GrantStation Insider: February 22, 2024

Application deadline: April 19, 2024
Grant amount: $25,000, $50,000 or $100,000
Description: Sun Life’s Health Access Grant Program (formerly the Team Up Against Diabetes program) provides support to nonprofit organizations in the United States that are improving access to health programs focused on diabetes and oral healthcare in their local communities. Programmatic support is provided in the following areas: diabetes prevention, awareness, and education; diabetes management and care; obesity prevention; nutritional programs, including education, management, and awareness; recovery support for diabetes-related complications; oral healthcare; and oral disease prevention and management.

Application deadline: April 30, 2024
Grant amount: $20,000
Description: The Mary Kay Ash Foundation’s Domestic Violence Shelter Grant Program awards grants to shelters across the country providing critical, life-saving services to women and children seeking safety from an abusive situation. Grants of $20,000 are awarded to at least one domestic violence shelter in every state.

Application deadline: April 30, 2024
Grant amount: Generally $5,000 to $40,000
Description: The Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP) provides annual grants to community-based and national nonprofit organizations for programs linking volunteer financial planners to people in need. Eligible programs must engage Certified Financial Planner™ professionals as volunteers, include one-on-one engagements between financial planner volunteers and pro bono clients, and help people in need of financial guidance or in a financial crisis who are underserved by the market and couldn't ordinarily access quality, ethical advice. U.S.-based nonprofits that share FFP's commitment to helping underserved people achieve better financial stability and capability are eligible to apply.

Application deadline: Applications are reviewed quarterly; the upcoming deadline is March 31, 2024.
Description: The mission of Classics for Kids Foundation is to empower young people to shape positive futures through music, build sustainable stringed instrument music programs, and provide grants for high-quality instruments. The Foundation provides matching grants to schools and nonprofit organizations serving children kindergarten through grade 12 in the United States, with a focus on at-risk and rural youth. The grants support up to 50% of the total cost to purchase fine stringed instruments, including those from the violin family, guitars, and ukuleles.

Application deadline: Applications are accepted quarterly during the following periods: March 1 to April 15, May 1 to July 15, August 1 to October 15, and November 1 to December 31, 2024.
Geographic scope: Communities with Walmart stores, Sam’s Clubs, and distribution centers
Grant amount: $250 to $5,000
Description: Walmart’s Spark Good Local Grants aim to address the unique needs of the communities where Walmart operates in the United States. Grants are provided to organizations that operate locally and directly benefit the service area of local facilities in U.S. communities where Walmart stores, Sam’s Clubs, and distribution centers are located. Grants support a variety of organizations, such as animal shelters, elder services, and community clean-up projects. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations; state or local government entities, including law enforcement or fire departments; K-12 public or nonprofit private schools, charter schools, and higher education institutions; and churches or other faith-based organizations with a proposed project that benefits the community at large, such as food pantries, soup kitchens, and clothing closets.

Application deadline: March 22, 2024
Geographic scope: Alaska
Grant amount: Up to $10,000, depending on the funding category
Description: Alaska Children’s Trust awards grants to organizations in Alaska that work towards the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Applications are currently being accepted for Tier 1 Grants. Grants will be accepted in the following categories: strengthening economic supports for families (up to $5,000), with a focus on projects that provide concrete supports to children, youth, and families; 2) skill development (up to $10,000), with a focus on projects that provide parents, caregivers, or providers with training specifically in identifying and preventing child sexual abuse; 3) promoting social norms (up to $5,000), with a focus on projects that incorporate lived experience approaches into the work of preventing child abuse and neglect; and 4) out of school time and mentoring (up to $10,000), with a focus on projects that support outside of school time programing connecting youth with supportive adults to build skills for life, either in group or one-on-one tutoring and mentorship settings. (Letters of inquiry for Tier 2 Innovation Grants of $10,000 to $50,000 are accepted throughout the year.)

Application deadline: March 29, 2024
Geographic scope: Maine
Grant amount: Up to $40,000 per year for two years
Description: Maine Cancer Foundation is dedicated to reducing cancer incidence and mortality rates in Maine. The Foundation’s goals are to foster prevention practices, increase cancer screening, and improve patient outcomes. The Foundation is currently accepting applications through the Cancer Screenings Request for Proposals (RFP) for evidence-based interventions to increase the number of and improve the quality of cancer screenings in Maine. Screenings that will be considered include breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, prostate, and skin cancer screenings. (The Foundation also offers RFPs focused on cancer prevention programs, patient navigation programs, and transportation and lodging services for cancer patients at varying times throughout the year. In addition, the Foundation accepts discretionary grant letters of interest on a rolling basis for efforts addressing the Foundation’s three goals.)

Application deadline: Go Outside Fund application deadlines are March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31. The Teachers Outdoor Environmental Education Fund application deadline is June 30, 2024.
Geographic scope: Wisconsin
Description: The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin supports conservation and environmental education projects in Wisconsin. The Go Outside Fund provides funding that helps connect pre-K-12 youth to outdoor, nature-based learning experiences. Teachers or partner organizations may apply for funding of $100 to $500 to cover costs that facilitate getting kids outside and hands-on with nature, such as purchasing field supplies or paying for transportation, substitute teachers, or educator costs. The Teachers Outdoor Environmental Education Fund was established to provide meaningful outdoor environmental education learning experiences for public school students. Grants up to $1,200 are available for teachers at Wisconsin K-12 public schools for projects that demonstrate a clear connection to classroom learning and standards and have a significant component of outdoor activity. (The Foundation also provides support through the C.D. Besadny Conservation Fund for grassroots conservation and education projects, and the Quiet Trails Fund for the creation and maintenance of quiet trails.)

Application deadline: April 1, 2024
Description: The Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grants program provides support to create and augment high-wage jobs, accelerate the formation of new businesses, support industry clusters, and maximize the use of local productive assets in low-income rural areas. Grant funds may be used to build or support a business incubator facility, provide worker training to assist in the creation of new jobs, train the existing workforce with skills for higher-paying jobs, and develop a base of skilled workers and improve their opportunities to obtain high-wage jobs in new or existing local industries.

Application deadline: May 8, 2024
Description: The National Historical Publications and Records Commission's Archives Collaboratives funding opportunity seeks archives collaboratives of three or more repositories working together to make their collections more readily available for public discovery and use. Funding will be provided to archives collaboratives to share best practices, tools, and techniques; assess institutional strengths and opportunities; create replicable and sustainable digital platforms for historical collections; virtually unify records from multiple repositories; and promote management structures for long-term sustainability and growth. The Commission welcomes collaborations that target institutional advancement for small and underserved local archives and repositories, especially those with collections that focus on the voices and perspectives of Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color. 

Are you a nonprofit founder 50 and older?

The AARP Purpose Prize® award celebrates people 50 and older who are using their life experience to make a difference. Through this annual award, AARP celebrates a new story of aging—one full of meaningful impact and limitless possibilities.

Winners who have founded a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization will win $50,000 for their organization. They will also have access to a number of technical supports and resources to help broaden their organizations’ impact. The call for applications ends February 29, 2024. See rules and apply.

Billionaire philanthropists are constantly making headlines for their charitable donations, but what are the pitfalls of such top-heavy giving? A recent report by the Institute for Policy Studies and Inequality.org explores this question. The True Cost of Billionaire Philanthropy attempts to analyze the good, the bad, and the ugly of how mega-donor philanthropy—particularly billionaire philanthropy—functions in America today. 

Webinar date: March 6, 2024, 2:00 to 3:00 PM Eastern Time
Description: While many working in the nonprofit sector assume payroll fraud is rare and it “won't affect our organization,” the reality is different. Fraud is prevalent and can affect any organization, regardless of size or sector. In fact, nonprofits are often specifically targeted due to perceived weaker controls and the trust-based nature of their operations. During this webinar, David Webb will help you safeguard your organization from fraud and errors by enhancing financial integrity and trust. You’ll learn how to protect your organization’s assets, ensuring your vital resources are used effectively.

Webinar date: February 26, 2024, 2:00 to 2:45 PM Eastern Time
Description: Writing effective proposals requires excellent editing skills. Editing can improve clarity and persuasiveness and help eliminate errors, which means grant reviewers will focus on the most important part of your proposal—the impact of your programs. Editing, however, can be a challenging part of the grantseeking process, especially for small organizations who don’t have multiple individuals available to review a proposal prior to submission. Fortunately, AI tools can help provide an additional “set of eyes,” ensuring you’re submitting the best proposal possible. During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke and David Gates will show you how AI can help you effectively edit your proposals.

Webinar date: February 29, 2024, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: To become a successful nonprofit consultant, it’s vital that you know what’s involved. Continued long-term success demands goal setting and strategic planning. In this webinar, Mandy Pearce will offer her expert insights into this process. You'll gain essential knowledge on planning, goal setting, and the initial steps to take so you can achieve success more efficiently than by trial and error. (This webinar is part of our Power of 3 series: Navigate Nonprofit Consulting.)

A bit baffled by all the resources available on GrantStation? Wondering about the best way to conduct a grants search? Join us for our next tour of the GrantStation website to learn how to research effectively and efficiently.

During this live demo and Q&A session, Jeremy Smith, Director of Communications Technology, and Kerry Glauser, Senior Research Specialist, will show you how you can use GrantStation to complete your grant research quickly and get high-quality results.

Does your organization struggle with the grant application process? Do you spend too much time writing proposals that do not get funded? Do you want to take your grantwriting to the next level? If so, then GrantStation’s new online course, Turbocharge Your Grantwriting Skills, is right for you!

A successful grantseeking program can provide your nonprofit with vital financial resources so you can enhance your capacity and fulfill your mission. Consistently writing winning grant proposals, however, can feel like a daunting task that leaves many nonprofits stressed, confused, and overwhelmed.

Throughout this course, GrantStation President Alice Ruhnke will guide you through the entire grant proposal process step-by-step. You’ll learn how to craft an organizational background, compelling statement of need, process and outcome evaluation, approach, and budget with detailed videos, downloads, examples, and other resources. 

You’ll be introduced to a proposal writing framework that can be used repeatedly and will help save you time, write better proposals, and get funded more frequently.

All participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and five CFRE credits. Questions? Contact David.Gates@GrantStation.com.

More funding opportunities are featured on the GrantStation homepage. Current opportunities include the wayOUT Grants (U.S. national), Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) Gives Back Grants (U.S. local: Massachusetts), the Commission for Environmental Cooperation: Generation of Environmental Leaders Program (North America), and the Data Empowerment Fund (global, with priority given to applicants based outside of the United States and Europe).