Search Through Unrestricted Grants for Nonprofits in the U.S.

New Profit: Get Funding & Support

New Profit stands shoulder-to-shoulder with social entrepreneurs in support of their vision, with a specific focus on helping them build the capacity of their organizations, which is key to strengthening their long-term impact and sustainability. We provide two levels of funding and strategic support to organizations in our portfolio: Build Investments and Catalyze Investments.

Build Investments

$1.5 million multi-year, unrestricted grants, and deep strategic advisory support from a dedicated New Profit Deal Partner.

Flexible funding and strategic support geared toward long-term impact and sustainability.

Our Build Investments vehicle supports, strengthens, and expands the leadership and organizational capabilities of nonprofits that are focused on a broad range of issue areas within the intertwining systems of education, economic mobility, and democracy. We seek to support social entrepreneurs and organizations who are meaningfully guided by the communities they serve and have the experience, expertise, and vision to co-design solutions to systems-level challenges.By providing capital, capacity, and community to each of the organizations in our Build Investments portfolio, we enable each social entrepreneur to strengthen their individual and organizational leadership capabilities, refine their impact model, improve their strategic management and planning processes, and clarify their economic model to provide short- and long-term financial stability and flexibility. Our goal with Build Investments is to help organizations with a track record of impact and financial sustainability increase their ability to make strategic choices as they navigate change and growth.

Build Benefits

• Strategic Advising and Support
  • Our experienced Deal Partners work to cultivate authentic, transparent, and trusting relationships with social entrepreneurs and provide customized support based on mutually agreed-upon goals.
• Unrestricted, Multi-Year Capital
  • Social innovation takes time and flexibility. We provide unrestricted funding over a four-year term so organizations can invest in the areas that increase impact, growth, and sustainability.
• Access to Our Network
  • Organizations require more than capital to grow. We facilitate connections and learning communities among our social entrepreneurs and other leaders within our network.

Catalytic Funding for Design and Engineering Solutions

We provide nonprofits and startups with catalytic capital to scale solutions that transform Autodesk industries to be more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient. 

Impact Opportunity Areas

We fund organizations for whom Autodesk’s unique expertise, technology, talent, and position within industry can accelerate growth across three impact opportunity areas.

Energy & Materials

We invest in innovators scaling early‑stage technologies that have the potential to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the transition to a decarbonized economy. We focus our investments on sectors where Autodesk’s design and engineering expertise is particularly beneficial, such as renewable energy, electrification of transportation, building and industrial energy efficiency, materials innovation, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage.

Health & Resilience

We invest in innovators scaling technology‑based solutions that improve resilience in low-resource communities most vulnerable to climate change. We focus our investments on the built environment, agriculture, energy access, and water and sanitation, where design and engineering based solutions are critical levers for building community well-being and economic prosperity.

Work & Prosperity

We invest in innovators preparing workers to thrive in the era of automation. We focus our investment on programs, research, and technologies that consider access and inclusion, deliver in demand skills, and lead to quality jobs, especially in the manufacturing and construction sectors.

Funding Criteria

We evaluate funding opportunities based on the impact potential of the solution, the viability of the organization, model and market, and the value of the Autodesk Foundation’s additionality.

Impact

• Alignment with impact goals
  • We take a thesis-driven approach and therefore only consider organizations working within one of our impact opportunity areas.
• Scalability
  • We fund organizations that have a viable, resource-efficient pathway to scale and an intention to do so on a meaningful timeline.
• Impact measurement
  • We fund organizations that commit to measuring impact to establish accountability, inform decision-making, and evidence impact.

Viability

• Team
  • We look for teams that demonstrate technical and sector expertise, and share our commitment to building a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future for all.
• Technology
  • We aim to catalyze innovation, scalability, and accessibility of technology for good. We emphasize solutions relevant to our expertise in design and engineering.
• Market and business model
  • We look for evidence that the solution is valued by the target customer, and that there is a cost-effective and scalable model for delivering impact.

Autodesk Additionality

• Financial Additionality
  • We focus on solutions where our flexible, risk-tolerant, and patient capital can be most catalytic at the organization-level and in the innovation ecosystem.
• In-kind Resources
  • We fund organizations for whom we can add significant value beyond financial capital, most commonly through our Autodesk technology and talent programs.
• Ecosystem Engagement
  • As a corporate philanthropy, we evaluate how our position within industry can spark connections to key stakeholders and accelerate large-scale adoption of innovation.

Funding

Our funding ranges from $100,000 to $1,000,000, with most commitments falling between $250,000 and $500,000.

Background

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe by supporting scalable, innovative, and impact-first solutions that leverage existing systems and stakeholders. Our goal is to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic products or services that have a proven ability to positively impact the lives of underserved people, and nurture those organizations at the early stages by providing capacity, capital, and community.

Our application process is designed to be open and accessible, and we accept applications year round from across our priority geographies and sectors. Borrowing from our venture capital legacy, we find exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with: 

Capacity

• The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through dedicated hands-on Board service and specialist capacity-building resources for fundraising, board and organizational development, leadership, financial support, and scaling strategy,

Capital

• DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, and

Community

• DRK convenes our portfolio and alumni annually, facilitating connections and community. 

What We Fund

DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems using bold, scalable approaches.

What stage of growth does DRK Foundation typically fund?

Early stage: Organizations who are early stage, which we define as post-pilot and pre-scale. This typically means: 

• Your program, product or service is already being used in the market or in the field, 
• You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact on the beneficiary populations,
• Your organization is relatively young (ideally between two and five years old, although we will consider both younger and older organizations).

Venture funding: In the case of for profits, we typically support Seed to Series A organizations, and never lead rounds; we also generally but not exclusively refrain from participating in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation.  

Fund for Community Good

With our Fund for Community Good (unrestricted) and field of interest fund assets, we seek out and respond to requests for resources from partners who share our commitment to becoming actively anti-racist.

Systemic and institutional racism is present in every issue our community faces. Thanks to the generosity of donor partners, we continue to provide financial support across a broad spectrum including education, the environment, health, the arts and social engagement, neighborhoods and economic prosperity.

In all instances, we continuously assess how we work and with whom we partner, in order to dismantle barriers to equity and justice.

Funding Priorities

Education

We strive for equitable educational attainment when race, ethnicity, and first generation status are not predictive of post-secondary enrollment, persistence, and degree or credential attainment.

Health

We invest in culturally effective solutions that lead to equitable health outcomes and well-being.

Neighborhoods

We seek to create greater access to housing prosperity for all who call Kent County home. We invest in the production and preservation of equitable, stable, quality, affordable housing in historically under-resourced neighborhoods.

Arts + Culture Engagement

We invest in opportunities that seek to sustain arts and cultural opportunities to advance equity and are led by or primarily reach communities of color. We also invest in leaders and networks that inspire, grow and connect movements aimed at advancing equity.

Economic Prosperity

We invest in workforce development that results in sustainable, living wage jobs with competitive benefits. We also seek to increase access to capital and opportunities for historically under-resourced entrepreneurs.

Environment

We invest in efforts led by those most affected by environmental injustice and that ensure equitable environmental benefit.

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation only accepts unsolicited proposals for specific areas within the education, family economic stability and childhood health sectors in select countries where we work, namely the United States, India and South Africa.

As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25% of a project’s budget or more than 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has always recognized the power of providing grants to partner organizations that we knew were already working hard to improve the lives of urban children living in poverty. By aligning with organizations that are already making a difference, we continue to make an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of children.

Foundation priorities:

We fund social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). These social enterprises may be structured as for-profit or nonprofit entities.

Partnerships

We collaborate with a range of organizations focused on creating opportunities for children and families living in urban poverty, with a deep emphasis on measuring impact. Our funding advances projects already making an impact in education, health, and family economic stability. Through these enduring and long-standing partnerships, we create lasting change together.

Skoll Awards

The Skoll Foundation presents the Skoll Awards for Social Innovation each year to a select group of social innovators whose work targets the root causes of societal problems that are ripe for transformational social change.

At the Skoll Foundation, we view social innovation as the quest to solve a societal problem by applying a novel or reimagined solution that effectively contributes to lasting and systemic social change. Through the Skoll Awards, we aim to highlight social innovators whose work has already had a significant impact on some of the world’s most pressing problems and who are poised to act as critical catalysts of transformational social change. By investing in social innovations ripe for accelerated, system-level impact, the Skoll Awards help unleash the full potential and reach of social change leaders.

Each Awardee organization receives $2 million in unrestricted funding to scale their work and increase their impact. Awardees also gain leverage through their long-term participation in a global community of visionary leaders and innovators dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing problems.

Nominations

The Skoll Foundation employs a multi-year sourcing process for the Skoll Awards. Our goal is to save organizations’ valuable time and effort while identifying the most highly aligned candidates. To that end, we identify candidates through direct engagement, referrals, and nominations from our network of partners.

If you have been asked to refer and/or nominate an Awardee, please review the Skoll Award criteria closely to determine whether the organization would be eligible. Please note that fewer than 10 Awardees are selected annually. Not all organizations that meet the eligibility requirements and align with our criteria will receive the Award.

The Skoll Foundation focuses on five priority systems: pandemics and health systems strengthening, effective governance, inclusive economies, racial justice, and climate action. We look for Skoll Awards candidates who are driving impact within–and across–those priorities.

Organizations will be evaluated against the following criteria found here.

Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation collaborate with a wide range of nonprofit organizations that align with our strategic funding priorities. We prioritize our funding to activities and programs that have a broad reach and support the needs of underserved communities. We aspire to have a positive impact on the communities we serve by using our financial and volunteer resources and business expertise in collaboration with community organizations to help solve complex societal problems.

• Financial health
• Housing affordability
• Small business growth
• Sustainability

We may also support other local needs in eligible communities such as disaster relief, arts and culture, civic engagement, education, human and social services, and workforce development. However, opportunities are limited as our intent is to direct the majority of our giving within our major focus areas.

Who We Are

Based in Portland, Oregon and created in 2019 by Dr. Ron Naito, the Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation continues his legacy of healing by supporting nonprofit organizations that strengthen, protect, and transform our communities and our planet.

Our grants support organizations working all over the world to mitigate the climate crisis, reduce health disparities, and build communities that are socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. We also support Oregon-based arts and education initiatives, particularly those focused on under-resourced communities.

Our grants are trust-based. Because we respect the expertise of our nonprofit partners and understand that they know best how to spend their funds, all of our grants are unrestricted.

Current Funding Trends

• Under-represented areas:
  • If you work in these areas and are eligible within our funding priorities and restrictions, please consider applying.
    • Nonprofits that work internationally or domestically outside of Oregon, including regional and national organizations
    • Climate crisis mitigation, especially aggressive efforts to curtail or prevent new greenhouse gas emissions
    • International long-term health equity initiatives and health equity initiatives addressing aging and supporting elders
    • Systemic initiatives and advocacy/policy work in any of our funding priorities
• Over-represented areas:
  • We value these types of work and still seek applications from these categories, but applicants may find these categories slightly more competitive if current trends continue.
    • Arts initiatives
    • Oregon frontline nonprofits across all sectors
    • Frontline services, especially organizations supporting people with mental health or substance use needs and organizations supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic and sexual violence

Funding Area: Climate

We seek to fund initiatives that work aggressively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to prevent new emission sources now, both at the frontlines and through policy, markets, litigation, and legislation.

This includes (but isn’t limited to) organizations that:

• Support or lead upstream policy, advocacy, or other reform initiatives that deter new fossil fuel investments, accelerate decarbonization, and promote renewable energies, both domestically and internationally.
• Advance grassroots organizing by Indigenous or other frontline communities, or work to advance climate justice in systems or markets.
• Regranting organizations that can pool our resources with other funders’ and direct them to impactful, proven organizations.

Funding

We tend not to fund organizations with annual budgets over $20 million, although there are some exceptions. We often fund grassroots initiatives. We fund larger organizations ($10m+ budgets) only if they primarily are resource, advocacy, policy, movement-building; if they are regranting organizations; or if they work beyond the local/statewide level (regional, national, international). We also occasionally fund larger organizations working across multiple regions or countries to provide lasting frontline interventions.

We offer unrestricted grants, mostly ranging from $5,000-$40,000. We occasionally fund smaller and larger requests, and we are moving toward more multi-year grants. We try to keep a balance between organizations providing frontline services and organizations working to create and advocate for systemic solutions.

Our grants are unrestricted and can be used for general operating, program/project, capacity building, capital requests (for projects with budgets under $1m), endowment, seed funding, etc.

Who We Are

Based in Portland, Oregon and created in 2019 by Dr. Ron Naito, the Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation continues his legacy of healing by supporting nonprofit organizations that strengthen, protect, and transform our communities and our planet.

Our grants support organizations working all over the world to mitigate the climate crisis, reduce health disparities, and build communities that are socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. We also support Oregon-based arts and education initiatives, particularly those focused on under-resourced communities.

Our grants are trust-based. Because we respect the expertise of our nonprofit partners and understand that they know best how to spend their funds, all of our grants are unrestricted.

Current Funding Trends

• Under-represented areas:
  • If you work in these areas and are eligible within our funding priorities and restrictions, please consider applying.
    • Nonprofits that work internationally or domestically outside of Oregon, including regional and national organizations
    • Climate crisis mitigation, especially aggressive efforts to curtail or prevent new greenhouse gas emissions
    • International long-term health equity initiatives and health equity initiatives addressing aging and supporting elders
    • Systemic initiatives and advocacy/policy work in any of our funding priorities
• Over-represented areas:
  • We value these types of work and still seek applications from these categories, but applicants may find these categories slightly more competitive if current trends continue.
    • Arts initiatives
    • Oregon frontline nonprofits across all sectors
    • Frontline services, especially organizations supporting people with mental health or substance use needs and organizations supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic and sexual violence

Funding Area: Sustainable Communities

In Sustainable Communities, we seek to fund organizations that address pressing social issues and support equitable models of infrastructure so that communities can thrive socially, environmentally, and economically.

Sustainable Communities grants often intersect with our Climate and/or Health Equity funding areas, incorporating social justice advocacy, economic initiatives, climate adaptation, and other human rights and environmental justice initiatives that impact health outcomes, lead to healing, and increase communities’ capacity to thrive.

This includes (but isn’t limited to):

• Social justice, civil rights, and anti-hate initiatives that build power, sovereignty, community, and resources for people whose wellness and success are threatened by systemic prejudice or injustice.
• Triple-bottom-line initiatives that help historically-marginalized communities gain access to sustainable economic power and lasting health benefits.
• Environmental justice work that impacts the health and success of historically marginalized communities, and that help communities adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis.

All of these are united by healing — of prejudice and hate, of inequities, and of the many social, economic, and environmental factors that adversely impact people’s health and well-being.

Funding Areas

There is urgent need in our world for healing: healing our planet, healing our communities, and healing ourselves, in body, mind and spirit. Our grants focus on four key areas of healing. 

• Climate
• Health Equity
• Oregon Arts & Culture
• Sustainable Communities

Current Funding Trends

Under-represented areas:

• Nonprofits that work internationally or domestically outside of Oregon, including regional and national organizations
• Climate crisis mitigation, especially aggressive efforts to curtail or prevent new greenhouse gas emissions
• International long-term health equity initiatives
• Health equity initiatives addressing aging and supporting elders
• Systemic initiatives and advocacy/policy work in any of our funding priorities 
• If you work in these areas and are eligible within our funding priorities and restrictions, please consider applying.

Over-represented areas:

• Arts initiatives
• Oregon frontline nonprofits across all sectors
• Frontline services, especially organizations supporting people with mental health or substance use needs and organizations supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic and sexual violence

We value these types of work and still seek applications from these categories, but applicants may find these categories slightly more competitive if current trends continue.

Challenge

Seeking innovative solutions that rethink the delivery, space and place of care for communities with limited availability or proximity to healthcare services.

Background

Underserved communities often experience limited access to quality healthcare services due to various factors, including geographical and physical barriers, lack of available culturally competent care, discrimination and bias, constraints on how care is delivered (e.g., in-person vs. virtual) and more. By rethinking the delivery, space and place of care to expand access to care beyond traditional settings to institutions trusted by communities, community-based organizations can address non-medical factors that influence a person’s health outcomes, commonly known as social determinants of health (or non-medical determinants of health).

Innovative, grassroots solutions have the potential to bridge these gaps, improving access and enhancing the quality of care by meeting communities where they are and providing tailored services to address the specific needs of diverse populations.

Community-based organizations are particularly effective in this regard due to their deep knowledge of local community dynamics, cultural nuances and specific needs. They also have the ability to foster partnerships, collaborations and leverage investments beyond the traditional healthcare system, addressing the socioeconomic and structural factors that drive population health.

The AbbVie Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to drive transformative change and advance health equity in communities worldwide, in partnership with MATTER, has launched the AbbVie Foundation Health Equity Accelerator. We invite applications for innovative, scalable solutions that rethink the delivery, space and place of care for communities with limited access or proximity to healthcare services.

The accelerator will empower nonprofit organizations to drive innovative, community-led solutions to address health disparities by providing mentorship and access to resources to scale their programs’ impact and drive meaningful change.

Benefits of participation

Participants in this eight-week accelerator will gain access to valuable resources, including a dynamic, interactive curriculum delivered by subject matter experts. This program is designed to enhance participants’ solutions, refine their model and strategies and empower them to drive significant impact in health equity.

• Financial support: Each selected participant will receive a $10,000 stipend, recognizing their time and dedication to the program. Additionally, one winning solution will be awarded a $50,000 unrestricted grant to support the implementation and development of their innovative approach to health equity.
• Expert guidance and mentorship: Participants will benefit from tailored mentorship from industry leaders and health equity experts. This guidance will help refine their strategies and maximize their impact.
• Networking opportunities: Engage with a diverse cohort of peers, potential partners, and stakeholders in the health equity space. These connections can lead to valuable collaborations and long-term partnerships.
• Visibility and recognition: Participants will have the opportunity to showcase their solutions to a broader audience. This exposure can open doors to additional funding and support.

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Vision

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, "A Foundation for All", was established in 2002. It was begun in order to give a clear voice for those who wish to be a part of the many, worthy, forces for change in our world.

We are a foundation whose purpose is to look ahead towards the future, giving the past its due by remembering where we came from, and how much we can all accomplish together. We aim to make the critical difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever changing world. We respect all Life, the Environment, and all People, no matter who they are.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

About the Fred Morgan Kirby Prize for Scaling Social Impact

The Fred Morgan Kirby Prize for Scaling Social Impact is an annual global prize of USD $150,000 in unrestricted funds that amplifies and accelerates the work of an enterprise working to scale its impact on social or environmental problems around the world.

The Kirby Prize recognizes enterprises pursuing strategic pathways to impact at scale, who are close to the challenges at hand, who center the voice and experience of the populations they serve, who have demonstrated traction, and who embody courageous and collaborative leadership. This prize is open to any legal form, geographic location, and any social or environmental impact area. 

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is dedicated to upholding the legacy of Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco, (née Grace Kelly). Her commitment to advance the arts in the United States is sustained by the Princess Grace Awards which supports and elevates extraordinary early career artists in theater, dance and film through game-changing grants; and nurtures and supports Princess Grace Award winners throughout their careers.

 Funding

The Princess Grace Award is an unrestricted cash grant of $15,000 paid directly to the artist.

Cause Strategy Partners

Our Mission

To inspire the world’s professionals to serve their cause.

Our Vision

We envision a world where every business and community leader finds  purpose by lending their skills and passions to high-impact, value-aligned nonprofits working to create  a more just, vibrant, and equitable world.

Alexandra Hallock Capacity Building Grant for Small Nonprofits

The Alexandra Hallock Capacity Building Grant for Small Nonprofits, established in 2024 to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Alexandra Hallock, is dedicated to supporting small nonprofit organizations whose mission and work champions human rights, girls' and women's empowerment, and LGBTQ+ causes.

Alexandra Hallock, affectionately known to many as “Allie,” was a tireless advocate for nonprofit organizations in the United States and charities in the United Kingdom. Before her untimely passing at the age of 37 from NUT carcinoma cancer, Allie impacted countless lives, strengthened thousands of organizations, and inspired social impact leaders across the US and UK.

Much of Allie’s life’s work centered on helping nonprofits with promising solutions build the infrastructure and governance capacity required to actualize their potential and advance their social justice missions. In her career, Allie supported hundreds of nonprofits at Taproot Foundation before becoming the first full-time employee at Cause Strategy Partners, where she eventually became the Chief Operating Officer.

By investing in grassroots organizations serving the causes that were closest to Allie’s heart, this opportunity aims to amplify their impact, strengthen their capacity, and empower them to effect meaningful change in their communities, long into the future. In doing so, we honor Allie’s vision and commitment to a world where every voice is heard, every life is valued, and every human right is upheld.

Potential Capacity Building Improvements

Proposed capacity building improvements could include, but are not limited to:

• Enhancing business functions (accounting, bookkeeping, data management, etc.)
• Amplifying communications capacity (website design, social media, brochures, etc.)
• Diversifying revenue streams (developing targeted plans for fundraising and donor development, etc.)
• Updating technology
• Strengthening leadership and team culture through training and professional development opportunities
• Enhancing staff/volunteer recruitment and retention
• Strengthening advocacy/public policy skills

Awards will be based, in part, on the proposed capacity building work; specifically, how this funding will strengthen the capacity of the organization in tangible ways, and the ability of the organization to reach identified population(s) in need (those being women and girl's empowerment, human rights, and the LGBTQ+ community).

Award Information

This capacity building grant opportunity offers recipient organizations a one-time $20,000 USD unrestricted grant and a host of pro-bono capacity building support, including:

• A limited-scope consulting engagement delivered by Cause Strategy Partners experts in the field, providing valuable assistance in building the organization’s governance infrastructure (valued at $10,000 USD);
• Connection to Taproot Foundation’s capacity-building programs and their Nonprofit Success Coaches for consultation on successful use of pro bono resources;
• Permanent access to the BoardLead Nonprofit Network, which offers a wide variety of nonprofit governance and leadership-related resources including trainings, seminars, panel discussions, guides, and fireside chats;
• Unlimited access for all board members to BoardLearn, Cause Strategy Partners’ learning platform for nonprofit board members that includes a New Board Member Good Governance Boot Camp course; and
• Prominent publicity associated with the grant award announcement.

Up to 3 organizations will be selected for funding in this inaugural award cycle.

Background:

In 2025, F5's STEM Education and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Grants are focused on supporting nonprofit organizations committed to helping build the pipeline of tomorrow’s female changemakers and future leaders, by investing in organizations and programs to increase access to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and career opportunities for women and girls of color.

This year, we have introduced AI as a focus area for our granting, to reflect the rapidly changing environment in the fields of both STEM education and careers in STEM. We want to ensure everyone has access to AI’s transformative potential.

Grant Details

• Those served through the grant funding must be majority (>50%) women of color and/or girls of color.
• Grant funding is unrestricted
• Grant amount is a one-time $50,000 USD grant
• Nonprofits in all countries are eligible for funding

Lumena Foundation

Lumena Foundation invests in women-focused nonprofits to amplify their impact.

Our Vision

We envision a future where all women in America have equal, inalienable, and permanent rights 
to live with complete autonomy.

Our approach

A venture fund for nonprofits without the capitalism. We seek to invest in organizations and individuals committed to securing the rights and choices of all women. Our investments in these changemakers expand their capacity and resiliency. 

Our Funds

Trust-based grants to support changemakers at every stage. We offer trust-based multi-year grants, following an equitable philanthropic approach aimed toward impact. Above all, we’re committed to meeting the unique needs of all types of organizations from upstarts to experienced difference-makers. How do we do it? Money. No strings attached.

Lumena Foundation Moon Grant

Our multi-year grants allow organizations to withstand financial uncertainty—or seize opportunities to scale, expand their scope, and make strategic hires. We believe in your vision; the decisions are always yours. 

Usage Restrictions: Unrestricted

Guiding Premise

Harold Townsend Sumner demonstrated in words and actions his belief that good citizens working together through independent charitable organizations are critical to improving quality of life in Gaston County. He was a co-founder and constant leader of the Community Foundation’s efforts to effectively assemble and manage long-term charitable funds on behalf of local philanthropists and the operating charitable organizations. He also pictured the Foundation as a role model in encouraging philanthropy. The Foundation sees this plan as a permanent tribute to Mr. Sumner’s service that is consistent with his vision for the community and the Foundation’s own mission.

Harold T. Sumner Professional Education Grants

Harold T. Sumner Professional Education Grants are given to independent nonprofit organizations in Gaston County. The grants will be awarded to independent charitable, cultural, or educational organizations that seek financing for professional training/education for a key staff member with at least one year of service in the nominating organization. Preference is giving for training that is local / in-state.

Awards will be based on direct nomination by a tax-exempt community organization meeting normal Foundation standards for grants from its unrestricted Funds on behalf of one of its staff members. Organizations that receive the grant will not be eligible to apply for the grant cycle the following year.

The maximum amount awarded in this year will be $5,000. The Foundation may grant either one or more grants from that total amount. However, no grant will be made if, in the Foundation’s sole discretion, no deserving applications are received.

The Foundation will establish a committee to select recipients in a fair and competitive manner. Key criteria will include the non-profit staff member’s professional record and the potential for positive results to benefit the nominating organization.

About the American Floral Endowment

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) is the trusted source and catalyst for floriculture advancement through funding of innovative research, scholarships, internships, and educational grants that best serve the dynamic needs and demographics of all industry sectors.

Building A Stronger Floriculture Industry

AFE strongly believes in funding educational programs to promote and strengthen the floriculture industry. The majority of the programs funded are wide-reaching and focus on attracting young people to the industry or are educational endeavors to identify and solve industry needs and/or challenges.

Meinders Retail Florist Education Grant Fund

The Meinders Retail Florist Education Grant Fund (previously Herman and LaDonna Meinders Fund) was established in September 2021 by Herman and LaDonna Meinders, longtime industry members and AFE supporters, with a new contribution of $224,000 added to the previous unrestricted contributions reaching a total of over $500,000.

This educational grant will specifically support reduced or free registration fees to floral industry events for retail florists by providing grants or scholarships to nonprofit floral industry organizations for this purpose. The fund is fully sustainable and is expected to grow year over year, allowing for increased contributions of important industry educational programs. In its first year, it will provide over $10,000 in grant funding.

The annual distribution from this named fund will be administered by the AFE Education Committee as part of the AFE Educational Grants application process in July of each year. The AFE Education Committee will review grant applications received and discuss annual retail floral educational events or opportunities to determine the distribution levels to fulfill the intent of this retail florist educational grant.

Imagine a better world

Our goal is to empower nonprofit organizations to prioritize technology as a mission-critical component of their projects and provide support for organizations pursuing technology driven goals. As part of the program, we are seeking proposals for pilot projects, proofs of concept, or existing programs that utilize technology in a new or expanded way.

AWS Imagine Grant Award categories

AWS Imagine Grant offers three distinct award categories for 501 (c) nonprofits based in the United States to receive support based on their organizational goals and the stage in their technology adoption journeys.

The Pathfinder – Generative AI AwardThe Pathfinder — Generative AI award will provide support for a highly innovative, mission-critical project that leverages generative AI. This project will have the potential to produce a scaled, repeatable solution that directly accelerates mission achievement and may impact an entire industry or field. Projects in the Pathfinder category may include service types mentioned in the Go Further, Faster and Momentum to Modernize awards, but must include the use of generative AI as a required additional workload. Pathfinder projects must be building on existing data strategy and foundation, and the generative AI use case is already defined with implementation in the planning phase (or later). Award package includes:

• Up to $200,000 USD of unrestricted financial support
• Up to $100,000 USD in AWS Promotional Credit
• Project implementation support from the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center
• Access to AWS training and support
• An opportunity for AWS marketing promotion

The Go Further, Faster Award

The Go Further, Faster award will provide support for highly innovative projects that leverage the cloud. These projects will have the potential to produce scaled, repeatable solutions and may impact an entire industry or field. They will be force multipliers for organizations and will include the application of and/or seek integrations with advanced cloud services, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), high performance computing (HPC), Internet of Things (IoT), and more.

Award package includes:

• Up to $150,000 USD of unrestricted financial support
• Up to $100,000 USD in AWS Promotional Credit
• Project implementation guidance from AWS technical specialist(s)
• Access to AWS training and support
• An opportunity for AWS marketing promotion

The Momentum to Modernize Award

As nonprofit organizations seek to transform and enhance their core mission operations with technology, many organizations need funding for foundational technology projects, such as migrating servers to the cloud and modernizing new and existing applications. The Momentum to Modernize award will provide funding for these transformational infrastructure projects, alongside AWS Promotional Credit and implementation support. Nonprofit organizations with specific workloads and outcomes that meet the program criteria are welcome to apply. Projects may include application migration and optimization, net-new application development, database migration and centralization, infrastructure expansion, and more.

Award package includes:

• Up to $50,000 USD of unrestricted financial support
• Up to $20,000 USD in AWS Promotional Credit
• Project implementation guidance from AWS technical specialist(s)
• Access to AWS training and support
• An opportunity for AWS marketing promotion

Press Forward’s first open call will address the longstanding inequalities in journalism coverage and practice in the U.S., by investing in small, local newsrooms that provide original reporting in underserved communities.

Through this Open Call on Closing Local Coverage Gaps, at least 100 newsrooms will receive around $100,000 each over two years in unrestricted funds. News organizations with budgets of up to $1 million are eligible.

In the U.S., the news media has not adequately represented, reached nor uplifted the voices of under-represented groups in their coverage. As a result, entire communities are left out of the conversation on the issues that most affect their lives, resulting in lower levels of voting and civic engagement, deeper polarization and a higher cost for government services.

Press Forward wants to ensure that local coverage meets the needs of communities of color, linguistically diverse communities, low-wealth rural communities, and others not adequately served, reached or represented. This open call offers funding to smaller news organizations that are providing the hyperlocal, original reporting people need to make important decisions.

New Rising Ventures

Mission

New Rising Ventures is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of New Media Ventures. New Rising Ventures supports early-stage, nonpartisan entrepreneurs and activists transforming our democracy through innovation and bridges a critical gap not fulfilled by traditional grantmakers or venture capital. Our signature four activities include investments and grantmaking, portfolio support, field building, and convenings.

What We Do

New Rising Ventures finds, funds, and supports social impact entrepreneurs who are growing new organizations that serve the public interest. Social entrepreneurs working on mission-oriented projects face unique barriers to funding and scaling their organizations: access to capital, introductions and networking opportunities, experienced advice, and peer-to-peer relationships that serve as a critical layer of support. Likewise, many funders lack the reach and deep industry expertise to find and evaluate great mission-oriented startup opportunities. New Rising Ventures brings founders and funders together and provides charitable and educational support to increase the scalability of companies providing opportunities to better lives for Americans. 

Democracy is more than casting a vote—it is the daily engagement with the structures that impact the majority. To build a truly equitable democracy, we must create social power in places where political interventions fall short. This means addressing the day-to-day realities that people face, like climate, education, women’s healthcare, the economy, incarceration, and cultural change—issues that remain critical regardless of electoral outcomes. 

By investing to build social power through innovation, we can create more avenues for people to have agency in their lives. As such, New Rising Ventures proudly supports brilliant, experienced individuals thinking of and building new ways to make life easier for the most marginalized across all demographics. 

The Rising Fund

With the launch of The Rising Fund, New Rising Ventures is making a bold, multi-year commitment to back the builders, dreamers, and innovators who are stepping into the gaps—those reimagining democracy not just as a political system, but as a foundation for shared power and collective infrastructure.

At NRV, we believe we’re living through a rare and urgent moment—one where transformation isn’t just possible, it’s essential. The systems we’ve inherited aren’t enough—and they were never built for all of us. We’re here to back those bold enough to rethink what’s possible and build toward something better.

In the years ahead, our investments and programming will be anchored in three core principles:

• Catalyzing Inflection Points: Identifying and investing in key moments where change is possible, accelerating movements that turn disruption into transformation.
• Radical Reconstruction: Dismantling inequitable systems and building new models rooted in justice and collective power.
• Amplifying Ownership: Shifting control over resources, technology, and narratives in bold ways.

Responsible AI Funding Cycle

AI is rapidly shaping our democracy, economy, and daily lives, but who is it serving? As we begin to phase in these core principles, we’re seeking innovators building AI-driven solutions that protect communities, advance equity, and shift power away from extractive systems.

We’re especially interested in solutions that:

• Strengthen trustworthy media ecosystems:
  • AI-powered tools or platforms that counter disinformation, democratize information access, amplify trusted sources, challenge corporate influence over media and culture in new and unexpected ways, etc.
• Reimagine civic engagement:
  • AI applications that foster democratic participation, make institutions more accessible, bolster community organizing or create new pathways for community-led decision-making, etc.
• Enhance civic life and public interest technology:
  • AI innovations that strengthen community infrastructure, or improve access to essential resources in areas like worker and immigrant rights, climate resilience, reproductive and LGBTQ+ protections, and beyond.

Additionally, we are looking for:

• Early-stage organizations with bold ideas and community-rooted leadership
• Solutions with strong potential to scale
• Organizations where a $50K grant/investment would be truly catalytic
• Teams based in the U.S. or working toward national impact

Award Information

$50K in unrestricted grants. Additionally, NRV supports the portfolio through:

• A network of founders where leaders ask questions, identify problems, and surface solutions in community.
• Webinars and one-on-one coaching to help new leaders navigate organizational and operational challenges, like setting goals and managing cash on hand.
• Catalyzing additional funding by connecting them to donors at our events and at other times of the year when possible.
• Virtual and in-person events

About NAEB

The Native Arts Ecology Building is a powerful tool that enables us to extend our impact beyond individual artists by supporting Native nonprofit organizations, artist collectives, and Native Community Development Financial Institutions (NCDFIs) in their efforts to uplift Native artists within their communities. Our cohort-based grant programs provide nonprofits with resources to identify opportunities for Native artists to thrive and to highlight their value to the broader Native community.

In 2018, we published a report detailing the results of our work with Native Arts Ecology Building Grant grantees, Investing in the Indigenous Arts Ecology. This report builds on the findings from our 2013 market study, "Establishing a Creative Economy: Native Arts as an Economic Engine.

Rooted Pathways

Rooted Pathways is a program that aims to provide resources and stability to an ecosystem of Native arts and cultural organizations through unrestricted general operating support, empowering organizations to define and advance their organizational well-being. If selected, organizations will be required to submit an Interim and Final report. Participation in the Learning Cohort is also a feature of this funding program.The program is designed to help organizations deepen their alignment with their mission and vision, strengthening their roots, fostering growth, and supporting their journey toward becoming thriving, resilient organizations.

This funding program is a part of the Wallace Foundation’s two- to three-year $36 Million Dollar Advancing Well-Being in the Arts Program.

Founders’ Award

Stability, strength, and continued growth and success have been the pillars of SAX’s standard of client service since 1956.

SAX Founders – Sander Sax, Morris Macy, and Egon Fromm – inspired the vision of advancing clients forward by advising them in the key areas critical to their success. This is the cornerstone of how SAX does business today.

SAX is a champion of nonprofits and The Founders’ Award is a vehicle in which we can honor the values of our Founders by empowering and supporting those organizations in ways that ensure their continued existence and positive impact on our world.

Theme & Criteria

• The theme of this year's Founders’ Award is: Perseverance
  • Definition: Doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
• The criteria for this year’s Founders’ Award include:
  • One (1) high-res file of your organization’s logo
  • Non-professional video, no longer than 5 minutes in length, answering the following questions:
    • How is perseverance engrained in your organization’s mission?
    • Can you share a time when your nonprofit faced a major challenge and how you overcame it?
    • How do you plan to sustain and grow your impact despite obstacles like funding or policy changes?

Funding

• 1st place: $20,000 unrestricted gift
• 2nd place: Mission Moment standalone video provided by Beard and Bowler Productions
• 3rd place: $5,000 unrestricted gift, courtesy of Valley Bank 

Poetry Programs, Partnerships, and Innovation

The Poetry Programs, Partnerships, and Innovation grant program provided funding to nonprofit organizations based in the U.S. and U.S. territories that are dedicated to advancing the field of poetry. Grants supported organizations working to:

• Broaden audiences for poetry,
• Increase access to poetry,
• Foster new collaborations and partnerships in poetry, and
• Drive innovations in poetry, including the use of new technologies.

Types of Support

Grants ranged from $10,000 to $75,000 for a 12-month period and offered two types of support:

• general operating support for poetry-centric nonprofits and
• program support for organizations with multi-genre or diverse poetry programming.

General Operating Support

The General Operating Support Program offers unrestricted funding to nonprofit poetry organizations, presses, publications, and select literary arts service and membership organizations. This funding is designed to support and strengthen core operations, including:

• Staff salaries
• Rent and utilities
• Technology
• General administrative expenses
• Marketing and fundraising efforts
• Technical support
• Hiring new paid staff positions

This program aims to provide flexible resources that enable organizations to focus on their missions and sustain their vital work in the literary arts.

Below are the eligibility details for each category:

Nonprofit Poetry Organizations and Literary Arts Service and Membership Organizations

The Foundation supports nonprofit poetry organizations based in the U.S. and U.S. territories with poetry central to their mission, along with select literary arts service and membership organizations. The Poetry Foundation supports both traditional literary arts service and membership organizations and literary arts organizations that serve as literary arts service and membership organizations for historically underrepresented poets and writers.

Nonprofit Poetry Presses and Publications

Nonprofit poetry presses and publications based in the U.S. and U.S. territories are eligible to apply for general operating grants. The Foundation also considers, on a case-by-case basis, presses and publications whose stated mission is to publish underrepresented poets and feature content that is at least 50% poetry.

Our Criteria

For 2024, NMV will focus on funding early stage companies seeking venture investment and building progressive power. Our primary focus areas are media & narrative, organizing & advocacy, and elections & civic engagement. For the next few months, we are especially interested in impactful, innovative solutions in media tech, civic tech, political tech, as well as the intersection of all of our verticals and AI. 

Scalable with a proof of concept

We prefer ventures with an existing user base (even if they are only beta users), demonstrated proof of concept, and a clear plan for generating revenue and/or growth. In some cases, we will fund ventures with little or no user base if there is compelling research proving the efficacy of the idea, or a clear opportunity to build power.

Sustainable model and impact

We have a preference for work that is sustainable and clearly builds progressive power. We’d like to invest in ventures that expect to generate revenue, although they may not now, or who have a plan for sustainable growth. Note: We do not invest in one-off media projects like documentaries, although we might invest in a company building a sustainable business model for making documentaries!

Strong, diverse team

We look for leadership teams that have both the technical and business talent to create something great and who understand their market intimately. We are especially interested in democratizing access to capital and encourage people who have been historically overlooked in the startup community to apply. In our experience, founders with direct experience of the challenges they are working to solve are best positioned to do so.

Progressive & mission-driven

NMV is mission-driven and works to invest in entrepreneurs and activists building progressive power in the United States. We care about environmental protection, economic equality, racial justice, a thriving democracy, and more. The startups we support are mission-driven and seeking to make the world a better place.

What support do selected organizations receive?

$50K to $100K in funding. We typically make investments in for-profits (most often via convertible notes or SAFEs) and give unrestricted grants to nonprofits. Please note that for the remainder of 2023 and going into 2024, we will be focusing on for-profit investments. Additionally, NMV supports the portfolio through:

• A network of founders where leaders ask questions, identify problems, and surface solutions in community.
• Webinars and one-on-one coaching to help new leaders navigate organizational and operational challenges, like setting goals and managing cash on hand.
• Catalyzing additional funding by connecting them to donors and investors at our events and at other times of the year when possible.
• We’re currently refining our program in response to feedback from current portfolio members and look forward to rolling out the next iteration of our support program in the months ahead.