Best Grants for New Nonprofits in West Virginia

The San Diego Foundation

We enable donors and nonprofit partners to tackle the most critical needs facing San Diegans.

For 50 years, donors, nonprofits, communities, government and civic leaders have trusted San Diego Foundation to transform lives and have partnered with us for lasting change that moves our region forward.

As San Diego’s largest regional community foundation, it’s our job to understand the pulse of our local communities better than anyone, enabling donors and nonprofit partners to tackle the most critical needs facing San Diegans.

Community Scholarship Program

Since 1997, the Community Scholarship Program has awarded $59.5 million to more than 15,400 students, making our program the largest non-university scholarship provider in San Diego County. By offering financial assistance, the program helps students dedicate more time to their studies, stay enrolled and complete their degrees.

The Veronica Zerrer and Michelle Dungan Scholarship Fund

The Veronica Zerrer and Michelle Dungan Scholarship Fund applicants should:

• Have resided in San Diego County for at least one year
• Plan to enroll full-time at a four-year university, graduate school, community college, or career/technical school in the United States
• Have an unweighted GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
• Have a demonstrated financial need
• Open to all San Diego County applicants, with an effort to reduce educational disparities for those who have faced barriers related to sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Roger Testrake Memorial Scholarship

The Roger Testrake Memorial Scholarship benefits students residing in Ripley, NY who plan on continuing their education after high school and have a relative who has served in the military.

Roger Testrake was instrumental in building a monument in Ripley to honor all veterans. This scholarship was renamed to honor him for all his perseverance, dedication and hard work on behalf of the Ripley Veterans Roll of Honor Organization. 

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Timothy Ryan Memorial Scholarship

The Timothy Ryan Memorial Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to students who exemplify characteristics exhibited by Timothy during his brief life: loving, caring, generous, family-oriented, genuine, sincere, and humorous.

The Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship, launched by the First Nations Development Institute and the Henry Luce Foundation, supports Native knowledge holders and makers in their transformative work. With ten fellowships of $75,000 each, this two-year program fosters growth and collaboration across diverse fields such as agriculture, climate change, and cultural revitalization. Fellows will engage in community-building through required convenings, enhancing their leadership skills and professional networks to benefit Native communities.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

St. Joseph School Scholarship

The St. Joseph School Scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior who resides in northern Chautauqua County, and intends to pursue a career teaching children with special needs.

Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains

Our mission at the Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains is to improve the region’s quality of life through the power of philanthropy. We do this by offering individuals, families, and businesses the most effective charitable giving tools available in the marketplace today. Founded in 1998, the Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains is honored to work with hundreds of donors, nonprofits, advisors, and civic leaders to achieve dreams for making the Endless Mountains region of Northeastern Pennsylvania an even better place to live for everyone.

Scholarships

Many generous individuals, families, and businesses have established scholarship funds to provide support to graduates in our region. Scholarships are available to graduating high school seniors.

Thomas Conaty Memorial Scholarship

Established by the family of Mr. Conaty to provide a college or post-secondary degree program scholarship to a student from Blue Ridge, Elk Lake or Montrose Area School Districts, including home schooled students from those districts. Preference will be given to a student who will pursue a degree in business or a related field.

The Hillman Innovations in Care Grant seeks innovative, nursing-driven proposals to address the impact of racism on health equity for marginalized communities. This includes addressing health disparities faced by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and economically disadvantaged populations. The program encourages bold, evidence-based interventions that enhance healthcare delivery and outcomes. Grants of up to $600,000 will support projects that demonstrate potential for broad replicability and sustainability over a 36-month period.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Rev. Clifford K. Cliver & Lucy Cliver Sumsky Scholarship

The Rev. Clifford K. Cliver & Lucy Cliver Sumsky Scholarship Fund acknowledges and supports Chautauqua County foster children by providing scholarships for continuing education.

The Bill and Joyce Coborn Memorial Scholarship supports Coborn's employees and their dependents pursuing private high school or post-secondary education. Offered by CommunityGiving, this scholarship provides up to 20 awards of $1,000 each, fostering educational advancement and community empowerment. Eligible applicants include high school seniors, college students, and graduate students who are children of Coborn's employees with at least one year of service. This initiative honors the legacy of Bill and Joyce Coborn while promoting lifelong learning.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Dunkirk Area Labor Council Scholarship

The Dunkirk Area Labor Council Scholarship supports graduating students who are furthering their education in the trades or manufacturing technology.

Excellence in Medicine Awards

The AMA Foundation’s Excellence in Medicine Awards honor physicians and medical advocates who exemplify the highest values of the profession—volunteerism, community engagement, leadership, and service to underserved populations. Each recipient is recognized at a ceremony during the AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago and receives a $2,500 grant honorarium directed to a nonprofit health organization of their choice. Since 2005, more than 100 honorees have been celebrated through this program, with over $250,000 awarded to strengthen community health and advance equitable care nationwide. 

Jack B. McConnell, MD, Award for Excellence in Volunteerism

Honors senior physicians (55+ years old) who are committed to providing medical care to those without access to health care in the U.S.

The Engagement Award: Convening Support fosters meaningful collaboration among patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other stakeholders in research. Initiated by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), this program aims to enhance patient engagement throughout the research process. By providing tools and resources, the award supports initiatives that improve healthcare delivery and outcomes, ensuring that patient perspectives are integral to research efforts.

About

Community Foundation of Henderson County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public charity, governed by a volunteer board of directors, that has been assisting donors fulfill their philanthropic dreams since 1982.

Community Foundation of Henderson County was incorporated in 1982 by a group of fourteen dedicated and compassionate local leaders with the immediate need to manage two funds - the William C. Armstrong Scholarship Fund and the Charlie Renfrow Scholarship Fund, in addition to providing a permanent vehicle for citizens to give back to their community.

Dan and Amy Pace Scholarship

This scholarship provides financial support to students who are graduates of a public high school in Henderson County and who plan to pursue a certification to teach high school English.

The Howard Vincent Kurtz Student Engagement Grant, funded by USITT, supports emerging theater artists with financial assistance up to $1,200 for academic costs. Grants cover research, travel, and project completion, along with a complimentary conference registration. Eligible applicants include undergraduate and graduate students in theatrical design and technology, nominated by a USITT member. Winners receive mentorship for six months, fostering professional growth and development in the entertainment industry.

AISD 125th Anniversary Consolidated Scholarship

Attending four-year university, two-year college or trade school.

Awards

• (16) $1,200.00

The Friends of Carl Sandburg Donald E. Hubbs Scholarship Fund, managed by the Community Foundation of Henderson County, aims to support Henderson County residents pursuing college degrees in Conservation, Animal Science, or Parks and Recreation. This fund prioritizes students specializing in American Literature but is open to those not necessarily at the top academically or financially. Established in 1982, the foundation has a strong history of facilitating community philanthropy.

The Elliott Antokoletz Fund supports doctoral and post-doctoral research in twentieth-century music, honoring the legacy of esteemed scholar Elliott Antokoletz. It is open to Ph.D. students and recent graduates from North American universities, with an award range of $500 to $5000. Preference is given to applicants from institutions lacking financial support for musicological research. This initiative promotes creativity through music-centered research, ensuring equity and inclusion in the academic study of music.

The 14th Quartermaster/Operation Desert Storm Scholarship Fund, established by The Pittsburgh Foundation, supports Westmoreland County High School students pursuing military careers or whose parents are veterans. Eligible applicants must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and articulate the impact of military service on their family dynamics. This scholarship does not consider financial need, but applicants are encouraged to provide financial information. It aims to foster academic growth and honor military service within the community.

Community Foundation of Henderson County

Individuals, families, organizations and businesses establish funds at the Foundation to carry out their charitable giving now and in the future.

Community Foundation of Henderson County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public charity, governed by a volunteer board of directors, that has been assisting donors fulfill their philanthropic dreams since 1982.

Our Mission: Helping people who care make lasting contributions to causes that matter.

Scholarships

Community Foundation of Henderson County's Scholarship Program began in 1984. Thanks to the generosity of passionate donors, over 2,000 traditional and non-traditional students have been provided more than $10 million in scholarships to pursue higher education.

Robert and Vivian Edwards Scholarship

This scholarship is for a graduate of a Henderson County public, private or parochial high school who plans to enter into the field of veterinary medicine or related studies. This scholarship may be utilized for undergraduate and/or post-graduate studies. The recipient must be a legal resident of the United States.

Lois Roth Foundation

The Lois Roth Foundation honors the life and work of Lois Wersba Roth. Since 1987, it has sought to promote and encourage dialogue across national, linguistic and cultural boundaries, with an emphasis on the humanities, arts and social sciences. Foundation programs are conducted in collaboration with a range of partners and focused on three domains: Fulbright & Academic Collaborations, Cultural Diplomacy, and Literature & Translation.

Cultural Diplomacy

In recollection of Lois Roth’s efforts to promote cross‐cultural understanding and cooperation as a US Foreign Service Officer, the Roth Foundation partners with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) (US State Department), to provide the department’s four awards honoring excellence in the field of cultural and educational diplomacy.

The types of qualities displayed by recipients of Roth Foundation cultural diplomacy awards include:

• Cross‐cultural sensitivity and understanding for all—regardless of age, race, religion, color, sex, national origin or disability—and the courage and intellectual integrity to bring alternate facts and opinions into open conversation
• Ingenuity and imagination in creating projects, programs and products to deepen the contact between foreign intellectuals, artists and professionals and their US counterparts
• Familiarity with global affairs and foreign languages, to deepen substantive discussion between US and foreign intellectuals, scholars and professionals
• Patience, wisdom and generosity in helping new colleagues, both international and US, develop their careers
• Special skill in promoting collaborations between US and foreign institutions and high‐quality exchange opportunities with the civil sector.

Lois Roth Award For Cultural Diplomacy

The Lois Roth Award is presented every year to a Foreign Service Officer who has made significant contributions to the field of US cultural and educational diplomacy. It honors those who exhibit cross-cultural sensitivity in all aspects of their work and show patience, wisdom and generosity in helping new colleagues—international and American—to pursue and develop their skills and careers. Displaying familiarity with different areas of the world, global affairs and foreign languages, winners of this award hold substantive discussion with US and foreign scholars, artists and professionals, while exemplifying Lois Roth’s personal legacy of superior creativity and human warmth in their work with others.

Nomination Process

Every spring, the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs will internally circulate details regarding nominations for the four Lois Roth Foundation Awards. State Department supervisors are invited to submit nominations in all four categories.

The Fordney Foundation Grant supports talented individuals in dance, aiming to foster professional careers and enhance community engagement in dance sports. Established in 2002, the foundation offers financial assistance to young dancers (ages 6-25) and promotes ballroom dancing across diverse ethnic backgrounds. Its DanceStart Program aids families in supporting their children's dance education at competitive levels, emphasizing the importance of physical conditioning and personal expression through this art form.

The Bee Grant Program, offered by the Whole Kids Foundation, supports K-12 schools and non-profits in enhancing or establishing bee programs with live bees. The Traditional Bee Grant provides up to $1,500 or equipment for new initiatives, while the Renewal Bee Grant offers $500 to previously funded projects. Eligible applicants must ensure strong support from their organization and have a knowledgeable beekeeper as a mentor. This initiative emphasizes bee education and conservation, fostering awareness among students.

The Pittsburgh Foundation

Established in 1945, The Pittsburgh Foundation is one of the nation’s oldest community foundations and as of 2022 is the 18th largest of more than 750 similar foundations across the United States.

As a community foundation, its resources comprise endowment funds established by individuals, businesses and organizations with a passion for charitable giving and fulfilling the Foundation’s mission of improving quality of life for all in the region. The Foundation currently manages about 2,500 individual donor funds and, together with its supporting organizations and its affiliate, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, has assets of $1.386 billion (2022). Grantmaking benefits a broad spectrum of basic needs and development opportunities within Pittsburgh and beyond.

Scholarships

The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County provide scholarship opportunities for local students to pursue their educational goals. Scholarships are available for graduating high school seniors, undergraduates, graduate, medical and professional school students who are attending community colleges, four-year universities and career/technical schools.

American Advertising Federation Pittsburgh Scholarship Fund

The Pittsburgh Advertising Federation Scholarship Fund was created to provide scholarships for undergraduate students who are pursuing a curriculum suited for careers in communication, marketing or advertising.

Award Type: Single Year. Previous recipients are encouraged to re-apply in consecutive years.

The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation's Psychosocial Research Postdoctoral Fellowship supports early-career researchers in spinal cord injury (SCI) psychosocial studies. It aims to enhance professional interest and training in this vital field, focusing on areas such as caregiving, employment, and technology access. The fellowship offers mentored training, covering salary and up to $35,000 for non-personnel costs over two years, ensuring comprehensive support for fellows to advance their careers.

The Westmoreland Walks Pink Ribbon Scholarship Fund, established by The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, supports graduating seniors from Westmoreland County high schools affected by breast cancer. This single-year scholarship aims to assist students in pursuing their educational goals, whether at vocational, technical, or four-year institutions. The Pittsburgh Foundation, a long-standing community foundation since 1945, manages various funds to enhance the quality of life in the region.

The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize is awarded to early-career scientists in the New York area who are pursuing innovative cancer research. Established by the Pershing Square Foundation in partnership with The Sohn Conference Foundation, the prize offers $250,000 annually for up to three years. With a commitment of over $49 million since 2013, the Alliance aims to accelerate cancer cures by fostering collaborations between academia and industry, providing a unique network and access to vital resources for groundbreaking research.

The Career Women’s Network Scholarship Fund, established by the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, empowers non-traditional female students aged 25 and older to pursue higher education. This scholarship promotes leadership and personal development for women in the community, offering varying amounts each year. Recipients may renew their awards for up to four years, contingent on meeting eligibility criteria. The fund honors Katherine Walters, who valued education and aimed to assist women in achieving their academic goals.