Search Through Search and Rescue Grants in the U.S.

Our History

Aaron and Lillie Straus created the Straus Foundation in 1926 with a focus on rescue and relief of Jewish communities and families throughout the world as well as and connecting children in the Baltimore region to opportunities that could help them build strong and secure futures. Since the Strauses had no heirs, the stewardship of the Foundation was entrusted to the Directors of Reliable Stores Corporation, which Aaron Straus had founded. The Strauses were actively engaged in their philanthropy during much of their lifetime and their mission and vision remains an indelible blueprint for the work of the Foundation.

Today, the Straus Foundation is governed by a Board comprised of descendants of the original corporate Board as well as outside Directors with expertise in various aspects of its community interests.

Our Mission

Aaron and Lillie Straus’ clearly focused philanthropic vision, to give the people of Baltimore protection, education, and opportunity, continues today in a contemporary context. With the Foundation’s long-term support of critical policies and programs, our intention and aspiration remains a reflection of their original vision: to connect families of Baltimore to avenues of hope and opportunity that tap their potential for a more secure future.

Our Approach

In order to maximize the impact of our limited resources, we remain singularly focused on the Baltimore community by shining a light on its unique assets, talent and vibrancy, while continuing to search for solutions for our most entrenched inequities.

We optimize the possibility of impact by taking risks on emerging leaders and community solutions by providing partnership, capital and technical assistance.

When leaders and solutions show promising impact, we will commit funding over a long period of time to promote growth.

Our Priorities

The Straus Foundation has identified the following program areas to serve as a blueprint for our grantmaking. However, we acknowledge that there will be many intersections between all four areas.

Jewish Community Services

The Straus Foundation has deep Jewish roots, and supporting Jewish families will always be a priority. Jewish values, particularly the value of social justice, inform all of our grantmaking. The Foundation’s grantees in this priority area are Camps Airy & Louise, a boys and a girl’s camp in Western Maryland for Jewish children. The camps were started by Aaron and Lillie Straus to provide the values and development of a camping experience to Jewish children from Baltimore and the surrounding area, regardless of their economic background. Today, the camps continue this tradition by providing opportunities for self-growth, life skills, life-long friendships, an appreciation for the natural world, and an affirmation of Jewish identity.

Immigration Advocacy and Services: Making Baltimore a Welcoming City

For close to 100 years, Aaron and Lillie Straus devoted time, resources, and a strategic vision for the health and resettlement of waves of immigrants coming into Baltimore. The understanding was that new Americans would thrive both personally and professionally, with great benefit to the city. 

While this same premise holds true today, with 50,000 foreign-born immigrants living in Baltimore City, immigration policy must be urgently addressed while ensuring legal and social services are delivered upon their arrival.

Access to Quality Health/Mental Health Services: Creating Opportunities for Personal and Community Well-Being

While structural racism, violence and persistent underinvestment in communities have led to many in Baltimore experiencing significant trauma, the people of this city also have immense strength and resilience. With that knowledge, the Foundation strives to connect children and families to early detection and prevention as a strategy to decrease the use of emergency room and other services on the most expensive side of the health delivery system and to make readily available the full array of family planning services. We look to fund opportunities that create culturally competent, community-based access to health services as well as advocacy efforts around rights and reimbursement.

Social Innovation, Leadership and Entrepreneurship

For the last decade, The Straus Foundation has focused on the intersection of social innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship for the purpose of catalyzing the unique assets and talents of the city of Baltimore. In a short period of time, Baltimore has created a growing ecosystem that attracts and celebrates new leaders seeking more effective, efficient, and sustainable solutions to strengthen the city. We seek to equitably support promising entrepreneurs and their ideas in order to democratize opportunity, provide capital, support technical assistance, and create a new vibrancy in our city.

Alternative Grantmaking

In addition to making grants in its five program areas, The Straus Foundation will, from time to time, make allocations in the following ways:

• Foundation-Driven Initiatives: Specifics Requests for Proposal will be issued for these initiatives, and grants will be made through a competitive process;
• Funding Collaboratives: Straus Foundation dollars will be pooled with other private and public resources for a specific programmatic purpose. The collaborative will then make grants through a competitive Request for Proposal process;
• Loans: The Foundation will occasionally make a loan instead of a grant to an organization for a specific project or programmatic interest. The Foundation does not make loans to individuals or organizations for emergency needs; and
• Program-Related Investments: The Foundation will, on occasion, invest a portion of its corpus for the purpose of meeting a programmatic need as well as receiving a market-rate return on its investment.

Canine Healthcare Fund Grant

Every SDF-trained canine receives medical coverage for the entirety of their lives, even after retirement. The Canine Healthcare Fund ensures that our search dogs receive the best veterinary care at no cost to the handler, fire department, or task force.

In addition, SDF offers the Canine Healthcare Grant, supporting non-SDF-trained handlers of active and retired state and federal disaster search canines and nonprofit-affiliated wilderness search, avalanche search, and odor detection canines with veterinary costs attributed to wellness, illness, and injury that are not funded through a handler’s organization, fire department or task force budgets.

Individual handlers may be awarded one (1) grant, up to $1,000 per SDF fiscal year (October 1 – September 30).

Chaffee County Community Foundation

Vision

CCCF envisions a resilient Chaffee County where residents, nonprofits, businesses, and governments are thriving, interconnected, and well resourced.

Our Mission

CCCF acts as a catalyst to inspire positive change through the power of philanthropy to enrich the lives of all people in Chaffee County.

First Responders Grants

In partnership with Sangre de Cristo Electric Association (SDCEA), CCCF is proud to announce funding for initiatives, equipment, training, or programs that enhance the ability of first responders to protect and serve.

Making community possible

At U.S. Bank, we are dedicated to supporting our communities through responsive and humbled actions focused on addressing racial and economic inequities and creating lasting change in our communities. Through our Community Possible Grant Program, we are partnering with organizations that focus on economic and workforce advancement, safe and affordable housing and communities connected through arts and culture.

The U.S. Bank Foundation is committed to making Community Possible through Work, Home and Play. We advance this work through collaborative grant making to bring equitable and lasting change through our focus on sustainable, high-impact funding with 501c3 nonprofit partners.

How we partner with nonprofits

We focus on collaborative grantmaking and sustainable, high-impact funding with 501(c)(3) nonprofit partners. We partner with organizations that support:

• Economic and workforce advancement
• Safe and affordable housing
• Community arts and culture

Our strategy

Our community affairs and foundation team work closely with U.S. Bank regional leadership, business resource groups and our National Community Advisory Committee to ensure that prevailing needs are addressed in all the communities we serve.

To make the most meaningful impact, we prioritize organizations that:

• Focus on economic development issues related to work, home and play
• Address more than one of the grant pillars (work, home and play)
• Are based in and serve designated U.S. Bank communities
• Advance diversity, equity and inclusion

County boat and water safety grants: State Boat and Water Safety Grant Program

Program Purpose: To assist in funding boat and water safety programs carried out through the county sheriff's offices. The goal is to reduce deaths, injuries and property damage on state waters.

Priorities: Based on formula noted below.

Level of Assistance Up to 100% of eligible costs. Grant amounts are based on the overall legislative allocation and predetermined formula. The formula includes the spectrum of prior year's boat & water safety activities, boat use and special considerations, such as having to patrol large lakes or rivers.

General InformationThis program has been ongoing since the early 1960's.

How to Apply Grant contract forms are sent to the participating counties early in each calendar year. A spending plan and county board approval is required on each grant. Grants are good for 18 months beginning in January of each year. The county must submit an annual calendar year accomplishment and a financial report by the first part of March each year. In addition, they must submit other required reports as noted in the grant itself. Reimbursement is done via an invoice form submitted to DNR by the counties.

Federal Boating Safety Grant Programs to Counties: Supplemental Boating Safety Patrol Grants

Program Purpose: To assist counties, through their sheriffs' offices, in funding additional boating safety patrol hours on lakes and rivers in an effort to reduce accidents. The program is designed to add hours: 1) to the lakes and rivers with the most boat use, 2) during times when use is highest, or 3) during nighttime hours when accidents may occur. The grant period usually starts in mid-May and ends on Labor Day.

Priorities: Targeted to counties with approximately one percent or more of the state's boat use, or those located on the commercially-navigable Mississippi & the Lower St. Croix Rivers.

Level of Assistance: Up to 100% of eligible costs. Grant amounts are based on federal allocations available to the state, overall county boat use, special considerations, including the duty to patrol large lakes, commercially navigable rivers and the type of boating encountered (active recreational use vs. passive boating activities). In some cases this is modified up or down based on the prior year's on-water activities, accident history, climatic conditions or a county request on their year-end narrative.

General Information: This sub grant has been ongoing since 1988.

How to Apply: Grant contract forms are sent to qualified counties in March of each year by DNR. A county signature is required on each grant and counties must submit a patrol plan with the grant forms. A narrative report (including a summary of enforcement activities) is required before final reimbursement is made to the counties. The final invoice, all log sheets and the report must be submitted within a month of the grant period ending.

Federal Boating Safety Grant Programs to Counties: Supplemental Boating Safety Equipment and Aids to Navigation Grants

Program Purpose: To assist counties through their sheriffs' offices in funding boating safety equipment and aids to navigation to help carry out their legislatively-mandated boating safety duties. The goal: to reduce deaths, injuries and property damage on state waters.

Priorities: A set of criteria is used to evaluate grant applications. A panel of three B&W safety staff independently rates each item applied for on a scale from 1 to 10, based on these qualifications.

Level of Assistance Up to 100% of eligible costs. In a number of cases the county will pay for a portion of the equipment out of their own funds. This is required if it is also to be used for non-boating safety activities.

General Information This program has been ongoing since 2006.

How to Apply Grant proposal forms are e-mailed by DNR to all participating counties in October. Forms are then returned to DNR, scored by three DNR staff members using a set of criteria, and then ranked. Using the ranking and funds available, a cutoff score is established. Grant forms are then sent to the selected counties for county signatures and returned to DNR. Counties not funded will be notified by individual letters. Once all equipment is received and paid for, counties may submit an invoice for reimbursement.

Who We Are

The Creag Foundation is a private grant making foundation established in 2009 in Woodinville, Washington.

The founders of the Creag Foundation believe that meaningful change can only be achieved through hard work, creativity and passion. They also understand the practical mechanisms that allow charitable organizations to succeed and grow. As a group, Creag Foundation principals are dedicated to helping today’s most innovative programs improve the human condition in a wide variety of ways.

Our Focus

The broad purpose of the Foundation is to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations who are innovators in the field of human services. Our particular focus is on smaller organizations that are starting out or established organizations that are looking for funding to take their organization in a new direction.

What We Fund

/ What We Fund

The Creag Foundation is focused on innovation in the industry. We will consider proposals from 501(c)(3) organizations that are finding new ways to address societal issues facing the nonprofit community. Applicants must have held 501(c)(3) status for one year before submitting. If your organization has held 501(c)(3) status for over a year, and your believe that your organization has a new approach to an existing social problem or is addressing a previously unaddressed social issue, you are welcome to contact us and request that we consider your organization for a funding opportunity.

Background

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe by supporting scalable, innovative, and impact-first solutions that leverage existing systems and stakeholders. Our goal is to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic products or services that have a proven ability to positively impact the lives of underserved people, and nurture those organizations at the early stages by providing capacity, capital, and community.

Our application process is designed to be open and accessible, and we accept applications year round from across our priority geographies and sectors. Borrowing from our venture capital legacy, we find exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with: 

Capacity

• The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through dedicated hands-on Board service and specialist capacity-building resources for fundraising, board and organizational development, leadership, financial support, and scaling strategy,

Capital

• DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, and

Community

• DRK convenes our portfolio and alumni annually, facilitating connections and community. 

What We Fund

DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems using bold, scalable approaches.

What stage of growth does DRK Foundation typically fund?

Early stage: Organizations who are early stage, which we define as post-pilot and pre-scale. This typically means: 

• Your program, product or service is already being used in the market or in the field, 
• You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact on the beneficiary populations,
• Your organization is relatively young (ideally between two and five years old, although we will consider both younger and older organizations).

Venture funding: In the case of for profits, we typically support Seed to Series A organizations, and never lead rounds; we also generally but not exclusively refrain from participating in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation.  

What We Do

North Carolina's forestland is one of the greatest influences on the state, providing economic value and adding immeasurably to the quality of life for its residents. The forest products industry is the largest manufacturing business sector in the state, contributing approximately $34.9 billion annually to the state's economy and providing around 148,000 jobs for North Carolinians. The NC Forest Service's primary purpose is to ensure adequate and quality forest resources for the state to meet its present and future needs.

Fire Department Training Program

The Fire Department Training Program provides fire-training courses to rural fire departments through a federal grant received by the N.C. Forest Service. This training allows fire departments to be able to safely, efficiently, and effectively suppress wildland fires while protecting citizens property and forest resources.

The following courses are available:

• Wildland Fire Suppression for Fire Departments - This course was developed by the N.C. Forest Service to teach fire personnel the basic knowledge needed to safely suppress wildland fires. The course covers Organization, Fire Behavior, Locating the fire, Fire size-up, Tactics for hand crews, engines, and tractor- plow units. Mop-up, Fire Prevention, and Firefighter Safety are also covered, as well as the different terrain and fire environments forces may encounter in NC.
• S-130 Firefighter Training - This course teaches entry level wildland firefighting skills and includes such topics as safety, preparedness, tools and equipment, firing devices, use of water, suppression, securing control lines, use of maps and scouting. The course is usually taught in conjunction with S-190 and L-180.
• S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior - This course offers instruction in the primary environmental factors that affect the start and spread of wildfire and recognition of potentially hazardous situations. It is usually taught in conjunction with S-130 and L-180.
• L-180 Human Factors on the fireline - This course is designed to teach situational awareness, basic communication responsibilities, attitude and stress barriers, decision-making processes and teamwork principles. It is usually taught in conjunction with S-130.
• (ICS) Incident Command System - The ICS course is designed to train fire personnel how to manage any type of incident they may be involved in. ICS can be used to manage fires, floods, search and rescue operations, Haz Mat scenes, or disaster recovery operations. This national system allows fire personnel to function with other agencies involved, and to understand what their jobs are within the ICS organization. Instruction is designed in 4 levels (I-100, I-200, I-300, and I-400). Each level covers several modules that can be tailored for the department's needs. This course is a federally recognized course by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.
• S-215 Fire Operations in the Wildland/Urban Interface - This course teaches fire personnel how to deal with wildland fires threatening homes in wooded areas. This course covers topics to teach personnel how to plan, size-up, triage, and attack wildland fires threatening homes or other improvements. Emphasis is placed on firefighter safety, hose line deployment, engine placement, and public relations. This course is a federally recognized course by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.
• S-212 Chainsaw Use and Safety - This course covers field maintenance and repair of chainsaws, and proper use and cutting techniques for operating chainsaws in fire situations. This course is a valuable asset to chainsaw users when operating in fire, or storm debris clearance situations. The S-212 course is a federally recognized course by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.
• Computer Simulator Fire-Training - This challenging course allows firefighters to test their skill and knowledge while battling a realistic wildland fire that is generated by use of a computer. Aerial slides of wooded areas are digitized in the computer, and agency personnel run the fire by actual weather conditions, spread rates, etc., to generate a very realistic situation for trainees. This course allows trainees to fight the fire as if they were flying overhead in an airplane giving them an aerial view of how the fire was spreading. This course is as close to the real thing as it gets!
• Chainsaw Safety for VFDs - This course was developed by the agency to teach fire personnel the basic safety knowledge needed for chainsaw operations involving wildfire and storm debris removal. Maintenance, felling methods and tree defect "watch out" situations are also covered. This course does not replace S-212, Chainsaw Use and Safety, which is required for national chainsaw certification.

First Responders Outreach (FRO) Grant

Our firefighters, police, and EMTs are indispensable to the safety of our communities. It’s a perilous job, and oftentimes these heroes must perform with limited resources.

Grants are reserved for First Responder Departments. The Gary Sinise Foundation First Responder Outreach Team defines First Responders as “Those individuals called upon in the early stages of an incident that are responsible for the protection and preservation of life, property, evidence, and the environment.”

First Responder Departments are limited to one (1) First Responder Outreach Grant application per calendar year regardless of approval/denial of the application.

Global Impact Cash Grants

Identifying and incubating innovative early-stage solutions. We identify, incubate, and develop innovative early-stage solutions with the highest potential for impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We're looking for programs that fit within our investment sectors, focus on the underserved, and use technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services.

We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. A brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application. Please expand and carefully review each of the three sections below to learn more

Our priority social impact sectors

We focus on investing in innovative, tech-enabled solutions to the challenges and opportunities that matter most to communities in need, prioritizing four social impact sectors:

Cisco Crisis Response

Mobilizing to provide essentials to communities in need and those in crisis, including food, housing, secure connectivity, and disaster relief

By leveraging Cisco’s people, technology, financial resources, and strategic partnerships, we help strengthen community resilience and drive long-term recovery from crises.

Education

Supporting students, teachers, and schools by increasing engagement, building skills, promoting subject mastery, and expanding their capacity to thrive

Cisco is committed to inclusive access to digital skills training and supporting those who use technology to educate. Through programs like Cisco Networking Academy and social investments in education, we create new opportunities for individuals to thrive.

Economic Empowerment

Transforming communities through skill development, long-term career opportunities, entrepreneurship, and access to financial products and services

Strategic grants that unlock economic prosperity and growth for individuals and communities.

Climate Regeneration

Building an inclusive, regenerative, and resilient climate future through education, regenerative agriculture, conservation, protection, and clean energy solutions

Our efforts began in 2021, when the Cisco Foundation committed US$100 million over 10 years to fund nonprofit grants and impact investing in climate solutions. 

Mission

The primary mission of the Laura J. Niles Foundation is to encourage and support efforts to improve the lives of animals. The Foundation seeks to benefit animals in general, and dogs in particular, by supporting research, training, and adoption programs and projects. Programs which enhance the human-animal bond are viewed with favor.  

Primary Program Interests

Animals - The Foundation is seeking ways to benefit animals, particularly dogs, and is especially interested in programs that help animals and people, simultaneously. The Foundation is targeting areas that include animal medical research, animal protection, adoption, search & rescue, assistance dogs, equine therapy and similar areas of endeavor. Currently, the Foundation does not consider spay/neuter programs to be a priority, given the limited funds which are available. 

Education - a secondary area of focus for the Foundation is the education of economically disadvantaged youth. This program area includes primary, secondary and higher education.

Guiding Principles and Considerations 

• The goal of the Foundation's Board is to pursue a deliberate and proactive course of "strategic philanthropy"
• Favors programs addressing long-term solutions to the causes of problems, as distinguished from programs that simply treat the symptoms.
• Added emphasis on programs and organizations that address the intersection of its various interests.
• Encourages pilot initiatives that test new program models.
• Particular interest in organizations that promote collaborative efforts among groups and organizations.
• Qualities sought by the Foundation in its grantee organizations are: effective and dynamic personnel; passionate leadership; a bias against bureaucracy; prudent managements & governance practices; and commitment to results and overall assessment of program impact.

See FAQ for additional guidelines

Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Fund

The State OHV Recreation Fund, established in 1991, provides a legislatively set percentage (0.55 percent) of total license taxes on motor vehicle fuel from the Highway User Revenue Fund for OHV management. Approximately $2 million is available annually through Arizona State Parks for OHV projects. In 2009, new OHV legislation was enacted to provide more regulation of OHV usage and additional funds to support law enforcement and facility development. All vehicles weighing less than 2,500 pounds and designed primarily for travel over unimproved terrain are required to display an indicia (sticker) distributed through the Department of Motor Vehicles. The $25 cost of the sticker is added to the OHV Recreation Fund. State Parks receive 60 percent of the money in the fund for projects.

Law Enforcement Grants

Available Funds: Up to $100,000 per Project

Petco Love Canine Cancer Fund Grant

The Petco Love Canine Cancer Fund was established in 2012 to provide funding for active and retired working canines in urban search and rescue, wilderness, human remains detection, avalanche, military, and police disciplines that have been diagnosed with forms of cancer. Petco Love, Blue Buffalo, and the Search Dog Foundation partnered to create this grant to ensure that no handler will ever have to make the choice between financial stability and prolonging his or her canine partner’s quality of life due to a cancer diagnosis.

Funding is awarded on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the Petco Love Canine Cancer Fund can help support as many working dog teams facing a cancer diagnosis as possible each year.

Our Mission

The Tony Robbins Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of people often forgotten.

We’re dedicated to creating positive changes in the lives of youth, seniors, the hungry, homeless and the imprisoned population, all who need a boost envisioning a happier and deeply satisfying way of life. Our passionate staff, generous donors and caring group of international volunteers provide the vision, inspiration, and resources needed to empower these important members of our society.

Grants

Dedicated to meeting challenges within the global community, creating solutions and taking action, The Tony Robbins Foundation provides monetary donations to various organizations around the world. Funding requests are evaluated on an ongoing basis. We look for organizations that align with our mission to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of those often forgotten.

Ameriprise Financial Grantmaking

At Ameriprise Financial, giving back is deeply rooted in our culture. We’ve initiated positive change in the communities where we live and work for more than 120 years. We believe our community involvement enables us to actively live our values. Through grant making, volunteerism and employee and financial advisor gift matching programs, we support a diverse group of over 6,000 nonprofits across the country.

Focus Areas

Awarding grant dollars to nonprofits is one way we strengthen our communities and help individuals on a path to financial independence. To ensure we're meeting the needs of our communities and making an even greater collective impact, we focus on three key giving areas when awarding grants.

Volunteer engagement is a priority across all focus areas:

The engagement of Ameriprise employees and financial advisors is a critical component of our philanthropy. Whether it’s serving on a nonprofit board, engaging friends, clients and community members in volunteering or providing skills-based support, our relationships with nonprofits go deep. For this reason, we give priority across all focus areas to applications where there is active volunteer engagement of Ameriprise advisors and employees. 

Meeting Basic Needs

At Ameriprise Financial, we help clients achieve financial security and peace of mind. That’s satisfying, meaningful work. We also help the people in our neighborhoods who struggle to meet basic needs such as where their next meal comes from, where they’ll sleep tonight or how they’ll find a higher wage job. We’re here to help them through the three platforms of our Meeting Basic Needs focus area.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Hunger
• Food banks, food shelves and food pantries, daily meal programs or meal services for the homebound
• Hunger-relief programs targeted to meet the special needs of children, ethnic populations or veterans
• Food programs run by nonprofits where hunger is not their sole focus, for example a youth meal program at the YWCA or a backpack program run by a Boys & Girls Club
• Shelter
• Emergency shelter, including youth homelessness
• Transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and efforts to end chronic homelessness
• Housing-first models (programs quickly providing housing and then addressing needed services)
• Achieving and maintaining home ownership, repair and maintenance efforts helping keep seniors, veterans and other populations in their homes 
• Adult Self-Sufficiency: Programs serving adults age 21 and older that help address the following areas:
• Basic hard and soft skills that help adults achieve economic and family stability
• Basic financial and budgeting skills
• Increase employability and wages, including work readiness and job transitions
• Employment of disabled adults

Supporting Community Vitality

We believe communities should be strong, healthy and resilient. We want livable places for all, where neighbors look out for one another, cultural events are well-attended and people pull together in times of crisis and joy. We work to create economic vitality and cultural enrichment through the following areas of focus.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Community Development
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Economic development
• Strengthening and supporting small businesses and nonprofits through technical expertise
• Cultural Enrichment
• Arts education
• Access for underserved populations
• Diverse artists and performances that spark topical community conversations 

Volunteer Driven Causes: Ameriprise employees and financial advisors are outstanding volunteers who serve in teams and also as individuals bringing personal skill-sets to nonprofits. Volunteering is part of the culture at Ameriprise and we are proud to support communities through contributions of both service and financial resources. 

Funding for Volunteer-Driven Causes is determined by current Ameriprise volunteerism. In general, funding is in proportion to the size of the Ameriprise volunteer team supporting a nonprofit. A team may include employees, financial advisors and/or staff or a combination of any Ameriprise volunteers. 

Search Team Fund

The Search Team Fund is a financial assistance program established in 2008, offering help to handlers with out-of-pocket expenses not covered by their task forces or government agencies. In the last few years, we have added more benefits to the program and expanded the scope of eligibility to include more working dog teams throughout the United States, regardless of where they were initially trained.

We are proud to lessen the financial burden on these teams so they can remain focused on what’s important: staying deployment-ready to assist communities in need.

Search Team Grant

The Search Team Grant is designed to help provide active live-find and human remains detection disaster canine handlers operating in the federal and state urban search and rescue (US&R) systems and nonprofit-affiliated wilderness search, avalanche search, and odor detection canine handlers gain the skills and experience needed to be ready for deployment by lessening the burden of their out-of-pocket expenses for training and equipment.

Over the last 17 years, this program has made it possible for first responder canine handlers to attend specialized training, purchase training gear and equipment, and pay for travel expenses and other costs not covered by their task forces.

What can the Search Team Grant be used for?

• Training events/workshops/seminars, outside your team’s regular training area, designed to increase your training knowledge, exposure to new search areas, and networking opportunities in the working dog community. It may include registration, travel & lodging fees.
• Training equipment such as agility and conditioning items, BSD boxes, GPS collars, canine treadmills, and Klimb platforms.
• Canine care items like eye/ear/paw protection, first aid/decontamination supplies, crates, heat-related equipment like crate fans or shade cloths.

This grant may be used to purchase one new crate, per handler, every 5 years.

About Bonnell Cove Foundation

Bonnell Cove Foundation supports not-for-profit organizations in North America in the areas of safety at sea and the environment of the sea. The Bonnell Cove Foundatioin is a 501(c)(3) organization. It was organized in 1989 by the Cruising Club of America. Initial funding for the Foundation came from the sale of a tract of waterfront land on Block Island, Rhode Island to the Block Island Land Conservancy. George P.P. Bonnell, a charter member and former Commodore of the Club, bequeathed the land to the Club in 1959. Club members provide additional funding. There is no paid staff.

The Board of Trustees meets twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, to consider applications. As a general matter, the Foundation awards grants of up to $10,000 for specific projects or particular needs of a qualifying non-profit. In rare cases, the Foundation will grant funds to a particular organization in successive years.

In recent years the Bonnell Cove Foundation has funded essential elements of school and museum youth programs, environmental research, habitat restoration, medical research, search and rescue products, overboard rescue techniques and boating education.

Grants Relating to Safety At Sea

The Foundation encourages grant applications supporting projects which complement the safe operation of boats, both sail and power. Innovative projects resulting in the development of cost effective personal safety equipment, modified operational and training protocols, and methods to increase crew awareness of the need for continued attention to safety are of particular interest.

Grants Relating to the Environment of the Sea

The Foundation seeks grant applications in support of projects intended to increase our understanding of the factors affecting the marine environment both natural and man-made and the best ways to minimize adverse impacts associated with small boat operations. Such efforts might include technologies facilitating "green boats", efforts to conserve coastal and estuarine land, and educational efforts directed at improved stewardship of our oceans and navigable lakes.

New Hampshire Outdoor Council Grant

The New Hampshire Outdoor Council makes grants to organizations consistent with the Council’s mission of support for the New Hampshire hiking trail system, search and rescue operations in the state, and educational projects to prevent the need for search and rescue missions.

The current grantmaking priorities of the Council are:

• Support for search and rescue operations in the state of New Hampshire and the various organizations that cooperate with the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Forest Service in carrying out those operations;
• Informational and educational projects designed to prevent the necessity of search and rescue missions.

Funding

The minimum grant request accepted is $500 and the maximum grant award currently is $5,000.

Mission:

To share and support our passion for climbing and respect for the places we climb.

Vision:

A united community of competent climbers and healthy climbing landscapes.

A brief history of the Club

Established in 1902 by the nation's leading climbers and conservationists, The American Alpine Club promotes and preserves the climbing way of life. The Mission Statement reads: "We provide knowledge and inspiration, conservation and advocacy, and logistical support for the climbing community." The AAC evolved from a social club for elite adventurers located on the East Coast to a more centrally located Denver-area organization that actively participates in international dialogue about environmental policy, high altitude safety and medicine, innovation in alpine tools, clothing and survival technologies, sponsors expeditions, and investigates controversies in the world of exploration.

The American Alpine Club, along with the National Geographic Society and the National Science Foundation, sponsored and participated in some of the most significant exploration of mountain regions in the world, including the 1939 summit attempt on K2, 1963 first American summit of Everest, and the 1966 summit of Antarctica's Mt. Vinson. Expeditions have been and continue to be negotiated to some of the most remote and politically inaccessible areas of the world in Pakistan, Nepal, China, South America, Cuba, and Russia, at times with the help of usefully placed AAC officials. For example, the AAC president from 1938-40 was James Grafton Rogers. In 1960, he was Undersecretary to the State Department and therefore able to coordinate collaboration between the State Department, U.S. Navy, and the AAC to plan an expedition to the Antarctic. AAC member and past official Mark Udall has served as the senior U.S. Senator from Colorado, and on the Committees for Armed Services and Energy and Natural Resources.

Rocky Talkie Search and Rescue Award

Rocky Talkie will be giving a total of $75,000 to SAR teams through their annual Search & Rescue Awards. The goal of these awards is to support underfunded teams and drive greater awareness of the incredible contributions that volunteer SAR members make to our mountain communities.

Five teams will receive $10,000 each

Need Based Grants will be given to underfunded SAR teams to help them acquire critical equipment or fund important projects for their operations. This year, 5 teams will be selected to receive a $10,000 grant. Applicants for Need Based Grants are asked to submit a brief description of a specific funding need their team has in the next year.

Featured Rescue of the Year

One team will receive $25,000 in funding

One team will be selected for the Featured Rescue of the Year based on a volunteer-led rescue operation. This team will receive $25,000 in funding and a video created by renowned filmmaker and climber, Jon Glassberg. The intention of this video is to shed light on the incredible service that volunteer SAR teams provide to adventurers in need.  We believe that this awareness is the first critical step towards increasing the support of SAR teams and ultimately the safety of everyone who recreates in the mountains.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

Nominate a Nonprofit

The People Helping People Awards are a celebration of exceptional work within the communities we serve and provide us the opportunity to honor members and nonprofits that drive positive change through service to others.

Each year, BECU members can nominate local nonprofits for a People Helping People Award of up to $50,000 in grant funds.

So look around you for heroes who deserve recognition, and nominate a nonprofit for a BECU People Helping People Award today.

Giving Areas and Subcategories

Nonprofit work must be focused in any one of the following seven giving areas:

• Advancing education (Pre-K through college): Access to education, mentoring, educational materials and programming, classroom, school and PTSA funding for educational programs/materials/experiences.
• Arts and culture: Equitable access to art experiences, underrepresented art and cultural organizations, cultural programs.
• Creating economic opportunity: Living-wage jobs, small and startup businesses, job quality for low-wage workers.
• Preserving health and promoting wellness: Access to healthcare, illness prevention/cure, mental health, patient support, disabilities, veteran advocacy.
• Preserving or restoring the environment: Conservation, stewardship, sustainability.
• Providing for basic human needs: Affordable housing, homelessness, senior advocacy, infant and child advocacy, food/diaper/clothing banks.
• Strengthening local communities: Neighborhoods, public safety, search and rescue, outdoor spaces, rotary/chamber.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

Calling to Serve

Since its inception in 2016, the Robinson Foundation has sought to demonstrate God’s love through sharing the gifts we have received. We understand the often unspoken hardships and struggles that people in and outside of our community face everyday. As such, our contributions are focused on relieving these hardships for the betterment of our world.

As a family-operated foundation, we pray that our small efforts will not only create immediate change in the lives of our neighbors, but will help set those lives on a course for success in the future. We are thankful for each and every day we have on this earth to use what God has granted us to make a difference.

Areas of Interest

• Animal Welfare
• Children & Families
• Disaster Relief
• Education
• Medical Assistance
• Nature & Wildlife Conservation
• Poverty Relief
• Religious & Spiritual Endeavors
• Veterans' Issues

Grant Considerations

We take many different aspects of applications into account when making grant issuing decisions, however these are some of the high-level questions we ask ourselves during the process:

• How does the organization serve their key audience goals?
• Is the organization fiscally responsible?
• Will a grant have a tangible, meaningful impact?
• Will we see direct results from this grant?
• Does the organization have other financial contributors?

San Francisco Fire Department Division of Training Grant

The San Francisco Arts Commission invites artists and artist teams residing in the United States or represented by a US based gallery to submit qualifications for the San Francisco Fire Department Division of Training. The art opportunity calls for a cohesive, integrated design that includes two components: a sculpture or grouping of sculptures located in the project’s mid-block focus area along Carroll Avenue, and approximately 120 linear feet of sculptural or two-dimensional artwork integrated into wall niches within the concrete bioretention planter walls fronting the facility.

The budget for artwork is anticipated to be $1,403,800 and may be adjusted based on changes to the design of the project site or other project parameters. The budget is inclusive of all artist’s fees, as well as associated expenses for design, fabrication, insurance, transportation and consultation during installation. A separate set-aside of $200,000 will be allocated for installation under a separate agreement with the City.

Goals

The goals of the project are to create artwork that:

• Connects viewers to the facility’s functions and reflects the mission of the Fire Department, its history, and commitment to service;
• Helps integrate the facility into the neighborhood with meaningful connections to the community;
• Will be made of durable and maintainable materials such as tile, concrete, bronze, stone, and/or other medium suitable for an exterior location along a publicly accessible, pedestrian right-of-way (public sidewalk);
• Will preserve pedestrian access and sightlines into the facility.

Project Description

Funded through an Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response (ESER) bond and approved by voters in March 2020, the San Francisco Fire Department Division of Training facility, located on Carroll Avenue between Ingalls Street and Giants Drive in the Hunters Point/Bret Harte neighborhoods, will provide an upgraded training campus for firefighters and emergency medical technicians to meet the evolving needs of emergency responders. The new facility incorporates space for live-fire training, classroom training, equipment training, and emergency medical services training. The project will improve operational efficiency by consolidating training facilities in one new location, including an administration and classroom building, a firefighter recruit building, an apparatus and maintenance shop, live-fire and rescue structures, urban search and rescue simulations, and paved roadways emulating San Francisco topography and street conditions for vehicle maneuvering and ladder and hose deployment training.

Best Life Community Awards

Nominate a nonprofit that you support with your time, talents, or money to receive a grant.

Funding

The winner will be awarded $10,000!

Fall Community Grants are administered in partnership with local donors and the Sangre de Cristo Electric Association for organizations serving Chaffee, Custer, Fremont & Lake Counties.

The grant process has two funding options. Applicants can apply for one or both based on the eligibility criteria. Applicants will submit one application but can identify and address their impact in the outlined criteria even if it covers multiple areas of impact.

While there is no maximum award, the average grant awarded in 2023 was $1,600.

Option 1

The SDCEA Grant Fund has $35,000 in funding available for organizations that meet the following criteria:

• Serves the communities of Chaffee, Custer, Fremont and/or Lake Counties.
• Organizations or projects with a focus of: 
  • Community-based Health Programs: Such as Community Health Clinics, Substance Abuse Dependency, Prevention, and Treatment, Hot Lines and Crisis Intervention, Sexual Assault Services, Protection Against Abuse, Spouse/Child/Sexual Abuse
  • Support of Food, Shelter, and Human Services: Such as Food Programs/Food Banks/Food Pantries, Homeless Shelters, Temporary Housing, Children and Youth Services, Child Day Care, Family Services, Family Violence Shelters, Pregnancy Centers
  • Disaster Preparedness & Relief Services: Such as Search & Rescue, Fire Prevention, Safety Education, First Aid
  • Animal Protection & Welfare
  • Environmental and Historical Preservation: Effort to preserve and protect the natural environment for the benefit of the public and preservation of a historically important area or structure

Option 2

CCCF Community Grants has $15,800 in funding available for organizations that meet the following criteria:

• Serves the communities of Chaffee County
• Organizations or projects with a focus of Community Health, Community Vitality, and Community Capacity

Georgia-Pacific Foundation

Established in 1958, the Georgia-Pacific Foundation sets aside resources to improve life in the communities where we operate. We’ve worked with thousands of outstanding community-based programs, service projects and disaster relief efforts, focusing our investment in four areas we believe make the most impact:

• education
• entrepreneurship
• enrichment of community
• environment

Investment Priorities

• Aligns with GP’s mission and values
• Aligns with GP’s Four Focus Areas of giving: Education, Environment, Enrichment of Community and Entrepreneurship
• Serves communities where GP has manufacturing facilities
• Creates value by contributing to and positively impacting long term well-being and sustainability of GP communities