GrantStation Insider: January 30, 2025

Application deadline: February 18, 2025
Description: Lowe’s Hometowns program is focused on rebuilding and revitalizing community spaces across the country. Consumers are given the opportunity to nominate a community space in their hometown—such as a neighborhood garden, park, or community center—to receive a physical renovation or improvement. Projects may include community centers and services, safe affordable housing, first responder facilities, community revitalization projects, and skilled trades education initiatives. Lowe’s will select 100 projects to be completed by local nonprofits, schools, cities, or municipalities. Nominations can be made by legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 21 years of age.

Application deadline: March 19, 2025, for initial self-nominations
Geographic scope: United States, including U.S. territories
Grant amount: $15,000 for traditional artists/practitioners and $50,000 for community organizations
Description: Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color, a national funding program managed by the six U.S. regional arts organizations, supports folklife and traditional arts rooted in communities of color in the United States. The program will provide $15,000 unrestricted awards for six traditional artists or practitioners in each regional arts organization’s area, supporting a total of 36 practitioners in their community-rooted traditional arts practice. In addition, $50,000 awards will be provided to one organization or collective in each U.S. state and jurisdiction (56 total) to support the work they do to care for their communities’ traditions and traditional artists. Eligible applicants include traditional artists and practitioners involved in visual arts, performing arts, food or medicine traditions, oral histories, and other community-rooted practices. Organizations may include nonprofits, collectives, Tribal and local governments, businesses, and other entities that support folklife rooted in communities of color.

Application deadline: February 18, 2025, for letters of intent
Grant amount: $50,000
Description: The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation advances bold, nursing-driven innovations that promote equitable, person-centered, and trustworthy care in the United States. The focus is on using nursing-driven innovation as a tool for elevating the health and healthcare of marginalized populations. In 2025, applications are being accepted through two programs: The Hillman Emergent Innovation program will award up to five grants to support the development of early-stage interventions improving the health of marginalized populations. The Hillman Emergent Innovation: Serious Illness and End of Life program will award up to ten grants to support the development of pre-evidence interventions that seek to improve the serious illness and end of life care of marginalized populations. Applications are accepted from institutions and care settings from across the spectrum of care, and from practitioners representing a diverse range of backgrounds. Applicants can access slides and a recording from an informational webinar on the 2025 funding opportunities on the Foundation's website.

Application deadline: March 9, 2025
Grant amount: Selected youth participate in a leadership development fellowship and receive up to $5,000 for their project.
Description: The Call for Kindness Fellowship empowers youth leaders ages 13 to 23 in the United States to implement social impact projects that inspire kindness and strengthen communities. Selected youth participate in a 12-month leadership development fellowship and receive a startup grant of up to $5,000, one-on-one coaching, virtual skill-building sessions, an in-person leadership retreat, mentorship opportunities, and a peer community. (Fellows can also apply for continuation grants with ongoing project support and coaching.) In 2025, up to 45 projects will be funded, including 28 in the general category and 17 in the special and sponsored categories, which focus on LGBTQIA+ initiatives, equity in law, a kinder world for animals, civil discourse and connection, and dance and the performing arts. Projects must be youth-led and inspired by kindness, with a demonstrated potential for community impact. Up to two fellows may apply per project.

Application deadline: February 17, 2025, for direct response to the LA wildfires, and June 30, 2025, for preparedness and capacity building applications
Geographic scope: California
Grant amount: Generally $5,000 to $50,000 for direct response and $25,000 to $100,000 for preparedness and capacity building
Description:  The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is currently providing support in California through the $5 million California Wildfire Response and Preparedness Fund. The Fund will provide two types of support: 1) funding to animal welfare organizations directly responding to animal needs due to the January 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles, and 2) funding for animal welfare organizations throughout California to prepare for and build capacity to defend against future fires and other disasters. Eligible applicants include nonprofit animal welfare organizations and municipal agencies with a focus on animal welfare, as well as nonprofit organizations and municipal agencies providing general disaster assistance that are looking to provide support to animals in affected communities. 

Application deadline: April 11 and July 18, 2025, for letters of inquiry
Geographic scope: Communities within the Bank’s footprint in the northeast and Florida
Description: The Santander Bank U.S. Charitable Giving Program aims to help low- to moderate-income communities within the Bank’s northeast and Florida retail banking footprint address key community development needs. Grants support community development in the following areas: affordable housing, small business development and job creation, financial education, first-time homebuyer education and down payment and closing cost assistance, career counseling, job training and workforce development, neighborhood revitalization and disaster relief, and human welfare and community service programs.

Application deadline: March 3, 2025
Geographic scope: Illinois and Oklahoma
Grant amount: Up to $150,000 spread over two years
Description: Telligen Community Initiative (TCI), a nonprofit foundation originated by Telligen, Inc., seeks to support innovative health-related projects in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, and Oklahoma. TCI’s Strengthening Families and Communities request for proposals is currently accepting applications in Illinois and Oklahoma. The focus is on efforts advancing effective beginning of life (healthy birth outcomes, including pre-pregnancy and pregnancy) and building parenting resiliency and protective factors to prevent or mitigate adverse childhood experiences. Priority is given to efforts reaching underserved families or caregivers with limited financial resources or other structural barriers in rural, frontier, or urban settings. Programs supported can be advancing established evidence-based programs or the refinement of emerging and promising community-based practices. (Applications for Colorado and Iowa are due later in the year.)

Application deadline: March 14, 2025
Geographic scope: Mid-Atlantic region, including DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, and WV
Description: The Mid-Atlantic Environmental Justice Fund, a program of Chesapeake Bay Trust in partnership with other organizations, leverages forestry to address environmental justice issues in the Mid-Atlantic region. The goal is to democratize the benefits of healthy community forests. Support will be provided through three tracks: The Organization Capacity Building track seeks to increase the ability of community-based organizations to advance urban forestry planning, planting, and maintenance efforts. The Tree Canopy for Resiliency and Public Health track funds tree planting and tree canopy improvements to address local public health, climate change, ecological, and environmental issues like air pollution and stormwater management. The Workforce Development in Community Forestry track supports projects that engage residents in job training programs focused on developing forestry-related skills. Nonprofit and fiscally sponsored community-based organizations are eligible to apply.

On January 27, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget released a memo stating that federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of federal financial assistance, including the issuance of new awards and the disbursement of federal funds under all open awards, effective January 28, 2025. On January 29, 2025, a new memo was issued that rescinded the original memo. At this point, there does not appear to be a freeze on federal grants. This information is current as of 1:45 PM ET on January 29, 2025.

Application deadline: March 18, 2025
Description: The National Park Service’s Semiquincentennial Grant Program will support the physical preservation of a broad variety of cultural resources associated with the founding of America as a nation in commemoration of the country's semiquincentennial (250th anniversary). These grants fund physical preservation to properties listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, including buildings, sites, structures, objects, or historic districts. State-owned properties will receive priority per Congressional directive.

Application deadline: April 21, 2025
Description: The Community Connect Grant Program provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide service at or above the broadband grant speed (100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up) to all premises in rural, economically challenged communities where broadband service (10 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up) does not exist. Priority is given to rural areas that demonstrate the greatest need for broadband services.

The AARP Purpose Prize award supports AARP's mission by honoring extraordinary nonprofit founders 50 and older who tap into the power of life experience to build a better future for us all.

Up to five winners will receive $75,000 for their organizations. Winners also have access to yearlong individualized supports to help further their organizational goals. Examples of current supports include one-on-one leadership coaching for founders, data and evaluation consulting, succession planning, prospectus development, social media and branding support, and more.

See rules and apply by February 28, 2025, at 5 PM ET. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

Are you looking to learn about current developments in the philanthropic world, especially what may lie ahead for the coming year? If so, the report 11 Trends in Philanthropy for 2025 is sure to provide some insights. Published by Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University, this report looks into a future where innovations in philanthropy and community-building may yet achieve the transformations everyone hopes to see. It examines topics such as the growth of giving circles and time-limited foundations and funding for social justice and democracy.

For some small organizations, applying for just one grant can be a daunting task. But don't overlook the power of leveraging your support to make securing additional funds a little easier. Some funders offer matching or challenge grants, which can help your organization garner support from other sources. While requirements vary (for example, some matching and challenge grants are a one-to-one match, while others may offer one dollar for every three acquired), these types of grants offer an effective opportunity to generate interest in your program and organization and increase your support. The GrantStation database includes search terms for both matching and challenge grants.

Webinar date: February 3, 2025, 2:00 to 2:45 PM Eastern Time
Description: Writing effective proposals requires excellent editing skills. Editing, however, can be a challenging part of the grantseeking process, especially for small organizations who don’t have multiple individuals available to review a proposal prior to submission. Fortunately, AI tools can help provide an additional “set of eyes,” ensuring you’re submitting the best proposal possible. During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke and David Gates will show you how AI can help you effectively edit and review your proposals. (This webinar is part of the TargetED Series: AI for Nonprofits.)

Webinar date: February 4, 2025, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: A donor-approved case for support is a powerful tool that can drive your messaging and improve fundraising results. Often, internally developed support cases miss crucial insights about public perception and donor motivations. By actively involving your donors and supporters in the development process, you can gain valuable perspectives that will enrich your case for support. During this webinar, Melissa Sais and Kevin Wallace from CampaignCounsel.org will show you how to craft a donor-approved case for support which combines both internal insights and external viewpoints.

Webinar date: February 20, 2025, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: The budget is a critical component of any grant application—it should tell a story that complements your proposal narrative and builds your organization’s credibility as a responsible steward of grant funds. Understanding how to build a budget and present your financials in a grant proposal will strengthen your proposals and take the stress out of the drafting process. During this webinar, Alison Hight of Elevate will examine the building blocks of budgets and how to present an appropriate budget in a grant proposal.

GrantStation provides comprehensive tools for every step of your grantseeking journey. Membership gives you access to diverse grant opportunities, detailed funder and grant profiles, reliable and up-to-date data, and affordable professional-grade tools.

Two days only, February 11 & 12, at TechSoup.

GrantStation shares database profiles of local, national, Canadian, and international grantmakers with upcoming deadlines each week. Check out the current Funding Spotlights for more grant opportunities! Current opportunities include Jordan Brand: Black Community Commitment (U.S. national), TCC Gives (U.S. local: company communities), Park People: TD Park People Grants (specific areas of Canada), and Equator Prize (global).