Best Foundation Grants for Nonprofits in South Dakota

The Garden Club of Houston, established in 1924, promotes gardening and environmental conservation through various community initiatives. Their funding supports nonprofit organizations and government entities, focusing on projects that enhance public landscapes, educational resources, and community gardens. Grants are not awarded for operating funds or endowments, with preference given to projects within the greater Houston area. This commitment to civic improvement underscores their mission to foster a love of gardening and environmental stewardship.

The CHEERS Open Period 2 initiative invites white papers from researchers in various technical fields, focusing on projects that align with the objectives of the Continuing Enabling, Enhancing, Restoring, and Sustaining (CHEERS) MAA. This funding opportunity, backed by the US DOD's Air Force Materiel Command, is aimed at advancing national defense capabilities through innovative research and development in areas such as ordnance, telecommunications, and medical supplies.

Investing in research and healthcare to prevent, treat, and heal firearm-related harms

Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education

Kaiser Permanente established this Center in 2022 to scale its longstanding commitment to help communities prevent, treat, and heal from firearm-related injuries or death. The Center’s focus on violence prevention is rooted in healthcare, care delivery, and clinical interventions.

The Center is coordinated in collaboration with the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI).

Research to support more effective health interventions

The Center funds research to test and expand health interventions that treat and prevent firearm injuries and deaths. This approach uses the same rigor and expertise that has helped treat and prevent other leading health concerns and causes of death, such as stroke, cancer, and heart disease. Funding supports projects to:

• Identify and evaluate health system strategies to address firearm injury and death, especially in communities that are most impacted.
• Test clinical interventions to prevent, treat, and heal trauma caused by firearm injuries and death.
• Assess pathways to implement and scale clinical interventions for firearm injury prevention in various healthcare settings.
• Improve healthcare identification and engagement of individuals at high risk of firearm injury or death.

Since its inception, the Center has awarded more than $8.5 million through 49 grants across 25 states and Washington, D.C., to advance research, capacity building, narrative change, and education.

Funding Opportunity

The call is open to applicants at varying stages of the research continuum. It is expected that central to all proposed initiatives are efforts to meaningfully engage communities that have been the most impacted by firearm violence.

What Work Will Be Considered for Funding?

Funding is currently available in two categories: Category 1 - Research Capacity Building; Category 2 - Pilot or Formative Healthcare Research

Category 2 - Pilot or Formative Healthcare Research

Up to two (2) projects will be selected, each receiving up to $250,000 over two (2) years.

Expand or pilot new research on evidence-informed healthcare practice or clinical care models that address firearm violence or firearm suicide.

Investing in research and healthcare to prevent, treat, and heal firearm-related harms

Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education

Kaiser Permanente established this Center in 2022 to scale its longstanding commitment to help communities prevent, treat, and heal from firearm-related injuries or death. The Center’s focus on violence prevention is rooted in healthcare, care delivery, and clinical interventions.

The Center is coordinated in collaboration with the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI).

Research to support more effective health interventions

The Center funds research to test and expand health interventions that treat and prevent firearm injuries and deaths. This approach uses the same rigor and expertise that has helped treat and prevent other leading health concerns and causes of death, such as stroke, cancer, and heart disease. Funding supports projects to:

• Identify and evaluate health system strategies to address firearm injury and death, especially in communities that are most impacted.
• Test clinical interventions to prevent, treat, and heal trauma caused by firearm injuries and death.
• Assess pathways to implement and scale clinical interventions for firearm injury prevention in various healthcare settings.
• Improve healthcare identification and engagement of individuals at high risk of firearm injury or death.

Since its inception, the Center has awarded more than $8.5 million through 49 grants across 25 states and Washington, D.C., to advance research, capacity building, narrative change, and education.

Funding Opportunity

The call is open to applicants at varying stages of the research continuum. It is expected that central to all proposed initiatives are efforts to meaningfully engage communities that have been the most impacted by firearm violence.

What Work Will Be Considered for Funding?

Funding is currently available in two categories: Category 1 - Research Capacity Building; Category 2 - Pilot or Formative Healthcare Research

Category 1: Research Capacity Building

Up to two (2) projects will be selected, each receiving up to $100,000 over two (2) years.

Build capacity within the organization, institution, and/or clinical care setting to conduct research on healthcare approaches to addressing firearm violence or firearm suicide.

The BJA FY 2026 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) aims to enhance the capacity of grantees through dedicated training. It addresses critical operational issues related to overdose responses, targeting illicit opioids and stimulants. The program underscores the U.S. Department of Justice's commitment to public safety, law enforcement support, and the fight against substance misuse. Applications are due by November 9, 2026.

The Fisher Family Lost Acres Scholarship Fund, administered by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, provides financial assistance to students pursuing agriculture, horticulture, or related majors. Eligible applicants include undergraduate and graduate students planning to enroll in accredited post-secondary institutions in the U.S. Scholarships can reach up to $3,000 and may affect other financial aid. Students are encouraged to check with college financial aid offices for guidance on potential implications.

The Diana and Leon Feffer Scholarship Fund, administered by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, provides financial support to residents of Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties. Eligible students include undergraduates and graduates attending accredited institutions in the U.S. Students can receive up to $3,000, which may affect financial aid. Scholarships can cover tuition and other educational costs, and recipients should confirm tax implications with their colleges or tax advisors.

About Us

We are one of over 900 community foundations in the US. We serve the 7 county Pee Dee region of South Carolina. Our mission is to improve the quality of life in our area of the state.

Who We Are

Eastern Carolina Community Foundation, founded in 2006, is the newest community foundation in South Carolina. We have a permanent endowment to meet the changing needs of the Pee Dee.

• We foster philanthropy.
• We build resources for nonprofits.
• We support our local communities.

FBi Construction Scholarship

FBi Construction created a scholarship fund at ECCF in 2017 to encourage students to enter the construction industry. This interest stems from a strong belief in education and a commitment to improve the quality of life where they do business. This scholarship funding will improve the talent pool which maintains FBi’s commitment to excellence.

Better World Scholarship Fund

The scholarship encourages women to acquire a degree in a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) field. The donor’s bachelor’s degree is in mathematics, followed 15 years later with a master’s degree in business administration. Her degree in mathematics provided opportunities for jobs in software development and application, medical research, technical documentation, organizational education and training, scientific research, and business. Her career was challenging, dynamic, encouraged creativity, never boring, offered schedule flexibility that allowed her to parent her four children, provided career choice independence, and was lucrative. Go STEM Girls!

Award Amount:

• Minimum $1,000

Native Forward awards are allocated based on the financial aid information provided by the institution’s Financial Aid Office. Awards can vary, ranging from $100 to $30,000 per academic year.

Native Forward Scholars Fund members of federally and state-recognized Tribes as well as first and second-generation descendants. However, Native Forward Scholars Fund scholarship opportunities have different Tribal eligibility requirements and can be determined by submitting a Tribal Eligibility Certificate.

Jeanette Elmer Scholarship

This opportunity is provided to honor the life and legacy of Jeanette Elmer.

The purpose of the Jeanette Elmer Scholarship program is to provide financial assistance to eligible American Indian and Alaska Native graduate students pursuing degrees full-time at an accredited institution in library science.

This opportunity is a need-based award.

The Ray Y Gildea Jr Award, provided by the Royal Geographical Society, offers grants of up to £1,000 to support innovative teaching methods in higher and secondary education. This endowed award aims to enhance geography education by funding projects that develop, research, or pilot new approaches, ultimately benefiting students directly. Eligible applicants must be actively teaching in the higher education or secondary school sectors in the UK or USA.

Innovation in Religion and Spirituality Seed Grants Call for Proposals

The Religion and the Public Sphere program at the Social Science Research Council aims to foster research on the wider implications of new forms of religious and spiritual life. This program is offered with the support of the Luce Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Templeton World Charity Foundation.

Overview

In recent years, scholars have noted that religious and spiritual life is being substantively reshaped. “Innovation” is one way of framing these changes, but it remains a partial and contested analytic lens, and is popularly associated with the sudden emergence of a “new” element introduced into an otherwise static tradition. Scholarship on religion and spirituality, however, points to a more complex set of processes. The essays in an ongoing forum for The Immanent Frame have set out some initial parameters of these dynamics: rather than invention ex nihilio, what we often see is the strategic recombination of existing elements within a broader context of social, political, and cultural change.

Research Themes

This request invites proposals that examine the dynamics of religious and spiritual change that fall within the frame of “innovation.” Possible topics include, but are not limited to: 

• Explorations of innovations within transnational or diasporic religious and/or spiritual communities within the United States, particularly related to the circulation of ideas and culture from or to the Global South.   
• Gendered knowledge of innovation. 
• Studies of the process by which an innovation attains—or does not attain—legitimacy, relevance, or authority within a given community or institution. 
• The relationship between contemporary economic conditions—poverty, economic insecurity, and competitive pressures for time and money—and innovations in religion and spirituality. 
• Historical studies of innovations in religion and spirituality; the creation, reception, transformation, and longevity of an innovation over time.  
• Civic participation and the social mobilization of new or innovative religious identities, as well as the reinterpretation of religious or spiritual traditions or ideas in the service of particular political or ideological projects.

Program Terms 

The program offers research support over a period of up to 6 months. The grant funds will be up to $10,000 per award.

The I9 Sports Association provides scholarship grants to support youth sports participation for children under 18 in the U.S. Grants of up to $150 help offset registration fees for various recreational activities. With a focus on inclusivity and access, the association aims to foster athletic development and participation among young athletes. Applications are accepted year-round, with grants awarded in February, May, August, and November, ensuring ongoing support for youth sports engagement.

About

Paul Newman was born and raised in Ohio by parents who owned a successful sporting goods store. He enlisted in the Navy and completed his military service as a radioman/gunner in the Pacific during World War II. Seeing his father’s business ethic during the Great Depression and experiencing the war fueled his desire to help others in need.

In 1958, Paul made his acting debut on Broadway in “Picnic,” where he also met his future wife, Joanne Woodward. Paul started a successful race car driving career inspired by training for the film Winning. He went on to win second place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s oldest endurance race event. After years of acting and being recognized for his achievements on screen and stage, he received many accolades including an Oscar for Best Actor in The Color of Money.

Paul used his fame for good. He was dedicated to civil rights–attending the March on Washington in August 1963–women’s rights, and gay rights. He used his platform to advocate for equal pay for his female co-stars. He was a vocal political advocate committed to ending the nuclear arms race and determined to elect opponents of war and militarism. President Jimmy Carter appointed him to a United Nations General Assembly session on nuclear disarmament.

In 1982, Paul Newman and his friend Hotch founded a food company on a bit of a lark. They turned a profit selling salad dressing that first year, and did something truly radical when they decided to “give it all away” to good causes.

Paul established Newman’s Own Foundation to ensure the continuation of his philanthropic legacy after his passing. 40+ years since its founding, his first of its kind food company and its innovative business model are still going strong.

Garden Grants

Through Whole Foods Market’s Garden Grant program, schools turn outdoor spaces into powerful hands-on learning gardens that connect kids with food, spark their curiosity and support classroom curriculum.

This grant aims to enhance safety and health in U.S. mining operations through research in automation, robotics, and intelligent systems. It addresses critical issues like emergency communication and self-escape reliability while supporting the development of field-ready solutions. By leveraging advanced technologies, the initiative seeks to improve miner safety and health, reduce hazardous exposures, and foster community engagement. Applicants must be U.S. academic institutions with accredited mining programs, linking project goals to documented health burdens.

The BJA FY 2026 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA program aims to enhance public safety and justice by supporting prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of violent cold case crimes with developed DNA profiles. This funding opportunity, provided by the US DOJ's OJP Bureau of Justice Assistance, facilitates crucial investigative and forensic activities to increase successful prosecutions and provide resolution for victims and their families. Full applications are due by November 5, 2026.

The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People Grant supports partnerships with economically disadvantaged groups in the U.S. It aims to empower these communities to take control of their lives and address systemic issues of poverty and oppression. This initiative encourages sustainable change through community-led programs that advocate for justice, human dignity, and economic equity, fostering a transformative impact on their local environments.

The Eleanor Campbell Charitable Fund offers competitive scholarships to high school seniors and current college students from the Deering, Hillsborough, and Weare areas. With a history of over $900,000 awarded, the fund emphasizes academic achievement, financial need, and community involvement. Scholarships are available for full-time post-secondary education, with the potential for renewal based on continued eligibility. Announcements of winners occur during high school graduation ceremonies, ensuring recognition of their hard work and dedication.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is continuing support for the Network for Excellence in Neuroscience Clinical Trials (NeuroNEXT), which focuses on clinical trials and biomarker validation studies for neurological disorders. This initiative aims to foster innovation in neurotherapeutics by providing essential infrastructure and expertise. The program encourages the establishment of Clinical Coordinating Centers (CCC) and Data Coordinating Centers (DCC) to enhance collaborative efforts. Note that applications are not currently being solicited.

AmeriCorps Vista

AmeriCorps is the federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. AmeriCorps brings people together to tackle the country’s most pressing challenges through national service and volunteerism. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities and those serving. AmeriCorps helps make service a cornerstone of our national culture.

Founded in 1965, AmeriCorps VISTA is a federal anti-poverty national service program designed to provide resources to nonprofit organizations and public agencies to strengthen efforts to address poverty and poverty-related problems in the United States. In 1993, VISTA was incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of national service programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, now known as AmeriCorps.

AmeriCorps VISTA Request for Concept Paper

Projects must be developed in accordance with AmeriCorps VISTA core principles:

• an anti-poverty focus
• community empowerment
• sustainable solutions
• capacity building

Project applications must address one of the following areas:

• Economic Opportunity
• Healthy Futures
• Education
• Veteran and Military Families

The Community Heart & Soul Seed Grant Program offers $10,000 in startup funding for community-driven groups in small towns to adopt the Community Heart & Soul model. Applications are accepted until 11:59 p.m. EST on the last business day of each month, with funding decisions made the following month. This initiative aims to empower residents to engage in local development and foster community connections.

The Amy Clampitt Poet Residency Program, established by The Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, offers a six-month residency for poets at Amy Clampitt's former home in Lenox, Massachusetts. This program aims to foster the study and promotion of poetry, providing a peaceful retreat for a poet to focus on their craft. Selected poets receive a monthly stipend of $4,000 and are encouraged to make their creative work a priority during their stay.

The Capacity Accelerator for Tribal Offshore Wind Engagement, launched by the U.S. Department of Energy, aims to empower Tribal Nations in offshore wind energy decision-making. This initiative offers up to $7.1 million in cash prizes and technical assistance through three phases: Capacity Needs, Capacity Development, and Engagement. Each phase is designed to support Tribes in outlining their priorities, building capacity, and implementing impactful projects in offshore wind energy.

The George Family Foundation offers Spirituality & Inner Life Grants to empower organizations that foster mindfulness and personal healing. They seek to support programs that promote respect, empathy, and compassion, aiming to bridge divides and enhance individual well-being. The foundation prioritizes initiatives that align with their mission, particularly those addressing meaningful community needs. They focus on 501(c)(3) organizations primarily in Minnesota and select areas, emphasizing innovative spiritual and inner life endeavors.

This FOA is intended for proposals related to basic and applied research in the STEM categories, and not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement.The proposal submission process has two stages:I. Applicants are encouraged to submit a white paper first to Grants@NPS.edu, ; andII. Applicants must submit a full proposal through Grants.gov (do not submit white papers through Grants.gov, only full proposals)Applicants are encouraged to submit a White Paper in advance of a Full Proposal to minimize the labor and other costs associated with the production of detailed full proposals that have little chance of being selected for funding. Based on an assessment of the white papers, the responsible Research Program Officer will provide informal feedback notification to the prospective awardees to encourage or discourage submission proposals. The Research Program Officer may also, on occasion, provide feedback encouraging re-work to strengthen a proposal. White Papers may be submitted at any time during the open period of this FOA. A separate White Paper is required for each research proposal.

The Dressage Foundation

The Dressage Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization, whose mission is to cultivate and provide financial support for the advancement of dressage in the United States.

In 1989, Lowell Boomer founded The Dressage Foundation (TDF) with a vision: to empower dressage across the country. Since then, we've awarded millions of dollars in grants, helping people across our sport, and across the country, achieve their dreams. From grassroots initiatives to high-performance endeavors, we aim to create a strong, inclusive, and vibrant dressage community.

We strive to cultivate dressage excellence by reducing some of the financial barriers of dressage training and education, and we believe that every aspect of our sport deserves help.

George Williams Young Professional Fund

The George Williams Young Professional Fund supports dressage professionals, ages 25-35, who are committed to the sport and have established businesses as instructors and trainers.   

The George Williams Young Professional Fund was established in 2018 to honor his lifelong commitment to dressage. Applicants should have a strong desire to participate in continuing education opportunities, in order to provide higher-quality instruction to their students. 

The MPS Physics Research Programs, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), support transformative research in various fields of physics. This includes experimental and theoretical work in atomic and molecular physics, particle physics, gravitational physics, and more. The NSF aims to promote ambitious projects without the need for immediate commercialization, focusing instead on foundational advancements that push the boundaries of our understanding of the universe.