Best Small Grants for Nonprofits in Washington

The Turner Family Scholarship Fund, established by Cal Turner Sr. in 1999, supports Dollar General employees and their children in their pursuit of education. This initiative reflects the Turner family's commitment to personal development and community support, fostering a culture of growth and opportunity. With over 30 years of impactful philanthropy, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee champions this scholarship to enhance educational access, empowering individuals to thrive in their chosen fields.

In 2025, the Community Foundation of Madison & Jefferson County awarded over $233,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors of the county’s public and private high schools. Nearly 50 different students earned money toward their college costs. Scholarships are available for a variety of applicants. Some are specific to schools, majors, need, or interests.

CFMJC scholarships may be used for tuition and related expenses like fees and required equipment at accredited colleges and universities. Room and board are not covered.

Bonnie & Printis Shelton Scholarship

Criteria evaluated:

• Academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and financial need

Required materials:

• FAFSA SAI PDF upload

Scholarship amount:

• $7,000 | 1 scholarship, renewable at $3,500 in each freshman & sophomore years

Our Opportunities

Thank you for inquiring about scholarship opportunities offered through the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and Greater Horizons

Please begin by completing your General Application. This is your profile. You will then be prompted to complete a second set of questions that will help to match you to different scholarship opportunities. Please be sure to read through each question and answer to the best of your ability. Upon completion, you will be given a list of applications that you qualify for, but may require additional information. You can apply to as many scholarships as you wish.

You are not considered for a scholarship until you select and apply to each specific opportunity.

Virginia Hannah Brown Scholarship

The purpose of the Fund shall be to provide scholarships to graduating seniors from Tazewell High School located in Tazewell, Virginia, or from Richlands High School in Richlands, Virginia, who are furthering their education at any accredited two or four year college, university and/or technical school. The scholarship is primarily intended to provide financial assistance to students who have potential, but who may not otherwise qualify for other academic or athletic scholarships because of GPA or lack of involvement in extracurricular activities.

Scholarships will be sent directly to the school and will be made co-payable to the school and the student.

Scholarship amount is $3,000 per year, paid as $1,500 each semester upon meeting renewal criteria.

Each scholarship is renewable for up to four (4) years if the student remains enrolled in an accredited college, university or technical school; completes fifteen (15) credit hours each semester; and maintains a 3.0 GPA.

In 2025, the Community Foundation of Madison & Jefferson County awarded over $233,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors of the county’s public and private high schools. Nearly 50 different students earned money toward their college costs. Scholarships are available for a variety of applicants. Some are specific to schools, majors, need, or interests.

CFMJC scholarships may be used for tuition and related expenses like fees and required equipment at accredited colleges and universities. Room and board are not covered.

Meyers-Hoefling Scholarship

Criteria evaluated:

• Academic achievement and financial need

Required materials:

• FAFSA SAI PDF upload

Scholarship amount:

• TBD | 1 scholarship - First Year for Award

In 2025, the Community Foundation of Madison & Jefferson County awarded over $233,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors of the county’s public and private high schools. Nearly 50 different students earned money toward their college costs. Scholarships are available for a variety of applicants. Some are specific to schools, majors, need, or interests.

CFMJC scholarships may be used for tuition and related expenses like fees and required equipment at accredited colleges and universities. Room and board are not covered.

Madison Railroad Scholarship in Memory of Robert Griffin

Criteria evaluated:

• Academic achievement (with focus on technical/vocational courses) and letters of recommendation

Required materials:

• 2 letters of recommendation (one from a technical/vocational teacher, and one from a source outside of the school system - i.e. employer, 4-H leader, pastor, etc.), and
• a paragraph describing the program or course of study the student plans to pursue

Scholarship amount:

• $1,000 | 1 scholarship

In 2025, the Community Foundation of Madison & Jefferson County awarded over $233,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors of the county’s public and private high schools. Nearly 50 different students earned money toward their college costs. Scholarships are available for a variety of applicants. Some are specific to schools, majors, need, or interests.

CFMJC scholarships may be used for tuition and related expenses like fees and required equipment at accredited colleges and universities. Room and board are not covered.

Kiwanis Club Scholarship in Memory of John Hawk

Criteria evaluated:

• Academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and altruistic service

Scholarship amount:

• $5,500 | 1 scholarship

In 2025, the Community Foundation of Madison & Jefferson County awarded over $233,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors of the county’s public and private high schools. Nearly 50 different students earned money toward their college costs. Scholarships are available for a variety of applicants. Some are specific to schools, majors, need, or interests.

CFMJC scholarships may be used for tuition and related expenses like fees and required equipment at accredited colleges and universities. Room and board are not covered.

Madison Kiwanis - Connor K. Salm Scholarship

Criteria evaluated:

• Academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and altruistic service

Scholarship amount:

• $1,800 | 1 scholarship

The Hank Riley Zolla Scholarship Fund, administered by the San Antonio Area Foundation, supports students pursuing nursing careers, including neonatal and child care. Eligible applicants must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA and demonstrate financial need. This renewable scholarship can cover various degree levels, including associate, bachelor's, and vocational certificates. The fund aims to empower future healthcare professionals in the USA, ensuring quality education and community support for generations to come.

Armstrong County Community Foundation

The Armstrong County Community Foundation, a public nonprofit corporation,

• Gives grants, scholarships, and organizational support to address the needs of our community.
• Builds a permanent endowment to help our donors create a legacy through this endowment.
• Promotes informed philanthropy to increase and sustain charitable resources for the region.
• Provides leadership and builds partnerships to identify and solve community issues.

Michael Petronchek Musical Scholarship Fund

Mike Petronchek was a well known musician in our community. During the 40′s Mike played trombone in Angie Sgro and Johnny Murphy’s Dance Band. He loved the Big Band sound and attended many of the formal dances that were held at Laube Hall in Freeport to benefit charity. Mike served as a radio operator with the 8th Air Force during World War II because of his great “ear”. He received his bachelor’s degree from IUP and his master’s from Penn State.

For nearly four decades Mike shared his love of music with children here in Armstrong County. He was the Ford City High School music director from 1958 through 1984 and organized the county’s first elementary school band at Lenape Elementary. In his honor, the Michael Petronchek Musical Scholarship Fund was established for Ford City High School graduates pursuing an education in music.

Scholarship Details

• Available to High School Seniors
• Nonrenewable

All ACCF Scholarships are merit based.

Delaware Art & Design Scholarship

Awards:

• One time award of $20,000. Students may reapply each year.

The Stanley Fahn Junior Faculty Award, offered by the Parkinson's Foundation, supports early-career scientists in Parkinson's research. With $300,000 in funding over three years, it aims to bridge the gap for junior faculty transitioning to independent research. Eligible applicants must hold a PhD or MD and be U.S. or Canadian faculty members. This award promotes innovative research proposals that advance understanding and treatment of Parkinson's disease, fostering the next generation of scientists in this critical field.

The Eleanor B. and Henry H. Stroud, M.D. Memorial Scholarship, offered by the Delaware Community Foundation, provides a one-time award of $5,000 to Delaware residents pursuing medical degrees. This scholarship emphasizes excellence, ethics, and compassion in medicine, along with financial need and academic promise. Eligible applicants can reapply for up to four annual awards, with special consideration for those demonstrating innovation in medicine. The DCF awarded a record $850,000 in scholarships to 245 students for the 2024-2025 academic year.

The Frank H. and Zona T. Hall Fund, managed by the San Antonio Area Foundation, supports students pursuing a major in Business or vocational training. Established in 1964, this fund provides renewable scholarships to high school graduates in the USA who demonstrate financial need and maintain a GPA of 2.5. With a commitment to enhancing the community's quality of life, the fund has distributed millions in grants and scholarships, making a lasting impact on education and local initiatives.

This grant mechanism will focus on furthering the development of novel strategies towards improving the treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC). Work supported through this mechanism will address important areas of need across the entire care continuum and have the immediate potential to increase survivorship. It is expected that correlative translational research will be proposed that will enhance the understanding of SCLC.The overarching theme of the proposals should be centered around understanding the biology of SCLC and developing strategies toward improving outcomes for patients with SCLC. We will encourage applications on a wide variety of topics related to SCLC, including but not limited to the following:

• Advanced Screening and Diagnostic Technologies
  • Utilize liquid biopsies and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to enhance early detection and monitoring of SCLC, providing non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic solutions
  • Investigate the clinical utility of blood-based biomarkers for improving SCLC diagnosis, monitoring treatment response, and predicting outcomes
  • Leverage artificial intelligence for the early detection of SCLC

• Disease Progression and Acquired Resistance
  • Study of molecular + clinical characteristics of rapid progressors vs. long-term responders in SCLC to tailor personalized treatment approaches
  • Leverage radiomics to identify predictive or prognostic factors such as treatment response, risk of pneumonitis, and likelihood of brain metastases
  • Investigate the underlying mechanisms of primary and acquired resistance to chemotherapy and immunotherapy in SCLC
  • Identify and validate biomarkers indicative of disease progression and/or therapeutic resistance

• Biomarkers and Immuno-Oncology
  • Identify and validate biomarkers that can predict greater responses to immunotherapy treatments in SCLC, enhancing patient selection and treatment efficacy

• Biospecimen-based research
  • Leverage real-world patient tissue and/or blood samples to enable:
    • Longitudinal studies of SCLC progression from limited-stage to extensive-stage disease
    • Investigation of tumor and microenvironmental changes before, during, and after treatment to understand the evolution of resistance
  • Develop a centralized infrastructure for biospecimen collection, with standardized protocols and accessible repositories to facilitate broad research collaboration

These awards provide a maximum of $500,000 in funding over a period of three years.

The Weiss Writing Prize, established by the American College Health Foundation in 2010, aims to enhance mental health care quality for college students. It honors the lead author of a significant publication addressing student retention programs for those with mental health challenges. By fostering innovative and effective solutions, this prize encourages the dissemination of impactful research among American College Health Association members, ultimately contributing to the well-being and success of students across campuses.

The K–12 Educators Grants in American Music, offered by the American Musicological Society, provides $500 awards to K-12 educators with an interest in American music to attend the Teaching Music History Conference. This grant supports educators in engaging with historical pedagogy through workshops and networking opportunities. Participants will explore American music's significance while developing actionable lesson plans, fostering connections among educators and researchers committed to enhancing music education.

The NIDCR Drug, Biologic, Device and/or Procedure Intervention Clinical Trial Planning and Implementation Cooperative Agreement (UG3/UH3) is designed to support clinical trial planning and implementation for dental, oral, and craniofacial conditions. This funding opportunity encourages applications that propose innovative research strategies within the NIDCR mission. Key deadlines span from February 2025 to January 2028, with emphasis on milestone-driven planning phases leading into possible clinical trial phases.

Armstrong County Community Foundation

The Armstrong County Community Foundation, a public nonprofit corporation,

• Gives grants, scholarships, and organizational support to address the needs of our community.
• Builds a permanent endowment to help our donors create a legacy through this endowment.
• Promotes informed philanthropy to increase and sustain charitable resources for the region.
• Provides leadership and builds partnerships to identify and solve community issues.

Joan Tatsak Memorial Scholarship

Joan Tatsak was a beloved friend, colleague and mentor to many of our friends and neighbors here in Armstrong County. She inspired and encouraged her peers and coworkers to achieve and strive for excellence. This unique fund is a fitting memorial. The Joan Tatsak Memorial Fund is a non-traditional scholarship fund that offers grants for entrepreneurship, leadership and scholarship.

Scholarship Details

• Available to Adult Students
• Nonrenewable

All ACCF Scholarships are merit based.

The KCF: Competitive Grants Program aims to support nonprofit organizations focused on fostering care and family reconciliation for adolescents up to 25 years old. Grants of up to $7,500 annually are available to help youth transition from the foster care system and provide family reconciliation services. Eligible organizations must operate within Kitsap and North Mason Counties, demonstrating measurable outcomes to secure funding for the second year. This initiative is part of the Kitsap Community Foundation's ongoing commitment to supporting local communities.

$20K for changemakers with transformative ideas & firsthand insight in early childhood

About the Imagine Award

The Imagine Award by the Promise Fund offers $20,000 in flexible funding (see definition in FAQs) and a six-month cohort-based learning experience for community-rooted early childhood leaders with ideas for transformative impact. ​​Award recipients are at the idea stage and will launch a pilot within six months, testing their solutions with real users, gathering feedback, and refining their approach.

Imagine Award recipients will learn strategies for designing and executing lightweight tests for rapid learning while gaining clarity on their idea's direction using impact and business models. They will craft a compelling story about their work to build future partnerships and run a focused pilot with strong feedback loops for gathering data, all while growing alongside a supportive peer community.

What We Provide

Our grant dollars are flexible and meant to be used at award recipients’ discretion for the pursuit of tests or a pilot of a transformative idea. Read the FAQ for more information.

Direct, one-on-one support from our team to help you learn, get tailored help, and make relevant connections.

Multi-day gathering for peer connection, learning, and pilot design.

Access to a bench of mentors to guide you as you transition out of the program and navigate next steps with your pilot.

Light, tailored coaching to support pilot preparation, launch, and implementation.

Ongoing peer community and resources to continue learning and collaboration

Community Foundation of New Jersey

Over our 46-year history, the Community Foundation of New Jersey has collaborated with individuals, families, organizations, and businesses to design charitable funds and implement the philanthropic solutions they want to see in their communities. We leverage $1.17 billion in assets and 1,200 funds to help our partners think boldly and creatively about ways to give.

Scholarship Fund Overview

Beyond a shared commitment to educational opportunity, families establish scholarship funds with a variety of goals and purposes in mind. They may offer traditional scholarships or customize fund awards for alternative scholarships.

Currently, CFNJ administers more than 135 scholarship funds. Our scholarship opportunities run the gamut, from those exclusive to a local high school or geographic region to those supporting specific majors or career pursuits. Last year, we awarded over $2 million in scholarship assistance to 271 scholars.

Applicants may be evaluated on academic performance; extracurricular activities; community involvement; paid or unpaid work; and a statement of their personal aspirations, educational goals, and demonstrated unmet financial need in our scholarship review process.

David H. Roe Scholarship

This scholarship assists graduating high school seniors from the Greater Newark area who plan to pursue an undergraduate degree in mathematics, physics, biology, botany, or chemistry. Applicants must have been accepted to a four-year accredited college/university within the United States and must be entering their freshman year in the fall. If you have not yet been accepted to a college or university, please do not apply at this time. Scholarships are based on merit and unmet financial need.

NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute Cooperative Agreement Notice-5 invites multi-institutional proposals aimed at advancing human exploration of the Moon and Mars. This initiative focuses on innovative research to address critical scientific questions and develop technologies for future missions. The program emphasizes community development, training the next generation of scientists and engineers, and fostering partnerships to integrate science with exploration goals.

The Ralph M. Knight Chemistry & Engineering Scholarship, established in 2010 by Nancy Knight, honors her late husband, Ralph. This scholarship is aimed at full-time seniors in Catholic high schools within the Diocese of Phoenix who are practicing Catholics and U.S. citizens. Awardees receive a one-time $5,000 towards freshman-year tuition at a four-year college or university, provided they major in chemistry or engineering.

Community Foundation for Southwest Washington

The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington is a public charitable organization dedicated to strengthening communities across Southwest Washington by connecting people, resources, and philanthropic goals. The Foundation works to inspire giving, steward charitable funds, and invest in programs and initiatives that address local needs and opportunities. Through donor-advised funds, scholarships, grants, and community partnerships, the Foundation supports education, economic opportunity, health, and quality of life throughout the region. Guided by values of integrity, collaboration, equity, and long-term impact, the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington serves as a trusted partner for donors and nonprofits committed to building resilient and thriving communities.

AAUW - Vancouver Branch Scholarship

Founded in 1881, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is a national organization dedicated to advancing education and equity for women and girls. The Vancouver Branch, established in 1931, is the original AAUW branch serving Clark County, Washington, and supports local women through advocacy, community engagement, and educational opportunities.

This scholarship supports female students who are currently enrolled or planning to enroll full-time (minimum 12 credits per semester) at Washington State University Vancouver. Eligible applicants must be residents of Clark, Cowlitz, or Skamania counties, majoring in math, science, technology, or engineering, and have a minimum GPA of 2.5. The scholarship reflects AAUW’s commitment to increasing women’s participation and success in STEM fields.

The NRF Foundation Ray Greenly Scholarship supports students pursuing degrees in digital retail-related fields such as technology and supply chain. Established in memory of Ray Greenly, this scholarship aims to empower ambitious students with the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to innovate in retail. Eligible candidates must be undergraduate students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and relevant internship experience. The application deadline is November 3rd, providing a unique opportunity to attend the NRF Foundation Student Program in New York City.

The Kettering Family Foundation, established in 1956, supports diverse charitable activities across various sectors, including arts, education, health, and human services. Applicants must have a valid 501(c)(3) status and discuss proposals with foundation staff before applying. Only one application is allowed per year, and specific exclusions apply, such as for religious purposes and individual grants. The foundation emphasizes meaningful community impact, making it a vital resource for eligible organizations.

The I Could Do Great Things Foundation is dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations with innovative ideas that have a charitable purpose. By providing financial support and encouragement, the foundation aims to help transform great ideas into reality. There is no deadline for applications, making it accessible for anyone with a fresh approach to apply. The foundation prioritizes projects related to education, community, and Jewish causes, ensuring that the impact is meaningful and far-reaching.