Best Seed Grants for Nonprofits

The Autodesk Foundation offers Catalytic Funding for Design and Engineering Solutions, providing nonprofits and startups with essential capital to develop innovative, sustainable solutions across key areas including Energy, Health, and Work. By leveraging Autodesk's unique expertise, the funding aims to support initiatives that reduce emissions, enhance community resilience, and prepare workers for a changing job market. Grant sizes range from $100,000 to $1,000,000, focusing on impactful, scalable projects.

The Charter Fund: Scale Funding supports nonprofit organizations that operate high-performing public charter schools. It seeks leaders dedicated to expanding their impact, aiming to serve an additional 1,000+ students over the next 3-5 years. The fund offers grants and low-interest loans starting from $750,000, alongside strategic partnerships and community-building initiatives to help schools navigate growth challenges, enhance educational quality, and foster collaboration among charter leaders.

The Community Seed Donations program by Seed Savers Exchange provides seeds to schools, community gardens, and nonprofits, ensuring that these resources are freely available to those in need. In addition, they offer disaster relief seed donations for organizations affected by recent natural disasters. To qualify, applicants must be nonprofits with U.S. shipping addresses. This initiative not only supports community growth but also promotes sustainability and resilience in the face of challenges.

The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation provides grants to early-stage social entrepreneurs working on scalable solutions to pressing social and environmental issues. By supporting organizations with innovative approaches and proven impact, they aim to uplift underserved communities globally. The foundation offers operational support, funding of up to $300,000 over three years, and fosters a collaborative community among its portfolio organizations. They focus on candidates demonstrating measurable impact and sustainable growth potential.

The Pratt Family Foundation Grant, established in 1999, supports initiatives in education, healthcare, and community welfare. It prioritizes organizations that aid housing assistance, support for women in crisis, and disadvantaged youth programs, particularly in North Carolina. The Foundation favors established religious and charitable organizations that are tax-exempt and have a local presence. Preference is given to areas connected to the Pratt family, such as Texas and Florida, ensuring impactful contributions to community development.

The Skees Family Foundation offers mission-aligned Seed Grants to nonprofits focused on job creation and readiness, primarily outside the U.S. These grants, beginning at $2,500 and increasing over three years, aim to support organizations with annual budgets of $250,000 or less. By prioritizing international efforts, the foundation seeks to maximize the impact of its limited resources, fostering growth in community-based organizations dedicated to alleviating poverty and promoting economic development globally.

 

Skees Family Foundation

The Skees Family Foundation, a 501(c)3 private charitable foundation (EIN#83-0411607), works with nonprofits (NPOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) serving families in need around the world.

The Skees Family Foundation — family helping families — extends self-help to youth and families to end poverty worldwide. We support organizations in the U.S., Africa, Asia, Central and South America, India, and the Pacific to promote job creation and economic development. We value love in action to create equal opportunity for all. And as a diverse multigenerational group with limited time and funds, we believe that we — and you — can change the world for good.

Mission: Skees Family Foundation works to end global poverty by partnering with community-based organizations to create fulfilling jobs and build job readiness through vocational or entrepreneurial training.

How We’re Different

We approach grantmaking in ways that differ from many funders, in ways intended to minimize the power imbalance between nonprofits and funders:

• No Restrictions: Unrestricted funding shows trust and respect for our partners. They know where the money is most needed, and we don’t have the burden of keeping track of specific projects.
• No Applications: All the information we need is found through our own research. This helps us keep our workload lighter by not having to go through hundreds of applications, and it provides our new partners a welcome surprise, with infinite return on investment. 
• Limited Reporting: We have calls once a year with our partners to discuss how they’re doing and their plans for the future. We don’t ask for written reports – we talk to our partners and create enduring relationships. 
• Multi-Year Grants: Two to six-year grants give us the opportunity to build relationships with our partners and for them to have the security of longer-term funding.
• Storytelling Assistance: Through our Seeds of Hope blog and the My Job social mission project, we tell the stories of our partners. We get to shine a light on their work, and they get a bit of free promotion!
• Funding Channels: Our partners are often challenged in finding their next level of funding. In response, we are creating a network of funders to help guide our partners toward their next grant. We can pass on our knowledge about individual organizations, as well as receive recommendations from other funders, saving everyone a lot of time.
• Direct Impact Investments: For many of our partners, the ability to scale rests on access to capital, and we often maintain relationships through direct impact investments. This allows us to stay in touch with our partners and invest in someone we trust, while giving them access to affordable debt and a reasonable return to the Skees corpus.
• 100% ESG Market Investments: Beyond impact investments, the remaining majority of the corpus is invested with an Environmental Social Governance screen, ensuring our corpus is working for good. This helps us increase our impact substantially while avoiding investments that are working in contradiction with our mission, all while maintaining strong returns to support our grantmaking.

Mission-Aligned Grantmaking

Our mission-aligned grants are focused on organizations whose primary work is outside of the United States. We do this for two reasons:

• Given our relatively small grantmaking budget, funding international programs allows each dollar to go further than it would in the U.S, enabling our foundation to have greater impact with our limited resources.
• We support organizations without geographic limitations through our discretionary board and family grants, both in the U.S. and abroad, that our family members are connected to and passionate about.

These grants are typically distributed every three years, and go out at the start of the new year.

Catalyst Grants

Catalyst Grants are three-year grants, distributing $25,000 in year one, $15,000 in year two and $10,000 in year three. These grants are for organizations that have demonstrated some success with their models and are ready to work at a broader level by scaling or deepening their programs. Catalyst Grants are focused on organizations with an annual budget of less than $500,000, but groups with budgets of up to $1 million are eligible.

It is our hope that Catalyst Grants truly serve as a catalyst for organizations ready to scale, which our foundation views as critical to long-term change. Although the funds are for general operating expenses, we encourage these organizations to invest in expanding and deepening their programs in a self-sustaining way.

By allocating a large proportion of our annual grantmaking budget to a few nonprofits through our Catalyst Grants, we aim to have a more meaningful impact on our Catalyst partner organizations and the issue areas in which they work. 

The Moe Family Fund for Statewide and Local Partners Grant Program, administered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers grants of up to $10,000 to dues-paying members of the National Preservation Partners Network. This program focuses on strengthening preservation organizations and addressing key issues, including advocacy, capacity building, and climate change initiatives. Eligible projects should demonstrate innovation, potential impact, and a clear budget, while adhering to preservation standards and timelines.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Creating Equitable Pathways to STEM Graduate Education initiative aims to foster partnerships between Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and graduate programs to enhance equitable learning environments. Grants of up to $500,000 will support projects addressing systemic barriers, promoting effective practices, and ensuring seamless transitions from MSIs to advanced degrees in various STEM fields. The initiative seeks to create lasting impacts on student access and success in graduate education.

CFCC: Gelvin-Ingersoll Medical Education Fund

Support medical education activities and/or scholarships to students studying in a medical related field that are charitable, educational, or scientific in nature.

What type of support is funded?

• Projects or programs that serve the community and/or advance the mission of the organization
• Seed money to establish or initiate a new project, program, or organization, including operating expenses
• Capacity building or activities that strengthen an organization to increase its ability to fulfill its mission, including technology & equipment, professional development & training, additional staff to implement a new program, etc.
• Capital improvements including new construction or renovation of a facility
• Endowment funds to provide permanent and long-term support for an organization or program

Ann B. Zekauskas Family Foundation

Empowerment through Food Awareness, Access, and Education

We are a private, family-directed, not-for-profit philanthropic organization, established through the estate of Ann B. Zekauskas. We are dedicated to educating students, families, and communities, especially the underserved, on producing, preparing, and eating healthy foods, and to supporting organizations focused on hunger relief and careers in the culinary arts.

We perform our mission through collaborations with and support of approved non-profit organizations within these key areas of giving: nutrition education, food access, and culinary arts training.

Nutrition Education

Ann B. Zekauskas believed that individuals of all ages — especially school-aged children and their families — should be provided with an education to understand how food makes its way from seed to plate —from planting and growing, to harvesting and sourcing, to cooking and serving.

Nutrition education empowers people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to make healthy food choices, promoting overall mental well-being and physical wellness.

In carrying out Ann’s legacy, we work with schools, community groups, and other like-minded organizations across the country, supporting their programs that encourage a lifelong practice of healthy eating.

Request a Grant

The Ann B. Zekauskas Family Foundation is committed to supporting qualified 501(c)(3) organizations that align with our mission and values. We welcome grant requests from nonprofit organizations seeking to make a meaningful impact in their communities in the areas of nutritional education, food access, or the advancement of cuilnary arts careers.

The Global Learning Challenge by MIT Solve seeks innovative solutions leveraging technology to bridge educational equity gaps, particularly for communities affected by poverty and displacement. Emphasizing inclusive design, the challenge aims to empower learners with disabilities and equip individuals with essential skills for a rapidly changing world. Special focus is placed on addressing racial disparities in education exacerbated by the pandemic, inviting innovators to apply and contribute to a more equitable future.

The Charter Fund: Seed Funding program supports nonprofit organizations operating high-performing public charter schools that aim to expand their reach by serving 250 to 1,000 additional students within two years. Eligible applicants must demonstrate proven leadership, strong academic performance, and a commitment to underserved communities. The fund offers general operating grants ranging from $250,000 to $600,000 to assist leaders in opening new schools, providing vital resources and cohort-based learning opportunities to foster growth and innovation.

The ASA Carla B. Howery Teaching Enhancement Fund Grants support projects that enhance the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in sociology. The grants, up to $2,500, are intended for innovative proposals that improve teaching and learning, ensuring lasting systemic impact. While ASA membership is not required for application, grant recipients must be members before final awards. This initiative by the American Sociological Association reflects a commitment to advancing sociology as a discipline.

The ASTRO-AAPM Physics Resident/Post-Doctoral Fellow Seed Grant supports early-career scientists in radiation oncology physics research. Jointly funded by AAPM and ASTRO, this grant aims to foster innovation in the field, with up to two awards of $50,000 each available. Eligible applicants include medical physics residents and post-doctoral fellows who are active members of ASTRO and AAPM. This initiative strives to enhance the next generation of researchers, ensuring a commitment to advancing radiation oncology.

The Francis R. Dewing Foundation Grant provides seed money to support innovative projects in early childhood education, benefiting children up to sixth grade. Founded by Frances R. Dewing in 1963, the foundation aims to stimulate intellectual growth in young children through unique educational methods. Grants typically range from $1,000 to $25,000, with a focus on projects that demonstrate a broad impact on the educational community. Applications are accepted from 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and government entities across the United States.

The APF Visionary Grant supports innovative research and intervention projects aimed at addressing social issues through psychology. Funded by the American Psychological Foundation, this initiative prioritizes projects that assist vulnerable populations and promote racial equity. Eligible applicants include graduate students and early career researchers affiliated with educational institutions or non-profits. The grant encourages diverse applicants and seeks projects that can attract further funding and demonstrate broader applicability in various settings.

American Chemical Society

ACS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering scientific research excellence, education, and collaboration. Our initiatives seek to empower people to make a positive impact on society and ignite a passion for discovery and innovation in the sciences.

ACS GCI Natural Polymers Consortium Research Grant

Purpose

To address key chemistry and engineering research challenges in accelerating the development of more sustainable functional materials using natural polymers through green chemistry and/or green engineering.

Description

The American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute Natural Polymers Consortium (ACS GCI NPC) is a group committed to exploring the utilization of natural polymers to accelerate the development of more sustainable functional materials. Launched in 2024 as a partnership between the ACS Green Chemistry Institute® and industry leaders, the Consortium envisions a future where natural polymers innovations can sustainably meet modern human needs.

An open call for proposals for one (1) research grant is being made. This grant provides $80,000 for a 12-month research commitment. Proposals can be on any green chemistry and/or engineering research direction related to the following topic areas for natural polymers:

• Sourcing: Methods to improve the isolation of natural polymers from biomass sources. This would include methods to identify, detect, and remove trace contaminants, characterize the composition of the isolated polymer, and understand the impact of polymer characteristics and trace contaminants on downstream processing and use. This RFP also includes identification of feedstocks suitable for the sustainable sourcing of natural polymers. Consider methods to improve traceability and document life cycle aspects.

• Processing: Methods to process natural polymers, including green chemistry processes, selection of plasticizers/crosslinkers/additives, and identifying/designing in properties that improve the processing of natural polymers (e.g., thermoplastic).

• Performance: Methods to improve the functionality of natural polymers, e.g., barrier coatings in paper packaging, derivatization/modification, blending with other materials (e.g., other polymers, particles, small molecules, etc.). What alternative applications do natural polymers enable (that incumbent plastics or synthetic polymers do not)?

Interested Principal Investigators (PIs) are required to provide a written proposal describing the investigator’s capability to carry out the ACS GCI NPC proposed research.

This grant is seen as a seed grant, and principal investigators (PIs) are encouraged to apply for additional money from local/regional/national funders.

The Hart Family Fund for Small Towns offers grants between $2,500 and $15,000 to support preservation projects in towns with populations of 10,000 or less. These funds aim to encourage local preservation efforts, enhance public discussion, and build technical expertise among community groups. The application process is competitive, with a review period of approximately three months. Eligible applicants include public agencies and nonprofits, with a cash match required. Projects must start within six months of receiving funding.

The Ledyard Rotary Foundation Grant supports community-enhancing projects primarily in Ledyard and Gales Ferry, Connecticut, focusing on education, healthcare, and social issues. As a 501(C)(3) nonprofit, it welcomes grant applications from eligible organizations that can demonstrate a significant impact. While prioritizing new initiatives, the foundation also encourages proposals that seek matching funds. Grants are not available for political or religious purposes, and distributions are limited to nonprofit entities or municipalities.

10th Anniversary Global Challenge

Ten years ago, we launched Solve on a simple bet: the best solutions to global challenges are out there —and it’s our job to find them, fund them, and help them scale.

Since then, the world has been reshaped. A pandemic exposed brittle systems, climate impacts are a daily reality, trust has eroded, and AI has both expanded what’s possible and raised questions about gaps in equity, power, access, and opportunity. In this new era, it is all the more urgent to close those gaps through innovation that scales, with broad adoption, wide distribution, and durability.

Over the past decade, Solve has become a global engine for that kind of innovation. We have launched over 100 challenges for which selected innovators, Solvers, have gone on to reach over 370 million lives and raise $1.1 billion to scale their impact. Solvers are our best bet in making a better future for all, and this year we’re doubling down on our support.

For our 10th Anniversary Global Challenge, we’re seeking 10 exceptional solutions built for the next decade: solving urgent problems and proving credible pathways to scale, whether through markets, policy, procurement, or platforms. We’re interested in innovations that put people first, and pair technological ingenuity with trust and durable economics.

Across health, climate, learning, and economic prosperity, solutions must respond to rapidly changing realities and operate at the speed of need. We are particularly seeking innovations that advance:

• A zero-carbon, equitable world and practical adaptation for communities already living with climate impacts
• Economic opportunity, security and mobility through jobs and livelihoods, financial inclusion, and small business growth
• Better health outcomes and stronger systems-care delivery, workforce, supply chains, prevention, and resilience
• Learning for all—delivering measurable learning gains in a modern world, particularly for those with different learning needs
• Indigenous communities in strengthening sovereignty and meeting their social, environmental, and economic goals

Solve’s 10th Anniversary Global Challenge is designed to surface the innovations that can define the next decade. Together with our network of partners, resources, and connections, we’re betting big on the solutions that will solve complex global challenges and fix broken systems in order to reach millions more.

Solve's Indigenous Communities Fellowship only covers the US and Canada, but this 10th anniversary challenge is open to solutions working with Indigenous communities anywhere in the world, as long as they meet the other eligibility requirements.

What will winners receive?

The ten winners get a big stage and serious support. They'll be featured at the Solve Challenge Finals in New York City during UN General Assembly and NY Climate Week in September 2026, with travel costs covered. There, they'll pitch their work directly to a room of Solve’s global community, including investors and funders — and each winner will receive at least $100,000 in unrestricted prize funding, meaning they can use it however they need.

But the funding is just the start. Winners will gain access to MIT's innovation ecosystem, including specialized mentorship, pro-bono legal support, discounted access to technology, and connections to the network of past Solver teams. Solve supports our portfolio for the long-term, with more funding opportunities, skills training, media exposure, and speaking engagements on an ongoing basis.

The Lisle Global Seed Grant supports innovative projects that foster intercultural understanding and bridge community divides. Grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 are awarded to organizations that promote collaboration among diverse groups. Since 2004, Lisle International has provided seed funding to initiatives worldwide, emphasizing new projects rather than established ones. The organization seeks to significantly contribute to well-defined, impactful projects that enhance social equity through shared learning experiences.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's initiative, "Creating Equitable Pathways to STEM Graduate Education: Seed," aims to enhance graduate education access for students from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The program provides grants of up to $500,000 to foster partnerships between MSIs and various higher education institutions. Projects should focus on overcoming barriers to success in graduate studies, including recruitment and admission processes, thereby promoting equitable learning environments in STEM fields.

Youth Service America

Youth Service America believes that youth, communities, and our democracy thrive when we all work together for the common good. YSA is a leading global nonprofit that activates young people, ages 5-25, to find their voice, take action, and acquire powerful civic and 21st Century skills as they solve problems facing their communities. YSA supports its activation campaigns with grants, training and resources, and recognition programs for young people and their adult champions. Youth-led projects use Awareness, Service, Advocacy, and Philanthropy (ASAP) strategies to create social and environmental change.

Our vision is that youth participation in working together for the common good becomes the common expectation and common experience of all young people in America. Even though youth participation rates are at or near record-high levels, we’re still leaving 3 of every 4 young people out, and participation rates are even lower among youth from underserved low-income communities and communities of color.

We Serve to Remember 9/11 Day of Service Grants

YSA’s We Serve to Remember 9/11 Day of Service Grants are for organizations, schools, and youth changemakers ages 5-25 to lead service projects on or around September 11, 2026. Programming efforts should also honor and pay tribute to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, their families, and those who rose in service in response to that tragedy.

This year, YSA will award up to 100 grants of $1,000 each. Grantees are required to engage at least 100 youth as volunteers in planning and implementing the service activities.

Reflecting on the spirit of togetherness that brought people together in the days, weeks, and months after September 11th, we are especially looking for ideas that bring together all members of the community.

Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health Innovation Awards aim to fund innovative mental healthcare solutions for children in the U.S. This initiative invites U.S.-based 501(c)(3) charities with revenues under $5 million to submit projects. With up to $550,000 in grants, the program focuses on addressing critical mental health issues among youth, fostering equity in access to care, and supporting nonprofits led by young leaders. Awards include up to $100,000 for general and $50,000 for Next Gen projects.

The Global Health and Wellbeing Grantmaking program by Coefficient Giving focuses on addressing critical health and welfare issues worldwide. With an emphasis on proactive engagement and evidence-based solutions, the initiative supports projects that improve health outcomes and wellbeing. The program prioritizes funding for organizations tackling neglected global health challenges, advocating for effective philanthropy, and enhancing the lives of both humans and animals in vulnerable communities.

Request for Proposals: Launchpad Funds

Background

Coefficient Giving is increasing its giving, primarily to prepare for the billions of dollars in new philanthropic capital that may become available in the coming years. Our increased giving in global health and wellbeing is a temporary surge, with two objectives: to smooth funding and pull forward initiatives we expect to be cost-effective, and to help create an ecosystem of regrantors and implementers with the capacity to allocate this new money as cost-effectively as possible. Additional context on our scaling is provided in this blog post. 

With new potential capital on the way, we want to increase the supply of actionable and fundable plans to address some of the world’s hardest problems. We’re looking for specific, credible strategies to convert funding into measurable progress. Our ideal funds are:

However, we are also open to funds that are thematic and don’t have a quantified goal — for example, a fund organized around a promising type of intervention. Such funds still need to be led by a single, identifiable person who is accountable for the fund’s direction.

Through this request for EOIs, we aim to seed or scale Launchpad Funds that can grow to $100m+ over the next few years. We don’t seek scale for its own sake; it is a proxy for the ambition of the fund, and a signal that the problem is large and tractable enough to justify deploying significantly more capital over time.

What we will fund

• We expect to support established ideas that have either not yet secured anchor support or could significantly scale beyond their existing level of funding.
• This funding can cover operating expenses, but we expect most of it to be used for activities that make progress on the fund’s goals — whether through regranting or direct implementation.
• For exceptional proposals, we may consider funding levels beyond $50m. We anticipate higher funding levels will involve more thought partnership from our team.
• While we don’t expect to make grants longer than 36 months, funded proposals may later be considered for additional funding beyond the initial period.