Search Through Technology Grants in Maine in the U.S.

Foundation Background

The Alleghany Foundation is a private foundation that came about as a result of the sale of a community non-profit hospital to a for-profit hospital. The Alleghany Foundation is a Virginia nonstock corporation exempt from income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is managed by a Board of Directors, all the members of which are residents of the community. The Foundation’s ongoing purpose is to provide financial support that primarily benefits worthy activities in the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia.

Purpose

The Foundation seeks applications in key focus areas with the goal of building upon the region’s wonderful assets to provide dynamic opportunities for all its residents. Proposals should contribute to the Foundation’s strategic areas of focus for grant, including the VISION 2025 Initiative.

Strategic Funding Areas of Interest

The Foundation’s priority is to support proposals from organizations that contribute to the following outcomes:

• Economic Transformation – Harness our region’s strengths to develop a vibrant, diverse and higher-wage economy that can compete in the global marketplace.
• Educational Excellence – Seeks to invest with institutions, such as our local public schools and community college to move our school systems forward from “Good to Great.”
• Health and Wellness – Help the residents of the Alleghany Highlands lead healthier lives and access the comprehensive health care they need.
• Community Capacity – Grow local institutions and organizations with the vision, will, wisdom, and skills to work together to build a more prosperous, equitable, just and sustainable community.
• Leadership and Civic Vitality – Develop broad-based inclusive leadership that can sustain a forward-looking agenda for the community.
• VISION 2025 Initiative – A multi-pronged community-led effort for economic revitalization of the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia that is supported in partnerships with The Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, The Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation, and Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, and made up of the following working groups:
  • Real Estate, Utility Development and Marketing to Expand Industry Base
  • Alleghany Highlands Web Store and Small Business Support
  • Corridor Curb Appeal, Gateway and Main Street Enhancement
  • Community Landscaping and Destination Gardens
  • Alleghany Highlands Industrial Heritage and Technology Discovery Center

The Catalysis program is part of the Chemical Process Systems cluster, which also includes:

• the Electrochemical Systems program;
• the Interfacial Engineering program; and
• the Process Systems, Reaction Engineering, and Molecular Thermodynamics program.

The goals of the Catalysis program are to increase fundamental understanding in catalytic engineering science and to advance the development of catalysts and catalytic reactions that are beneficial to society. Research should focus on critical challenges and opportunities in both new and proven catalysis technologies. Areas of emphasis may include novel catalyst compositions, structures, operating environment, data science tools, theory, and modeling – preferably in various combinations as dictated by the specific reaction and related knowledge and technology gaps. Target applications include fuels, specialty and bulk chemicals, environmental catalysis, biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals, greenhouse gas mitigation, recycling of waste materials, generation of solar hydrogen, as well as efficient routes to energy utilization.

Heterogeneous catalysis represents the main thrust of the program. Proposals related to both gas-solid and liquid-solid heterogeneous catalysis are welcome, as are proposals that incorporate concepts from homogeneous catalysis. Recent research trends have highlighted the need for evaluation of catalyst performance and properties under working conditions, especially as supported by advanced in situ and in operando characterization methods. Catalyst synthesizability and stability present additional research opportunities given the harsh operating environments of many catalytic processes. 

More information can be found here.

The Environmental Engineering program is part of the Environmental Engineering and Sustainability cluster, which also includes

• The Nanoscale Interactions program; and
• The Environmental Sustainability program.

Environmental engineering is an interdisciplinary field that applies chemical, biological, and physical scientific principles to protect human and ecological health. The goal of the Environmental Engineering program is to support potentially transformative fundamental research that applies scientific and engineering principles to

• Prevent, minimize, or re-use solid, liquid, and gaseous discharges of pollution to soil, water, and air by closing resource loops or through other measures;
• Mitigate the ecological and human-health impacts of such releases by smart/adaptive/reactive amendments or manipulation of the environment, and
• Remediate polluted environments through engineered chemical, biological, and/or geo-physical processes.

Integral to achieving these goals is a fundamental understanding of the transport and biogeochemical reactivity of pollutants in the environment. Therefore, research on environmental micro/biology, environmental chemistry, and environmental geophysics may be relevant providing the research has a clear objective of protecting human and ecological health.

Major areas of interest include (but are not limited to):

• Building a future without pollution or waste: Investigation of innovative biogeochemical processes that prevent or minimize the production of waste; waste valorization and other research that will lead to new technologies to extract resources from waste streams to close the resource loop.
• Sustainable supply and protection of water: Investigation of innovative biogeochemical processes that remove, biologically or chemically transform, and/or prevent the release of contaminants in surface and groundwater; innovative processes for recovery of water, nutrients, and other resources from wastewater, saline water, or brines; innovative approaches to smart and adaptive management of surface water, groundwater, and urban watersheds and storm water to maintain/improve quality and prevent downstream impacts from nutrients and other water constituents.
• Environmental chemistry, fate, and transport of nutrients and contaminants of emerging concern in air, water, soils, and sediments:Investigation of transport and biogeochemical reactivity in the environment; environmental forensics to identify sources and reaction pathways; field- and laboratory scale experimental research that bridges gaps between data and predictions from molecular, continuum, and field-scale modeling.
• Environmental engineering of the built environment: Research to understand the biogeochemical reactivity of the built environment with the goal of enhancing and improving human and ecological health; research that will lead to new technologies to improve outdoor and indoor air quality; research to understand how drinking water and wastewater chemical characteristics and microbial community structure impact or are affected by water quality and human health.

Where to submit proposals with different areas of focus:

• Proposals with a scientific focus on chemical or physical separation processes (for example, materials or processes for reverse osmosis, membrane distillation, and hypo-filtration) should be submitted to the Interfacial Engineering program (CBET 1417).
• Proposals that seek to advance fundamental and quantitative understanding of the behaviors of nanomaterials and nanosystems should be submitted to the Nanoscale Interactions program (CBET 1179).
• Proposals focused on in vitro molecular-level environmental chemistry research should be submitted to Environmental Chemical Sciences program (CHE-ECS 6882).
• Proposals focusing on industrial ecology, green engineering, and ecological/earth systems engineering should be submitted to the Environmental Sustainability program (CBET 7643).
• Proposals whose main research focus is on materials development, sensors, or environmental monitoring that do not seek to understand biogeochemical reactivity mechanisms or treatment efficiency are not encouraged and may be returned without review.

Innovative proposals outside of these specific interest areas may be considered. However, prior to submission, it is recommended that the PI contact the program director to avoid the possibility of the proposal being returned without review.

INFORMATION COMMON TO MOST CBET PROGRAMS

Proposals should address the novelty and/orpotentially transformative natureof the proposed work compared to previous work in the field. Also, it is important to address why the proposed work is important in terms of engineering science, as well as to also project the potential impact on society and/or industry of success in the research. The novelty or potentially transformative nature of the research should be included, as a minimum, in the Project Summary of each proposal.

The duration of unsolicited proposal awards in CBET is generally up to three years. Single-investigator award budgets typically include support for one graduate student (or equivalent) and up to one month of PI time per year(awards for multiple investigator projects are typically larger). Proposal budgets that are much larger than typical should be discussed with the program director prior to submission. Proposers can view budget amounts and other information from recent awards made by this program via the “What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)” link towards the bottom of this page.

Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER )program proposals are strongly encouraged. Award duration is five years. The submission deadline for Engineering CAREER proposals is in July every year. Learn more in the CAREER program description.

Proposals for Conferences, Workshops, and Supplements: PIs are strongly encouraged to discuss their requests with the program director before submission of the proposal.

Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID)and EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) are also considered when appropriate. Please note that proposals of these types must be discussed with the program director before submission.

Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) proposals that integrate fundamental research with translational results and are consistent with the application areas of interest to each program are also encouraged.

Please note that RAPID, EAGER, and GOALI proposals can be submitted anytime during the year. 

Our Story

We believe entrepreneurs are uniquely placed to transform the world, today and in the future, by using their skills, networks, and resources to tackle huge, seemingly insurmountable problems. However, they often lack the time, tools, or knowledge to direct their charitable giving where it will do the most good.

Founders Pledge exists to bridge this gap. We advise on, facilitate, and maximize the impact of our members’ giving.

In our vision of the future, the value created by technology benefits those who need it most.

Funding Areas

We are particularly interested in work being done in four areas:

• Global health and development:
  • Especially programs that can, in expectation, save a life for under $4,000, avert a DALY for under $70, or double income for one person at a cost of less than $30.
  • Note that this includes interventions that affect economic growth.
  • We don’t necessarily require that grantees be able to point to an RCT in order to demonstrate cost effectiveness.
• Global catastrophic risk:
  • Especially programs that can affect the likelihood of war between great powers, reduce risks from advanced artificial intelligence, or mitigate the possibility that biomedical advances could be used to cause harm.
• Climate:
  • Especially programs that can make a compelling case for advancing an important solution neglected by the large existing climate philanthropy and action effort.
• Animal welfare
  • Mainly corporate campaigns, especially in geographies where other animal welfare charities aren’t working — as well as on novel bets on cellular agriculture and plant based meats, including those that are trying to increase public R&D funding.

How We Can Help

There are three ways we may be able to help:

• We typically make small grants of between $50,000 and $300,000 from our various Funds, though in special cases we would consider larger sums.
• We can recommend much larger one-time grants of up to $5m to large donors.
• We can recommend programs to members on an ongoing basis. Such recommended programs tend to draw in variously-sized donations from Founders Pledge members several times per year.

GRANTED supports ambitious ideas and innovative strategies to address challenges and inequalities within the research enterprise. The research enterprise is broadly defined and includes administrative support and service infrastructure such as, but not limited to, human capital, research development and administration, research analytics, technology transfer and commercialization, corporate relations/public-private partnerships, research integrity, compliance and security, research policy, administration of student research training, and research leadership. Strengthening this administrative infrastructure supporting research and STEM training is necessary to fully utilize the Nation's talent and capabilities and empower America's organizations that engage in or support research, to participate in a diverse, equitable, and internationally competitive research enterprise.

Program Description

A strong national research enterprise relies on more than funding for the research itself. It also requires robust administrative support and service infrastructure, which is often unseen, yet includes critical components of the research enterprise. This infrastructure enables the development of proposals and management of awards. It supports broader impacts activities through technology transfer, public-private partnerships and community engaged research. Policy and process guides research compliance and enables the security and integrity of the work. Research analytics and communication, managing the training of our scientific workforce, and harnessing the creativity and drive of research leadership, and more, are fundamental components of the infrastructure. Access to, and provisioning of, administrative infrastructure varies significantly among organizations in research, resulting in structural barriers that impede broad participation in the Nation's research and discovery opportunities. Securing global leadership demands we act together to transform the research enterprise to be more resilient, sustainable, equitable, and diverse. The GRANTED initiative provides unique opportunities to realize this vision for research enterprise infrastructure.

Proposals in response to this GRANTED program description should be broadly inclusive and engage the professional, administrative research support and service workforce in project leadership roles described within proposals.Proposed projects should look beyond individual and discipline-specific research needs and focus on activities that create institution/organization-wide impact. Projects that identify nationally scalable models to build and sustain research enterprise infrastructure are strongly encouraged. Competitive proposals will recognize structural challenges and include goals to implement interventions, solutions, and/or strategies that will mitigate the challenges and broaden participation. Proposals must be centered around one or more of the three main themes of GRANTED:

• Enhancing practices and processes within the research enterprise;
• Developing and strengthening human capital within the research enterprise;
• Translating effective practices related to the research enterprise into diverse institutional and organizational contexts through partnerships with professional societies and organizations.

How we decide who receives funds

To decide where funds should go, we consider the organization’s relevance to our Community Promise goals, how the service it offers impacts our community, other support the group receives in the private and public sector, and the community’s general need.

As many typical fundraising avenues disappeared during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been especially proactive in reaching out to partners as vital societal needs have only increased across communities.

We receive so many requests, and every category offers invaluable services and activities. Here’s a quick sample of the kinds of organizations that receive assistance.

Five categories of organizations

Our dedicated Social Responsibility team considers requests from five categories of organizations. We award grants and sponsorships on a rolling, year-round basis in support of the following causes:

Health and Wellness

Community organizations and programs that promote mind, body, and financial wellness align very strongly with our corporate and community values. We sponsor races, sports teams, and other wellness programs and initiatives.

Examples of groups who have received support from us include:

• Hospitals and Community Health Centers
• Nutrition Programs
• United Ways
• Community Action Agencies

Community & Economic Advancement

Community spaces that create access to resources for community members of all walks of life get our attention. We want to empower everyone in the community who has ideas that can help make it better.

Examples of groups who have received support from us include:

• Libraries
• Chambers of Commerce
• Affordable Housing
• Public Transportation

Arts & Culture

A vibrant art scene in our communities drives tourism and commerce and serves a higher purpose – fostering understanding, creating empathy, and moving a community forward. We want to support the arts whenever we can.

Examples of groups who have received support from us include:

• Visual and performing arts programs
• Museums
• Historical Societies
• Theaters

Education & Innovation

Investments in education and youth programs create the future of the community. As parents ourselves, we support youth programs that address food insecurity, technology, wellness, and trauma prevention to help children succeed beyond their dreams.

Examples of groups who have received support from us include:

• Education Foundations
• Literacy Programs
• Leadership Development
• Social Entrepreneurship

Environment & Animal Welfare

We all deserve a healthy environment to live in and enjoy, our furry friends included. We work with land trusts, animal shelters, animal agencies and more to make that happen.

Examples of groups who have received support from us include:

• Land Trusts
• Marine Resource Conservation
• Animal Welfare and Rescue

World Future Fund Grant

Our planet is a world out of balance. We are borrowing from the future at a pace unprecedented in history. There needs to be a giant change in direction. We need to start building for a real future. We are interested in working with and funding groups that have a similar commitment. Our grant program is aimed at areas where other organizations may be better organized than we are, so a grant is more efficient that a WFF program.

The World Future Fund is a non-profit organization that has been set up to do research and to educate people about the need for a greater commitment to investment in the future. We have been in business since 1995 and have been monitoring long term trends.

Priorities

A key goal is creating a sane society here at home in America. This means creating a social democratic society with basic government services that protect the people. America is nothing short of social chamber of horrors among developed states with astronomical levels of child poverty, millions in jail and no universal health insurance.

We are committed to the creation of a social democratic society like Germany or Norway. A particular priority is the creation of a system which places labor union representatives on corporate boards.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is designed to support highly integrated research teams of three to six PD/PIs to address ambitious and challenging research questions that are important for the mission of NIGMS and are beyond the scope of one or two investigators. Collaborative program teams are expected to accomplish goals that require considerable synergy and managed team interactions. Project goals should not be achievable with a collection of individual efforts or projects. Teams are encouraged to consider far-reaching objectives that will produce major advances in their fields.Applications that are mainly focused on the creation, expansion, and/or maintenance of community resources, creation of new technologies or infrastructure development are not appropriate for this FOA.This FOA is being reissued to allow submission of applications that include NIH defined clinical trials. NIGMS will not accept clinical trials that are designed to test safety and efficacy of interventions (Phase I, Phase II, Phase III) for the purpose of future clinical treatment and/or regulatory approval in response to this FOA.

Internal Verification and Validation Services for Medicaid Enterprise System Health PAS Modernization Process RFP (ME)

The Department of Administrative and Financial Services (Department) is seeking Independent Verification and Validation services for the Medicaid Enterprise System (MES) Health PAS (HPAS) Modernization Process on behalf of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) as defined in this Request for Proposals (RFP) document. This document provides instructions for submitting proposals, the procedure and criteria by which the awarded Bidder will be selected, and the contractual terms which will govern the relationship between the State of Maine (State) and the awarded Bidder.

In support of its significant MES modernization effort, the State of Maine DHHS Office of MaineCare Services (OMS) is seeking Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services to review and monitor the system design, development, and implementation work to be completed by the implementing vendor, Gainwell Technologies, and to make recommendations for project improvement opportunities as appropriate.

OMS has developed a modernization roadmap for the existing Medicaid claims system known as the Maine Integrated Health Management Solution (“MIHMS”). The roadmap includes a comprehensive, significant modernization of the existing legacy MIHMS platform. The upgrade includes data architecture impacts (tables and entities), version upgrades (impacting system functional attributes) to account for the fact that Maine’s current 4.8 version is many versions behind the version to which we are upgrading, remediation of Maine custom code in the target new version 5.x and impacts to surrounding MIHMS ecosystem system components. The modernization upgrade is projected to be a 24-month effort from initiation through production implementation.

The core business objectives associated with this upgrade are:

• Confidence in the stability, security, and sustainability of MIHMS to meet mission-critical business needs on an ongoing basis;
• Enhanced internal OMS staff user experience when interacting with the MIHMS platform;
• Retain Maine custom functionality, either through core 5.x code or carrying forward customization into 5.x; and
• Address existing security risks and ADA accessibility compliance gaps existing in the current version.

Roy A. Hunt Foundation

In the early 1900s, Roy A. Hunt worked his way up from mill clerk to president of Alcoa, the company his father helped found. After establishing The Hunt Foundation in 1951, he established the Roy A. Hunt Foundation in 1966 as an endowed resource so that future generations could be involved in charitable giving as a family. (The foundations merged in 1994).

Two generations of Hunt family members now serve as Trustees, annually granting approximately $3.4 million in the United States and abroad.

Since inception, our mission has been to support organizations that strive to improve the quality of life through proposals invited by the trustees and through the Foundation’s four main special initiatives. The Roy A. Hunt Foundation values the quality work of its partner organizations, strives to make an impact in many facets of the community – from building stronger networks for healthy, thriving neighborhoods to working toward a greener, cleaner environment – and believes in the importance of strong leadership, community-driven partnerships, and innovative ideas.

Environment

Vision: Living in Harmony

We envision a natural environment that is understood and respected as a web of interconnections of which human beings are a part, where people live in harmony within the Earth’s ecological systems, where biodiversity is preserved as an integral component of economic and technological progress, and where human impact on Earth serves to maintain sustainable processes.

Mission

To protect natural resources and ecosystems in the United States, we support sustainable solutions to altering root causes of environmental damage and encourage education for consumers and decision makers.

Objective

To promote strategic activities that create incentives for environmentally responsible decisions in the private sector.

Priorities

Climate and Energy – To reduce the consequences of climate change in the United States, primarily through:

• Increasing the affordability and use of cleaner and renewable energy sources, and
• Reducing demand for carbon-intensive energy sources and carbon-intensive goods and services

Toxics and Waste – To reduce damage to the environment and human health caused by the manufacture, use, and disposal of consumer and industrial products. Typical strategies include green chemistry, sustainable design, sustainable manufacturing, and product stewardship.

Clean Water – To protect and restore the quality of freshwater, coastal, and nearby oceanic areas of the United States.

Types of Foundation Support

The Environment Committee will consider grant requests of between $25,000 and $75,000 for specific projects or programs that improve the environment at a multi-state, national, and/or systems level. Typical costs funded include project management, contracted services, education and outreach programs, applied research, and innovations that could lead to public policy solutions.

Guidelines for Program Development Funding

Each year Maine Sea Grant allocates part of its budget for Program Development (PD) funds. The National Sea Grant Office allows state programs to award these funds to enhance their strategic plan goals. Typical awards are $1,000 – $5,000. Projects exceeding $5,000 should be discussed with Maine Sea Grant personnel prior to submission. Awards are generally for small research projects and proof-of-concept with the intent of seeding an idea for later development into larger funding proposals. Other credible uses of these funds include extension, education, communications, travel, graduate student support, and workshops or conferences. Applicants must express how the proposed project will add value to Maine Sea Grant’s research, extension, education, and outreach efforts in the program’s current strategic focus areas. Program Development awards do not fund PI salaries or indirect costs. The Maine Sea Grant management team will make decisions on Program Development awards two times per year.

Proposals for use of these funds may also include travel and support for workshops or conferences, although less than 25% of the funds will be used in that manner with restrictions as outlined in the conference support section below. Program Development awards may not be used to support PI salaries or indirect costs. Proposal budgets exceeding $5,000 should be discussed with Maine Sea Grant personnel prior to submission. All proposals are subject both to review, and to the availability of funds. An internal review panel will make decisions on Program Development awards.

Conference SupportRequests for conference support are scrutinized very closely. Maine Sea Grant may provide up to a maximum of $1,000 for conference support. Exceptions to this policy may occur if Maine Sea Grant plays a substantive role in the planning and/or implementation of the conference. As with other Program Development proposals, requests for conference support must show a clear linkage to Maine Sea Grant strategic focus areas. Support for faculty (and other full-time employee) conference travel is rarely provided, and must be justified strongly in terms of Maine Sea Grant’s areas of strategic focus. Limitations to the use of development funds for travel include

• Travel by tenured university faculty members (or untenured associate or full professors) is not eligible for support. Travel for untenured assistant professors and non-tenure track staff may be supported in rare circumstances, and then only if clear linkages to Maine Sea strategic focus areas are demonstrated, and if no other sources of travel funds are available.
• Student travel may be supported if funds are justified in terms of active participation with clear benefits (e.g., presentation of research results that are clearly linked to Maine Sea Grant’s focus areas, and for which travel funds are otherwise unavailable).
• Similar limitations apply to non-university employees. Travel for senior-level, permanent employees will not be supported using Program Development funds. Travel for junior-level employees may be available under the same limitations that apply to non-tenure track university staff.

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and the technology of internet communication. Our mission is to support, promote, and enhance digital communication and broader communication science and technology, to promote amateur radio, scientific research, experimentation, education, development, open access, and innovation in information and communication technology.

Grantmaking Categories

• Support and growth of amateur radio. Grants in this category are core to our mission. We make grants to clubs for all types of projects, including licensing classes, continuing education, repeater infrastructure, and certain emergency communications projects that expand interest and access to amateur radio.
  • Examples:  Make Operating Radio Easier (MORE), CVARC Serves Its Community and Promotes Amateur Radio, Bridgerland ARC: Engaging and Educating Youth in Amateur Radio
• Education. Grants in this category include scholarships, as well as projects that aim to educate or mentor individuals, such as K-12 school programs and programs aimed at under-served groups. We are primarily interested in STEAM programs that are linked to amateur radio, wireless technology, or digital communications.
  • Examples:  West Bend Public Library, Walters State Community College (WSCC), South Eugene High School
• Research and development.  Projects in this category are projects that are advancing the state of the art in amateur radio and communication science and technology.
  • Examples: Rhizomatica: Digital HF Telecommunications for Civil and Amateur Uses, Tangerine SDR

Grantmaking Goals

ARDC makes grants to programs and organizations that aim to advance our mission and vision to create:

A thriving global community of learners, experimenters, and contributors advancing freedom with open source communication and information technology.

ARDC’s strategic approach to achieving this vision involves three main goals:

• Promoting learning: getting more people learning about amateur radio (AR) and digital communications (DC).
• Promoting experimenting: getting more people experimenting, innovating, and developing technology (in the context of AR and DC).
• Promoting doing: getting more people using new technology productively on more (and newer) bands, modes, and technologies (and other dimensions) within the context of AR and DC.

As we evaluate opportunities for our grantmaking and other program activities, we will be reviewing them based on their ability to meet the above objectives and, overall, help to manifest our vision.

Please review our vision and strategy pages for more detailed information.

Open Access Requirement

Because ARDC works with and for the public, we require that the work of the projects we fund be freely available to everyone who can benefit and to everyone who can contribute. Thus, all technology, documentation, and other materials produced using ARDC funds must be made freely available to the public, ideally using one of the below open source licenses:

• Software: GPL licenses (esp. AGPLv3), MIT, BSD, LGPL
• Hardware: CERN Open Hardware License
• Media, writing, images etc.: Free Culture subset of the Creative Commons licenses, particularly CC-BY-SA, as well as CC-BY and CC0

Project Apis m.'s mission Is to fund and direct research to enhance the health and vitality of honey bee colonies while improving crop production.

FAQ's & Research Proposal Guidelines for Applicants

Since its inception in 2006, Project Apis m. has infused over $10 million into bee research and programs in the USA and Canada, including more than 160 projects involving research institutions throughout North America. We have brought new technologies to honey bee health research, discovered new pathogens, developed Best Management Practices programs, and are supporting long-term stock improvement. We are recipients of grants from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and USDA-APHIS. Project Apis m. is the largest non-governmental, non-profit bee research funding organization in North America.

Thank you for your interest in submitting a research proposal to Project Apis m. We are funded largely by beekeepers and farmers, and dedicated to enhancing the health of honey bees, thereby improving crop production. Proposals are expected to clearly state how they fulfill our mission. Proposals and the review process are kept confidential. We offer the following frequently asked questions to help you submit a research proposal to Project Apis m. for project funding. 

Proposals are reviewed by the executive director, scientific advisory board, ad-hoc reviewers, and a board of directors. Projects must clearly meet the criteria outlined in the Request for Proposals or address PAm’s mission. Please note proposals must be scientifically sound (i.e., short format USDA or NSF grants without all the extra forms). Funding decisions are primarily based on an overall evaluation, which includes the following review criteria:

• Focus on solving problems facing the beekeeping industry in either the short or long term.
• Relevance to bee health, nutrition, productivity, crop pollination                                        
• Likelihood of obtaining practical/usable results for the beekeeping industry
• Project strengths and weaknesses    
• Inclusion of unique strategies, sustainable solutions, or establishment of knowledge that will lead to sustainable solutions in the long-term                                       
• Use of adequate experimental approaches, inclusion of logically linked experiments and project feasibility
• Identification of risks and adequate solutions (e.g., potential pitfalls and solutions)
• Likelihood of success (PIs credibility, record of success, experience with techniques, etc.)
• Adequate indication that PI(s) will communicate their findings to commercial beekeepers.
• Economical and adequate budget for proposed research

What type of research projects does Project Apis m. fund?

Project Apis m. seeks projects that will ultimately improve honey bee health. Our main areas of focus include:

• pests and disease prevention and control,
• honey bee nutrition,
• impacts of pesticides on bees, and
• long-term honey bee stock improvement.

We are looking for projects that fill the gaps in honey bee research, and benefit honey bees and agriculture in the USA and Canada. The reviewers will ask questions that ensure the commercial beekeeping community will benefit from the research and its application. For example, PAm seeks research projects that will:

• Enhance the economic viability of pollination businesses.
• Provide practical solutions for managed colonies.
• Yield results that can be efficiently transferred into field practice.
• Provide an excellent rate of return for beekeepers and farmers.

How much does PAm fund?

PAm funding is dependent on the project and the goals. We have funded from $5,000 – $200,000. Typically, proposals are in the range from $20,000 to $40,000. As you might imagine, the higher the funding request, the more scrutiny administered in the proposal review. We offer several initiative RFPs, in addition to accepting proposals outside those periods, and do our best to coordinate funding with other industry sources to partner and avoid duplication.  

RFP: Project Apis m. and the National Honey Board ​are requesting research proposals to support ​and enhance honey bee health. 

Background

U.S. Honey yield per colony is decreasing while colony losses are increasing, as many crops dependent on pollination services continue to expand. Winter honey bee colony losses in the United States were reported at 37.7% during 2019. Colony losses are often attributed to pathogens, parasites, pesticides, hive management (queen mating, genetics, maintenance), climate, and available nutrition. United States honey yield per colony averaged 54.4 pounds in 2018, down 2% from 55.5 pounds in 2017. (www.nass.usda.gov) Sustainable beekeeping is dependent on maximizing outputs (colony health, colony numbers, pollination contracts, honey production, profitability) while minimizing the inputs (time, money, personnel). A sustainable beekeeping industry contributes to a more sustainable agricultural landscape through a stable supply of bees for crop pollination. Therefore, PAm is requesting research proposals that focus on enhancing the health, survival and productivity of honey bee colonies, which provide practical and tangible solutions to the beekeeping industry.

The funding sponsor for these proposals is the National Honey Board (NHB), with Project Apis m. (PAm) administering the proposal, accountability and funding process. The NHB funds, collected by a federal research and promotion program ($0.015/lb), for Production Research, were approximately $347,000 in 2019. PAm administers several other initiatives with funding from many sources, including corporate sponsors, private donations and grants. Past proposals received and funded by PAm and NHB reflect a similar focus on supporting the industry.

The National Honey Board is an industry-funded agriculture promotion group that works to educate consumers about the benefits and uses for honey and honey products through research, marketing and promotional programs. Project Apis m. is the largest nongovernmental, non-profit honey bee research organization in the USA. Established by beekeepers and almond growers in 2006, PAm has infused over $8 million into bee research to provide growers with healthier bees resulting in better pollination and increased crop yields.

Priority Areas for Funding

With this call for research proposals, PAm is requesting proposals for research addressing honey bee health, nutrition and productivity. Priority will be given to proposals which aim to produce solutions to industry problems. Current specific areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Addressing practices for sustainable profitability of beekeeping and the provision of pollination services to agriculture
• Innovations to control and manage AFB, EFB, nosema, varroa and viruses
• Studying and developing innovative management techniques including: indoor overwintering; supplemental forage impacts on pollinators, resource management, and landscape carrying capacity; cropping system management.
• addressing gaps in honey bee complete nutrition
• pollination and colony density economics, including stocking rates, land use and landscape level comparisons, transportation and inspection impacts
• cover crop efficacy and management studies including seed composition, implementation, establishment, termination, soil benefits, pest/pathogen/beneficial insect use, frost, irrigation, etc.

Other projects will be considered, and research outside the U.S. is possible (all application materials must be in English). The goal of this research is to help producers maintain colony health and honey production. Most proposals will likely be of one-year duration. If multi-year projects are considered, it is with the understanding that funding for subsequent years would be contingent on performance and National Honey Board budget availability beyond 2020. The amount of funds available for a particular proposal will depend on the number and merit of successful proposals. 

Mission Statement

The Lupus Research Alliance unites the global lupus community in bold determination to free the world of lupus through the power of science.

We will transform the lives of people affected by lupus as we welcome and embrace a new scientific era; pioneer innovation; push the frontiers of knowledge; enlist diverse, new scientific talent; and lead the drive to new treatments, prevention and a cure.

Translational Bridge Award

Background

The LRA established the Translational Bridge Award (TBA) to provide a dedicated funding mechanism to bridge the gap between post-discovery and pre-commercial development and to accelerate the pace at which promising LRA-funded foundational research discoveries are translated into clinical evaluation and transitioned to a viable product that impacts patients directly.

Program Description

The Translational Bridge Award provides up to $450,000 over two years for milestone- driven projects with strong, relatively near-term commercialization potential or with an immediate opportunity for clinical evaluation. All projects should advance the discovery of potential commercial entities or clinical products with a clear and direct relevance to people with lupus and offer the potential to improve diagnosis or standard of care for the disease or usher in a cure. These can include a range of technologies, therapies, interventions, and diagnostics. Proposals should be centered around a well-defined bridge plan of translating the discovery and/or advancing the entity or product to the next development stage. This bridge plan should consider the scientific, clinical, business and/or commercialization objectives.

Project Objectives

Proposals should include milestone-driven projects with clear objectives, well-defined on the translational, clinical or drug/diagnostic development path, with relatively near-term commercialization potential.

Two main types of projects will be considered:

• Projects that aim to establish a robust data validation package, including pre-clinical or pilot clinical studies, to advance the discovery of a potential entity or product by enabling translational inflection points such as securing/bolstering of intellectual property, securing additional venture capital for a start-up company, obtaining clinical proof-of-concept, etc.
• Ancillary projects to ongoing or recently completed clinical trials for further analysis on a potential entity or product, or other defined study components (such as associated biomarkers).

Scientific project objectives should be aimed at:

• Late-stage evaluation or validation (no foundational discovery research) of the proposed entity or product, including, but not limited to, clinical proof of concept, projects that aim to scale up previous results, move to a more relevant testing system or population, compound screening, chemical fine-tuning, pharmacological evaluations, and/or sensitivity/specificity testing.
• Clinical trial ancillary projects can also include experimentation aimed at further understanding the mechanism of action or pharmacodynamics of the entity or product, molecular effects and/or companion biomarkers.

Proposals can include multiple scientific and/or clinical objectives. Other objectives not mentioned here may be appropriate, and we recommend you contact LRA scientific staff to consult on this topic.

The proposal should also include a description of the legal, regulatory, business and/or commercialization objective(s) of the project, such as, but not limited to, generating data that would support:

• Creating or strengthening an intellectual property position.
• Launching a commercial enterprise, such as a start-up company, around the entity or product.
• Raising industry interest around the entity or product, including initiating a clinical investigation.
• Forging a commercial partnership
• Securing additional rounds of financial backing or funding.

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.

What is an eligible area?

Rural Business Development Grant money must be used for projects that benefit rural areas or towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more. Check eligible areas.

What kind of funding is available?

There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. There are two types of RBDG projects, Opportunity grants and Enterprise grants.

• Opportunity type grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.
• Enterprise type grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application.

How may Enterprise type funds be used?

Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include:

Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports or producer service improvements.

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports, or producer service improvements.
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
• Pollution control and abatement.
• The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
• Rural distance learning for job training and advancement for adult students.
• Rural transportation improvement.
• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

How may Opportunity type funds be used?

• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

About the Allison Keller Education Technology Program

Realizing the gains that many people with autism have achieved using the iPad, the Allison Keller Education Technology Program was created in honor of Flutie Foundation Board Member Kevin Lane Keller's daughter Allison. The goal of the program is to help fill the financial and technological gap for schools and organizations that assist individuals with autism. Since 2012, the Flutie Foundation has granted over $820,000 to 177 schools and organizations for programs specifically serving individuals with autism that have an established technology program in place or have expressed an interest in starting a program using the iPad or other technology tools.

Applications will be considered for any technology tools and/or training that improve learning outcomes or performance. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Tablets & Accessories
• Apps
• Smartboards
• Laptops
• Technology Training
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educational activities & access to STEM studies

The Flutie Foundation is seeking innovative partners who are using technology to address real needs facing the autism community. One program per public school district is eligible to be awarded an Allison Keller Education Technology grant annually. Think outside the box!

USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

The USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) program is a competitive grant program solicited once a year. The SCBGP funds market research, market promotion and new technology projects specifically to benefit specialty crop producers. The Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and a review committee select projects to fund through a local, competitive proposal process. Selected projects are submitted to the USDA for review, and the Maine DACF administers the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program each year. Grant-funded projects must benefit Maine’s specialty crop industry and may not be intended to support an individual business or organization.

Maine and the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Since 2002, the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program has awarded over $7.5 million to the Maine DACF to support the growing number of specialty crop producers selling in local and regional markets. Each year, the Maine DACF facilitates an SCBGP Request for Applications (RFA) and evaluates applications through a competitive, statewide process. Past and current awards have supported research into Maine’s most crucial agricultural commodities, the development of pest management strategies, school initiatives, and food safety projects.

Annual Grants are intended to support island organizations that enrich our community, but in different ways. 

What we fund

Peaks Island Fund gives priority to projects or organizations that enrich the island community by:

• Reducing economic barriers to living on the island
• Supporting services that enhance medical and social needs of islanders
• Providing enhanced access to educational and enrichment programs
• Preserving and protecting the island environment 

Types of funding include:

• Capacity-building grants for activities designed to make an organization stronger, more successful, or more efficient such as improving financial management and development, acquiring technology to improve or expand services, strategic planning focused on achieving a specific goal, and training board, staff, or volunteers.
• General support grants for the operation of organizations
• Project grants for new or expanding projects.
• Equipment or renovation support needed to meet an organization’s mission. These renovations or equipment cannot be related to or part of a capital campaign.

Our Mission 

The Green Family Foundation believes societies flourish when enriched with access to the arts, culture, education, and healthcare. We accomplish this by supporting grassroots initiatives and sustainable programs that foster thriving communities through prevention, education, and meaningful care.

Funding Priorities

At the Green Family Foundation, we believe in the power of community-driven solutions to create lasting change.

Our mission is to foster thriving societies enriched by access to the arts, culture, education, and healthcare. To achieve this, we partner with organizations that share our vision of building sustainable and inclusive communities.

We are proud to fund initiatives that prioritize equity, innovation, and collaboration in four key areas: Global Health and Development, Community Empowerment, The Arts, and Education and Leadership Development. These funding priorities reflect our commitment to addressing systemic barriers, amplifying historically excluded voices, and creating opportunities for individuals and communities to flourish.

We encourage grantseekers to review our four funding priorities thoroughly and ensure their proposed projects align with our mission. We are particularly interested in programs that demonstrate measurable impact, sustainability, and community-centered approaches.:

Global Health & Development:

The Green Family Foundation funds initiatives that address poverty by bridging gaps in education, healthcare, job access, and community engagement. We support holistic, sustainable programs that empower diverse communities to achieve long-term self-sufficiency. Priority is given to projects that provide equitable access to essential healthcare, deliver education and training, conduct community-led research, and implement sustainable development practices.

Community Empowerment:

From teaching digital skills to promoting civic participation, the Green Family Foundation invests in initiatives that strengthen community capacity, build social cohesion, and empower individuals to shape their futures.We support programs that equip individuals and communities with the tools, skills, and knowledge to drive meaningful change. Our focus areas include:

• Access to technology and digital literacy training
• Community-based advocacy and civic engagement
• Programs that amplify historically excluded voices and foster social equity

The Arts:

The Green Family Foundation champions programs that use the arts to inspire. We fund initiatives that encourage individuals to creatively express their ideas, explore their identities, and engage with their communities in positive and impactful ways.These programs should prioritize accessibility, skill-building, and personal development, offering individuals an opportunity to gain confidence, develop their talents, and envision successful futures through creative exploration.

Education and Leadership Development: 

By broadening horizons and nurturing leadership potential, the Green Family Foundation invests in the next generation of changemakers. We support educational programs that challenge young people to think critically, explore diverse perspectives, and expand their understanding of social issues, health equity, governance, and effective communication. Priority is given to initiatives that:

• Encourage young people to develop leadership skills
• Foster cross-cultural understanding and collaboration
• Empower young people to become informed and engaged citizens

Grant Size

Typical grants range from $1,500 - $30,000.

Nature Awards

Nature champions the transformational power of outstanding science and its potential to make positive change in the world.

Our Nature Awards drive the goals and values that matter most to us and to you: research excellence, integrity and transparency, impact, inclusivity, engagement, sustainability, and the importance of evidence in public life.

We recognize, reward, connect and celebrate researchers from all over the world who share our values and chase those goals.  

Inspiring Women in Science

The Inspiring Women in Science awards celebrate and support the achievements of women in science, and all those who work to encourage girls and young women to engage with STEM subjects and stay in STEM careers around the world.

We invite applications in two award categories — Science Outreach and Scientific Achievement.

Science Outreach Category

We are looking for initiatives that have either:

• encouraged girls or young women to engage with and study natural sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEM) or
• increased retention of women in STEM careers, with a focus on providing tools to support women through their career progression in a STEM discipline. 

We accept applications from organizations, departments, individuals (of any gender), or project teams. Please nominate one spokesperson who will be our point of contact and represent the winning entry at the award ceremony.

Entries will have shown exceptional vision, insight, and/or imagination, and demonstrated that they encourage, support, or promote the interests of girls and/or women in STEM. We also welcome applications that include interdisciplinary components.

Prizes

The winners of the Nature Awards for Inspiring Women in Science will receive:

• A prize of US$50,000
• An invitation to the award ceremony in London or New York, with accommodation and travel expenses paid by the organiser.
• Coverage on nature.com 
• An invitation to present their work or initiative to the scientists at The Estée Lauder Companies 
• Mentoring through The Estée Lauder Companies

The runners up will receive:

• A prize of US$5,000
• An invitation to the award ceremony in London or New York, with accommodation and travel expenses paid by the organiser

The shortlisted applicants will: 

• Be profiled on the Nature Awards website 
• Have access to an exclusive coaching and networking community

Since 2011, the Eisner Foundation has awarded the Eisner Prize to honor people and organizations doing exceptional intergenerational work across the country. In this next phase in the evolution of the Eisner Prize, The Eisner Foundation is providing financial resources, networking opportunities, and the prestige of the Eisner Prize to leaders with new ideas and perspectives that will propel the field forward.

What kinds of project proposals might be successful? 

Proposals for new innovations in intergenerational connection will be the most successful. We are open to new programs, research, technology, or any other innovation that intentionally connects different generations in new ways. This is not intended to support existing programs, unless the proposal involves new aspects of those programs. Projects should have goals achievable within a year and with a $40,000 budget. An itemized budget is not necessary at the time of application, but the applicant should present a project scope that can be accomplished within a year and with this level of funding. The project should also be executable by the Fellow themselves – The Eisner Foundation can support the Fellows as thought partners and connectors, but the foundation’s ability to act as research partners or as external capacity for a project will be very limited. 

What does the funding cover? 

The fellowship includes a total award of $50,000: $10,000 to the Fellow, and $40,000 to use to execute their project. The $10,000 is a stipend and can be used by the Fellow in any way they wish. For those working with an organization, this stipend should be disbursed in addition to the Fellow’s salary, not in partial replacement of it. The $40,000 should be used for project execution of new, defined intergenerational projects, and should not include overhead costs. 

The Gladys Brooks Foundation was created under the will of Gladys Brooks Thayer of New York. 

Its purpose is to provide for the intellectual, moral and physical welfare of the people of this country by establishing and  supporting non-profit libraries, educational institutions, hospitals and clinics.

Scope of Grants Considered

The Foundation will consider major grant applications for innovative projects in the fields of libraries, education, hospitals and clinics.

Grants for Libraries 

Grant applications will be considered generally for resource Endowments (print, film, electronic database, speakers/workshops) capital construction and innovative equipment. Projects fostering broader public access to global information sources utilizing collaborative efforts, pioneering technologies and equipment are encouraged.

Grants for Educational Institutions

Grant applications from universities, colleges and secondary schools will be considered generally for:

• educational endowments to fund scholarships based solely on educational achievements, leadership and academic ability of the student; 
• endowments to support fellowships and teaching chairs for educators who confine their activities primarily to classroom instruction in the liberal arts, mathematics and the sciences during the academic year;
• erection or endowment of buildings, wings or additions thereto of buildings, and equipment for educational purposes;
• capital equipment for educational purposes.

Grants for Hospitals & Clinics

Grant proposals from hospitals and clinics where the proposal addresses a new health need, an improvement in the quality of health care or reduced health costs with better patient outcomes will be considered generally for:

• endowments for programs;
• erection or endowment of buildings, wings of or additions to buildings;
• capital equipment.

What is Zendesk Tech for Good?

At Zendesk, we believe that technology can change lives — especially for our most vulnerable populations. That’s why the Zendesk Tech for Good program partners with over 110 nonprofits across the globe to give them free Zendesk software, grants, and pro bono support, empowering more organizations to leverage technology and serve more people. 

Tech for Good has two main goals: 

• Provide nonprofits with Zendesk software and grants to help them serve more people and create more impact among vulnerable populations;
• Partner with nonprofits that provide workforce development training for careers in customer experience (CX) to historically marginalized and underrepresented groups

We’re looking for organizations or projects that seek to make a tangible difference in one of the Zendesk Foundation’s impact areas:

• Foster community - enable connections that offer support and allow people to thrive;
• Promote resilience in a time of crisis - safeguard against disaster and reduce human suffering;
• Create career pathways into tech - close the economic opportunity gap and reduce unemployment.

The Zendesk Impact Awards are open to nonprofit organizations that would like to use Zendesk software to directly serve beneficiary communities. 

Applicants may also provide workforce development programming and display an interest in Zendesk’s Career Pathways Program. Applicants are invited to describe how their organization or project fits into these areas within the application. 

Organizations should display some ability to adopt new technology in order to receive Zendesk software, meaning your organization previously has or is currently willing to invest in technology platform solutions to improve services to beneficiary communities. Most organizations will need to be prepared to self-install and configure their free software using our online help which typically requires a dedicated IT staff member. 

Please refer to how applications will be evaluated here.

Vision

Maine is a vibrant and equitable place where people and communities thrive.

Mission

The Maine Community Foundation brings people and resources together to build a better Maine.

Background The Maine Theater Fund was established in 2005 by an anonymous couple who love live theater and recognize the connection between vibrant communities and support for the arts.Maine Theater The Maine Theater Fund grant program supports nonprofit professional and community theaters in the production and presentation of live theater.

About Pure Ocean

Pure Ocean is an international endowment fund based in Marseille and Lorient. Its main mission is to mobilize civil society in order to support ambitious and innovative scientific projects for the protection of biodiversity and fragile marine ecosystems.

Through an international call for projects, then an analysis carried out by the five eminent researchers who make up the scientific committee, Pure Ocean selects projects with a strong innovative dimension, whether technological, ecological or social.

Pure Ocean also raises public awareness of the situation of endangered ecosystems by highlighting solutions to protect them through conferences, the promotion of races and sporting challenges or the provision of “La Goutte Bleue” waste collection kits

4 Major Themes : The Pure Ocean Challenges (Based On The The United Nations 10 Ocean Decade Challenges)

• Understanding marine pollution and combating its origins
• Protecting biodiversity and restoring degraded marine ecosystems
• Strengthening the resilience of marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them in the face of climate change
• Improving our knowledge of the ocean-system

Special Features of the 2025 Call for Projects

This year, special attention will be given to :

• Developing marine conservation initiatives managed by local communities and indigenous peoples
• Exploring nature-based solutions for the preservation of blue carbon ecosystems
• Operating in key oceanic areas
  • the French littoral, Middle East/Asia and Africa coasts

Background

The Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust was established in 1988 by Joan Morton Kelly and her mother, Mildred Duncan Morton, to facilitate their philanthropic activities.

Foundation Program Areas

The overarching interest of the Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust is to connect people and place through the arts, culture and the natural environment in Maine. Program Areas reflect how communities, organizations and individuals can cultivate creative expression and a sense of responsibility towards one another and to the lands and waters around us. Proposals may be for operating support or specific projects and may be of local or statewide benefit. Across all programs, community connection is paramount.

Program Areas of interest to the Trust are Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation and Environmental Initiatives.

Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation

The Trust is interested in community arts and cultural programs, cultural facility improvements, historic preservation projects and celebration of the diverse cultural heritage of Maine.

Arts and culture programs and organizations help foster vibrant communities, creative expression, inspiration and build community connections. Community cultural centers and preservation of historic sites and resources can enhance downtown and community revitalization efforts and be a cornerstone of community arts and cultural life. The Trust is also interested in programs that expand cross-cultural understanding of the unique and layered histories of Maine and contemporary expressions of culture and heritage.

The Trust’s Arts and Culture Program Area welcomes operating support or project proposals that meet any of the following goals:

• Access to the arts, creative expression and community cultural programs
  • Priorities include:
    • Access to arts experiences of all kinds, arts education for all ages, and performances and programs that serve Maine communities and residents.
    • Visual and performing arts programs in Maine museums, public libraries, historical societies and other cultural organizations.
    • Both urban and rural programs that reflect local needs and bring community members together, including lectures, exhibits and special events.
    • Projects and programs that serve diverse populations and cultural experiences including Black, Indigenous and people of color in Maine.
• Facility improvements for community cultural centers and historic preservation projects that contribute to community vitality
  • Cultural facility improvement priorities include:
    • Structural, health, safety, public access or energy efficiency improvements.
    • Technology upgrades and other renovation needs.
    • Small venues in rural or underserved areas where few other resources are available, and which contribute to community revitalization.
• Historic preservation projects that contribute to community vitality
  • Priorities include:
    • The restoration and conservation of significant historic structures such as those listed on the National Register, or have documented importance through Tribal Historic Preservation Departments or are a known community landmark.
      • The Trust will support structural improvements and building systems (such as electrical service) rather than maintenance, painting or short-term repairs.
    • Preservation projects may also include restoration of significant material cultural resources.
    • Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide a letter indicating that the Maine Historic Preservation Commission or appropriate Tribal Historic Preservation Office is aware of the project, and that work is being conducted to appropriate preservation standards.
• Celebrate the diverse cultural heritage and multiple histories of Maine
  • Priorities include:
    • Programs that build community connection, celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of Maine communities and elevate the unique experiences of Black, Indigenous and other under-represented groups.
    • Efforts that build bridges within communities to elevate cultural histories of place, expand awareness, cultural connection and share learning.

Environmental Initiatives

The Trust is interested in environmental initiatives that protect ecological values, water quality and ecosystem health through land conservation, stewardship, education and research programs. The Trust is interested in supporting organizations that promote positive relationships with nature including scientific, ecological and cultural perspectives. The Trust is also interested in expanded efforts to conserve culturally significant lands for Wabanaki communities.

The Trust’s Environmental Initiatives Program Area welcomes proposals for operating support or projects that meet any of the following goals or related priorities:

• Provide equitable access to outdoor experiences and nature-based education
  •  Priorities include:
    • Programs that offer outdoor experiences and nature-based education for youth and community members to inspire care and responsibility for the environment.
    • Programs that provide safe, inclusive spaces for youth and others to develop appreciation for nature, science and the social and cultural dimensions of land and place.
    • Programs that benefit BIPOC and underserved communities.
• Enhance environmental stewardship.
  • Priorities include:
    • Support of the growing stewardship responsibilities of conservation groups in light of development pressures, climate change and greater public use of conserved lands and waters.
    • Support of staffing, programs and partnerships for stewardship, education and community engagement.
• Advance new approaches for land conservation
  • Priorities include:
    • Partnerships, tools and relationships for conservation that emphasize equity and inclusion.
    • Land conservation that protects biodiversity or provides access to lands and waters for recreation, education and restoration.
      • Organizations requesting funding for land acquisitions should include a funding plan for the project.
    • Building capacity for the protection, stewardship and management of culturally significant lands for Wabanaki lifeways and culture.
• Promote restoration and improvement of water quality in coastal and inlandwatersheds
  • Priorities include:
    • Applied science and research for the restoration and management of ecosystems, especially the coastal and inland waters of Maine.
    • Relevant research and education for water quality and habitat improvement.
    • Addressing climate change impacts on coastal and aquatic resources.
    • Initiatives that use science, policy and community engagement to improve and restore natural resources and ecosystems.

Funding

Up to $20,000 in grant funding may be requested.

Our Beginnings

SeedMoney is a Maine-based 501c nonprofit helping US and global food garden projects to thrive through grants, crowdfunding assistance and free garden planning software.

SeedMoney is the new name for what was formerly called Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI), a nonprofit founded in 2003. Over the past three years, our emphasis has gradually shifted from helping home gardeners towards offering financial and technical support to a wide variety of public food garden projects. These include community gardens, school gardens, food bank gardens, homeless shelter gardens and senior gardens, to name just a few.

Mission

SeedMoney improves the health of people, local communities and the planet by empowering public food gardens and farms to start up and thrive. We work with a variety of local partners including school gardens, community gardens, food bank gardens, community farms, as well as other nonprofits. We offer our partners training in online outreach, access to custom-built user-friendly online crowdfunding technology, cutting-edge garden planning software and grants ranging from $100 to $1000. In doing so, we enable communities and projects in need to become more self-reliant in terms of their food and their funding.

SeedMoney Challenge

The SeedMoney Challenge is a group crowdfunding competition open to any public food garden project located anywhere in the world.  Each year, we offer challenge grants to diverse food garden projects through a 30-day crowdfunding challenge.  Participating projects include youth gardens, community gardens, community farms and food bank gardens. Participants keep 100% of what they raise and compete for challenge grants of $100 to $1000. The more funds a project raises, the larger the grant it qualifies to receive. 

The grants we offer are on a sliding scale. The size of a grant a project can receive depends on how much it is able to raise over the 30-day period compared to other projects participating in the challenge. This year, we will be offering a total of 432 grants ranging from $100 to $1000.