofit partners.

What is the 1 for 1 match?

Making professional design & web services affordable

For every dollar your nonprofit invests in Elevation’s in-house services, we will match that dollar with one of our own.

Born out of our mission to elevate nonprofits’ impact, our 1 for 1 Matching Funds program helps us provide otherwise out-of-reach services to eligible nonprofit partners.

How can your organization participate?

If you are a nonprofit with a project and would like to apply for assistance, please complete our brief online application.

Are there Additional Requirements? 

We work with all sectors, from religious to environmental, provided that their missions align with the values listed on Elevation's "About Us" page. For logistical purposes, we do rely on a point of contact based in the US, Canada, or Europe, but past recipient organizations have been located across the Americas and Africa as well.

Which Projects are Eligible? 

• Website Design & Re-design in WordPress
• Copywriting
• CRM Integrations in WordPress
• Branding & Graphic Design
• Marketing & Google Grants
• On-going WordPress Support
• Website Hosting

Is there a maximum benefit? 

We match what you raise, up to a 50K project. (For a 50K project, we’ll fund up to 25K. For a 16K  project, we fund up to 8K, etc.) We consider projects over 50K to be appropriate for well-established organizations and thus are not eligible for this program. We still strive to provide all nonprofits with the best results for every dollar they spend.

Why do we need other funding for the first half of our project?

We understand that nonprofits are under-resourced. We include a stipulation about additional funding to support an organization's commitment to finishing a project, which we have found to work best when additional parties are invested. If you feel the project minimums are unachievable for your organization but you can provide empirical data showing strong community support, please include that information in your application.

What is the timeframe for projects? 

The minimum timeframe for projects is 4 months, though most projects take 5 to 6 months to complete. Projects that take longer than 6 months due to delays from the client incur an extraordinary fee.

What is the time commitment required from our staff? 

On average, website clients can expect their staff to dedicate 10 labor hours each week in order to make adequate progress. The amount of time required from your staff members depends on how much they split up the work and how much support your organization has for creating content, writing copy, and accessing hosting and integration information from the other technologies you use. Significant, actionable progress on a project must be made within two weeks of a request from the Project Manager, or your project will be placed on hold.

Hearst Foundations' Mission

The Hearst Foundations identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives.

Hearst Foundations' Goals

The Foundations seek to achieve their mission by funding approaches that result in:

• Improved health and quality of life
• Access to high quality educational options to promote increased academic achievement
• Arts and sciences serving as a cornerstone of society
• Sustainable employment and productive career paths for adults
• Stabilizing and supporting families

Funding Priorities

The Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of interests – culture, education, health and social service – and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Culture

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those which enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Education

The Hearst Foundations fund educational institutions demonstrating uncommon success in preparing students to thrive in a global society. The Foundations’ focus is largely on higher education, but they also fund innovative models of early childhood and K-12 education, as well as professional development.

Types of Support: Program, scholarship, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Health

The Hearst Foundations assist leading regional hospitals, medical centers and specialized medical institutions providing access to high-quality healthcare for low-income populations. In response to the shortage of healthcare professionals necessary to meet the country’s evolving needs, the Foundations also fund programs designed to enhance skills and increase the number of practitioners and educators across roles in healthcare. Because the Foundations seek to use their funds to create a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health, support for medical research and the development of young investigators is also considered.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, endowment support

Social Service

The Hearst Foundations fund direct-service organizations that tackle the roots of chronic poverty by applying effective solutions to the most challenging social and economic problems. The Foundations prioritize supporting programs that have proven successful in facilitating economic independence and in strengthening families. Preference is also given to programs with the potential to scale productive practices in order to reach more people in need.

Types of Support: Program, capital and general support

Note: If you have thoroughly reviewed the Foundation’s priorities and grantmaking activity on the website and you believe your organization is a good match for our mission, you can fill out an information form here. Please be aware that the Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or formal letters of inquiry and rarely makes grants to organizations that we first learn about through the information form—so we urge you to carefully review your fit with our organization’s priorities before investing time in filling out our information form. Full applications may be submitted by invitation only.

Laird Norton Family Foundation

The Laird Norton Family Foundation (LNFF) is a private family foundation in Seattle, Washington, with a mission to 1) honor and reflect the family’s shared values through giving and 2) engage the family in philanthropy as a platform for strengthening family connections. 

The Laird Norton Family

The Laird and Norton families, related to each other from their pioneer origins in Pennsylvania, settled in Winona, Minnesota, in the mid-1850s. There, William Harris Laird and his cousins, Matthew G. Norton and James Laird Norton, formed the Laird Norton Company.

The pioneer logging and lumberyard operation was the first of several family-owned companies, first in the Midwest, later in the Pacific Northwest, and finally all over the West, including Alaska. Today, Laird Norton Company, LLC is still a privately owned and operated family business, committed to contributing value to its family and community.

A seventh-generation family, the Laird Norton family now includes approximately 500 living family members. Family members live throughout the world and occupy a wide array of professions. We come together every year to share skills and interests, and strengthen our connection to each other and our shared history.

Programs

Arts in Education

Goals and Strategies

The goal of the Arts in Education program is to increase arts education and to improve pre-K through grade 12 student learning through the arts. Funding will be directed toward programs that seek to enhance students’ educational outcomes rather than to simply increase participation in, or appreciation for, the arts.

Approach

The Arts in Education program will consider funding programs that:

Why Take This Approach?

There is clear evidence to suggest that arts-integrated curricula and/or arts-rich environments are beneficial to student learning. Although we value the arts as a stand-alone experience, programs are most successful when:

• They have the support of an entire district and in-school leadership
• Teacher professional development is included in the program
• Partnerships with high-quality arts organizations are created and nourished
• Arts lessons are aligned with other student learning goals, and
• Student progress is effectively monitored

Guidelines

With the above lessons in mind, we have established the following guiding principles. ​

• K-12 public schools (or pre-K programs that receive public funding) must already have traction in arts programs (i.e. some arts education has already been established in the school, policies are in place to support arts in education, principals want a more robust arts program, and schools have support from parent groups (PTAs) to strengthen their arts programs). 
• Programs must focus on positively impacting students’ learning.  
• Programs must focus on students “doing” art, as opposed to observing art. Programs should enhance comprehensive, sequential delivery of arts instruction and can include all arts: performing, music, visual, theater, literary (poetry & writing), folk, media, and emerging art fields. 
• Applicants should be able to demonstrate their program has been designed and is managed with an understanding of cultural competencies appropriate to their student demographic. 

Climate Change

Goals and Strategies

Climate change poses a significant global threat, one which we are addressing by striving to ensure an equitable, resilient, habitable, and enjoyable world for current and future generations. While our work is focused on climate change, we believe in the value of ecosystems services and in the stability and resiliency of healthy natural systems. We also believe it is essential that the cost of externalities be incorporated into lifestyle, policy, and business considerations.

Approach

As a small funder addressing an enormous issue, we aim to make grants that offer potential for leverage and scalability — as well as “opportunistic” grants where our ability to move quickly may positively impact a project’s outcome. We are particularly interested in policy and research work, demonstration projects, and finding ways to address critical gaps. We are also interested in expanding our own learning (we are not experts, nor do we aspire to be).

Why Take This Approach?

We believe in persistence and prefer to invest in ongoing work with a long-term focus. Although our grants operate on a one-year cycle, we take a partnership approach to our grantmaking and prefer to support organizations and projects that take a long-term view and can demonstrate progress toward goals each year. We are also interested in projects that have the potential to be self-sustaining in the long run.

Guidelines

Currently, our grantmaking is focused on efforts to hasten the demise of coal, and on work that increases the abilities of the forests, agricultural lands, and estuaries of the Pacific Northwest to sequester carbon. We are looking to support leverageable, measurable work focused on:

• Regenerative biological systems that influence the carbon cycle (“biocarbon”)
• ​Reducing dependency on fossil fuels, and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency.  

Human Services

Goals and Strategies

The goal of the Human Services program is to support, empower, uplift, and create opportunities for long-term success and a brighter future for unaccompanied youth and young adults (age 12-24) who are in crisis, have experienced trauma, or are aging out of the foster care system. We want to support these youth and young adults in their journey from surviving to thriving.

Approach

We will consider funding organizations or programs that provide support for youth/young adults suffering from trauma, mental illness, or addiction, with priority given to homeless youth and those impacted by the foster care system. While the full spectrum of services for youth in crisis is essential, we expect to do the bulk of our grantmaking in two areas:

Why Take This Approach?

We believe treatment and support for mental health issues and trauma can help prevent homelessness and addiction later in life. We also believe supporting youth/young adults as they transition out of foster care and into independent living increases their odds for a positive future.

Guidelines

Organizations must meet at least one of the following criteria in order to be considered:

• Have leaders and/or staff that are representative of the community they serve. We believe that the best programs will have mentors and leaders that truly understand and can identify with those they serve (e.g., staff that have been homeless or in foster care or are open about their own mental health, trauma, or addiction struggles). We value organizations or programs that emphasize connection to and even emanate from the communities they seek to serve; those that embrace the mantra "nothing about us without us” in all aspects of their work.
• Organizations or programs that include or connect to wrap-around services for youth/young adults. For example: organizations that identify and connect youth to community resources, offer job/skills training and/or provide case management. We value organizations that partner with others in the community to ensure all of a young person’s needs are met.

Sapling Fund

Goals and Strategies

The Laird Norton family continually promotes the advancement of intellectual growth, business experience, and philanthropic focus in order to ensure the excellence of its youngest generations. Through the Sapling Fund, young Laird Norton family members (ages 14–21) come together to learn about grantmaking, the nonprofit sector, and family philanthropy. The Sapling Fund provides young family members a chance to identify and support causes that resonate with them, and endows future family leaders with a sense of fiscal and social responsibility.

Approach

Sapling Fund grants are guided by a “for kids, from kids” philosophy. Grants support programs and organizations that cater specifically to youth and specific priorities change each year as new cohorts of Sapling members collectively identify shared priorities for the year’s grantmaking.

Why Take This Approach?

Sapling Fund committee members gain valuable experience by organizing an annual campaign to raise money for their grantmaking activities through contributions from Laird Norton family members. The annual budget supports three to five grant awards each year and an all-family service project organized by members of the committee.

Watershed Stewardship

Goals and Strategies

Watersheds have social, ecological, and economic significance. The goal of the Watershed Stewardship program is to create enabling conditions for long-term social and ecological health and resilience in places of importance to the Laird Norton Family.

Approach

We take a long-term view on healthy watersheds and invest in organizational capacity with an eye to future resilience. We encourage our partners to focus not on single-species recovery or restoration to historical conditions as a primary end-goal, but to also consider the potential value of significantly altered — but functioning — ecosystems as we continue to face the impacts of climate change and other natural and human-caused changes into the future.

​We seek to add value not just by making financial investments in organizations advancing place-based ecological and social outcomes, but also by building relationships in watershed communities, spending time listening and gaining experience in the watersheds in which we invest, and fostering partnerships, convenings, and additional investment from other funders.

Why Take This Approach?

We believe the wellbeing of the people who live in a place must be considered alongside ecological goals; understanding the diverse interests and values of a watershed’s human inhabitants is an important component of long-term success. ​

Guidelines

Organizations or programs we partner with should:

• Possess the organizational capacity and skills to be well-positioned to secure much more significant funding for projects than we would ever be able to provide.
• Be open to the Foundation removing barriers to entry for public funding and get projects to a shovel ready position.
• Provide us with opportunities to invest in their abilities to develop strong governance structures, collaborate, mediate, facilitate, tackle sticky challenges, get paperwork in order, maintain momentum on big projects, and otherwise lay the groundwork for success.

While we don’t specifically commit to a set term of investment in any watershed, we believe that investing in a place long enough to really understand the work is important, and we believe that sustained and flexible funding enables greater long-term success for our partners. Although we make grants on a one-year cycle, we take a partnership approach to our grantmaking and hold a long-term view on the work being done in the watersheds we prioritize, but we do move on when we no longer have a necessary role to play.

KKR Grants supports nonprofit organizations that are working across three key areas:

• Opportunities: Support for innovative pathways of workforce recovery and development
• Communities: Support for food security, safe housing, public health, and crisis relief
• Heroes: Support for teachers, first responders, essential workers and front line medical professionals

NOTE FROM FUNDER: Before you can apply, we would like to meet and discuss the Affiliation criteria to make sure your organization aligns with the work of UnidosUS and that you meet the eligibility requirements to become an Affiliate.

Join the UnidosUS Affiliate Network

Since its founding in 1968, UnidosUS has understood that the foundation of its national advocacy and civil rights work is its Affiliate Network, which is composed of nearly 300 independent community-based organizations throughout the country.

Our Affiliates are a powerful force for positive and meaningful change in the Hispanic community. We elevate their power by:

• Developing nonprofit leaders with culturally relevant trainings in specific program areas, advocacy, and civic engagement.
• Convening Affiliates to foster peer-to-peer collaboration, highlighting their talents and expertise.
• Linking Affiliates to opportunities for external funding, professional development, and leadership.
• Providing access to special information, communications, materials, and services.
• Connecting Affiliates to a broad range of nonprofit resources including subgrants for eligible Affiliates each year, as funding is available.
• Highlighting Affiliates through the broad reach of UnidosUS's integrated communications.

Value, Benefits, and Impact

Networking and Training

We bring Affiliates together several times a year to provide issue briefings, grow their advocacy skills, and build their capacity. Activities include:

• National Latino Advocacy Days
• UnidosUS Annual Conference
• UnidosUS Latino Leadership Summit
• Fall Regional Convenings
• Region-Specific Advocacy Training
• Program-Specific Capacity-Building
• Issue-Specific Networking
• Peer-to-Peer Networking

Capacity-Building

Affiliates have access to expert-led trainings on topics they identify and prioritize, at little to no cost as funding is available. Topics include:

• Leadership Development
• Technology (Access/Training)
• Program Evaluation
• Board Development and Recruitment
• Fundraising and Resource Development
• Leadership Transition Planning
• Media and Communications (including social media)
• Social Enterprise
• Curriculum Training

Colocation America proudly supports the development and integration of STEM learning opportunities for youth in the communities we serve. One of the ways we support these activities is by funding innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) youth programs. Youth organizations and K-12 educators with STEM programming may apply and be awarded upwards of $7,500 for their new or reoccurring program.

Purpose of Grant

The STEM Innovation Grant was created to fund programs that inspire and encourage K-12 students to pursue their interest and curiosity in STEM.

Eligible Programs:

Our STEM Grant Selection Committee is looking to fund programs or projects that offer students:

• An innovative (i.e. unique) approach to learning STEM
• Developmentally-appropriate STEM curriculum and/or resources
• Activities that support a real-life application of STEM knowledge

We support funding innovative pilot programs as well as long-proven STEM programs around the U.S.

Grant Funding:

For the 2022 Grant Cycle, we have changed it up so check it out:

• 5 grants will be chosen and awarded by 5 different Colocation America Staff Members. Each of these Staff Members will have $1,500 to award to their organization of choice.
• In addition, the STEM Grant Committee Member will award 4-10 grants ($2,000 - $7,500 per a project).

Funds awarded through the grant may be used to in the following ways:

• Tools/Equipment
• Stipends for Staff
• Field trips
• Travel expenses (e.g. buses)
• Curriculum Development and/or Curriculum Purchase
• Professional Development