GrantStation Insider: February 6, 2025

Application deadline: April 30, 2025
Grant amount: $20,000
Description: The Mary Kay Ash Foundation’s Domestic Violence Shelter Grants support shelters across the United States providing critical, life-saving services to women and children seeking safety from an abusive situation. Grants of $20,000 are awarded to at least one domestic violence shelter in every state. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) organizations in operation longer than five years that primarily provide shelter to women who have experienced domestic violence.

Application deadline: February 28, 2025
Description: The mission of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is to build pathways that change lives. The Foundation is currently offering support through the Connecting Higher Education to Career Success request for proposals. Funding is available for organizations creating student pathways from college to in-demand jobs. The Foundation seeks to fund partners who align with its goal of creating opportunities for students while addressing workforce needs. Funds can be used to pilot new programming, bring proven approaches to scale, or develop the partnerships that make this work possible. Efforts should serve traditional-aged students ages 18 to 25 and focus on industry-aligned credentials with two-year or four-year degrees or job placement after graduation. Nonprofits and for-profit organizations working to support community college or university students are encouraged to apply.

Application deadline: April 8, 2025, for LIFT, and May 15, 2025, for SHIFT
Grant amount: $15,000 for LIFT and $100,000 for SHIFT
Description: The Native Arts + Cultures Foundation (NACF) advances equity and cultural knowledge, focusing on the power of arts and collaboration to strengthen Native communities and promote positive social change with American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples in the United States. NACF is currently accepting applications through the following programs: The SHIFT: Transformative Change and Indigenous Arts program provides two-year, $100,000 awards for up to five Native artists, curators, and collectives to develop innovative, community-driven projects in partnership with organizations. The program’s focus is to support work that uplifts Native communities, promotes self-determination, and drives transformative social change. The LIFT: Early Career Support for Native Artists program provides one-year, $15,000 awards for early-career Native artists to develop and realize new projects. Eligible applicants are individual Native artists working in dance and choreography, fiction and poetry writing, film and video, multi-disciplinary arts, music, performance art, theater and screenplay writing, traditional arts, or 2D + 3D visual arts. Awardees for both programs also receive professional development and other supports.

Application deadline: March 1, annually, for letters of intent
Geographic scope: Continental United States
Description: The Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation supports nonprofit organizations and institutions doing work that will impact the field of mental health, with a focus on schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. Support is provided for programs within the continental United States that promote positive change in the lives of those living with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder in the following grant categories: education, criminal justice, reintegration, clinical research, and social support. The Foundation aims to address immediate and quantifiable needs as well as seek long-term solutions. 

Application deadline: None
Geographic scope: Communities with restaurant locations
Description: The Brinker International Charitable Giving Program and the company's restaurants, which include Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy, support nonprofit organizations in the communities where restaurants are located. (Information on locations is available for Chili’s and Maggiano’s.) Areas of interest include kids, hunger, and education. Monetary and in-kind support in the form of dining certificates are provided. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply.

Application deadline: March 6, 2025, for the Rural Arts Initiative, and March 13, 2025, for the Environmental Initiative
Geographic scope: Varies by program to include Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Wyoming, and limited counties in New York, North Carolina, and Texas
Grant amount: Rural Arts Initiative grants range up to $12,000. Environmental Initiative grants range up to $8,000 for planning and up to $35,000 for implementation.
Description: The Laura Jane Musser Fund is currently offering support through the Rural Arts Initiative and the Environmental Initiative. The Rural Arts Initiative provides general operating support to nonprofit arts organizations to develop, implement, or sustain exceptional artistic opportunities for adults and children in the areas of literary, visual, music, and performing arts. The geographic areas for this initiative are CO, HI, WY, and limited counties in NY, NC, and TX. Eligible organizations must have organizational budgets of less than $350,000, and be physically located in rural communities with populations of less than 15,000. The Environmental Initiative assists public and nonprofit entities to initiate or implement projects that enhance the ecological integrity of publicly owned open spaces, while encouraging compatible human activities. The goal is to promote public use of open space that improves a community’s quality of life and public health, while also ensuring the protection of healthy, viable, and sustainable ecosystems. The geographic areas for this initiative are CO, HI, MN, WY, and limited counties in NY, NC, and TX. (For both initiatives, please see the Fund's website for a full list of eligible counties.)

Application deadline: April 4, 2025
Geographic scope: Minnesota
Grant amount: Up to $100,000
Description: The Medica Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Medica, provides support for community-led initiatives that advance health equity in Minnesota. The Foundation’s Early Childhood Health priority area provides funding for early intervention programs that support families and children and foster optimal growth and development for children from birth through age 12. Specific priority areas of interest include abuse prevention, maternal health and birth equity, oral health, parenting skills, and primary care and immunizations. Priority is given to proposals that provide culturally focused care and that advance health equity for the following communities: BIPOC communities, immigrants and refugees, individuals experiencing homelessness, individuals living in rural areas, LGBTQ+ communities, and children in the foster care system.

Application deadline: None
Geographic scope: Massachusetts
Grant amount: Up to $75,000
Description: Charlesbank Homes Foundation makes capital grants to Massachusetts nonprofit organizations providing housing to low- and moderate-income individuals and families. Grants fund construction, repairs, or maintenance beyond a property’s standard capital reserves. For repairs or maintenance, grants are limited to $50,000. For new residences, grants are limited to $75,000. Preference is given to projects with under $8 million in total development costs. Nonprofit organizations located in Massachusetts that construct or maintain housing for individuals and families of low or moderate income are eligible to apply.

On January 27, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memo responding to the President’s Executive Orders 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. While the OMB memorandum was rescinded, the Executive Order appears to remain in effect at this time. This information is current as of 10:15 AM ET on February 4, 2025.

Application deadline: Grants.gov: March 24, 2025; NEA Applicant Portal: April 3, 2025
Description: The National Endowment for the Arts' Research Grants in the Arts program supports research studies that investigate the value or impact of the arts, either as individual components of the U.S. arts ecosystem or as they interact with each other or with other domains of American life.

Application deadline: March 17, 2025
Description: The Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program, Incarcerated Veterans’ Transition Program, and the Homeless Women Veterans and Homeless Veterans with Children Reintegration Grant Program  help address the number of veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Support is available for efforts to provide services tailored to each veteran’s needs using a case management approach. Grant recipients must help connect veterans to supportive services available in their local communities. In addition, grant recipients must also help veterans successfully return to work by providing job training services that support their needs. This can be done by providing direct help or by creating a strong referral system that includes tools, resources, and partnerships that identify, find, prepare, and support veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness so they can reach their full employment potential.

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 a grantseeker searching for insight into funders’ perspectives, or a grantmaker looking to understand grantseekers’ challenges? If so, you might want to read How Grantmakers and Grantseekers Communicate to Change the World. Based on a survey and interviews with experts in the field, this eBook covers the biggest issues facing the grants community. It dives into the shared obstacles faced by both sides of the funding equation, and finds practical solutions designed to foster collaboration, streamline processes, and drive impact.

Technology is becoming more and more integrated into our lives each year, and the nonprofit sector is not immune to this change. Using the Technology/Computers/Software search term in the GrantStation database (Members only) can help you find funders that offer support to upgrade your organization's tech needs.

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.

Webinar date: February 24, 2025, 2:00 to 2:45 PM Eastern Time
Description: As AI becomes increasingly integral to operations, establishing clear policies is essential to ensure responsible, effective, and ethical AI use. Thoughtful AI policies can help your organization maximize AI’s benefits while safeguarding data privacy, maintaining transparency, and aligning with your nonprofit’s values. During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke and David Gates will help you begin the process of creating AI policies tailored to your organization’s needs. You’ll learn key considerations and strategies for establishing a framework that guides AI use responsibly and sustainably. (This webinar is part of the TargetED Series: AI for Nonprofits.)

Webinar date: February 26, 2025, 2:00 to 3:00 PM Eastern Time
Description: Finding the funds needed to fulfill your mission is a never-ending challenge for all nonprofits. Whether you’re part of an established nonprofit or you’re a one-person development office, GrantStation can work for you because it is designed to help nonprofit organizations of all sizes get funded. During this live demo and Q&A session, Jeremy Smith, Director of Communications Technology, and Kerry Glauser, Director of Research, will show you how you can use GrantStation to complete your grant research quickly and get high-quality results. You’ll see how you can find and vet funding opportunities in a quick, streamlined fashion, so you and your staff can focus on what's most important—serving your community.

With so much competition for grant dollars, nonprofit organizations and public libraries need every possible advantage. With a GrantStation Membership, you will get the tools and information you need to secure your funding this year and beyond. 

Secure Funding to Empower Your Mission!

Don’t forget to check out the additional Funding Spotlights on our homepage—you don't want to miss them! Current opportunities include Samvid Ventures (U.S. national), Service CU Impact Foundation (U.S. local: communities served in New England), Ingenious+ (Canada), and the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use Grants Program (low-and middle-income countries).