Grants for County governments - Private

The Sid W. Richardson Foundation provides grants to support the missions of non-profit organizations serving the people of Texas, with a focus on educational, health, human service, and cultural programs and projects. Established in 1947 by Sid W. Richardson, the Foundation began distributing major grants in 1962, following the availability of substantial income from assets from Richardson's estate. Despite Richardson's global interests, his primary concern remained with the people of his home state of Texas. The Foundation, through its Board of Directors and staff, continues to fulfill his vision by prioritizing grants that directly benefit clients or target audiences, particularly in smaller communities and rural areas. Grants are not available to individuals but are made primarily to organizations within Texas, especially those in the Fort Worth area for human services and cultural organizations. Grant renewed every year. Annual Fall deadline: September 15th.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations and local governments in Texas for capital projects that improve community facilities and infrastructure, such as fire stations, libraries, and emergency responder equipment.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and local, state, Tribal, or municipal governments to implement projects that improve fish and wildlife habitats, water quality, and community engagement in the Great Lakes region.

The Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation (IWCF) invites applications for its 2024–2025 Grants Cycle to support projects that address critical needs in Southwestern Idaho. Eligible organizations include nonprofit 501(c)(3) entities, educational institutions, government agencies, and tax-exempt religious organizations serving the counties of Ada, Adams, Boise, Camas, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Valley, and Washington. Proposals should present creative solutions to community challenges, with plans for sustainability beyond IWCF funding. Funds may be distributed over one or two years but are expected to be used within the year they are received. For this cycle, IWCF will consider proposals in six interest areas. These include Cultural Arts, supporting visual and performing arts and humanities for underserved populations; Education, targeting learning opportunities for all ages, such as early childhood programs and literacy initiatives; Environment, focusing on conservation, reclamation, and environmental education; Financial Stability, addressing poverty, homelessness, and job training; Health, which includes health care, substance abuse, and wellness programs; and Rural Communities, assisting towns with populations under 30,000 or rural-focused programs provided by urban-based organizations. Applicants must select one area when applying. Funding requests may range from $20,000 to $30,000. IWCF will not fund organizations with annual revenues under $50,000, general operating costs unrelated to the specific grant request, ongoing program costs not tied to expansions or new initiatives, or activities such as lobbying, scholarships, or endowment contributions. Applications currently receiving IWCF funding must wait 12 months after submitting their End-of-Grant report to apply again. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. The grant timeline begins with the application opening on October 2, 2024, followed by a Virtual Nonprofit Education and Q&A Session on November 4, 2024. Applications are due by January 7, 2025. The grants committee will review applications and conduct site visits between January and March 2025. Organizations will be notified of funding decisions in April, with grants awarded in May 2025. Applicants are encouraged to prepare proposals carefully, aligning them with IWCF’s funding priorities and demonstrating measurable outcomes and clear sustainability plans. For more details, organizations can participate in the virtual Q&A session and access additional resources provided by IWCF.

The Jackson County Community Foundation is offering community grants to qualified charitable organizations that serve the local community within Jackson County, North Carolina. This grant program aligns with the foundation's mission to address a broad range of local needs, supporting essential services and development within the community. The grants are intended to foster local initiatives that improve the well-being of residents and strengthen community infrastructure across various sectors. The target beneficiaries of this grant program are diverse, encompassing individuals and groups benefiting from human services, education, youth development, health, food/nutrition, and arts programs. The impact goals are to meet a wide array of community needs, providing support to vulnerable populations, enhancing educational opportunities, promoting healthy lifestyles, and enriching cultural experiences. The foundation prioritizes organizations that are 501(c)(3) public charities, local governments (including public schools), fire and rescue departments, and religious entities engaged in social outreach programs. The program focuses on funding initiatives that provide tangible benefits to the community-at-large, with a particular emphasis on services that are accessible and non-discriminatory. Expected outcomes include improved access to essential services, enhanced community programs, and a strengthened local support network. While specific measurable results are not explicitly detailed beyond the range of grants, the implied results are the successful implementation of programs in the areas of human services, education, youth development, health, food/nutrition, and arts. The Jackson County Community Foundation's strategic priorities are to address local needs comprehensively through community-focused grantmaking. Their theory of change appears to be that by funding a diverse range of charitable organizations and public service entities, they can collectively create a more resilient, educated, healthy, and culturally vibrant community. The grant size typically ranges from $1,000 to $3,000, indicating a focus on supporting numerous local projects rather than a few large-scale initiatives.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government entities in Central New Mexico to develop innovative programs that improve food security for students and their families within educational settings.

This funding opportunity supports hospice and bereavement services in Cumberland and York counties, focusing on enhancing volunteer programs and community awareness initiatives.

This grant provides funding for projects that develop workforce skills in Alaska's natural resource sectors, particularly benefiting rural communities and emphasizing partnerships in the oil, gas, and mining industries.

This funding opportunity supports nonprofit, educational, governmental, and Tribal organizations in five Michigan counties to enhance community wellbeing through flexible grants for operational support or specific projects.

The various grant programs are structured to address systemic community challenges, reflecting a core alignment with the foundations’ missions to drive change, promote equity, and foster vibrant communities. The Community Foundation (Des Moines) offers three key competitive grants: Leadership, Capacity Building, and Strategic Alignment, all rooted in community plan alignment and focused on inclusive engagement and impact. Leadership Grants are designed to catalyze systems change by investing in solutions that challenge existing systems and address root causes, not just projects. Similarly, the San Antonio Area Foundation employs trust-based philanthropic principles, offering general operating and multi-year support to help non-profits focus on their missions and achieve stability as a direct means to closing opportunity gaps. The grant-making strategies are defined by specific priorities that target key community issues, often reflecting a multi-sectoral and cross-cutting approach. The Minneapolis Foundation’s grants, for instance, focus on priorities like creating an equitable education system (Reimagine Education) and being nimble in response to emerging community needs (OneMPLS), previously addressing issues like affordable housing and pandemic relief. The San Antonio Area Foundation structures its work around four pillars: Cultural Vibrancy, Livable and Resilient Communities, Aging Adults Success, and Youth Success, with activities like building capacity for under-resourced arts groups or supporting programs to strengthen safety nets for older adults. This demonstrates a comprehensive approach where investments aim to address a diverse range of interconnected human, animal, and environmental health issues. Target beneficiaries and high-level impact goals are diverse yet universally focused on empowering vulnerable populations and transforming systems. Beneficiaries include schools, students, small businesses, older adults, youth, and non-profits across various sectors. For instance, the ACDP in Liberia aims to meet the real needs of the most vulnerable rural populations, reducing poverty while strengthening human capital and resilience. Its specific goal is to significantly improve conditions for residents of targeted rural and urban communities through environmentally sustainable and equitable access to basic services by 2025. Other goals include advancing criminal justice reform through the Fund for Safe Communities, and promoting conservation education for K-12 students via specialty grants like the Explore the Ozarks Fund. A strong emphasis is placed on generating clear, measurable results that align with the strategic theory of change—that focused investments lead to demonstrable community benefits. Outcomes are expected to be specific and measurable, often guided by the SMART mnemonic (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound). These expected outcomes describe the consequences and results of the work, detailing the change in participants or the programmatic/operational level. For example, expected results include achieving greater stability for non-profit partners through multi-year support, or, in the public health sphere, strengthening the institutionalization of a functional One Health approach in Liberia to address Public Health events and develop joint policy guidance on prevention, detection, response, and recovery.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit and government organizations in Colorado for horticulture-related projects that focus on education, therapy, research, and community improvements.

This funding opportunity supports collaborative projects in Western North Carolina that address the challenges faced by communities affected by Hurricane Helene, focusing on innovative solutions in housing, education, economic opportunity, and health and wellness.

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit initiatives in Houston that enhance health, education, community development, and LGBTQ+ support, particularly for marginalized populations.

This grant provides funding for arts education projects in Warren and Washington Counties, NY, aimed at K-12 schools and community groups to promote hands-on artistic experiences.

This grant provides financial assistance to local governments in Arizona to develop and implement energy efficiency and conservation strategies that reduce fossil fuel emissions and promote sustainable energy practices.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, and local or tribal governments in New York State to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of specialty crops through research, development, and education initiatives.

This grant provides financial support to charitable organizations and local governments in the Clintonville area for projects that enhance health, education, and community development.

The Knox County Community Foundation seeks funding requests for its Target Lasting Change (TLC) Grant Initiative. Funding will be focused on quality of life and quality of place programs/projects in Knox County that have the potential to stimulate economic growth within the county. A $100,000 grant will be awarded to one charitable organization whose funding request most aligns with initiative goals and aims to make a significant and sustained, positive impact in the community.

The Cultural Facilities Grants are designed to support Vermont nonprofit organizations and municipalities in enhancing, creating, or expanding the capacity of existing buildings to offer cultural activities to the public. These activities broadly include artistic, creative, aesthetic, historic, or scholarly events such as performances, exhibits, readings, film screenings, workshops, and more. Eligible projects may involve improvements to wiring, heating, lighting, plumbing, accessibility features, stage enhancements, permanent display installations, environmental controls, hazard mitigation, and energy efficiency upgrades. The grant period is set from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2025, and includes a mandatory match on a 1:1 basis with specific requirements for cash and in-kind contributions. Applications are encouraged from entities that own a facility in Vermont that has been in existence for at least ten years.

This funding opportunity supports nonprofit organizations in northwest Ohio that are collaborating to improve service delivery through shared resources, training, and strategic partnerships.