GrantStation Insider: April 4, 2024

Application deadline: May 3, 2024
Grant amount: Five grand prizes of $100,000 each and 20 prizes of $50,000 each
Description: The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence recognizes outstanding skilled trades teachers and programs in U.S. public high schools. In 2024, $1.5 million in prizes will be awarded overall. Five grand prize winners will each receive $100,000, with $70,000 going to the public high school skilled trades program and $30,000 going to the teacher. Twenty prize winners will receive $50,000, with $35,000 going to the public high school skilled trades program and $15,000 going to the teacher. Public high school teachers who teach skilled trades classes that emphasize the expert use of tools and materials to build, repair, and maintain products and structures are eligible, including teachers of agricultural mechanics, carpentry, construction, electrical, HVAC, manufacturing, plumbing, transportation mechanics and repair, and welding. Check out this video to learn more.

Application deadline: May 1, 2024
Geographic scope: United States, including U.S. territories
Grant amount: Up to $125,000
Description: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health seeks to improve oral health in the United States. CareQuest Institute is currently offering two calls for proposals focused on oral health: Through the Veteran Oral Health - Expanding Access and Equity request for proposals, funding will be provided for ten projects addressing system-level barriers to oral health for veterans. Through the School-Based and School-Linked Initiatives to Improve Oral Health request for proposals, support will be provided for ten projects that are engaging schools to address oral health, inclusive of access, for children and their families. (The CareQuest Institute also provides support through the Advancing Equity Through Oral Health Fund, focused on efforts to dismantle unjust structures and systems that drive disparities across oral health, access to care, treatment, and outcomes, as well as the Emergent & Relief Fund. Visit the CareQuest Institute website for more information.)

Application deadline: June 3 and December 2, 2024, for letters of inquiry
Grant amount: $5,000 to $35,000
Description: Venturous Theater Fund’s Venturous Capital Grants support the production of bold, experimental new plays at small and medium-sized theaters in the United States. Funding is limited to text-based, author-driven new plays that are ambitious in scale, epic in scope, challenging in form, controversial in subject matter, experimental in concept, and/or unabashed in their theatricality. The grants fund extraordinary costs that are integral to the plays’ production, and which might otherwise make them difficult or impossible to produce. Funded projects must offer reasonable compensation to the author, be produced under an AEA collective bargaining agreement with a minimum of two AEA performers on contract, and be full productions open to the general public for a run of at least 13 performances. Professional nonprofit theaters with 501(c)3 status (or fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization) and annual budgets of under $5 million are eligible to submit LOIs. Additional parameters apply (see website).

Application deadline: April 26, 2024
Grant amount: Up to $25,000
Description: The Network for Landscape Conservation’s Catalyst Fund strives to accelerate the pace and practice of collaborative landscape conservation and stewardship across the United States. The Fund makes strategic investments in strengthening the collaborative capacity of place-based, community-grounded landscape partnerships to better position partnerships to achieve long-term conservation and stewardship success. Grants can be used for supporting partnership coordination staffing and for costs associated with other collaborative process activities such as convenings, communications, partner and community engagement, governance development, and strategic planning and prioritization. A portion of the Fund is dedicated to supporting Indigenous leadership in landscape conservation and stewardship, and proposals are accepted from tribally-led partnerships. Approximately $335,000 is available in 2024, with 13 to 15 grant awards anticipated.

Application deadline: April 24, 2024, for letters of interest
Geographic scope: Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming
Grant amount: Capacity building and planning grants range up to $100,000 and implementation grants range up to $400,000.
Description: Wells Fargo’s Invest Native initiative, implemented with support from Enterprise Community Partners, seeks to advance economic opportunities in Native American communities in Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Support is provided for projects focused on the following four areas: small business growth, sustainability and climate resiliency, financial health, and housing affordability and access. Tribally designated housing entities, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, Native community development financial institutions with a 501(c)(3) designation, and community development corporations with a 501(c)(3) designation are eligible to apply. Applicants must be headquartered in and serve Native populations in the target states and be Native led.

Application deadline: May 31, annually, for grant proposal letters
Geographic scope: CT, FL, IL, IN, LA, ME, MD, MA, NJ, NY, PA, and RI
Grant amount: $50,000 to $150,000
Description: The Gladys Brooks Foundation provides support in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The focus is on nonprofit libraries, educational institutions, and hospitals and clinics. Grants may be used for endowments, capital projects, or capital equipment. The initial step in the application process is completing a request form on the Foundation’s website. This form will provide information on developing a grant proposal letter, which must be submitted within two weeks from the date of the request form.

Application deadlines: None for letters of interest
Geographic scope: AZ, AR, CA, CO, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NM, NC, ND, OH, OR, SD, TN, UT, WA, WI, and WY
Description: The U.S. Bank Foundation’s Community Possible Grant Program supports nonprofit organizations that create stable jobs, affordable housing, and vibrant communities in U.S. Bank’s 26-state retail footprint. Grants are provided in the following areas: workforce education and economic prosperity; neighborhood stability and revitalization, including safe, affordable, energy-efficient housing; and artistic and cultural enrichment, learning through play, and protecting and enhancing outdoor places to play. Priority is given to organizations with an intentional mission to promote equity by serving those facing barriers to economic success, including low- and moderate-income communities, women, and communities of color.

Application deadline: None
Geographic scope: Minnesota
Description: The McKnight Foundation’s Vibrant & Equitable Communities program seeks to advance a vibrant future for all Minnesotans with shared power, prosperity, and participation. The focus is on the following four strategies: accelerating economic mobility, building community wealth, cultivating a fair and just housing system, and strengthening democratic participation. Support is provided for work transforming existing systems and creating innovative alternatives, often through grassroots organizing, capacity building, strategic communications, and public policy changes. Grantmaking is also anchored in racial and cultural equity, collaboration, and work in both the metro region and Greater Minnesota to achieve shared prosperity throughout the state. (Applicants are encouraged to contact the Vibrant & Equitable Communities team before starting an application.)

Application deadline: May 6, 2024
Description: The Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program invites proposals from eligible applicants that are invested in and capable of demonstrating emerging or deploying existing snow-monitoring technologies or use of snow-monitoring data to enhance water supply forecast skill. Strong applications will have partnerships with water management and forecasting entities to facilitate transfer of knowledge, foster use of data in forecasts, and evaluate utility of information for informing water management decisions.

Application deadline: May 10, 2024
Description: The objective of the Healthy Watersheds Consortium Grant Program is to accelerate and expand the strategic protection of healthy watersheds (including freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems) across the country through a cooperative agreement and subsequent subawards. The program provides support through two subaward types: Healthy Watershed Protection High-Impact Demonstration Awards and Healthy Watershed Protection Capacity-Building Projects.

Do you know a community project in need? Kubota wants to help make an impact in YOUR community. Through the Kubota Hometown Proud grant program, Kubota will award 20 grants to deserving hometown projects across the country. Each project can be as diverse and imaginative as your community. Grant applications can be submitted by any 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or municipality with a closely affiliated nonprofit. Visit KubotaHometownProud.com for more information or to apply.

Contest open only to legal residents of the 50 US/DC, 18+ who are designated representatives of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, located within 50 miles of an authorized Kubota dealer. Void where prohibited. Enter Contest before 4/12/24 at 11:59:59 pm CT. Sweepstakes open only to 50 US/DC 18+ (19 AL and NE, 21 MS). Enter Sweepstakes by voting 8/1- 8/14/24. Subject to full Official Rules, including prizes, judging criteria, and all details, visit KubotaHometownProud.com. Sponsor: Kubota Tractor Corporation, 1000 Kubota Drive Grapevine, TX 76051.

Are you a fundraiser looking to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into your workflow? If so, you may want to download AI for Nonprofits: A Comprehensive Guide to Enhancing Fundraising Communications. Published by DonorPerfect, this guide explores how today’s nonprofits can use AI tools to improve cost and operational efficiency for a smooth-running organization that is able to support its mission and beneficiaries with abundance. It includes an overview and key considerations for using AI in fundraising communications as well as a guide to implementing AI in a nonprofit communication strategy. 

Webinar date: April 8, 2024, 2:00 to 2:45 PM Eastern Time
Description: Connectedness has never been so important in the nonprofit sector. Effective partnerships have a lot of advantages, including making your applications more appealing to funders. But successful partnerships rarely "just happen." They usually require strategic steps and resources to reach their highest potential. Therefore, you need to think about both developing and managing collaborations. During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke, President of GrantStation, will give you details about the different collaborative models your nonprofit can engage in to increase your odds of getting funded. (This TargetED is the first in our 6-part series, Increased Impact Through Strategic Partnerships. You can purchase the entire series at a discount here.)

Webinar date: April 9, 2024, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: Logic models are more than a passing fad. Unfortunately, they’re often viewed as a lot of work and “separate” from the grant proposal development process. But logic models are more than just extra work: They are an incredibly diverse tool that can make your organization stronger and more effective by helping you write persuasive proposals, enlist dedicated volunteers, retain talented staff, and build support for innovative ideas. During this webinar, Alice Ruhnke will make logic models much less mysterious by showing you how you already use them every day. You’ll discover how logic models can help you quantify those “hard to measure” outcomes that tell your organization’s true story.

Webinar date: April 11, 2024, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: If you are just starting out in the world of consulting, you may not be sure what you could or should include in a contract to cover yourself. Understanding the essentials will make your life easier, keep the client accountable, and ultimately reduce your stress. During this session, Mandy Pearce of Funding for Good will show you the best practices when it comes to creating contracts as a nonprofit consultant. You’ll see sample verbiage you may consider using and questions to consider as you craft these vital documents. (This webinar is part of our Power of 3 series: Navigate Nonprofit Consulting.)

GS President Alice Ruhnke will be a panelist on NXUnite by Nexus Marketing’s upcoming panel session, Grant Writing Strategies for Nonprofit Sustainability. 

• April 10, 2024
• 12:00 PM ET
• Register here! 

Alice is thrilled to have the opportunity to share her expertise and hear from fellow industry experts. Check out the other panelists here. 

During this panel, you will hear about: 

• identifying and pursuing grants aligned with your mission;
• building and nurturing relationships with grantors;
• crafting persuasive and impactful grant applications;
• handling the administrative aspects of grant compliance; and,
• so much more!

GrantStation is thrilled to announce our sponsorship of the upcoming event, the UnCharitable Virtual Movie Screening!

Join us for a virtual screening that will challenge everything you know about charity and giving. UnCharitable will shatter your perceptions and ignite a fire within you. It challenges everything you know about charity, giving, and tackling the world's most pressing issues.

Viewing Dates: 

• May 2nd at 12:00 PM EST: RSVP here. 
• May 7th at 6:00 PM EST followed by a one-hour fireside chat with Dan Pallotta: RSVP here.

Hosted by: Nonprofit Collective Foundation and The Nonprofit Cooperative

Get ready for an eye-opening experience! 

More funding opportunities are featured on the GrantStation homepage. Current opportunities include AWS Imagine Grant (U.S. national), the CVS Health Foundation Hometown Fund (U.S. local: CT, MA, and RI), the Community One Foundation (Canada local: Ontario), and the Einstein Award for Promoting Quality in Research (global).