Best Professional Development Grants for Nonprofits

The ACTF Low-Middle Economy Scholarships aim to support citizens from developing countries in acquiring analytical science skills through short-term study in the UK or Ireland. This scholarship, valued at up to £5,000, facilitates practical learning experiences to enhance analytical chemistry knowledge, fostering beneficial impacts upon scholars' return home. Preference is given to programs promising tangible benefits rather than purely academic pursuits, ensuring the funding directly contributes to the development of analytical expertise in low-middle economy countries.

The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque offers the Grants for Tech program, partnering with the University of Dubuque to assist small nonprofits in the area. Organizations without IT staff can apply for technology assessments and improvements, with grants ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. This initiative aims to enhance nonprofits' effectiveness and sustainability by providing essential technological support.

The Jewell County Community Fund, part of the Greater Salina Community Foundation, aims to enhance community welfare by providing grants for various projects and programs. This unrestricted fund supports initiatives that improve the quality of life in Jewell County, including capacity building, seed money for new projects, and capital improvements. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofits, educational institutions, and government entities, fostering collaboration to address local needs effectively.

The Endowment for Health's Opportunity Grants Program offers funding between $1,000 and $20,000 to improve health outcomes for New Hampshire residents, particularly the vulnerable and underserved. Projects that advance health equity, leverage resources, and demonstrate measurable outcomes are prioritized. Grant applications are accepted monthly, with decisions made within six weeks. Funded initiatives should serve the state's population and align with the Endowment's vision of a healthy, thriving community.

The Rimon Art Project Support Grants aim to enhance Jewish identity through arts and culture in Minnesota. These grants support various projects, including artistic development, community collaborations, and marketing assistance, while ensuring compliance with Rimon's mission. Eligible applicants include individual artists, Jewish agencies, and non-profit organizations engaged in projects with Jewish themes. Grants cover up to 50% of project costs, with a maximum award of $3,000, fostering artistic collaboration and community involvement.

The Partnerships for Regional Economic Performance (PREP) aims to enhance regional collaboration in economic development, ensuring efficient service delivery to businesses. With $7.38 million available for FY2019-20, PREP supports consortia of economic development service providers to create a coordinated and responsive system. This initiative aligns with Pennsylvania's Ten-Year Strategic Plan, promoting business growth and recovery in communities affected by unemployment. The program is crucial for fostering partnerships that drive economic prosperity across the state.

Preserving Traditional Arts

Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic share a commitment to advancing conservation, research, education, and exploration, and inspiring people to learn about, care for, and protect our world. In support of this commitment, the mission of the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic (LEX-NG) Fund is to support projects to understand and protect our world’s oceans, restore critical marine and coastal habitats, and foster environmental stewardship in the regions visited by the fleet, and beyond. The Fund supports inspirational, passionate project leaders who are committed to illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world. National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions are in search of projects that support the work of traditional artists, knowledge holders, and heritage practitioners to preserve cultural heritage for communities around the world.

Opportunity Overview

The preservation of traditional arts such as crafts, music and folklore is crucial for the vibrancy and survival of cultural knowledge and practices worldwide. Cultural heritage, the diverse legacies of past and present societies in their many unique forms, shapes the way we identify and interact with the world. This RFP will fund projects conducting holistic conservation work that centers the role and agency of local and descendant communities. 

This RFP seeks to support projects in Baja California, Egypt, Europe and the Mediterranean, Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, and the South Pacific. For more detailed information on targeted areas within these regions, please refer to the targeted areas document. Potential projects should be led by artisans or practitioners with deep experience in the relevant local culture(s). If you are not such an artisan or practitioner but have an idea for a project that could be a good fit for the RFP, at least one artisan or practitioner should be included on your project team. Projects may include documentation and inventorying of artisan practices, methodologies, or designs; capacity development through structured apprenticeships, workshops, or trainings focused on local or regional stakeholders (including in the use of sustainable or repurposed materials in traditional arts); or knowledge sharing through community exhibits, practitioner-archival collaborations, or other approaches focused on safeguarding local artisan traditions and practices. Projects should include efforts to support sustainable transmission of traditions across generations and describe proposed activities and impacts in detail. Relevant artistic practices and living traditions for this RFP may include but are not limited to craft, music, adornment, dance, and spoken arts. Proposals will be evaluated for feasibility, applicant experience, strength of community engagement, capacity building, and novel contributions. Projects addressing an urgent need pertaining to the sustainable preservation or transmission of a particular art or practice may be prioritized.

Benefits

• Up to $20,000 in funding for Level I grants, up to $40,000 for Level II grants.
• Grant recipients become members of the National Geographic Explorer Community and eligible for a variety of future funding, learning and networking opportunities.
• Potential to be featured on LEX social media channels, and/or in the annual LEX-NG Fund Traveler Impact Report (the latest version of the Impact Report can be found here).
• Potential guest speaking opportunities aboard NG-LEX vessels.
• Opportunities to connect and collaborate with other LEX-NG Fund grantees.

The Small and Midsized Capital Improvement Grants for Arts and Culture provide funding for nonprofit arts and culture organizations in New York, offering grants up to $2 million. These grants focus on projects that enhance accessibility, artistry, cultural development, and sustainability. Smaller no-match grants ranging from $10,000 to $99,000 are available for organizations with operating budgets under $2 million, encouraging strong design and community engagement.

The Engagement Award: Capacity Building aims to enhance the skills of patients and stakeholders in patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) and comparative effectiveness research (CER). With funding of up to $300,000 for projects lasting up to two years, this initiative seeks to foster meaningful participation from patients, families, and caregivers. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) anticipates distributing up to $25 million for these efforts in fiscal year 2026, emphasizing community engagement in research.

Who we are

As a division of the Wyoming Department of Administration & Information, the mission of the Wyoming State Library is to promote statewide library development, foster library cooperation, and provide reliable information to our customers.

McMurry Library Endowment Grant

The Carol McMurry Library Endowment was established in 2000 within the Wyoming Community Foundation to provide support to Wyoming library staff and volunteers and to publicly accessible Wyoming libraries in three areas:

• Education & Training (Library & Individual)
• Library Resources
• Library Foundation Development

Types of Library Grants Projects

• Education & Training: These can be used for in-service workshops or multi-library continuing education events. The application can include financial support to pay for substitute staff to keep a library open while staff attends the event or training.
• Resource: Resource grants can be used to purchase library books, audio-visual materials, informational software and hardware, and databases. Applications can be submitted for children, youth or adult resources, both physical and electronic. The library is expected to provide a collection analysis to support its justification for a grant and information on the population to be served by the project.
• Foundation: Foundation grants can be used to retain outside technical assistance for foundation boards and library staff in their planning of an endowment or for a publication about the endowment. Grants for consulting in the area of bylaws, foundation roles and responsibilities, relationship to the library board can be made. Grants for fundraising support and for the local library endowment itself will not be awarded. Capital construction, furnishings, carpeting, and building repairs have a very low consideration due to the amount of funds available in the Endowment for library grants.

The Burg-Coleman Iowa State 77 ACI Fellowship, offered by the ACI Foundation, supports graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in civil engineering focused on concrete structures or materials. Recipients receive a $10,000 stipend for educational expenses, recognition in Concrete International magazine, and coverage of travel costs for two ACI conventions. Open to international students attending institutions in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico, this fellowship fosters the next generation of leaders in the concrete industry.

The Arts and Culture General Operating Support provides multi-year funding to arts organizations in Philadelphia, aiming to enhance social, economic, and community benefits. This initiative seeks to address inequities by supporting diverse organizations and their programming, ensuring that marginalized communities have access to high-quality arts experiences. By fostering inclusive practices and strengthening community connections, the program promotes a vibrant arts ecosystem that uplifts all citizens and reflects their unique identities.

The SEMAC: General Operating Support Grants invite nonprofit arts organizations in the SEMAC region, with operating expenses under $174,000, to apply for funding aimed at enhancing their stability through administrative support. Grants of up to $5,000 annually (totaling $10,000 over two years) are available, with recipients required to submit an interim report after the first year. Applications are accepted until funds are depleted, with specific deadlines for notifications.

The Cora Du Bois Fellowship, offered by the Cora Du Bois Charitable Trust and Harvard University's Tozzer Library, supports advanced Ph.D. students who have completed all requirements except their dissertation. This fellowship enhances research through access to the Tozzer Library's resources. It is open to both Harvard and non-Harvard students in Anthropology or related fields, providing funding for two, six, or twelve months, with the expectation that fellows will complete their dissertation by the end of the funding period.

The Donaldson Foundation offers organizational grants focused on enhancing educational opportunities and community involvement. With an annual budget of $1.2 million, the foundation supports various initiatives, including scholarships and matching grants to educational institutions. It prioritizes organizations that demonstrate a clear need and impact, especially in areas where Donaldson operates. Eligible recipients must be IRS tax-exempt and located in specific U.S. regions, ensuring the foundation's commitment to local communities.

The Superior Health Foundation offers Spring and Fall Proactive Grants to address healthcare needs in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. With a focus on accessibility, behavioral health, chronic disease prevention, and wellness initiatives, this funding aims to improve health outcomes for underserved communities. Eligible organizations include grassroots groups and nonprofits dedicated to enhancing health education and access. Grants range from $5,000 to $75,000, with a total of $750,000 available in 2025, supporting innovative projects that promote health and well-being.

The DAAD North America program offers funding for faculty and students to organize interdisciplinary workshops and conferences focused on German studies. Supported by the German Foreign Office, it aims to enhance understanding of Germany's cultural, political, and economic landscape in North America. Projects must be well-defined and financially supported by at least 50% from other sources, excluding transatlantic travel and overhead costs. This initiative encourages collaboration and engagement in the humanities and social sciences.

The Local Section Member Engagement (LS-MEET) Grant Program, provided by the American Chemical Society, aims to enhance community engagement within local sections. With a funding cap of $2,000, this program supports initiatives that attract new members and strengthen existing communities. Eligible projects may include innovative technology use, targeted events for underrepresented local chemist groups, and activities that promote interaction among members. Applications should align with local section goals and detail specific budgetary needs.

The Corporation Associates Seed Grant, offered by the American Chemical Society, provides up to $5,000 per year for innovative projects in chemical sciences education, public engagement in the chemical industry, and safety enhancements in chemistry. This grant supports one-time initiatives that align with the goals of the ACS Committee on Corporation Associates. Note that funding excludes research, equipment purchases, travel, and illegal activities, ensuring resources are allocated to impactful educational endeavors.

The Corporation Associates Local Section & International Chapter Grant, offered by the American Chemical Society (ACS), provides funding up to $1,000 for ACS local sections and international chapters. This grant supports industry-focused events like job fairs, résumé workshops, and networking receptions, aimed at enhancing the professional development of members employed in the chemical industry. By fostering community engagement, ACS helps empower local chapters to champion scientific integrity and advance knowledge.

The William C. (Bill) and Dr. Patra Moss Janney Fund, established by Dr. Janney as a memorial, supports educational initiatives in Raleigh County. This fund, now a field of interest fund following her passing in 2019, has $5,000 available for grants. Eligible applicants include non-profits and public institutions with verified 501(c)(3) status. The Beckley Area Foundation manages this fund, promoting charitable giving to enhance community education and resources.

The CGF Major Grant Program offers annual funding of up to $75,000 to support horticulture-related projects by nonprofit and governmental agencies in Colorado. Past recipients include notable organizations like the Denver Botanic Gardens and Craig Hospital Therapy Garden. This grant focuses on capital and matching grants, while also considering other relevant programs. It aims to foster community engagement and enhance the impact of horticultural initiatives across the state.

Enhearten Micro Grant supports unseen leaders by providing funding for community-driven projects that embody values of humility, integrity, and love. Grants range from $500 to $1,000 and are awarded after a thorough review process. Enhearten aims to empower these leaders, who often lack access to traditional funding sources, by fostering reparative networks that prioritize equality and justice. This initiative seeks to create opportunities for transformative community engagement and support.

The Colorado Garden Foundation's Annual Grant Program supports horticultural projects that enhance Colorado's communities. With over $10 million awarded to date, the program emphasizes education and community improvement through initiatives like therapy gardens and community gardens. Eligibility is limited to nonprofit and government agencies, and grants are not available for homeowners associations or political organizations. This initiative aims to foster a deeper understanding of horticulture while benefiting the local environment.

The Animal Welfare Endowment Fund Grant, established by the Community Foundation of the North State, aims to support organizations dedicated to the welfare and care of animals in Shasta, Siskiyou, and Tehama counties. This grant provides general support to eligible nonprofits, public entities, and fiscally-sponsored projects that promote the welfare of pets, wildlife, and working animals, emphasizing collaboration and data-driven impact.

The Maryland Robotics Grant FY 2026, administered by the Maryland State Department of Education, aims to enhance robotics education in K-12 schools by funding Local Education Agencies and nonprofit organizations. This initiative promotes student engagement in STEM activities, fostering critical skills like problem-solving and collaboration. By ensuring alignment with Maryland's educational standards, the program supports both new and existing robotics initiatives, thereby preparing students for future careers in technology and engineering.

The McKean County Development Fund, part of the McKean County Community Foundation, aims to enhance community development initiatives that improve the economic and social well-being of McKean County. The fund offers competitive grants, with a maximum award of $2,000, to support innovative projects that address community needs and create lasting impacts. Organizations are encouraged to apply if their projects align with these goals and demonstrate sustainability for the future.