Best Toledo Grants for Nonprofits in Ohio

501(c)(3) nonprofits in Toledo, Ohio working on housing stability, hunger relief, workforce development, or STEM initiatives can apply for FirstEnergy Foundation grants up to Up to US $25,000. Eligible organizations must operate within FirstEnergy’s service area, including Lucas and Wood counties, and should contact the Community Involvement Department with grant inquiries.

The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program, in partnership with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), aims to enhance the quality, safety, and accessibility of community football fields. With grants up to $250,000, this initiative addresses the critical lack of safe recreation spaces in low-income neighborhoods, ensuring children and adults have access to well-maintained facilities for gathering and exercise, ultimately fostering community health and well-being.

The Brinker International Charitable Giving Program focuses on giving back to communities through support for kids, hunger, and education. Organizations eligible for funding must be 501c(3) non-profits and submit requests at least six weeks prior to events. The program does not support individuals, political or religious organizations, or explicit discrimination policies. Funding is provided through monetary donations or in-kind contributions like dining certificates.

Greater Toledo Community Foundation

Greater Toledo Community Foundation transforms generosity into lasting impact. With over $510 million in assets across 1,000+ funds, we've granted more than $370 million to strengthen education, health, arts, and social services throughout our region.

We connect donors with causes they care about while bringing together leaders, organizations, and resources to tackle our community's biggest challenges. What began with Walter E. Terhune's vision in the 1920s continues today as we help individuals, families, and businesses create positive change that will benefit our region for generations.

Healthy Aging Fund

The Community Foundation is funding programs that help older adults (60+) stay healthy, connected and independent.

This initiative follows the Ohio Department of Aging's State Plan, shaped with input from the Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio. Priorities of the plan include cognitive health, chronic disease reduction, mental health, social inclusion, and nutrition access, plus engagement opportunities, physical activity, and preventive screenings. The plan is built on research and input from content-area experts.

The Foundation’s Focus

The Healthy Aging Fund is seeking proposals aligned with the State Plan and the Community Foundation's place-based priorities: programs that promote physical and mental health, reduce social isolation and strengthen community connections for older adults.

The Community Foundation seeks to identify collaborative approaches that work well enough to scale. This is a chance for northwest Ohio providers to test new approaches and collaborations: the kind with real potential to increase impact for participants and move the needle on broader community goals.

Funding Priorities

• Multiple partners with complementary expertise, prioritizing diversity of resources across agencies
• Programs delivered through or including senior centers, community centers or long-term care facilities
• Diverse programming that reaches more participants
• Accommodations for specific needs — memory care, vision loss, etc.
• An educational component

The Community Foundation is seeking cross-agency partnerships that expand access to diverse programming and have real potential to scale. Available for projects up to two years. See more in the Grant Guidelines. 

Ohio Department of Transportation

With a mission to provide a transportation system that is safe, accessible, well maintained, and positioned for the future, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) supports the state highway system and promotes transportation initiatives statewide. As a more than $3 billion per year enterprise, ODOT invests the bulk of its resources in system preservation through maintenance, construction, and snow and ice operations.

ODOT's regional district offices and Central Office divisions work together to fulfill the department's mission of providing safe and easy movement of people and goods from place to place.

Specialized Transportation Program (5310)

Program Goal and Description

The Specialized Transportation Program, as authorized by the Federal Transit Administration, 49 USC Section 5310, is intended to enhance mobility for seniors and persons with disabilities by providing Federal Transit Administration funds for programs in small urbanized and rural areas that serve the special needs of transit-dependent populations beyond traditional public transportation services and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complementary paratransit services. The program provides 80% of the cost of capital projects; the remaining 20% must be provided by local funding, which may be derived from other federal (non-U.S. DOT) transportation sources or the Federal Lands Highway Program.

Project Types: Vehicle Funding; Preventive Maintenance (PM) Funding; Mobility Management Funding; Computer Hardware and/or Software & Equipment Funding; Operating Assistance; Contracted Transportation Service Funding

Operating Assistance

The objective of the 5310 operating assistance project is to provide financial support to subrecipients in the day-to-day transportation operations for seniors and persons with disabilities. Operating assistance funding is explicitly intended to be spent on operations. ODOT will reimburse 50% of the operating cost and the subrecipient is required to provide the 50% local match. All of the local match must be provided from sources other than U.S. Department of Transportation funds. To be eligible for Section 5310 operating funds, an applicant must provide open-door services. FTA defines open door as regular, continuing shared ride surface transportation services that is open to the public or open to a segment of the public defined by age or disability.

The Specialized Transportation Program (5310) aims to enhance mobility for seniors and individuals with disabilities through federally funded projects. This program supports various initiatives, including vehicle funding, preventive maintenance, and contracted transportation services. With an 80% federal cost coverage, local funding must cover the remaining 20%. The Ohio Department of Transportation oversees this program, ensuring accessible transportation options in urban and rural areas, thereby addressing the unique needs of transit-dependent populations.

Focused on financial literacy and housing, Union Home Foundation invites Toledo, Ohio 501(c)(3) nonprofits to apply for grants over US $1,000 supporting families’ economic self-sufficiency. Eligible organizations in Lucas and Wood counties working on financial education, equitable housing, or supportive housing and shelters can seek one-year project or program support through quarterly application cycles.

Nonprofit research institutions and similar eligible organizations conducting fisheries or ichthyology research can seek up to US $1,300,000 to inform management and support ecosystem health in Toledo, Ohio and other Great Lakes counties. Great Lakes Fisheries Trust funds hypothesis-driven studies, tools, and capacity-building that advance sustainable fish populations and resilient fisheries, with RFPs released on a set cycle.

Nonprofit organizations hosting fundraising events or needing general operating support in Toledo, Ohio (Lucas or Wood County) may be eligible for community sponsorships focused on education, workforce, and community development. With a mission to prepare individuals for thriving futures, KeyBank provides event-based or general support to nonprofits in areas where it operates.

About National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) works with partners to foster sustainable and impactful conservation solutions so that people and nature thrive together. Chartered by Congress in 1984, NFWF has grown to become the nation’s largest conservation foundation. Since its founding, NFWF has funded more than 23,900 projects that have generated a total conservation impact of more than $12 billion.About Sustain Our Great Lakes Program

Sustain Our Great Lakes is a public–private partnership designed to sustain, restore and protect fish, wildlife and habitat in the basin by leveraging funding, building conservation capacity, and focusing partners and resources toward key ecological issues. The program achieves this mission, in part, by awarding grants for on-the-ground habitat restoration and enhancement.Funding priorities for this program include:

• Habitat Restoration to Conserve Species and Improve Water Quality
• Expand and Maintain Nature-Based Solutions in Great Lakes Communities
• Invasive Species Control to Protect and Enhance Restored Habitat
• Activate Restored Habitats and Natural Areas

Toledo-area accredited schools and 501(c)(3) nonprofits needing help with transportation for student or youth field trips can receive US $100 - US $1,000 to attend Toledo Mud Hens baseball or Toledo Walleye hockey games. Lucas and Wood County organizations can access funding through Toledo Community Foundation to cover bus or charter transportation costs only.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations seeking capital project funding for facilities or equipment in Toledo, Ohio can apply for more than US $20,000 through the Andersons Fund Supporting Organization. With a mission to enrich regional quality of life, Toledo Community Foundation supports education, social services, health, neighborhood and urban affairs, natural resources, and arts initiatives in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

Nonprofit organizations running K–12 youth fitness and wellness programs during cold weather months in Toledo, Ohio and nearby counties can seek support for activities encouraging healthy lifestyles, exercise, sports, and physical fitness education. With a mission to enrich regional quality of life, Toledo Community Foundation awards competitive grants of US $1,500 - US $10,000.

501(c)(3) nonprofits in Toledo, Ohio can apply for Toledo Community Foundation’s Helping Hens Fund; awards $1,500 to $10,000, with capital requests up to $30,000, for youth fitness and wellness programs and sports facilities. Eligible projects include warm-weather activities, league fees, equipment, and capital improvements to local sporting venues.

Nonprofit and community organizations serving youth under 18 in northwest Ohio can apply for more than US $3,000 to support programs and services. Toledo Community Foundation provides Toledo, Ohio youth services with funding for operational expenses of existing programs and costs to establish new initiatives, prioritizing youth in Lucas and Wood Counties, especially Waterville and the Anthony Wayne Local School District.

Nonprofit organizations serving youth under 21 with programs in northwest Ohio, including Toledo, can seek up to US $3,000 to enhance young people’s lives, especially those facing behavioral or juvenile justice challenges. Toledo Community Foundation gives preference to Wood County organizations and excludes governmental agencies from this fund.

The Share the Bounty Grant, offered by The Andersons Inc Charitable Foundation, aims to enhance the quality of life in communities through support for agriculture, social services, civic engagement, education, arts, and health initiatives. By investing in these key areas, The Andersons seeks to foster environments where individuals and families can thrive, ensuring a sustainable and vibrant future for all residents in the regions they serve.

Environmental and community organizations in Toledo, Ohio working on Great Lakes ecosystem health can access funding through the Fred A and Barbara M Erb Family Foundation; awards are more than US $10,000. Support may include watershed protection, climate resilience, environmental justice, policy advocacy, and leadership development in the Great Lakes region, including Lucas and Wood Counties.

Nonprofit organizations and other teams working on Great Lakes ecosystem health in Toledo, Ohio can access funding through the Great Lakes Protection Fund. The Fund supports collaborative, science-based projects that deliver measurable, regionally significant improvements in freshwater conservation, pollution reduction, and water resource management across the Great Lakes basin.

The F26AS00083 Aquatic Invasive Species Grants are part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for Fiscal Year 2026. These grants, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, aim to support state-level management plans to combat aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes region. Eligible applicants include Great Lakes states and their designees, with funding awarded through a competitive selection process.

Toledo, Ohio environmental and boating organizations can access funding through the Great Lakes Foundation for projects that preserve wilderness cruising areas and promote safe, educational use of the Great Lakes. Eligible efforts include marine and freshwater conservation, recreational boating initiatives, safety education, research, and related charitable, educational, or scientific activities in Lucas and Wood counties.

Nonprofit corporations, academic institutions, state agencies, and local governments in Toledo, Ohio can seek funding for coastal conservation, habitat restoration, planning, and public access projects. Grants from Ohio Department of Natural Resources help Toledo nonprofits working in Lucas and Wood Counties with Lake Erie water quality, waterfront redevelopment, and protection of historic and cultural coastal resources, with awards of US $50,000 - US $150,000.

The F26AS00084 Aquatic Invasive Species Grants to Great Lakes Tribes, funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, aim to support the development and implementation of Tribal Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plans. Eligible Great Lakes tribes can apply for competitive grants to address invasive species issues within the Great Lakes Basin, including outreach and prevention efforts. This initiative focuses on early detection and control, significantly contributing to the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

The Enbridge Community Grant aims to enhance the quality of life in North American communities through strategic donations and sponsorships. With funding ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, the grant supports organizations focused on safety, education, environmental stewardship, and Indigenous culture. Enbridge encourages early applications, with decisions typically made within eight weeks. The grant seeks to empower local initiatives that foster community strength, vibrancy, and sustainability.

The Speers Family Scholarship, established in 1995, aims to support graduates from Erie County, Ohio high schools pursuing higher education at select universities. This renewable scholarship is available for students majoring in fields like Medical Care, Public Administration, Education, and Engineering. Funded by the Erie County Community Foundation, it seeks to empower individuals to contribute positively to their communities, enhancing the quality of life in Erie County for years to come.

The Michigan Botanical Foundation Grant supports research and educational initiatives that enhance the understanding and preservation of Michigan's flora. Grants are available for projects involving rare species, environmental awareness, and educational programs. The foundation welcomes applications from individuals and organizations that align with its goals. Grant amounts typically range from $100 to $1,500, with preference given to projects based in Michigan or the Great Lakes region. Funding decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations supporting early childhood education or community economic development may be eligible for funding in Toledo, Ohio. With a mission to strengthen and enrich communities, PNC Foundation provides grants for programs serving low- and moderate-income families, including early learning, workforce readiness, affordable housing, community services, and arts and cultural enrichment.