Grants for Independent School Districts

This funding opportunity supports community-focused projects in Berrien County, Michigan, providing financial assistance to nonprofits, schools, religious organizations, and government agencies addressing various local needs such as education, the arts, health, and community improvement.

This funding opportunity supports charitable and community-based projects in Berrien County, Michigan, providing resources to eligible nonprofit organizations, schools, and government entities to enhance quality of life across various focus areas.

This grant provides $50,000 each to local nonprofits, schools, churches, and government agencies in Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, and Stevensville to support programs that improve the lives of children and youth.

This program provides funding to educators and school staff in Berrien County, Michigan, to support innovative classroom projects that enhance learning experiences beyond standard school budgets.

This funding opportunity supports nonprofit organizations, schools, churches, and government entities that provide youth programs in Berrien County, particularly at designated Howard facilities in St. Joseph and the Maud Preston Palenske Memorial Library.

The Initiative Foundation offers grants to nonprofits and local government units, focusing on program or capacity-building support, projects that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, and strategies to address workforce shortages. This aligns with the Foundation's mission to serve its 14-county region in Minnesota and Native nations of the Leech Lake and Mille Lacs Bands of Ojibwe, by fostering community and economic development. The grants are intended to be strategic investments, not ongoing support, with individual grants seldom exceeding $7,500. The grants target 501(c)(3) nonprofits, school districts, or local government units serving specific counties and Native nations within the Initiative Foundation's geographic service area. The impact goals are to strengthen communities by addressing urgent needs, particularly in low-income communities, promote behavioral change towards diversity, equity, and inclusion, and develop community-based solutions for regional workforce shortages, leading to family-sustaining wages. The Foundation prioritizes projects that demonstrably contribute to these outcomes. Priority consideration is given to proposals focusing on capacity-building support for nonprofits, especially those addressing urgent needs or low-income communities, including business planning, fund development, training, or pilot programming. Other key focuses include cost-share for projects creating behavioral change related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and advancement of community-based strategies to tackle regional workforce shortages in sectors with family-sustaining wages. Support for early-stage feasibility or pilot projects by local and regional community and economic development entities is also a priority. Expected outcomes include strengthened organizational capacity for nonprofits, measurable progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and tangible reductions in regional workforce shortages. While specific measurable results are not detailed in the provided text, the emphasis on "behavioral change" and "community-based strategies" implies a desire for demonstrable and sustainable impact. The Foundation's strategic priorities are clearly laid out in the priority areas, indicating a theory of change that by investing in these key areas, they can foster stronger, more equitable, and economically resilient communities. Ineligible expenses include grants to individuals and businesses, expenses incurred before grant receipt, capital expenses, projects not directly benefiting residents in the service area, replacement of government funding, religious activities, lobbying, school curriculum development or athletic programs, and out-of-state travel. Healthcare, arts, and historic preservation are not focus areas for discretionary grants, and potential applicants in these areas are encouraged to consult with staff before applying.

This funding opportunity is designed for Pre-K to 12th grade teachers in the Merrill School District to support innovative and engaging projects that enrich the educational experience for students and the community.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT) is offering the 2024 Active Transportation Microgrant Program to solicit projects aimed at improving active transportation. This grant program aligns with a mission to foster equitable, safe, accessible, and sustainable transportation options, thereby encouraging healthier and more environmentally friendly travel modes. The program's core objective is to make conditions safer for individuals of all ages to engage in walking, biking, and other active forms of transit, contributing to broader community well-being and environmental sustainability. The primary beneficiaries of this program include municipalities, schools, school districts, and nonprofit organizations, all of which are encouraged to apply. The impact goals are centered on enhancing access and conditions for active transportation users across Connecticut. This includes increasing safety for pedestrians and cyclists, promoting the use of non-motorized transport, and supporting educational initiatives that raise awareness about active transportation benefits and safety. The program prioritizes non-infrastructure projects, explicitly excluding design and construction costs. Eligible activities focus on improving access and conditions for active transportation users. This includes providing bicycle helmets, locks, lights, and maintenance training. It also covers the rental or purchase of bicycle fleets, including adaptive bicycles, League Cycling Instructor (LCI) training, and various programs and materials for pedestrian and bicycle safety education, such as safety vests. The emphasis is on practical, immediate interventions that directly support active transportation without requiring extensive infrastructural development. Expected outcomes and measurable results include an increase in the adoption of active transportation methods, a reduction in accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists due to enhanced safety measures, and a rise in community participation in active transportation events and educational programs. The funding limits for individual microgrants range up to $5,000, with an overall grant size between $1,000 and $10,000, indicating a focus on numerous smaller-scale, impactful projects rather than a few large ones. This approach suggests a strategic priority to broadly distribute resources to foster active transportation at a grassroots level across various communities in Connecticut.

The Gray Family Foundation's Outdoor School Grant Program is designed to bolster the capacity of schools and outdoor education providers in Oregon, ensuring that all 5th and 6th-grade students across the state have access to high-quality outdoor school experiences. This initiative directly aligns with the foundation's mission by fostering environmental education and connection to nature, which are integral to the holistic development of young people and the long-term stewardship of Oregon's natural and built environments. The foundation acts strategically to address existing barriers, particularly for communities and schools not yet prepared to access programmatic funding directly from OSU Extension Outdoor School. The primary beneficiaries of this program are all Oregon 5th and 6th-grade students, with a specific focus on increasing access for those in geographic regions or communities with limited or no outdoor school opportunities, as well as students from private, charter, and home schools who may be ineligible for OSU Extension Service funding. The overarching impact goals are to improve access to outdoor school programs, systematically integrate environmental education into the K-12 system, and ensure outdoor school providers are better equipped to engage and support Oregon's diverse populations with culturally responsive programming. In 2024, the Gray Family Foundation is accepting three types of funding requests. These include planning grants for schools or districts to launch or revise outdoor school programs, and planning grants for outdoor school program providers to enhance their capacity to serve all 5th and 6th-grade Oregon students. A crucial priority is also given to program grants for schools or student groups currently ineligible for OSU Extension Service Outdoor School funding, acknowledging the limitations of how these funds can be distributed. While the foundation encourages exploring alternative Measure 99 funds, they remain committed to ensuring participation for all students. The anticipated outcomes and measurable results of the program include an increased number of districts and ESDs applying for OSU Extension programmatic funding in future years, improved access to outdoor school programs for all eligible students, and a greater integration of environmental education within the K-12 system. Furthermore, the foundation expects outdoor school providers to be more prepared to effectively engage diverse populations, leading to an outdoor school experience that truly reflects the varied perspectives, knowledge, and relationships of all Oregonians as stewards of their environment. The Gray Family Foundation's strategic priorities are evident in its investment to build capacity, address funding gaps, and foster a more inclusive and equitable outdoor education landscape, with a recognition that 2024 may be the final year for direct outdoor school program funding.

CJI’s Leadership Circle is soliciting proposals from grassroots organizations led by formerly incarcerated and directly impacted individuals. The program aims to transform and reimagine the U.S. criminal legal system by building alternative community-based solutions and organizing to prevent the criminalization of marginalized identities and communities. This initiative directly aligns with CJI's mission to support meaningful, transformative, and systemic change within the criminal legal system, empowering future leaders who have often experienced incarceration themselves. The foundation's strategic priority is to support movement-building organizing that creates a new world, a "world they demand NOW." The target beneficiaries are formerly incarcerated individuals and directly impacted people, including primary family members, as well as marginalized groups within their communities (e.g., poor, houseless, young, elders, queer, trans, people with mental illness, people with disabilities). The program's impact goals include ending mass criminalization and incarceration, creating safe and healthy communities that do not rely on arrest and incarceration, and re-establishing rights and access for those formerly incarcerated or newly criminalized. The Leadership Circle's theory of change emphasizes shared authority among donors and community organizers, many of whom have lived experience with incarceration, to drive systemic change. The program prioritizes several key areas. This includes building alternatives to traditional carceral systems, investing in approaches that end mass criminalization, creating policies to reform and dismantle repressive legal systems, and uplifting the leadership and experience of those affected by the criminal legal system. Other focuses include re-establishing rights for formerly incarcerated individuals, promoting transformative and restorative justice, and supporting culturally appropriate healing programs connected to the criminal justice movement. CJI also has specific funding preferences for organizations led by formerly incarcerated individuals, groups operating in difficult political environments, those developing new leaders from marginalized backgrounds, and work addressing discrimination against incarcerated or detained people, particularly in the South, Indian country, and other rural areas. Expected outcomes and measurable results include the development of community-based interventions, changes in policies and institutions (like parole and probation), and a demonstrable commitment to systems change through organizing. The program seeks to empower new leaders, particularly from marginalized communities, and foster innovative collaborations among diverse organizations. While specific quantitative metrics are not provided in the description, the emphasis on "movement-building organizing" and "achieving systems change" suggests that the success will be measured by the demonstrable impact on criminal legal system reform and the empowerment of affected communities. CJI is particularly committed to supporting smaller, emerging organizations with budgets of $1 million or less, indicating a focus on grassroots impact and capacity building.

Impact Projects grants support arts organizations for collaborations between local artist(s) and community members to develop and express their own creative and artistic goals and address a community-defined need. Collaborative projects will utilize various creative practices to impact social issues affecting their communities, including but not limited to systemic marginalization, incarceration/justice systems, arts learning, poverty/economic disparity, health disparities, accessibility for people with disabilities, housing insecurity, violence, food insecurity, cultural/social justice, intergenerational/multigenerational learning, veterans’ issues, and environmental sustainability

Projects should address one or more of the following Creative Youth Development program goals: Provide social-emotional creative experiences in safe, healthy and appropriate learning environments. Foster creative abilities of youth through culturally and linguistically responsive arts learning. Support arts programs that seek to activate youth voices, narratives, and perspectives. Utilize cultural assets of the local community to support positive self-identification and respect for diverse cultures. Empower youth through the preservation, revitalization, and/or reclamation of cultural practices. Cultivate the development of transferable life skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, and collaboration.

Grantees will be required to accomplish the following within the Grant Activity Period: Convene a standing committee of community members and stakeholders tosupport development of new SLP structure and strategic framework. Model equity practices and principles in the development of new SLP mission,vision, programming, and services. Identify and retain a dedicated staff member to lead new SLP and provide mentorship to that individual. Identify and maintain an accessible public office space for the new SLP. Create and implement a realistic operating budget for new SLP, with appropriate portion of grant funds going directly to support new SLP. Supply anticipated outcomes for a one-year grant and outline any next steps anticipated to occur beyond the grant activity period to fulfill the goals of the grant program. 

The nature of this partnership includes funding, information exchange, cooperative activities, and leadership. The partnership enables individuals, organizations, and communities to create, present, and preserve the arts of all cultures to enrich the quality of life for all Californians.

This grant supports the well-being of California’s cultural vitality by creating resilient and diverse networks of arts service organizations and artists. Grantees will be required to accomplish the following within the grant activity period: Arts service organizations must provide practical services for artists, creators, culture bearers, and/or arts and cultural organizations. Constituent representation must be active, ongoing, effective, and relevant statewide or regional reach. Programs and/or services must provide engagement and access throughout all counties and/or municipalities identified within the statewide or regional network.

Program Goals Projects should address the following Exposure program goals: Develop long-term, mutually beneficial relationships between arts and educational organizations, teaching artists, and the youth and families in the communities they serve. Cultivate students’ appreciation for the arts and understanding of themselves as the next generation of arts patrons and participants. Promote culturally and linguistically responsive learning through the arts, using cultural knowledge to support the cultural assets of the local community and students’ positive self-identification within and respect for diverse cultures.

This grant supports the well-being of California’s cultural vitality by helping sustain a robust and diverse arts workforce and infrastructure. Funds may be used to support any eligible expenses associated with the general operations of an arts or cultural organization, including but not limited to rent, utilities, and staff salaries. Applying for this grant does not restrict an organization from applying for other CAC project-based grants. General Operating grants areintended to support the applicant organization in carrying out its mission. Funding is not intended to support a specific project.

This fund provides financial support for nonprofits working on projects that improve the quality of life in rural communities across West-Central Texas.

Arts Integration Training projects should be designed to pave a pathway for increased equitable student learning in, through, and about the arts. This may be realized in a specific classroom, in all classrooms across a school site, or as a central strategy for a district or countywide arts plan. The project must be planned and implemented with collaboration between a nonprofit arts organization, teaching artists, and the educational entity, with fullcommitment from all participants.

The Blue Grass Community Foundation is offering its 2024 Early Childhood Education Literacy Grant, funded by the MacAdam Early Childhood and Literacy Fund. This grant aligns with the foundation's mission to increase equitable access to quality pre-K education, early childhood care programs, and literacy programs for students in Central Kentucky. The foundation aims to narrow the achievement gap by supporting organizations and programs that serve low-income students, students of color, English Language Learners (ELL), and students with special needs. The grant targets charitable organizations serving Central Kentucky, specifically in Anderson, Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Harrison, Jessamine, Madison, Montgomery, Scott, and/or Woodford Counties. These organizations should be classified as 501(c)(3) nonprofits, have a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) designation, or be publicly supported organizations like school districts, municipalities, or government agencies. The focus is on early childhood teaching and learning, professional development for early childhood educators, parent engagement, and literacy-specific programs for learners of all ages, including adults. The foundation prioritizes proposals that address the needs of the wider community, especially from religiously affiliated organizations. They also require applicants to not have any overdue final reports for previous grants. The grant supports both project support and general operating support. Expected outcomes include increased equitable access to quality pre-K education, early childhood care programs, and literacy programs, ultimately narrowing the achievement gap. Grant awards will range from $2,500 to $10,000, with the option of renewal for one additional year. The grant period is August 2024 – July 31, 2025.