Private Science and Technology Grants

The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County is launching its 2024 BUILD (building unity, infrastructure, leadership, and development) Grant Program, a direct reflection of its mission to strengthen charitable organizations within the county. This program specifically targets nonprofit agencies with an annual operating budget of $500,000 or less, aiming to bolster their capacity and infrastructure. The foundation's strategic priority is clearly to empower smaller, local nonprofits, recognizing their vital role in serving San Luis Obispo County residents. The primary beneficiaries of the BUILD Grant Program are these smaller nonprofit organizations, along with the communities they serve. The impact goal is to enhance the operational effectiveness and sustainability of these agencies, thereby improving their ability to deliver programs and services to the residents of San Luis Obispo County. By strengthening these organizations from within, the foundation seeks to create a ripple effect that ultimately benefits the broader community through more robust and impactful charitable work. The program prioritizes both general operating purposes and specific projects in several key areas. These include capacity building, staff or board training and development, communications or donor development efforts, and capital equipment improvement (such as hardware, software, or furniture). The foundation will specifically prioritize one-year grants, offering $5,000 to successful applicants. This focused approach ensures that funding directly addresses critical needs that contribute to an organization's long-term health and efficiency. Expected outcomes include improved organizational infrastructure, enhanced staff and board capabilities, more effective communication strategies, and modernized equipment, all contributing to increased operational efficiency and program delivery. While the description doesn't explicitly detail measurable results, the focus on tangible improvements in capacity, training, and equipment suggests that the foundation expects a clear, positive impact on the grantees' ability to fulfill their missions. The foundation's theory of change appears to be that by investing in the foundational strength of smaller nonprofits, it can catalyze greater community benefit and resilience in San Luis Obispo County.

The Princeton Area Community Foundation's Community Impact Grants offer financial support to nonprofits addressing the needs of under-resourced individuals and communities in specific regions of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, prioritizing areas such as food security, homelessness, education, mental health, and community building.

This funding opportunity is designed for small dairy producers in Iowa to enhance their processing capabilities through modernization and efficiency improvements.

The Madison Community Foundation's Community Impact grants are designed to advance initiatives that create long-term positive impact on the community and the lives of its residents. This aligns with MCF's broader mission to strengthen innovative or high-performing nonprofits and invest in initiatives and natural and cultural assets that foster a thriving community. The grants are aimed at improving the quality of life for residents in greater Madison through five key focus areas: Arts & Culture, Community Development, Environment, Learning, and Organizational Capacity Building. The target beneficiaries of these grants are primarily residents and organizations within Dane County, Wisconsin. For example, Arts & Culture grants support Dane County's vibrant arts scene, while Community Development grants enhance quality of life by strengthening local assets and building community bonds. Learning grants support K-12 academic achievement and out-of-school programs, and Organizational Capacity Building grants aim to strengthen the infrastructure and long-term impact of Dane County nonprofits. The overarching impact goal is to create a more vibrant, equitable, and sustainable community. The program prioritizes initiatives that demonstrate a long-term impact on residents or physical environments in Dane County, with meaningful, reasonable, and measurable outcomes. Innovative approaches to community issues are encouraged, as are projects that strengthen community assets, build self-sufficiency, attract additional funding, and utilize partnerships or collaborations. The foundation's strategic priority is to support programs that are sustainable beyond the scope of the initial grant, fostering lasting change within the community. This indicates a theory of change that emphasizes empowering organizations and initiatives to create enduring positive effects. Grants are categorized into three broad types: Program Grants for new or expanding successful programs, Capital Grants for facility and land acquisition or renovation, and Endowment Challenge Grants to build capacity and sustainability by leveraging additional funds. Eligibility requires organizations to be public charities or governmental bodies (501(c)(3) exempt), located within Dane County (with an exception for endowment challenge grants if the fund resides at MCF), and to conduct business without discrimination. This ensures that the grants support a diverse range of impactful projects while adhering to strong ethical and operational standards.

This grant provides financial support to local nonprofit organizations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that deliver essential services and enriching programs in health, education, arts, and community development.

This grant provides funding to support projects that improve mental health services and treatment for individuals with serious mental illness in Montana, focusing on prevention, crisis intervention, and transitional support.

This grant provides funding to support projects that empower historically underserved farming communities in the Northeast U.S. by addressing systemic barriers and promoting equitable agricultural practices.

This grant provides funding to support projects that enhance the economic viability of farmers in New York by improving operational practices, fostering innovation, and developing marketing strategies.

Grant Opportunity: The Future of America's Alliances Funder: The Charles Koch Foundation Award Details: Funding levels are commensurate with the requirements of the research and the potential for the research to advance an understanding of critical issues. Accepted proposals may also receive support to disseminate the research findings. Eligibility: Organizations of all types across the USA, including nonprofits, startups, researchers, local governments, and small businesses. Other Relevant Information: - Proposals should evaluate areas where U.S. interests converge or diverge from long-established allies and consider challenges in maintaining alliances in different regions. - Projects should study ways to promote burden-sharing and partners' deterrent capabilities. - Research on the long-term future of NATO, unintended consequences of alliances, advantages of different security arrangements, and problems with foreign arms sales is encouraged. - Proposals should assess historical cases of alliance dissolution and explore options for "transatlantic transformation." - A two-to-five page abstract, CV or résumé, and a brief itemized budget are required in the application. - Proposals will be accepted and evaluated on a rolling basis. For more information and to apply, visit: https://charleskochfoundation.tfaforms.net/344037?tfa_13=tfa_1476

This program provides financial support and resources to underserved entrepreneurs in Texas, helping them grow their businesses through training, mentorship, and access to capital.

The Seybert Foundation Innovation Grants Program offers grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 to Philadelphia-based nonprofits serving youth, to fund innovative projects in areas such as education reform, youth advocacy, and workforce development, with a focus on testing new approaches or pursuing opportunities for significant change.

The 2024 Community Experts Fund, spearheaded by the Peter and Elizabeth Tower Foundation, is a grant initiative designed to amplify youth voice within organizations. This program aligns with the Foundation's mission by directly engaging young adults with lived expertise in the grantmaking process, ensuring that funding decisions are informed by the concerns and priorities of the young people it aims to serve. This strategic approach underscores a theory of change that values authentic youth engagement as a catalyst for effective and impactful program development. The target beneficiaries of this grant are youth-serving nonprofit organizations working with young people who have an intellectual disability, learning disability, mental health challenge, or substance use disorder. The program specifically prioritizes services delivered in Massachusetts (Barnstable, Dukes, Essex, or Nantucket County) and New York (Erie or Niagara County). The impact goals include fostering youth leadership and ensuring that community voice directly shapes grant allocation and program design. The fund focuses on supporting a variety of initiatives that empower young people. Eligible expenses include stipends for youth participation, staff time dedicated to youth engagement, transportation and accommodation for youth programming, program supplies and food, community and recreational programming, outreach and promotion of youth leadership opportunities, technology and equipment, and training. This broad scope allows organizations to tailor their proposals to specific needs while adhering to the core objective of youth empowerment. Applicants can request up to $25,000 to support their programs. While the grant duration is not explicitly mentioned, the emphasis on youth-led design and ongoing engagement suggests an expected outcome of sustainable youth leadership within recipient organizations. The measurable results would likely include increased youth participation in organizational decision-making, development of youth-led projects, and the overall strengthening of youth voice in the designated service regions. This grant opportunity exemplifies the Foundation's strategic commitment to empowering young people and integrating their perspectives into community-based solutions.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to museums and nonprofit organizations in Michigan to help stabilize their operations, expand their capacity, and implement strategic initiatives over the next five years.

The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro is offering its Economic Mobility Grant Program, aligning with its mission to foster a strong economic foundation for residents. The foundation is committed to funding organizations that focus on key areas designed to promote economic stability and advancement within Guilford County. This grant program is a direct reflection of the foundation's strategic priority to advance economic mobility. The target beneficiaries of this program are residents of Guilford County who require support to become economically mobile. The impact goals are to support organizations whose work encompasses workforce development and education, small business and entrepreneurship, and access to workforce housing. By investing in these areas, the foundation aims to create a more equitable and opportunity-rich environment for individuals and families in the community. The program's priorities and focuses are clearly defined. Priority is given to grant proposals that concentrate on long-term strategies to advance and sustain economic mobility in Guilford County. This emphasizes a commitment to lasting change rather than short-term fixes. While the description doesn't explicitly state expected outcomes and measurable results in a quantitative sense, the focus on "long-term strategies to advance and sustain economic mobility" implies a desire for measurable improvements in employment rates, business creation, and access to affordable housing as indirect outcomes. The foundation's strategic priorities and theory of change are centered on the belief that a strong economic foundation is crucial for residents to achieve economic mobility. By funding organizations engaged in workforce development, supporting small businesses, and ensuring access to housing, the foundation seeks to address systemic barriers to economic progress. The consideration of board and staff diversity and total operating budget in the grantmaking process also highlights a commitment to equity and inclusivity in achieving its goals, demonstrating a holistic approach to community development.

This grant provides funding for innovative research projects that enhance the development of alternative proteins, targeting improvements in plant-based and cultivated meat technologies.

INcommon Grants, provided by Indiana Humanities, offer funding to tax-exempt organizations for public programs that utilize the humanities to explore subjects related to race and ethnicity. This aligns with Indiana Humanities' mission to foster dialogue and understanding on these complex topics, believing the humanities can create a space for learning, considering different viewpoints, respectful disagreement, and discovering shared values. The grant program seeks to support diverse projects across Indiana that address various themes and use a variety of public humanities formats, such as reading series, civic reflection discussions, public lectures, film screenings, exhibits, web projects, podcasts, walking tours, or documentary films. The target beneficiaries are tax-exempt organizations, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, public libraries, churches, and government entities, all of which are eligible to apply. The impact goal is to encourage programs that contribute to a deeper understanding of issues like immigration, gentrification, assimilation, incarceration, policing, institutional racism, and the legacies of segregation in housing and education. By fostering community discussion and conversation, the program aims to promote shared values and bridge divides within Indiana communities. High priority is given to projects that include community discussion and conversation, demonstrating Indiana Humanities' focus on interactive and participatory engagement. Successful proposals are expected to incorporate input from humanities scholars, serving as advisers or facilitators, ensuring the intellectual rigor and depth of the programs. Projects must have a strong focus on the humanities, adhering to guidelines from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and be intended for a public audience with accessible presentation sites. Expected outcomes include the development and implementation of impactful public humanities programs that increase public understanding and dialogue on race and ethnicity. Measurable results could include the number of programs delivered, audience participation, and qualitative assessments of the discussions fostered. The foundation's strategic priorities are clearly centered on using the humanities as a tool for civic engagement and promoting understanding around critical societal issues, with a theory of change that posits that through guided discussions and public programming, communities can build bridges and address challenging topics constructively.

The AARP Foundation is offering a grant opportunity to organizations seeking to increase their impact by piloting a scaling strategy. This aligns with the AARP Foundation's mission to materially improve the circumstances of people aged 50 and over with incomes at or below 250% of the poverty line, lift their income above this threshold, or prevent them from falling below it. The Foundation also prioritizes programs that consult older adults in their development and implementation or create volunteer opportunities for them. This funding opportunity aims to support organizations in expanding their reach and depth to engage a larger audience, thereby addressing urgent problems faced by this demographic. The primary beneficiaries of this grant are individuals aged 50 and over who are living with low income. The impact goals are to improve the financial well-being of this population through direct services or non-direct services such as capacity building, systems change, or implementation. The Foundation is particularly interested in projects serving older adults in 22 specific U.S. states and territories that exhibit high levels of senior poverty, including Alabama, Arizona, and Puerto Rico, among others. Organizations from anywhere in the U.S. are eligible, but those serving populations disproportionately affected by systemic barriers, racial and ethnic disparities, and other harmful biases will be prioritized. The AARP Foundation's strategic priorities for this grant focus on scaling existing work to achieve greater impact. This can involve leveraging partnerships to increase program reach, using collaborative or coalition models to enhance organizational capacity, engaging new partners for policy implementation (excluding legislative advocacy), expanding public-private partnerships, applying effective systems-level approaches to new areas, or incorporating innovative strategies into existing programs. These diverse approaches reflect the Foundation's theory of change, which posits that by supporting organizations in scaling their effective programs, a broader positive impact on the economic security of older adults can be achieved. Expected outcomes and measurable results include increasing the number of 50+ individuals whose circumstances are materially improved, whose income is lifted above 250% of the poverty line, or who are prevented from falling below it. The grant aims to foster expanded reach and depth of programs, engaging larger audiences and demonstrating the effectiveness of various scaling strategies. The total program funding for this opportunity is up to $2 million, supporting projects for up to three years, indicating a commitment to sustained impact and the development of robust, scalable solutions to senior poverty.

The North Central Region SARE (NCR-SARE) Partnership Grant Program is seeking applications to provide funding of $10,000 to $100,000 for projects that foster cooperation between agriculture professionals and small groups of farmers and ranchers, aiming to catalyze on-farm research, demonstration, and education activities related to sustainable agriculture.

This funding opportunity supports individuals and organizations in Washington, DC, to document and preserve the oral histories of local residents, focusing on community collaboration and culturally significant themes.

The Fund for Racial Justice and Equity, powered by United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, is offering grants of $10,000 to $100,000 for one year to Lehigh Valley nonprofit organizations led by and serving BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disability communities, to support programs in leadership development, economic advancement, health and wellness, and stories of Black and Brown excellence and success.