Grants for Nonprofits - Food and Nutrition

The Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program, supported by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and major funders like the Richard King Mellon Foundation, USDA's Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Altria Group, and Cleveland-Cliffs, aims to restore and sustain healthy forests, rivers, and streams. This initiative aligns with a broader mission to enhance natural habitats and support diverse native bird and aquatic species populations. Approximately $3.5 million is available this year, with individual grants ranging from $75,000 to $500,000, distributed over a four-year project period. The program's overall goal is to improve the quality and connectivity of forest and freshwater habitats to increase the distribution and abundance of birds, fish, and other wildlife. This will be evidenced by a suite of indicator species reflecting the health of these habitats. Target beneficiaries include a variety of bird species such as golden-winged warbler, wood thrush, and cerulean warbler, as well as aquatic species like brook trout, eastern hellbender, and freshwater mussels. The program seeks to engage public and private landowners in active stewardship through technical and financial assistance, demonstrations, education, outreach, and other innovative approaches. Key priorities include improving the voluntary management of public and private forestlands to create mixed-age forest blocks that support bird and wildlife diversity. Another critical focus is improving stream health by voluntarily removing passage barriers, restoring riparian buffers, and enhancing water quality and hydrology. These interventions are designed to bolster populations of the targeted aquatic species, contributing to healthier ecosystems across the Central Appalachia region. The expected outcomes are a measurable increase in the distribution and abundance of indicator bird and aquatic species, demonstrating improved forest and freshwater habitat conditions. The program's theory of change posits that by actively engaging landowners and implementing science-based conservation strategies, it can effectively restore critical habitats. This, in turn, will lead to a more resilient and biodiverse Central Appalachia, benefiting both wildlife and local communities. The geographic focus includes portions of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia, ensuring a concentrated effort within this vital ecological corridor.

This grant provides financial support to eligible nonprofit organizations in Calhoun County to enhance their community programs and initiatives.

The Colorado Gives Foundation is offering its Food Security Grant Program to support initiatives that improve food access for residents of Jefferson County (Jeffco), Colorado. This program directly aligns with the foundation's mission to help Jefferson County thrive by ensuring the availability of local, healthy, and culturally relevant food. The grant aims to address food insecurity by funding community partners dedicated to enhancing food access and promoting a healthier, more equitable food system within the county. The primary beneficiaries of this grant are Jeffco residents facing food insecurity. The program targets organizations that can demonstrate a clear impact on these residents, either through the number of individuals served, the percentage of their budget allocated to Jeffco-specific programs, or concrete initiatives focused on Jeffco populations. The overarching impact goal is to increase access to nutritious food, thereby improving the health and well-being of the community. The grant prioritizes several key areas. These include supporting organizations that increase enrollment in public assistance programs like SNAP and WIC, expanding food availability through programs such as Double Up Food Bucks to enhance purchasing power, and piloting new concepts in Jeffco. Additionally, the program focuses on fostering collaboration between local food producers and pantries to develop systematic approaches for increasing access to local, culturally relevant, and nutritious food. Advocacy efforts in local, regional, and statewide public policy to boost food access in Jeffco are also a significant priority. Expected outcomes include a measurable increase in food access for Jeffco residents, improved utilization of public assistance programs, and a more robust local food system. The foundation's strategic priority is to invest in community partners who are advancing these critical areas, with a typical grant funding range of $5,000-$25,000 per year, though the overall grant size can range from $10,000 to $100,000 for a one-year duration. The grant period is set from October 1, 2024, to March 30, 2025, allowing funded organizations to implement and demonstrate the effectiveness of their programs in addressing food security.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is seeking proposals for its Southeast Aquatics Fund to voluntarily conserve aquatic habitats in the southeastern United States and Texas. This grant program directly aligns with NFWF's mission to sustain, restore, and enhance the nation's fish, wildlife, and plants. The fund's priorities are informed by the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, adopted in 2018 and updated in 2023, which aims to conserve the extraordinary biodiversity across the Southeast. The primary target beneficiaries of this program are aquatic ecosystems and the diverse array of species that inhabit them, particularly those identified as focal species in the Conasauga River (GA) and Middle Coosa (AL) watersheds. These include various endemic and native fishes like the Alabama shiner, banded sculpin, blue shiner, and trispot darter. The impact goal is to advance specific goals and objectives of the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan and other relevant conservation plans, ultimately leading to healthier aquatic habitats. The program prioritizes work in northern Alabama and Georgia due to measurement and monitoring constraints, with funding available for a wide range of activities in the Conasauga River (GA) and Locust Fork and Middle Coosa (AL) watersheds. Projects benefiting the focal species in these areas will receive priority. The strategic priorities of the NFWF, as evidenced by the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, emphasize a suite of aquatic species as indicators of healthy aquatic habitats in prioritized watersheds, reflecting a theory of change that by protecting these indicator species, the broader ecosystem health will improve. Expected outcomes include the conservation of aquatic habitat, the advancement of specific goals outlined in the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, and positive impacts on focal species populations. While not explicitly detailed as "measurable results" in the provided text, the focus on indicator species suggests that the health and population trends of these species would serve as key metrics for success. Projects are anticipated to have a completion time of 24–36 months, with grant awards ranging from $150,000 to $500,000 from approximately $8.45 million available in 2024.

The Forever Idaho Regional Grant Program is now accepting applications, with a focus on providing general operating grants to organizations working in areas such as Family Homelessness and Basic Needs, Mental and Physical Health, Educational Opportunities, Access to Services, and Community Benefit. Priority will be given to organizations operating within these areas of impact. If awarded, funds can be used for various direct and indirect costs related to the organization's activities, including payroll, rent, utilities, supplies and equipment, project costs, capital improvements, and programmatic needs. Applicants will be asked to self-select the specific Area of Impact in which they are working.

The Lumpkin Family Foundation’s **Land, Health, Community (LHC) Grant Program** serves as its core philanthropic initiative, advancing the family’s long-standing commitment to holistic community well-being in East Central Illinois. At least half of the foundation’s annual grantmaking is directed to this region, with a focus on fostering prosperity, health, leadership, and environmental stewardship. Through the LHC program, the foundation seeks to nurture communities that are economically strong, physically and mentally healthy, socially engaged, and environmentally conscious—each element reinforcing the others to create long-term resilience and vitality. A central vision of the program is to strengthen local food systems and agricultural economies while supporting residents’ physical and mental health. The foundation encourages projects that promote access to healthy, affordable food, strengthen local farm businesses, and integrate sustainable land use practices. Equally important is the cultivation of social cohesion and civic capacity—empowering communities to collaborate on shared goals, retain talent, and attract new opportunities. The emphasis on leadership development and collaborative problem-solving underscores the foundation’s belief in community-driven progress. In response to growing awareness of mental health challenges, the Lumpkin Family Foundation has expanded the LHC program to include **nature-based mental wellness initiatives**. These efforts support programs that demonstrate the connection between engagement with nature and improved mental well-being. Priority is given to projects that help youth and young adults reduce screen time through outdoor experiences, provide self-care opportunities for mental health practitioners, and create healing environments for trauma-impacted individuals such as foster youth. The foundation recognizes the strong research-based link between time spent in nature and improvements in happiness, social connectedness, and emotional balance. Successful proposals often integrate multiple LHC focus areas, combining personal health, environmental stewardship, agricultural innovation, and mental wellness. The foundation particularly values programs that promote sustainable farming, develop green practices that add productivity while protecting the land, and build community capacity through education and collaboration. Preference is given to rural organizations and those located in **Coles County** and surrounding areas, reflecting the foundation’s deep roots in East Central Illinois. Through the Land, Health, Community Grant Program, the Lumpkin Family Foundation continues to invest in the long-term vitality of its home region. By uniting efforts in agriculture, health, the environment, and mental wellness, the program fosters communities that are not only economically stable but also socially vibrant and emotionally healthy—a living model of the foundation’s belief in the interdependence of land, people, and place.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) is offering grants under the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program. This program aims to transform the food system by increasing options, improving access, and creating new and better markets for small and mid-size producers. The core mission is to build a more diversified, distributed, and local food system to enhance its resilience and benefit consumers, producers, and rural communities. The RFSI program targets a broad range of beneficiaries, including agricultural producers and processors (or groups thereof), nonprofit organizations, for-profit entities, local government entities, tribal governments, and institutions such as schools, universities, or hospitals. The primary impact goal is to strengthen the middle of the food supply chain in Pennsylvania. Expected outcomes include increased production capacities for food processors, improved storage for produce and grains, and enhanced aggregation points like food hubs and farmer cooperatives. Funding priorities are aligned with addressing critical gaps in Pennsylvania's middle food supply chain. Specifically, the program prioritizes projects that establish or enhance aggregation points, improve food processing infrastructure (including equipment upgrades and moves to licensed spaces), and expand storage facilities, particularly cold storage in urban areas and storage for identity-preserved grains and dry beans. The USDA also encourages projects that benefit underserved farmers and ranchers, new and beginning farmers, veteran producers, and businesses owned by socially disadvantaged individuals. The grant program offers Simplified Equipment-Only Grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, which do not require cost sharing or matching. These are fixed-price grants solely for equipment purchases, with funds to be awarded no earlier than July 1, 2024, and projects completed by June 30, 2026. This focused approach on equipment aims to directly support tangible improvements in the food system's infrastructure, enabling producers and processors to expand and diversify their operations.

This funding opportunity supports innovative researchers in the U.S. who are tackling significant challenges in diabetes, metabolic diseases, digestive disorders, and nutrition, with the goal of advancing groundbreaking scientific understanding and treatment.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations and government agencies for community-focused projects that enhance well-being and have a broad impact.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for nonprofit organizations in Arizona to distribute free HIV self-test kits to at-risk communities, aiming to improve access to testing and reduce barriers related to HIV.

This funding opportunity supports innovative educational projects that engage K-12 students and teachers in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, particularly targeting individuals from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

This funding opportunity is designed to support organizations in Beltrami County that provide housing solutions, including construction, rehabilitation, and supportive services, to improve the availability and affordability of safe housing for low to moderate-income families and individuals.

The 2024 Parks, Fields, Trails Grant, funded by the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority, offers $10,000 to $100,000 for capital projects that improve public parks, athletic fields, and trails in Erie County, Pennsylvania, aiming to promote healthy lifestyles, enhance local tourism, and rejuvenate neighborhoods, with a focus on projects that provide social, educational, cultural, health, recreation, and/or economic benefits to residents.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for small and mid-sized manufacturers in Illinois to develop internship and workforce training programs that enhance skills and address labor shortages.

This grant provides financial support to artists in Franklin County, Ohio, for creating public exterior murals, requiring a secured location and partial funding from a commissioning organization.

This funding opportunity supports postdoctoral researchers in biomedical and behavioral fields, providing mentorship and resources to help them develop into independent scientists.

Propeller’s Impact Accelerator is a 5-month program designed to support mission-driven entrepreneurs in growing their businesses through coaching, community building, curriculum, and technical assistance. The program aims to catalyze transformational growth by connecting entrepreneurs with contract opportunities, markets, and customers. It is sponsored by the Clif Family Foundation, Capital One, Nasdaq, RosaMary Foundation, WK Kellogg Foundation, and Baptist Community Ministries, aligning with their missions to foster economic development, education, and community well-being by empowering local businesses. The Impact Accelerator targets growth-stage entrepreneurs in five key areas: community economic development, education, food, health, and water. Specifically, it supports BIPOC entrepreneurs operating brick-and-mortar establishments in underserved New Orleans corridors for economic development; early childhood education and care providers for education; CPG brands emphasizing sustainable, healthy, and affordable products for food; direct health and wellness service providers, especially those serving BIPOC clients, for health; and entrepreneurs in green infrastructure, stormwater management, native plant cultivation, and coastal restoration for water. The program's overarching impact goal is to facilitate the scaling of revenues and teams, while also embedding racial equity, social, and environmental impact goals into business operations. The program's priorities and focuses are clearly delineated within each sector. For community economic development, the focus is on Black-owned brick-and-mortar storefronts in specific New Orleans neighborhoods, aiming for job creation and community ties. In education, the priority is on increasing enrollment, growing staff, and expanding business locations for early childhood education providers. For food, the emphasis is on CPG brands that are environmentally sound, locally sourced, healthy, or have compelling social/environmental impacts, with a prioritization of BIPOC-led companies. Health focuses on direct clinical care and services impacting social and physical determinants of health, especially for BIPOC client bases, striving for increased accessibility and staff growth. The water sector prioritizes green infrastructure, urban stormwater management, native plants, and coastal restoration, seeking to increase the supply of native plants for green infrastructure. Expected outcomes and measurable results include participants setting ambitious yet achievable goals for growth and long-term sustainability, an increase in business revenues and staff, and the successful attainment of social/environmental impact goals. Entrepreneurs receive over 16 hours of lead mentor office hours for goal setting, 12+ hours of business development curriculum during meetups, and 20+ hours with subject matter experts for project assistance. Additional benefits include a detailed work plan, coaching on racial equity and impact goals, introductions to stakeholders, free coworking space, and membership in a network of over 250 alumni. These structured interventions are designed to remove growth barriers and accelerate the development of entrepreneurial ventures, leading to tangible economic and social improvements within the targeted communities and sectors.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for researchers to quickly evaluate new policies or programs aimed at influencing behaviors related to obesity, such as diet and physical activity, to help prevent or reduce obesity rates.

The Milwaukee Fresh Food Access Fund (FFAF) offers grants to increase access to healthy food in underserved areas. Eligible projects: Attract grocery stores or mobile markets to underserved neighborhoods Increase fresh food options in corner stores or other retail outlets Increase availability of local food Meet dietary needs of specific populations Improve transportation to grocery stores and farmers markets Eligible uses of grants: Equipment for storing/preparing healthy food Furniture, fixtures, and inventory for healthy food businesses Building improvements for food retail or production Vehicles to transport healthy food Improvements to fresh food retail stores Community garden construction or equipment Soft costs essential for other eligible uses Eligible applicants: Non-profits with 501(c)3 status For-profit businesses Maybe other entities (case-by-case) Application process: Questions due to [email address removed] by 4pm on May 10, 2024 Answers and info posted by May 15, 2024 at www.milwaukee.gov/ffaf Applications reviewed by a panel Decisions are final Grant renewed every year.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for organizations to implement school feeding programs and improve nutrition and education for children, particularly girls, in developing countries.