Best Grants for Religious Nonprofits in South Dakota

About Us

What We Believe

We come to work every day because we believe in the power of possibility.

We believe the Sioux Falls area is a great place to live, work, and play. We also believe we have a responsibility to help preserve and sustain what’s good here, and to champion ideas and movements that have the potential to make our community even better.

We believe that meaningful and important social impact comes from thinking outside the box and having the courage to dream big dreams.

We believe strongly in the power and purpose of philanthropy. To us, philanthropy is more than just gifts and grants — philanthropy is thinking about how we can leverage financial, intellectual and human capital to help create a stronger, more vibrant community.

Finally, we believe philanthropy challenges us all to consider two important questions about our future – questions that drive and inspire our work every day: If we don't join together to build a better tomorrow, who will? And if not now, when?

Our Mission

In partnership with donors, we provide trusted leadership that inspires philanthropy, and enriches the quality of life in our area — for good, for ever.

Making a Focused Difference

In partnership with donors, we help administer grants that support important causes and strengthen local communities. These grants are designed to make a meaningful impact where it matters most.

Hour of Hope Grants

Hour of Hope provides grants to religious organizations located in South Dakota that provide media contact with those who are either unable or choose not to participate in regular congregation worship activities.

South Dakota religion and spirituality scholars with doctorates conducting noncommercial research can access funding through the American Philosophical Society for travel to archives, fieldwork, research materials, or laboratory expenses. Eligible U.S. citizens, residents, and certain foreign nationals may receive up to US $6,500, with awards paid directly to individuals rather than institutions.

Journalists, media organizations, and content creators in South Dakota and beyond can apply for the Wilbur Awards to recognize excellence in communicating religious issues, values, and themes in secular media. Grants from Religion Communicators Council honor outstanding audio, audio-visual, image, and written work on religion produced in 2024 for general, non-religious outlets.

Religious and faith-based organizations in South Dakota seeking support for arts, education, or religion projects can apply for funding that may be available nationwide. Focused on innovative or demonstration efforts, Chisholm Foundation invites applicants to plan ahead for its May and November grant cycles and to pursue matching or challenge gifts to extend impact.

South Dakota religious congregations with historic houses of worship can access funding through the National Fund for Sacred Places, receiving US $50,000 - US $500,000 in matching support for major capital projects. Administered by Partners for Sacred Places with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the program also offers training, technical assistance, and planning services for community-serving congregations.

Religious and other 501(c)(3) organizations providing humanitarian, educational, health, or spiritual services can seek support for single-year projects from Robinson Foundation. Focused on relief and service programs, the foundation funds Southern U.S. charities; South Dakota faith-based nonprofits may need to verify geographic eligibility before applying.

Junior humanities and humanistic social sciences faculty in the U.S. can receive up to US $35,000 for sabbatical time, research, and travel through the Career Enhancement Fellowship. Institute for Citizens & Scholars supports Mellon Mays alumni and other eligible scholars, including those in religion and theology, whose work advances campus diversity, including at South Dakota institutions.

Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship alumni who are Ph.D. candidates in eligible humanities, social science, or physical science fields can receive up to US $30,000 to spend a year finishing their dissertations. Grants from Institute for Citizens & Scholars support scholars in the U.S., including South Dakota, whose work may engage religion and spirituality topics.

Adjunct faculty who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, are Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship alumni, and teach in eligible humanities or social science fields can receive up to US $10,000 to advance their research and scholarship. Institute for Citizens & Scholars provides U.S. fellows, including those in South Dakota, with a six‑month fellowship, mentorship, and conference funding that may benefit religion and spirituality scholars.

Presbyterian women of color, clergywomen, college women, and other women in the U.S., including South Dakota, can receive up to US $3,000 for leadership and spiritual development events or college expenses. The Katie Cannon Scholarship from Presbyterian Mission Agency supports women’s ministry, leadership growth, and service within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

501(c)(3) religious and faith-based organizations in South Dakota can seek funding for charitable, educational, scientific, or religious programs through the Andrew Burgin Charitable Trust; awards range from US $5,000 - US $20,000. The trust primarily supports Alabama organizations but may consider eligible South Dakota applicants within its broad program areas.

Harry Kramer Memorial Fund provides South Dakota religious and faith-supported 501(c)(3) organizations with grants of US $10,000 - US $25,000 for health, human services, senior care, education, and support for Israel. U.S. charities with substantial backing from religious institutions may be eligible if they fit the fund’s stated priorities.

Religious and spiritual 501(c)(3) organizations in South Dakota can apply for grants supporting charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational work, with awards of US $3,000 - US $5,000. Grants from Winter Clarence W Charitable Trust are made nationally but often support communities like Bucks County, PA, and may benefit faith-based nonprofits with broader community programs.

South Dakota religious and spiritual 501(c)(3) organizations can access funding through the Tuttleman Foundation to support programs in spirituality, basic human services, health care, and cultural institutions. Grants range from US $1,000 - US $250,000, with award size based on organizational budget, program needs, and available foundation resources.

South Dakota religious congregations planning new sanctuary construction can access funding through John C Lasko Foundation Tr for capital projects. Grants support building the worship space (sanctuary) only, for churches that own their land and can cover at least 50% of project costs, within a national religion and spirituality focus.

South Dakota religious and spiritual 501(c)(3) nonprofits seeking general operating support can access funding through Larry H Miller Family Foundation, with awards up to US $10,000. Eligible U.S. organizations must work in areas like cultural and spiritual enrichment, basic human needs, education, health, or jobs and economic self-reliance.

South Dakota religious and spiritual nonprofits can access funding through the Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation for faith-based, educational, literacy, health, arts, or construction projects. Eligible applicants are 501(c)(3) organizations serving the U.S., with a preference for work in Oklahoma, and must submit a Letter of Inquiry before being invited to apply.

Religious and faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits working in Montana or directly serving Montanans can seek funding for education, ministry, and relationship-based programs that equip people to improve their lives. Gianforte Family Foundation generally funds one grant per year per organization, often starting with smaller awards for new partners.

High school seniors of African American or African descent pursuing college, technical, trade, or certificate programs can receive scholarship support for higher or vocational education. With a mission to empower generous people, the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region offers this award to Troy-area students active in their church or school communities; South Dakota religious nonprofits may share this opportunity with eligible youth.

Indiana high school or college-bound students with a 3.0 GPA who embrace constitutionally based limited government and Judeo-Christian values can receive scholarship support for any college or university. With a mission to mobilize people, ideas, and investment, Hamilton County Community Foundation offers this award, which may benefit faith-oriented students from places like South Dakota pursuing higher education.

The Huston Foundation Grants support both Protestant Evangelical Christian and secular needs, emphasizing humanitarian efforts since 1957. Applicants must demonstrate evangelism and provide a doctrinal statement of faith for Christian grants, while secular projects must show unique community needs and measurable goals. All applicants must also possess 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. This dual-focus ensures diverse community support, fostering personal development and innovative solutions to pressing issues.

The ACLS Graduate Internships on the Spiritual Infrastructure of the Future program offers summer opportunities for current PhD students in the humanities and social sciences to engage with organizations addressing the evolving American religious landscape. This initiative aims to cultivate future leaders by providing practical experiences that demonstrate the value of doctoral training beyond academia. Supported by the Templeton Religion Trust, the internships encourage collaboration between fellows and community organizations, fostering a deeper understanding of spiritual infrastructures.

The American Bible Society (ABS) Research Grant invites Christian higher education scholars to explore ways to enhance Bible engagement among young adults aged 18-35. With $50,000 in funding, this grant encourages innovative proposals that promote meaningful interactions with Scripture, evaluate engagement strategies, and cater to diverse Christian traditions. Research teams or individual faculty members with expertise in spiritual formation and discipleship are encouraged to apply, aiming for scalable solutions that positively impact spiritual well-being.

Who We Are

Buiding a stronger, More Vibrant Community

For over 70 years, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has served Northeastern Pennsylvania as a steward of charitable resources, a grantmaker, and a catalyst for positive change. Guided by our core values of collaboration, trust, integrity, innovation, and inclusivity, we work to ensure that our communities thrive with opportunities for all.

This scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior from a high school in Luzerne County who demonstrates academic excellence, good citizenship, participation in athletics, and who is active in a faith or religious-based organization.

Who We Are

Buiding a stronger, More Vibrant Community

For over 70 years, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has served Northeastern Pennsylvania as a steward of charitable resources, a grantmaker, and a catalyst for positive change. Guided by our core values of collaboration, trust, integrity, innovation, and inclusivity, we work to ensure that our communities thrive with opportunities for all.

This scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior from a high school in Lackawanna County who demonstrates academic excellence, good citizenship, participation in athletics, and who is active in a faith or religious-based organization.

Who We Are

Buiding a stronger, More Vibrant Community

For over 70 years, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has served Northeastern Pennsylvania as a steward of charitable resources, a grantmaker, and a catalyst for positive change. Guided by our core values of collaboration, trust, integrity, innovation, and inclusivity, we work to ensure that our communities thrive with opportunities for all.

This scholarship is awarded to a student matriculating at a college, university, or business in the year of the scholarship.

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.