Best Unrestricted Grants for Nonprofits

The Civil Money Penalty Fund Program, established by the Oklahoma State Department of Health, aims to enhance the quality of care in nursing facilities through projects funded by penalties collected from non-compliant nursing homes. This program supports various evidence-based practices and initiatives that focus on improving residents' health and wellbeing. Eligible organizations, including skilled nursing facilities, can apply for funding to implement innovative solutions that promote quality of life for nursing home residents.

The Lumpkin Family Foundation has launched the Wellness Grants for Leaders and Frontline Workers to combat burnout in nonprofit organizations. This program offers up to $2,500 for mental wellness initiatives and up to $10,000 for sabbatical leave for senior leaders. Eligible organizations must have received LFF funding within the last three years and adhere to specific guidelines. The foundation prioritizes the mental health of frontline workers to ensure sustainable community service.

The Farallon Islands Foundation Grant supports projects focused on island and ocean conservation, including research, maintenance, and public education. Grants typically range from $5,000 to $10,000. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations in the U.S., but partnerships with U.S.-based non-profits are encouraged for those who do not meet this criterion. Applications are accepted year-round, with no formal deadlines.

The NYFA’s Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program offers essential 1-on-1 mentorship to foreign-born artists, fostering community connections and professional development. This unique initiative, recognized as one of the best mentorship programs in the U.S., has supported over 525 artists from diverse backgrounds since its inception in 2007. Participants gain access to networking opportunities, workshops, and exhibition prospects, all aimed at enhancing their artistic careers in the vibrant New York cultural landscape. This program is free for accepted applicants.

The Florida Forest Legacy Grant Program aims to conserve critical forest areas threatened by development. It encourages landowners to maintain forested lands through economic incentives, ensuring sustainable management practices. Participation can involve selling property or retaining ownership with conservation easements. Funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the program receives support from the Great American Outdoors Act, which secures ongoing financial resources for land conservation efforts benefiting all Americans.

The Vermont Forest Legacy Program aims to protect crucial forestlands from conversion to non-forest uses. Established in 1992, it empowers private landowners to maintain ownership while ensuring the preservation of wildlife habitats, natural areas, and outdoor recreation opportunities. Through voluntary participation, landowners can receive funding for conservation easements or fee-simple acquisitions, with up to 75% of costs covered. This initiative is supported by partnerships with local non-profit organizations, enhancing public awareness and engagement in land protection efforts.

The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) plans to publish a funding opportunity announcement for Community-Partnered Nursing Research Centers (P20 Clinical Trial Optional). This initiative aims to strengthen nursing-led programs that foster community-partnered research addressing significant health issues. By enhancing interdisciplinary research capacities, the program will establish centralized resources in nursing schools, build expertise in community partnerships, and support nurse-led teams in developing, implementing, and evaluating impactful research projects.

Vermont Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) awards Specialty Crop Block Grants to the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Territories. In Vermont, the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) administers these funds to enhance the competitiveness of Vermont and regionally grown specialty crops.

Program Purpose

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by–

• Leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops
• Assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops
• Expanding availability and access to specialty crops
• Addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers
• USDA AMS supports projects that address the needs of U.S. specialty crop growers and strengthen local and regional food systems.

Project Types

USDA encourages projects to address the following issues affecting the specialty crop industry:

• ​Enhancing food safety
• Improving the capacity of all entities in the specialty crop distribution chain to comply with the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act, for example, by developing “Good Agricultural Practices,” “Good Handling Practices,” “Good Manufacturing Practices,” and in cost-share arrangements for funding audits of such systems for small farmers, packers and processors
• Investing in specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes
• Developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops
• Pest and disease control
• Increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops
• Improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems
• Sustainability

The Kansas Healthy Food Initiative (KHFI) aims to enhance access to affordable, healthy food in Kansas through technical assistance and financing. Projects should focus on serving low-resource and underserved areas and be led by experienced operators. Eligible applicants include food distributors, grocery store developers, and local food producers. KHFI provides funding through a mix of loans and grants, with a typical structure of 15% grant and 85% loan financing to support various community projects.

The Amarillo Handgunners Association offers the Bill Goodson Memorial Scholarship for graduating high school seniors in the northern Texas Panhandle. This scholarship encourages students involved in shooting sports to pursue higher education at any accredited institution in their chosen field of study. Recipients must maintain good standing while attending college, making this a valuable opportunity for aspiring scholars in the community.

The Benjamin Gimp Raffkind Memorial Scholarship, offered by the Amarillo Area Foundation, provides financial support for graduating high school seniors in the top 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle. Eligible students must have a GPA of 80 or better and plan to attend Amarillo College or West Texas A&M University. This scholarship aims to empower local youth by facilitating their pursuit of higher education and addressing the educational needs of the community.

Who We Are

We are an organization full of dedicated individuals who work every day to improve health in the state of Kansas. We dream big, promote bold visions and truly believe that it’s possible for Kansas to someday lead the nation in health.

But, it’s only possible with a broad network of effective partnerships across the state. We work closely with other health foundations, nonprofit groups, community foundations, state agencies, universities, hospitals, communities and advisory groups to develop programs and initiatives and to find answers to complex health issues.

And we will continue to form and strengthen partnerships with more Kansas organizations and communities.

Our work has continued for nearly 40 years, and we’re currently in the midst of an exciting new challenge. We invite you to view the information below to learn about our strategic framework, our history and our dynamic team.

Three-Part Purpose Statement

Every successful organization has to know its “Why.” Our “why” is demonstrated through our three-part purpose statement. These three statements serve as our overall goals and our greatest aspirations.

• Empower Kansas to lead the nation in health.
• Eliminate the inequities that lead to the greatest health disparities.
• For KHF to become THE model for philanthropic impact

Kansas Innovation Fund

Are you a visionary, a problem solver, or someone who is passionate about creating positive change in your community? Is your organization open to exploring new strategies and taking bold steps toward innovation? Have you come across ideas or projects from community members, youth or nonprofit staff that you are eager to implement but lack the necessary resources? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we invite you to consider applying for the Kansas Innovation Fund.

KHF will provide up to $5,000 for each approved idea/project. Our goal is to provide a funding opportunity for nonprofits looking to explore new strategies to solve complex issues.

How the Opportunity Works

To enable eligible Kansas nonprofits to test innovative ideas to address health and health equity, KHF is providing mini grants of up to $5,000. The mini grants will support a range of ideas from different sectors that address the underlying factors causing poor health outcomes and health disparities.

Criteria for Grant Selection

Does your funding request:

• Make it possible for more Kansans to have the opportunity to live a healthy life, or improve overall health?
• Propose a new and innovative project for your organization?
• Benefit Kansans or Kansas communities?

The Bob and Lanna Hatton Scholarship, offered by the Amarillo Area Foundation, supports graduating high school seniors from the top 26 counties in the Texas Panhandle who plan to pursue a degree in Education. Recipients can attend any college or university of their choice, provided they maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher while in college. This scholarship aims to foster educational growth and community development in the region.

The Dr. Charles and Phyllis Seward Scholarship, offered by the Amarillo Area Foundation, supports graduating high school seniors from the Texas Panhandle. This scholarship prioritizes Native American applicants and is available to those who will attend Amarillo College or West Texas A&M University, allowing them to major in any field of study. By addressing educational needs, this scholarship aims to empower local youth and foster community development.

The Hope Choice Pregnancy Center Scholarship, established in memory of Jacky Hall, supports mothers and birth mothers who are current or former clients of Hope Choice Pregnancy Center. Applicants must maintain a GPA of 2.5 and provide verification from CareNet. Preference is given to students planning to attend Amarillo College or West Texas A&M University. This scholarship aims to empower women while addressing important community needs in the Texas Panhandle.

The Jack and Marci McMicken Scholarship Fund, administered by the Amarillo Area Foundation, is dedicated to supporting members and immediate family members of the Amarillo Bowling Association, the Amarillo Women’s Bowling Association, and the Amarillo Young Bowling Alliance. This scholarship does not utilize the AAF general application. The foundation plays a crucial role in addressing community challenges and fostering philanthropy in the Texas Panhandle.

The 2025-2026 Title V, Part B Rural and Low-Income School Program Grant aims to support rural school districts facing challenges in securing federal grants and managing limited resources. This program provides greater flexibility for eligible schools to effectively address their local academic needs without any cost-share or matching requirements. Benefiting all students and teachers in these districts, it seeks to enhance educational opportunities and outcomes in underserved areas.

The Jack B. Weinberger Memorial Scholarship, offered by the Amarillo Area Foundation, supports graduating seniors from the top 26 counties in the Texas Panhandle. Eligible students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and plan to major in health care at any accredited college or university. This scholarship aims to foster future leaders in the health care sector while addressing the educational needs of the community in the Texas Panhandle.

The Ron and Susan Dubin Native Artist Fellowship, part of the Indian Arts Research Center, provides support for Native American artists through a three-month residency. Artists receive a monthly stipend, housing, studio space, and access to collections, encouraging exploration and creativity in various disciplines including painting, photography, and performance. Applications are open to indigenous individuals from North America, and the fellowship emphasizes traditional artistry, running from June 15 to August 15.

The Jake Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund, managed by the Amarillo Area Foundation, supports graduating seniors from the Texas Panhandle's northern counties who exhibit integrity, ambition, and strong moral character. Eligible applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and demonstrate their ability to overcome challenges posed by learning disabilities, while also valuing loyalty to family and friends. This scholarship empowers students to pursue higher education, fostering their personal and academic growth.

Junior Ranger Angler Grant

The Junior Ranger Angler program, where anyone young at heart can earn their Junior Ranger Angler badge, inspires young people to catch their first fish and encourages families and communities to enjoy the vast outdoor experiences and opportunities of the national park system. Today, neighbouring communities of nearly 200 national parks—both urban and rural— can participate in fishing in some capacity. Whether it be through engaging communities through recreational fishing or ensuring the continuation of traditional subsistence fishing practices among Indigenous Tribes in ancestral waters, through education, skill building, and community connections, fishing presents a valuable opportunity to both educate and engage the next generation of park stewards through meaningful experiences.

This grant opportunity specifically supports connecting children and families in their local communities with fishing activities in their national parks through inclusive and authentic engagement, community co-creation, and shared leadership and vision of programmatic activities. Funds can be used to support programs that encourage and engage a wide variety of audiences such as fishing clinics, gear libraries, intergenerational programming, community engagement programs, fishing focused Junior Ranger Day activities, and more.

Funding

Applicants may request up to $25,000. Please round your request amount to the nearest dollar.

The Love Your Neighbor Scholarship, offered by the Amarillo Area Foundation, supports seniors who demonstrate active community leadership and church involvement. Applicants must submit a letter from their youth minister or pastor. This scholarship is available to students from the top 26 counties in the Texas Panhandle, provided they attend WTAMU or Amarillo College and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0. Preference is given to those pursuing Christian-based degrees.

The Panhandle Restaurant Association Scholarship Fund, administered by the Amarillo Area Foundation, supports graduating high school seniors from the Texas Panhandle's top 26 counties who are employed in restaurants. With a minimum GPA of 2.5 required, eligible recipients can pursue their education at any accredited college or university, fostering a brighter future for the region's youth and enhancing local workforce development.

KBF Ski Racing Safety

The KBF helps alpine ski clubs around the country purchase safety equipment like netting and padding, and also contributes to venue improvement initiatives. Funding requests are reviewed through an annual grant cycle with an application process. Over the past decade, the Kelly Brush Foundation has purchased thousands of rolls of b-netting, supported trail widening projects, and helped with the purchase of other safety equipment. 

KBF Ski Racing Safety Equipment Grants are all matching grants–meaning that any grant awarded by the Kelly Brush Foundation will need to be matched by the ski club. We expect that clubs will join us in making safety a priority by fundraising or finding room in their budget for safety.

The VT Recreational Trails Grant Program supports the development and restoration of public recreational trails across Vermont. Funded annually by the Federal Highway Administration, these grants assist both motorized and non-motorized recreation. In the 2026 grant round, approximately $500,000 will be awarded to enhance trail systems statewide, ensuring accessible and maintained pathways for community enjoyment. For more details, refer to the federal guidelines on recreational trails.

The Elizabeth S. Peters Scholarship for the Advancement of Women aims to support female students from Marathon County pursuing higher education in accounting at the University of Wisconsin system. With over $300,000 awarded to more than 200 students annually, this scholarship fosters academic success and career development, ensuring that women have the resources needed to thrive in their educational journeys. The Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin administers this initiative, reflecting its commitment to enhancing community quality of life.

The Inspire Possibilities Scholarship aims to support graduating high school seniors from Marathon County who are pursuing education in the mental health field or have been personally impacted by mental health challenges. With over $300,000 available in scholarships, this initiative enhances community well-being and encourages students to follow their passion in mental health services. Eligible applicants must submit an essay detailing their personal experiences with mental health, showcasing the importance of this cause.