Best Williamson County Grants for Nonprofits in Texas

About Us

Wisconsin Sea Grant is a statewide program of basic and applied research, education, outreach and technology transfer dedicated to the stewardship and sustainable use of the nation’s Great Lakes and ocean resources.

Headquartered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the institute is housed in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research’s Aquatic Sciences Center. (See our Water and Land Acknowledgement.) Wisconsin Sea Grant is part of a national network of 34 university-based programs funded through the National Sea Grant College Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce and through matching contributions from participating states and the private sector. 

John A. Knauss Marine (and Great Lakes) Policy Fellowship

The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program is accepting applications from graduate students statewide for the National Sea Grant College Program’s John A. Knauss Marine (and Great Lakes) Policy Fellowship Program. The program, established in 1979, provides a unique educational experience to applicants who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The program matches highly qualified graduate students with “hosts” in the legislative and executive branch of government located in the Washington, D.C. area, for a one year paid internship. Placement opportunities are numerous and very diverse and have typically included offices within Congress, the Executive Office of the President, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Departments of State, Treasury, Transportation, and Energy, in addition to others. Applicants from a variety of backgrounds including natural and social sciences, law, engineering, and communications can be competitive for this fellowship. Fellowships begin June 1, 2027.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA), as the pass-through entity, is the grantee from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and TEA awards subgrants to non-federal entities such as local educational agencies (LEAs), including school districts, charter schools, and education service centers, and to a lesser degree institutions of higher education (IHEs), and nonprofit organizations (NPOs) who are the agency’s subgrantees.

Texas Strategic Staffing ESC Direct Grant

The Texas Strategic Staffing ESC Direct Grant is a direct grant to fund services for school systems awarded with the 2026-2028 Texas Strategic Staffing Grant for Residencies Grant (via LASO IV). ESCs will supply a Strategic Staffing fellow (TSS Fellow) who will provide technical assistance and other support to school systems and educator preparation program (EPP) partnerships to design and implement paid and sustainable yearlong teacher residencies across SY 2026-2027 and 2027-2028. 

Strategic Staffing technical assistance (TA) will be provided by Education Service Centers (ESCs) through the Texas Strategic Staffing (TSS) technical assistance service. With Education Service Centers providing technical assistance, school systems and EPPs will make informed decisions to develop paid teacher residencies that leverage reallocation and reinvestment of local funds to support teacher residents’ wages while they engage in other instructional responsibilities including substitute teaching, paraprofessional roles, tutoring, and more.

TA providers in this role also serve as critical thought partners for school systems as they establish strong residency systems for the Preparing and Retaining Educators through Partnerships Program (PREP) Residency Allotment, recruitment mechanisms through PREP Grow Your Own Allotment, and supportive training for host teachers through the PREP Mentorship Allotment.

In addition to TSS fellows, this grant funds Strategic Staffing State Leads. These are full-time Strategic Staffing ESC staff who will play a pivotal role in providing technical assistance throughout the State of Texas by training and coaching TSS Fellows on their respective technical assistance. State Leads are also leading technical assistance for a selection of school systems in Cohort 3 of Pipeline to Leadership (P2L) Strategic Staffing.

EDFA is providing professional development to help school districts implement a school model that redefines an instructional, talent, and comprehensive outstanding student experience across the district to support principals and other school leaders. Initially focusing on the campus leaders at campuses that need the most support in these areas and then ensuring that the district can effectively lead all campuses in these areas over the course of multiple years. These grant funds serve the purpose of supporting the district and particularly instructional leaders including principals and principal managers, as it relates to instruction, talent, and an outstanding and consistent student experience to prepare all students to meet the challenging State academic standards.

The purpose of the State Facilities Incentive Technical Assistance Grant is to provide high-quality facilities support to Texas charter schools and support State Facilities Incentive Grant (SFIG) grantees. The grant activities include providing technical assistance for charter school leaders on smart decision-making related to facilities and growth. This support aims to increase expertise in facilities planning, financing and operations. Grant activities also include supporting SFIG grantees through monitoring and evaluation to ensure awarded SFIG funds are appropriately stewarded. 

The purpose of this program is to enhance, expand, or modify existing maternal health outcome initiatives that prioritize diagnoses identified as severe obstetric complications (SOCs) and reduce SOCs (not present on admission that occur during the current delivery encounter), address gaps in maternal health outcomes, and strengthen community-based systems to ensure high-quality preventive, primary, and specialty services for pregnant or postpartum women. 

The purpose of this announcement is to solicit applications for projects that prevent violence in and around school; and to improve the juvenile justice system by providing mental health services, truancy prevention, diversion services and intervention through community-based and school programs.

Eligible Activities include: Mental Health Services, Education programs or supportive services, Community Programs and Services, Youth Diversion Services and Juvenile Case Managers. 

This grant aims to recruits outstanding mid-stage investigators to Texas, who have demonstrated the promise for continued and enhanced contributions to the field of cancer research.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department provides outdoor recreational opportunities by managing and protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat and acquiring and managing parklands and historic areas. It has inherited the functions of many state entities created to protect Texas' natural resources.

Mission: To manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Grants

The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program is a competitive grant initiative under the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act, aimed at enhancing parks, recreational opportunities, and conservation areas in underserved, urban areas. These investments enable urban communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks, and form connections between people and the outdoors.

Managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the nationally competitive ORLP program provides matching grants (up to 50% of total project costs) to assist communities with little to no access to outdoor recreation opportunities in urban areas. Funds can be used for the acquisition and/or development of, or substantial renovation of public parks and other outdoor recreation spaces. Development should encompass essential public outdoor recreation activities and the necessary support facilities for public use. Projects could involve a combination of land acquisition and site development. These projects can cater to a diverse range of public outdoor recreation activities and facilities required to enhance the use and enjoyment for the public. These include, and are not limited to community parks, campgrounds, playgrounds, sport fields and courts, picnic facilities, trails, etc. While facilities that support the use of the recreating public, such as restroom, visitor contact infrastructure, and maintenance facilities can be eligible, most indoor recreation and other buildings such as nature centers, community centers, or education center are ineligible for funding.

Only State Lead Agencies are eligible to submit applications for ORLP grants. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is the State Lead Agency. TPWD may submit on behalf of themselves or an eligible sub-recipient.

ORLP projects must meet two eligibility criteria: The required population in census tracts is set at 25,000 people and the project must be within an underserved community.

Texas Education Agency

The Texas Education Agency is the state agency that oversees primary and secondary public education. It is headed by the commissioner of education. The Texas Education Agency improves outcomes for all public school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) administers federal and state grant awards to its subgrantees to carry out a program. Such entities include primarily school systems (referred to as local educational agencies [LEAs] in statutes), including independent school districts and charter schools; education service centers (ESCs); and, to a lesser degree, institutions of higher education (IHEs), nonprofit organizations (NPOs), and other statutorily allowable organizations.

Perkins V: Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century - Institutions

Program Description

The purpose of the career and technical education (CTE) program is to develop more fully the academic knowledge, technical, and employability skills of students who enroll in CTE programs and programs of study.

Texas Education Agency

The Texas Education Agency is the state agency that oversees primary and secondary public education. It is headed by the commissioner of education. The Texas Education Agency improves outcomes for all public school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) administers federal and state grant awards to its subgrantees to carry out a program. Such entities include primarily school systems (referred to as local educational agencies [LEAs] in statutes), including independent school districts and charter schools; education service centers (ESCs); and, to a lesser degree, institutions of higher education (IHEs), nonprofit organizations (NPOs), and other statutorily allowable organizations.

Immediate HQIM and Instructional Systems Grant

Program Description

Immediate HQIM and Instructional Systems Grant is up to a three-year program designed to support Texas school systems in building the instructional and systems-level capacity needed to deliver high-quality learning experiences for all students. Recipients will use the grant to participate in the LIFT program. LIFT brings together the highest leverage components of Strong Foundations, Texas Instructional Leadership, and Texas Lesson Study, providing comprehensive support for districts to adopt HQIM and implement Bluebonnet Learning over multiple years.  

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (the Department) announces a NOFA in HOME funds for Single-Family housing programs under the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) set-aside under a Reservation System. These funds will be made available to HOME Reservation System Participants with a current Reservation System Participation (RSP) Agreement. The following activity types are eligible uses of HOME funds awarded under this NOFA: (1) Homeowner Reconstruction Assistance (HRA) and (2) Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA).

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (the Department) announces a NOFA of approximately $1,000,000 in HOME funds for single family housing programs under the Contract for Deed (CFD) set-aside under a Reservation System. These funds will be made available to HOME Reservation System Participants with a current Reservation System Participation (RSP) Agreement. 

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA or the Department) announces a NOFA in HOME funds for single family housing programs under the general set-aside utilizing a reservation system. These funds will be made available to HOME Reservation System Participants after a Reservation System Participation (RSP) Agreement has been ratified. The following activity types are eligible uses of HOME funds awarded under this NOFA: (1) Homeowner Reconstruction Assistance (HRA), and (2) Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA). 

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has been serving the people of Texas for more than a century. Since 1909, when the state founded the agency, we have been supporting the reading, learning, and historical preservation needs of Texas and its people. 

Going back to the days of the Republic, there has always been an official library and archives of Texas. While fulfilling our unique and longstanding place serving Texas government, the State Library and Archives Commission mission is also to ensure that citizens have information they need to lead informed, productive, and fulfilled lives.

TexTreasures Grant

TexTreasures Grants are designed to help libraries make their special collections more accessible for the people of Texas and beyond. Activities considered for possible funding include: 

• digitization
• microfilming
• cataloging

There are two options for funding under the TexTreasures program:

• TexTreasures Basic which will award grants of up to $10,000 to small libraries (serving a population of up to 25,000) with little or no experience with digitization. Funding will support vendor contract services to increase access to collections with local or regional significance. 
• TexTreasures Original which will continue to support libraries seeking to provide access to special or unique collections of statewide interest and greater complexity. The maximum award is $40,000 for applications from single institutions and $50,000 for collaborative grant projects.

The purpose for the support adoption grant program is to provide critical resources for pregnant women who are considering adoption and support for children awaiting placement with adoptive parents in accordance with Government Code 402. 

The purpose of this project is to support the implementation of the Effective Schools Framework (ESF) and Effective District Framework (EDF) by campuses and school systems throughout the state. Support will include the development and implementation of training, tools, resources, and platforms to support the implementation of the ESF and EDF. This project will also provide support to low performing schools by providing resources and support for continuous improvement efforts to reduce the number of low-performing campuses in the state. This project will include logistics and operations for training, events, and School Improvement and District Strategic leadership touchpoints.

Texas Department of Agriculture

The Texas Legislature established the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) in 1907. The agency's key objectives are to promote production agriculture, consumer protection, economic development and healthy living. The agriculture commissioner oversees the agency and is elected every four years. The current commissioner, Sid Miller, was first elected in 2014 and began his third term serving Texas agriculture in January 2023.

TDA is a diversified state agency that provides value-added services through our regulatory and marketing and initiatives.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for Rural Texas

The primary objective of the Community Development Block Grant program is to develop viable communities by providing decent housing and suitable living environments, and to expand economic opportunities principally for persons of low- to moderate-income.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for Rural Texas includes: Community Development Fund; Downtown Revitalization Program; Colonia Fund - Construction; Colonia Economically Distressed Areas Program; State Urgent Need (SUN) Fund.

State Urgent Need (SUN) Fund

The SUN program provides financial assistance to address disaster-related damage to public infrastructure and utilities, including repair, replacement, and mitigation measures. The State Urgent Need (SUN) Fund is available following natural disasters and events that are not eligible for federal disaster assistance. 

SUN funding is available to repair, replace, rehabilitate, or improve public infrastructure impacted by a natural disaster, including mitigation measures appropriate to the project.

TDA will prioritize applications for safe drinking water, (first), and debris removal, (second). TDA may opt to accept applications for other eligible activities for certain disaster events.

The purpose of this grant is to produce and maintain resources, professional development, and implementation supports that, when used by educators and families of students with significant cognitive disabilities and/or complex needs, result in students’ academic and functional advancement and progress on appropriately rigorous individualized goals. This grant will be tasked with the development and dissemination of the tools and supports necessary to equip educators and parents to implement instructional practices, interventions, and other high-yield strategies that are proven to be effective in meeting the diverse academic and functional needs of students with complex needs.