Workforce Grants

Background

The Domestic Public Policy Program supports projects that will help the public and policy makers understand and address critical challenges facing the United States. To that end, the Foundation supports research on and evaluation of existing public policies and programs, as well as projects that inject new ideas into public debates. 

The Foundation believes that policy makers face a series of challenges that need to be met if the United States is going to continue to prosper and provide opportunity to all of its citizens. Even as public finances begin to recover in the wake of the financial crisis and recession, officials are confronting difficult choices that will have to be made in order to restore long-term fiscal balances while maintaining essential public services. These choices will include decisions regarding how best to raise revenues while also creating an environment conducive to economic growth. Policy makers are also looking for strategies that can deliver key public services, such as education and criminal justice, in an effective and efficient manner. There is also a need to develop strategies to improve the long-term growth rate of the U.S. economy and strengthen economic opportunity. Doing so will require a combination of more effective strategies to develop human capital and establishing an economic climate hospitable to entrepreneurship and growth.

To meet these broad objectives, the Foundation has developed a number of grant making portfolios.

• A group of grants is focused on the challenges of identifying mechanisms that can inform thinking on fiscal practices at the national, state, and municipal levels.
• In terms of human capital development, the Foundation has been supporting work to identify how schools can become more productive by, for example, increasing the quality of the teacher workforce or adopting more effective curricula.
• Because success in the contemporary economy requires individuals to acquire education and training beyond high school, the Foundation is building a portfolio of projects on post-secondary education.
• Finally, the Foundation is supporting work on the criminal justice system that will examine whether costs can be lowered while still protecting public safety.

Mission

The mission of the Smith Richardson Foundation is to contribute to important public debates and to address serious public policy challenges facing the United States. The Foundation seeks to help ensure the vitality of our social, economic, and governmental institutions. It also seeks to assist with the development of effective policies to compete internationally and to advance U.S. interests and values abroad.

The Foundation advances its mission through its two principal grant making programs: the International Security and Foreign Policy Program and the Domestic Public Policy Program. The Foundation believes that conflict and change in the international environment continually create needs in the U.S. policy community for analysis and guidance on critical foreign and defense policy issues. In the domestic arena, the Foundation believes that policy makers are seeking innovative and pragmatic solutions to the long-term challenges affecting the well being of all Americans.

We work with involved citizens, organizations and corporate partners on local initiatives to promote civic pride, economic development and revitalization.

Causes we support

Environmental Stewardship - With a commitment to sustainability, we give priority consideration to organizations whose programs preserve and/or enhance renewable resources and empower environmental stewards.

Sustainability Education - We’re committed to equipping individuals with knowledge needed to enhance their communities through programs that support clean, resilient and sustainable place to live.

Community Vitality - When we ensure that our neighborhoods and communities are safe and sustainable, we provide the best living environment for customers, employees and stakeholders.

Environmental Justice - By engaging with people in the communities where we operate, we can understand their needs and address operational impacts to help those communities thrive.

Workforce + Skills Development - We strive to give individuals the tools and training they need to excel while empowering employees to take care of our customers, neighbors and their environment via programs that prioritize economic mobility.

Supplier Diversity - We address inequity and economic development for underserved groups by working towards targets that prioritize collective impact, collaboration, education, and achieving ambitious sustainability initiatives.

About the Motorola Solutions Foundation

At Motorola Solutions, we are good citizens by design. Our work makes a difference in the critical moments that shape lives, businesses and the world, but our contributions don’t end there. The Motorola Solutions Foundation acts as the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola Solutions and focuses on giving back to the community through strategic grants, employee volunteerism and other community investment initiatives. The Foundation is one of the many ways in which the company lives out its purpose to help people be their best in the moments that matter.

Grant Program Focus

The Motorola Solutions Foundation, which has donated $100 million over the past 10 years, aims to partner with organizations that are creating safer cities and thriving communities, and prioritizes underrepresented and/or underserved populations, including people of color and women, within the three focus areas below:

• Technology and engineering education
• First responder programming
• Blended first responder programming and technology/engineering education programs

Overarching Priorities

• Reach people of color, women and other underrepresented and/or underserved populations within our focus areas
• Leverage robust partnerships with other nonprofit organizations and institutions
• Support organizations that exhibit strong financial health
• Support organizations with data-driven evaluation methods, including quantifiable metrics

Focus Areas

First Responder Programming

• Provide leadership development and training opportunities for underrepresented first responders, including people of color and women
• Provide mental wellness and stress management trainings for first responders and their families
• Provide wellness and scholarship support to families of fallen first responders
• Prepare youth and young adults for careers in public safety through outreach, scholarship and educational programs
• Offer safety preparedness and response training to schools, adults, students and first responders
• Lead safety and disaster preparedness trainings for the public

Technology & Engineering Education

• Engage students in innovative, hands-on technology and engineering activities, such as design, coding and robotics
• Provide vocational skills, scholarships, certifications and workforce placement opportunities in engineering, information technology and data science
• Equip teachers with the skills and training necessary to enhance instruction in technology and engineering
• Prioritize school-aged students ages 8-18, college/university students and young adults

Within the U.S., Sony focuses the majority of its charitable giving on arts, culture, technology and the environment, with a particular emphasis on education in each of those areas. While support in other areas may also be considered, the Company seeks to apply its financial, technological and human resources to the encouragement of the creative, artistic, technical and scientific skills required of tomorrow's workforce.

Focus Areas

Entergy’s Open Grants Program focuses on improving communities as a whole. We look for giving opportunities in the areas of arts and culture, education and workforce development, poverty solutions and social services, healthy families, and community improvement.

Arts and Culture

The arts are expressions of ourselves – our heritage, feelings and ideas. To cultivate that, we support a diverse range of locally based visual arts, theater, dance and music institutions. Our long-term goal is to increase the access to contemporary art for a wider public, including children and the financially disadvantaged.

Community Improvement/EnrichmentEntergy supports community-based projects that focus community enrichment and improvement. A few examples include civic affairs, blighted housing improvements, and neighborhood safety. By giving to communities in this way, we actually help them become more self-sufficient.Healthy FamiliesChildren need a good start to grow into healthy, well-adjusted adults. With that in mind, we give to programs that have a direct impact on children educationally and emotionally. We’re also interested in family programs, like those that better prepare parents to balance the demands of work and home. The amount and nature of an organization’s request will determine which type of grant the organization would need to apply for.In considering requests for grants, priority is placed on programs in specific counties/parishes. 

About the Youth Foundation

The Finish Line Youth Foundation (FLYF) supports life's biggest possibilities as the philanthropic arm of Finish Line. FLYF is a national partner of Special Olympics and dedicated corporate citizen to the Far Eastside of Indianapolis. FLYF also provides financial support for diversity and inclusion initiatives, opportunities for those with special needs and resources for disadvantaged youth.

Louder Than Words Grant

Our Louder Than Words grants serve as part of Finish Line's Louder Than Words platform and our goal to support diverse and underserved communities. These grants will be awarded to nonprofit organizations that make a difference in our corporate Indianapolis neighborhood as well as communities across the country.

Projects that Qualify for Funding

Cycle 1 Focus: Far East Side of Indianapolis

Cycle 2 Focus: Health & Wellness

• Programming or activities for participation in programs that place an importance on personal development, an active and healthy lifestyle or mental health
  • Scholarships that provide full or partial funding to participate in programs provided by organization

Cycle 3 Focus: Workforce Development

• Programming or activities for participation in programs that place an importance on higher education, vocational training, and/or career development
  • Scholarships that provide full or partial funding to participate in programs provided by organization

Cycle 4 Focus: Safe Communities

• Programming or activities for participation in programs that emphasize public safety, building trust between communities and police, and/or reforming the criminal justice system
• Improvements and/or renovations to existing buildings, grounds, and property or for new facilities and/or grounds
• Emergency needs that would somehow be keeping the organization from providing current services such as natural disasters or other unforeseen circumstances that require special funding to help

Available Funding

• Organizations can request up to $10,000.

Helping Build Better Futures

Our mission is to deliver great value to our customers every day. For over four decades, our deep commitment to the principles of providing value and caring for others has helped define our culture. It extends beyond the walls of our stores, distribution centers, and offices, and into our local communities around the world. The intersection of these principles defines our global community mission:

Deliver great value to our communities by helping vulnerable families and children access the resources and opportunities they need to build a better future.

Our Social Impact Areas

We bring our community relations mission to life around the world by focusing our giving on four social impact areas where we believe we can have the most impact and are critical to helping families and children succeed and thrive.

Basic Needs

We are passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations that help fill critical basic needs such as a warm meal, clean clothing, and a safe place to sleep for vulnerable families.

Education & Training

Our efforts have focused on quality enrichment and extracurricular programs that provide skills, resources, and opportunities to support school and career success for children, teens, and young adults.

Patient Care & Research

We support organizations that deliver services to families and children facing health challenges and life-threatening illnesses.

Empowering Women

We support programs that provide services ranging from help for those fleeing domestic violence, to others that offer education, training, and job placement resources.

Mission

To provide financial and other resources to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Vision

Our vision is one of lasting progress and sustainable solutions to address the range of needs among the intellectual and developmental disabilities population. We envision a world where these individuals are celebrated for their unique gifts. We want families to have open access to resources and information they need to make decisions about best-in-class care for their loved ones. We imagine a world where local communities are actively engaged in learning from and receiving the meaningful contributions of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by including them in the fabric of the community.

Funding Priorities

The Enterline Foundation’s overarching funding priority is to increase access to services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Believing that an adequate direct support professional (DSP) workforce is essential to ensuring the provision of services, The Foundation will focus its giving in 2025 on initiatives that support the recruitment and retention of DSPs. Although not limited to these examples, initiatives could include:

• Internship programs
• New hire welcoming, orientation and coaching 
• Training and professional development including certification programs
• Establishment of career ladders
• Connection to community resources for nonwork related needs of DSPs
• Improvements to organizational culture
• Communication and feedback soliciting initiatives
• Recognition and appreciation activities
• Front line supervisor coaching and development
• Technology needed to support data collection and employee experience

Funding Amount

Not to exceed $25,000. One year in duration.

Giving and Grants

Our funding priorities are aligned around Digital Inclusion, Climate Protection and Human Prosperity. New applications are by invitation only. Verizon and the Verizon Foundation do not respond to unsolicited inquiries for funding.

Verizon and the Verizon Foundation are inclusive

Neither Verizon or the Verizon Foundation discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, religion, national or ethnic origin or physical disability. As a company with a highly diverse workforce serving an equally diverse set of customers, Verizon through its Foundation, supports a wide range of programs through direct and matching grants that benefit diverse communities, including without limitation minorities, veterans, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender and others. Verizon and the Verizon Foundation each expect its grant recipients to comply with all applicable laws, including those governing tax-exempt status and non-discrimination laws.

All organizations must:

• Not duplicate or significantly overlap the work of public agencies on the federal, state or local level.
• Keep books available for regular independent outside audit and make the results available to all potential contributors.
• Comply with applicable laws regarding registration and reporting.
• Observe the highest standards of business conduct in its relationships with the public.
• Use the funding for initiatives that will benefit the broader community.

Guidelines

If you are eligible to apply, your grant application to either Verizon or the Verizon Foundation for consideration should abide by the following guidelines:

• At least 85% of the total grant funds should be composed of direct costs (costs that are directly attributable to the project.)
  • Accordingly, indirect (or “overhead”) costs should be no more than 15% of the total grant funds.
  • Grants with indirect costs greater than 15% will require a business justification to be considered for funding.  
• Grants with IT-infrastructure related costs (such as computer hardware, software, data or networks) that total more than 20 percent of the grant’s total direct costs should provide an explanation detailing the use of the IT assets and whether cellular connectivity is involved.

 For education grants, Verizon and Verizon Foundation funding is intended to support projects that promote digital skills development for students and teachers in grades K-12. This includes, for example, summer or afterschool programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), teacher professional development, and research on technology-infused pedagogy. Schools and districts that apply for grants from Verizon and are eligible for the Education Rate (E-Rate) program may not use grant funding to purchase technology hardware (computers, netbooks, laptops, routers), devices (tablets, phones), data or Internet service and access, unless approved by Verizon compliance.

Focus Areas

The goal of the Entergy Charitable Foundation (ECF) is to support initiatives that help create and sustain thriving communities. The focus areas for foundation funding are education/workforce development, poverty solutions and environmental programs.

Education/Workforce Development

Entergy is committed to investing in the future of the communities we serve through our support for education. Education enables individuals to achieve their fullest potential and contribute positively to society. An educated, skilled, and diverse workforce is critical to Entergy’s long term success and the health and viability of the communities we serve. With our education partners, the Entergy Charitable Foundation strives to ensure that every child has access to a quality education and the skills to be successful in life.

Poverty Solutions

Entergy’s focus on poverty solutions is rooted in the economic reality of the region we serve. Our service territory encompasses areas some of the highest poverty states in the nation. The Entergy Charitable Foundation seeks to support programs that provide innovative and measurable poverty solutions and tools that help break the bonds of intergenerational poverty.

Such programs may include, but are not limited to:

• Sustaining families and self-sufficiency; 
• Technical assistance and training for non-profits;
• Housing;
• Home-ownership preparation;
• Energy management and awareness;
• Innovative use and promotion of alternative sources of energy.

Environmental Programs

Entergy is nationally recognized as an environmentally responsible utility. Entergy was the first U.S. utility to commit to voluntarily stabilizing CO2 emissions in 2000. In addition to our commitment to excellence in our environmental performance, we are committed to working with nonprofit organizations and community partners to protect, conserve and restore the natural beauty and biodiversity of regions that we serve. A large portion of Entergy's customer base and the majority of its utility infrastructure are in the Gulf Coast region, which is experiencing one of the fastest rates of wetland loss in the world, especially along Coastal Louisiana. The first line of defense to prevent further loss involves working with our communities to restore and maintain barrier islands and coastal wetlands that serve as natural protection in severe weather situations.

To that end, the Entergy Charitable Foundation seeks to invest in programs such as:

• Coastal and wetlands restoration; 
• Reforestation ;
• Stormwater management;
• Energy efficiency and renewable energy ;
• Environmental education ;
• Community resilience and mitigation.

A Stronger Nation 

Society’s need for talent has never been more urgent. The nation needs at least 60 percent of adults to have a college degree, certificate, industry-recognized certification, or other credential of value by 2025.

To get there, we are working with business, community, education, and government leaders to restructure education and training systems that have granted exceptional opportunities to some while leaving many Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native American adults behind.

This is the story of our work.

Everyone has the right to real opportunity. 

No matter where you come from, what you look like, or how much money your family has, everyone should have what they need to learn, grow, and thrive. From that guiding principle, we work to ensure that:

• More adults who are Black, Hispanic, Latino, or Native American can access programs that lead to credentials beyond a high school diploma.
• Strong academic, financial, and social support is available to ensure their success.
• Earning these credentials leads to good jobs, higher pay, and more opportunity to learn and serve others.

Support proven approaches to produce fairer results. 

We know that opportunity still isn’t equal in America; it’s highly dependent on who you are and where you come from. Because our education systems unfairly hold some people back, Lumina is committed to strategies that put racial equity first, ones that:

• Focus state and federal policymakers on the need to prepare more individuals, especially people of color, for informed citizenship and success in a global economy.
• Increase access to well-designed programs and pathways that address racial disparities in student outcomes.
• Support institutions that serve today’s student, including community and technical colleges, bachelor’s-granting colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions, and state higher education systems.

Education and training align with societal and economic needs. 

Lumina focuses on how communities can have stronger, sustainable futures in the new talent economy by encouraging:

• Greater economic opportunity and social mobility, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or immigration status.
• Fair representation of talent across the nation’s workforce.
• A better-educated country prepared to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

Strategies

• Focus state and federal policymakers on the need to prepare more individuals, especially people of color, for informed citizenship and success in a global economy.
• Increase access to well-designed programs and pathways that address racial disparities in student outcomes.
• Support institutions that serve today’s student, including community and technical colleges, bachelor’s-granting colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions, and state higher education systems.

Environment

Through the Environment Program, the foundation seeks to ensure a thriving, resilient environment for wildlife and people, and foster an inclusive, effective conservation movement.

Doris Duke was a lifelong environmentalist with a keen interest in conservation. In her will, which guides our focus areas, she expressed her interest in "the preservation of wildlife, both flora and fauna" and in supporting "ecological endeavors."

Why It's Important

In the wildest places and the most urban, our health and quality of life depends on the natural world—from the water we drink, the air we breathe and the food we eat, to the places where we may find inspiration, joy, healing or kinship. Increasingly, nature depends on us as well, to be responsible stewards of the ecosystems where we and millions of other species dwell. In the face of accelerating extinctions and global climate change, now is the critical decade for taking action.

What We Support

The Doris Duke Foundation seeks to demonstrate how effective conservation can protect and restore nature, help address climate change and promote a more equitable society. We support initiatives that increase the pace and scale of land conservation and stewardship across the United States to protect biodiversity, bolster the resilience of natural areas and advance climate change mitigation. We also focus on conservation efforts that advance equity, in particular for communities that identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color. To achieve these goals, the foundation concentrates on three complementary and intersecting areas of focus.

Nature: Land Conservation in an Era of Climate Change

Conserving, restoring and managing ecosystems is fundamental to protecting wildlife and sustaining biodiversity in all its forms. As climate change increasingly alters the natural world, the approaches by which we conserve and steward land must adapt to ensure enduring benefits to wildlife, the climate and communities.

Our support focuses on three critical approaches to increasing the pace, scale and effectiveness of land conservation and stewardship across the United States, with the goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 for biodiversity, landscape connectivity, climate resilience and thriving wild and human communities:

• Conservation of resilient lands and waters through efforts that identify and accelerate conservation of areas expected to be most intrinsically resilient to climate change.
• Climate-adapted conservation and restoration practices that draw on the best available science and traditional ecological knowledge to intentionally help prepare ecosystems for changing conditions rather than resist them.
• Landscape-scale conservation through collaborative approaches that focus on maintaining functioning, resilient, connected ecosystems.

Climate: Natural Climate Solutions

Natural climate solutions, strategies that leverage the capacity of ecosystems to absorb and store carbon, have the potential to provide 20% of the nation’s climate mitigation progress while also providing benefits to wildlife and communities. Through the Environment Program, the foundation works to accelerate the use of natural climate solutions as an essential means to mitigate climate change and support rural economic development. To that end, we focus on scaling climate mitigation through protection of intact ecosystems and priority habitats, ecosystem restoration and approaches to improved land management.

To dramatically scale natural climate solutions, we particularly focus on supporting the following activities:

• Land restoration approaches like reforestation, through efforts that drive innovation, investment and implementation.
• Policy and program frameworks that enable federal and state governments to pursue natural climate solutions.
• Market-based approaches with high ecological and methodological integrity and accessibility to a diverse array of conservation stakeholders.
• Science, research and synthesis that underpin the design of effective natural climate solutions policy, programs, and implementation.
• Innovative finance and new models to scale public and private investment in natural climate solutions.
• Strategic communications approaches that deepen key audiences’ understanding of natural climate solutions.

Equity: Inclusive Conservation

Land conservation, restoration and stewardship of nature can have a valuable and tangible role in advancing equity in our society. This is especially true when land conservation is inclusive and respectful of local communities and traditional knowledge, and when it advances equitable access to and benefits from nature. For this reason, the foundation works to support environmental organizations who are advancing conservation efforts from a variety of cultural perspectives, including those led by and serving communities who identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). We also aim to ensure that the conservation, restoration and stewardship of nature yield meaningful and equitable benefits to all people, particularly for BIPOC communities and those from households whose annual incomes fall below a government-designated threshold through the following approaches:

• Equitable distribution of urban trees and nature access for nature, climate and social well-being benefits.
• Expanding land access to enable conservation action by resolving barriers to land protection and stewardship posed by land tenure and usage rights issues.
• Diversifying the conservation workforce by investing with purpose in the next generation of young people, and supporting inclusive and equitable institutions. The longest running of the foundation’s efforts in this vein is The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, which launched in 2013 to support the next generation of environmental conservation professionals from a diverse set of backgrounds and perspectives.

AmericanTrucks’ Positive Payload Program

AmericanTrucks recognizes that pickups are the backbone of the American workforce, from job sites to disaster relief and everything in between, which is why we’re proud to launch the Positive Payload Program.

The Positive Payload Program is designed to benefit non-profit charitable organizations who use and rely on pickup trucks and pickup truck accessories to better their community. Anyone who works with or volunteers for a charity that uses the following trucks is welcome to apply for a $250 donation to the charity they are involved with:

• Ford F-150, or Ford F250,
• Ford Ranger
• Chevy Silverado 1500, Chevy Silverado 2500, or Chevy Silverado 3500
• GMC Sierra 1500 & GMC Sierra 2500
• Dodge Ram 1500, Dodge Ram 2500, or Dodge Ram 3500

What is Awarded and When?

Charities, and organizations, will be selected from the applications on a rolling (ongoing) basis, and will receive one check for $200. The winners in a calendar year (Jan. 1 through Dec. 31) will be automatically entered into a drawing that makes them eligible for the annual, one-time, $2,000 grant. The annual award winners will be notified by December 30th

Philanthropy

In 1906, when Leo Samuel founded the company that would become The Standard, he had two radical — at least for the time — ideas for business: it should provide local services for customers and it should contribute to the well-being of the community. Our company has grown considerably since those early days — we have customers and offices around the country. Our dual focus on exceptional customer service and supporting the places we live and work continues to guide The Standard today.

The Standard Charitable Foundation

In 2006 we celebrated our 100th anniversary, and to mark the occasion — and properly honor our rich legacy of philanthropy — we launched The Standard Charitable Foundation.

The mission of The Standard Charitable Foundation is to make a positive difference in the communities we serve by supporting community development, education and disability organizations. While the foundation has a broad goal of making a positive difference in our communities, we place special emphasis on helping individuals and families who have experienced a major disability or the loss of a loved one.

Focus Areas

Healthy Communities

Strong, vibrant communities are a critical source of security for all residents. We fund organizations that provide support, training and rehabilitation to individuals and families facing significant challenges. We also fund programs that help individuals and families develop capabilities to increase self-sufficiency.

Cultural Development

Arts and cultural organizations play a major role in vibrant communities. We support organizations that offer multicultural art programs and provide enhanced access for the under-served. Specifically, we encourage programs that build audiences and promote the arts through education, interactive media and artistic excellence.

Disability and Empowerment

Our business is about helping people overcome hardships and empowering success. We support organizations that help people with disabilities thrive independently and overcome barriers to social and economic success. We also support programs that provide relief during transitions to independent living.

Education and Advancement

The future health and well-being of our communities is in the hands of children, who are the workers, innovators, leaders and artists of the future. We fund organizations that foster strategic learning initiatives to better prepare children for success. We emphasize programs that strengthen the quality of education, early childhood education and workforce development.

Types of Support / Range of Support

• General operating support
• Program support
• Capital support
• Event Sponsorship
• Exhibitions
• Performance/Productions

$500 to $25,000

The average gift is $10,000

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

America the Beautiful Challenge

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), through anticipated cooperative agreements from the Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is pleased to announce the launch of the America the Beautiful Challenge (ATBC) 2022 Request for Proposals (RFP). The ATBC vision is to streamline grant funding opportunities for new voluntary conservation and restoration projects around the United States. This Request for Proposals is a first step toward consolidating funding from multiple federal agencies and the private sector to enable applicants to conceive and develop large-scale, locally led projects that address shared funder priorities spanning public and private lands.

In year three of the ATBC, approximately $119 million will be awarded in nationwide funding to conserve, connect, and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife upon which we all depend. The ATBC seeks to fund projects across the following themes:

• Conserving and restoring rivers, coasts, wetlands and watersheds 
• Conserving and restoring forests, grasslands and other important ecosystems that serve as carbon sinks 
• Connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds and seascapes 
• Improving ecosystem and community resilience to flooding, drought and other climate-related threats
• Expanding access to the outdoors, particularly in underserved communities

Collectively, these themes allow applicants to develop landscape-level ATBC proposals that address conservation and public access needs that showcase cumulative benefits to fish and wildlife, carbon sequestration and storage benefits, engage with and benefit underserved communities, support community access to nature, and help safeguard ecosystems through conservation, resilience-focused and nature-based solutions. 

Program Priorities

ATBC will prioritize proposals that implement voluntary large-scale, on-the-ground conservation activities or otherwise lead to on-the-ground implementation through capacity building, community engagement, planning and project design. The overarching goal is to advance existing landscape conservation plans and/or propose to knit together a diverse stakeholder partnership that develops and/or implements new conservation plans. As part of this, projects should address priority species and/or habitat conservation actions identified in existing plans or other species recovery or conservation plans. Projects that are informed by Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) and promote Tribal co-stewardship are also encouraged. 

Competitive proposals will increase interagency and intergovernmental collaboration and address more than one of the program priorities below. 

Benefit At-Risk Fish, Wildlife and Plant Species

Conserve and restore habitat to improve ecosystem function and biological diversity, as identified by conservation plans, ITK, or emerging information for priority fish, wildlife and/or plant resources, such as threatened and endangered species, species of greatest conservation need (including game species). 

Expand Habitat Connectivity

Conserve and restore priority habitat and stopover areas along key migratory routes; conserve, restore or improve fish passage; conserve or restore lands and/or waters that are critical to habitat connectivity; or expand and enhance wildlife corridors that contribute to larger-scale conservation efforts (e.g., removing and right-sizing culverts, removing encroaching trees from grassland and sagebrush ecosystems, rehabilitating areas damaged by fire, treating exotic/invasive vegetation to improve habitat values, or voluntary conservation easements to strengthen habitat connectivity).

Provide a Range of Ecosystem Services

Demonstrate and quantify a range of ecosystem services restored (e.g., improving stream flow for aquatic resources, watershed health, carbon sequestration, restoration of Tribal subsistence resources).

Strengthen Ecosystem and Community Resilience

Conserve and restore natural systems that help ecosystems and/or communities respond to, mediate and recover from disturbances such as floods, wildfire, drought (e.g., enhancing a wetland to improve coastal resilience, invasive species prevention or removal to reduce wildfire risk, restoring fire resilient stand structure and species composition in fire prone forests, water conservation to address drought, expansion of wetlands to protect from flooding, grassland restoration to promote natural prairie ecosystems).

Expand Public and Community Access to Nature

Create, improve or expand opportunities for public access and recreation, in particular for underserved communities that lack access to the outdoors, in a manner consistent with the ecological needs of fish and wildlife habitat. Projects should be conducive to high-quality recreational experiences, such as biking, birding, boating, fishing, hiking, outdoor education, cultural activities, hunting and wildlife viewing. Projects should be predominantly nature-based in application. Hard infrastructure, such as parking lots and visitor center amenities, are not eligible under this funding opportunity.

Engage Local Communities

Applicants are encouraged to develop projects that incorporate outreach to communities, particularly underserved communities in accordance with the Administration’s Justice40 initiative, foster community engagement, and pursue collaboration with farmers, ranchers, Tribal Nations, states or other land managers to produce measurable conservation benefits. When possible, projects should be developed through community input and co-design processes, and incorporating ITK when possible. Additionally, projects should engage community-level partners (e.g., municipalities, NGOs, community organizations), as appropriate, to help design, implement, and maintain projects to secure maximum benefits for communities, maintenance, and sustainability post-grant award. 

Support Tribally Led Conservation and Restoration Priorities

Consistent with the Administration’s commitment to honoring Tribal sovereignty and advancing equity for Indigenous people, applicants are encouraged to prioritize projects that uplift Tribal and Indigenous-led efforts. These efforts may include but are not limited to Tribal co-stewardship of federal or other lands, restoration of Tribal homelands, access to and/or restoration of sacred sites, and elevation of ITK.  

Contribute to Local or Tribal Economies

Implement conservation projects that, as a co-benefit, directly contribute to local economies and underserved communities. For example, projects could help expand tourism or recreational economies, promote regenerative agriculture, or contribute to working lands and/or community or Tribal forestry. Applicants are encouraged to estimate the economic benefits that are expected because of the project (e.g., number of jobs sustained or created). 

Contribute to Workforce Development

Develop the next generation of conservation professionals, including through support for national service, youth and conservation corps engaged in conservation and climate-related work. Projects that develop the restoration workforce, in particular with AmeriCorps and 21st Century Conservation Service Corps programs, are encouraged.

We are looking for organizations that align with our foundation's pillars:

• Foster Community: Create connections that offer support and allow people to thrive.
• Create Career Pathways into Tech: Create connections that offer support and allow people to thrive.
• Promote Resilience in a time of Crisis: Safeguard against disaster and reduce human suffering.

The Zendesk Impact Awards are open to nonprofit organizations that would like to use Zendesk software to directly serve beneficiary communities. 

Organizations and their proposed projects should fit within the Foundation’s core focus areas of:

• Foster Community: Create connections that offer support and allow people to thrive.
• Create Career Pathways into Tech: Create connections that offer support and allow people to thrive.
• Promote Resilience in a time of Crisis: Safeguard against disaster and reduce human suffering.

Applicants may also provide workforce development programming and display an interest in Zendesk’s Career Pathways Program. Applicants are invited to describe how their organization or project fits into these areas within the application. 

Organizations should display some ability to adopt new technology in order to receive Zendesk software, meaning your organization previously has or is currently willing to invest in technology platform solutions to improve services to beneficiary communities. Most organizations will need to be prepared to self-install and configure their free software using our online help which typically requires a dedicated IT staff member. 

Please refer to how applications will be evaluated here.

This NOFO, which supersedeThis NOFO, which supersedes the FY20 PWEAA NOFO, sets out EDA’s application submission and review procedures for two of EDA’s core economic development programs authorized under the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 3121 et seq.) (PWEDA):

• Public Works and Economic Development Facilities (Public Works) and
• Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA).

EDA supports bottom-up strategies that build on regional assets to spur economic growth and resiliency. EDA encourages its grantees throughout the country to develop initiatives that present new ideas and creative approaches to advance economic prosperity in distressed communities. Through this NOFO EDA intends to advance general economic development in accordance with EDA’s investment priorities, but also to pursue projects that, where practicable, incorporate specific priorities related to equity, workforce development, and climate change resiliency so that investments can benefit everyone for decades to come.

Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation collaborate with a wide range of nonprofit organizations that align with our strategic funding priorities. We prioritize our funding to activities and programs that have a broad reach and support the needs of underserved communities. We aspire to have a positive impact on the communities we serve by using our financial and volunteer resources and business expertise in collaboration with community organizations to help solve complex societal problems.

• Financial health
• Housing affordability
• Small business growth
• Sustainability

We may also support other local needs in eligible communities such as disaster relief, arts and culture, civic engagement, education, human and social services, and workforce development. However, opportunities are limited as our intent is to direct the majority of our giving within our major focus areas.

How and Why Giving Back to Communities is Important to O’Reilly

From O’Reilly Auto Parts’ inception, O’Reilly co-founder C.H. “Chub” O’Reilly instilled the culture of maintaining high standards for every endeavor, including the area of building civic pride. With Chub’s good example to guide them, all four of his children adopted a business and family philosophy of “giving back” to the community as the Company grew and prospered. Supporting a large number of charitable organizations in all communities in which we operate has long been a focal point for O’Reilly Auto Parts. In order to make an even greater impact, the O’Reilly Automotive Foundation was established in 2020.

O’Reilly Automotive Foundation, Inc.

Impact

The O’Reilly Automotive Foundation complements O’Reilly Auto Parts’ role as the Friendliest Parts Store in Town. The Foundation serves as an additional conduit to connect with, support, and strengthen the communities in which O’Reilly Auto Parts’ team members and customers live and work. The Foundation continues the philanthropic legacy of the O’Reilly family as dependable community partners, seeking to support critical services in times of need to build stronger communities.

Mission

The O’Reilly Automotive Foundation strives to have a lasting, positive impact in the communities where O’Reilly Auto Parts’ team members and customers live and work by supporting organizations and programs which address issues critical to improving the quality of life for underserved and underrepresented individuals and families. In particular, the Foundation will concentrate its giving in support of organizations and programs addressing economic stability and mobility, workforce development, health and social services, and disaster relief.

Economic Stability and Mobility

Advocating for and endowing programs which provide assistance with issues including hunger, homelessness, and poverty for the economic betterment of the communities in which we operate.

Workforce Development

Promoting programs which aid in workforce readiness, technical training, and literacy, including children’s literacy, to ensure the continuance of an educated society and a capable, innovative workforce.

Health and Social Services

Championing and prioritizing matters of health, including mental and behavioral health, access to basic needs such as medical and dental care for underprivileged communities, and providing funding for organizations focused on childhood development and children’s advocacy as well as care and support for victims of domestic violence.

Disaster Relief

Providing funding and visibility to organizations specializing in providing relief from natural disasters and state of emergency, including providing temporary shelter, food, water, and hygiene or sanitation products to those affected and aiding in cleanup efforts.

Application Requirements

We will consider three principal types of grants:

Project Support Grants support specific projects or programs aligned with our mission. These requests may include some funds earmarked for the overhead costs associated with running a project.

General Operating Support Grants provide limited general operating support for the core operations or organizations whose missions and activities are aligned with our mission. These grants will often help the grantee build organizational, programmatic, and fundraising capacity. Operating support is not intended to help organizations in fiscal crisis. Applicants must have a current strategic or business plan that clearly outlines the organization’s goals and presents a plan for achieving results. Operating support grants must not exceed 15% of an organization’s total agency budget.

Capital Support Grants provide limited support for capital campaigns to fund the acquisition and construction of facilities, existing property renovation, or the purchase of major equipment. The program has a comprehensive approach to funding capital initiatives, which also includes funding for increased program capacity. A feasibility study may be required for capital initiatives to be considered.

Mission

We invest in people, ideas and organizations to build a brighter future for all communities.

Vision

We envision a world in which every person has the resources and opportunities needed to thrive.

Purpose

To power human progress by providing opportunities for Kyndryl and its employees to create a purpose-driven company and support the communities it serves around the world.

Our Grantmaking Principles

These principles guide Kyndryl Foundation’s grantmaking process:

• Balanced partnerships
  • We recognize the value of trust-based philanthropy principles and entering relationships with our grantees as collaborators.
  • We seek to reduce burdens on grantees by streamlining processes and making grants that favor long term impact.  
• Forward-thinking mindset
  • We will embrace innovation in our grantmaking practice and support new models that promote positive social change.
• Data-forward design
  • We understand that social change is not always easily measurable, but we will seek the benefit of science-based outcomes and creative approaches to measure the impact of our grants. 
• Representative grantmaking
  • Our grantmaking will be deeply rooted in the communities we fund.
  • We will seek feedback from our grantees and their communities to promote diversity and improve our grantmaking process.
• Integrity and transparency
  • Our grantmaking process will be guided by a commitment to integrity and appropriate transparency, including ensuring that our grantmaking criteria is publicly available.
• Holistic engagement
  • We commit to looking for ways to support our grantees beyond funding, by leveraging our talent, resources, and relationships.

Impact Areas

Kyndryl Foundation's focus for funding organizations will be aligned with our 3 impact areas.

• Future-forward education
  • We support equitable access to student-centered and technology-enabled education, ensuring all learners acquire the skills needed to promote sustainable development.
• Climate action
  • We support an equitable transition to an environmentally sustainable future through innovative technology and mitigating the impacts of climate change by strengthening resilience in the communities most affected.
• Inclusive economy
  • We focus on investing in bold ideas that help to build a representative economy in which all individuals and communities can participate in and benefit from sustained economic and social prosperity.

RFP Focus Area

In year two, the Kyndryl Foundation will focus on funding:

• Cybersecurity skills and job placement programs for underrepresented learners and job seekers
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills and job placement programs for underrepresented learners and job seekers

American Electric Power Foundation

The AEP Foundation focuses on improving lives through education from early childhood through higher education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and by providing support to help meet basic needs such as emergency shelter, affordable housing and eliminating hunger.

The Foundation also supports organizations whose mission and/or programming is committed to positive social justice outcomes. Other Foundation support may be offered to protect the environment, promote healthcare and safety, and enrich life through art, music and cultural heritage.

Focus Areas

The following focus areas will be eligible for consideration by the Foundation:

• Improving lives through education from early childhood through higher education, with an emphasis in the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
• Providing basic human services in the areas of hunger and housing to assure that people have the necessities to build successful lives.
• Embracing change and equity through sustainable programs that move social justice forward.

Target Foundation

We’re proud to continue our long legacy of support for communities in our hometown and around the world.

At the Target Foundation, we envision a world where all families and communities have the resources they need to determine and realize their own joy in life. It’s a reality that is out of reach for far too many families as they struggle for access to economic opportunity and stability, for equity and for the kind of empowerment that lifts up their communities. We believe we have a responsibility to work to remove structural barriers and help create access for those who have been left out. When we shift power to communities, they can more meaningfully participate in the economy, creating a world where all families can thrive.

Serving as a learning lab, the Target Foundation is committed to enabling shared prosperity and opportunity by upholding equity and inclusion for all communities. Guided by our deep commitment to community, we invest in leaders, organizations, coalitions and networks that expand economic opportunity equitably, enabling communities to determine their own futures. We support strategies that center and elevate the voices, stories and leadership of individuals and communities that have historically been silenced.

The Target Foundation is leaning into trust-based philanthropy to drive systems change, with values rooted in advancing equity, shifting power and building mutually accountable relationships. The Foundation’s capabilities allow it to work toward long-term solutions across complex and interconnected economic issues, grounded in the voices of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) as well as Global South communities and organizations.

Building on our legacy of giving in our twin hometowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and extending across the U.S. and in emerging economies around the world, we remain committed to listening, learning and building the kinds of relationships with partners that will shift systems to realize a world where joy is for all.

National Foundation Program

Building financial stability and empowerment for workers and families in a rapidly changing economy.

As the challenges and opportunities facing today’s workforce continue to evolve, the Target Foundation is taking action to help our neighbors grow and thrive. That’s why we’re committed to building financial stability and economic opportunity for working people and their families in a rapidly changing economy.

Grants and initiatives

The Target Foundation prioritizes investments that explicitly center on equity, with a focus on organizations working to address the specific systemic and structural barriers facing Black communities, Indigenous communities and other communities of color.

Through our national program, the Target Foundation invests in organizations that serve communities with programs focused on:

• The changing nature of work: Equipping individuals with limited income with the support, resources and opportunities for mobility needed to achieve their full potential in a rapidly changing economy.
• Financial resilience and inclusion: Supporting low-income workers and families in attaining financial stability and security, imbuing a sense of self-efficacy, control and dignity over their financial lives.

Overall Program Goal & Approach 

The Stranahan Foundation’s Early Childhood Education Strategy focuses on increasing access to high-quality early care and education for low-income children (birth to five) by investing in developing and retaining a high-quality, thriving early educator workforce. 

Context

The spring 2025 funding cycle will support nonprofit organizations and projects focused on advancing our Innovation and Proven Professional Development strategies. These strategies are outlined below:

• Innovation: This strategy focuses on developing, piloting, and refining new approaches to improve the knowledge, skills, or practices of aspiring and existing early childhood professionals. To be considered under this strategy, your project must have:
  • A clearly defined logic model.
  • Incorporated best practices in adult learning.
  • An evaluation plan that (a) assesses the model’s impact on classroom environments, teacher practices, and, ideally, child learning and (b) advances our collective understanding of “what works, for whom, and under what conditions” by the end of the grant period.
  • Plan to repeat or scale the innovative approach to other settings or geographies if proven successful.
• Proven Professional Development: This strategy focuses on expanding or modifying a clearly defined, proven professional development model to enable future expansion or implementation in a new childhood setting. To be considered as part of this strategy, your professional development model must have:
  • A clearly defined logic model.
  • Substantial third-party evidence of positive outcomes for early childhood professionals, classroom environments, and, ideally, child learning. The Foundation generally defines “substantial” as consistent with the definitions of What Works Clearinghouse or ESSA Tier 1 or 2 evidence.
  • Clear evidence of repeated, successful implementation in multiple early childhood settings or various geographies.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

This cycle has up to $1.5 million in funding available to support innovation and proven professional development proposals. Based on the highest needs surfaced through the Foundation’s recent engagement and discussions with ECE leaders and educators in our 2024 Provider cycle, we are exclusively interested in models and approaches designed to do one of the following:

• Build the capacity of early childhood leaders, coaches, or mentor teachers to deliver or support instructional coaching.
• Support early childhood professionals in building the skills necessary to support children’s social-emotional health and effectively address challenging behaviors.
• Grow the pipeline of high-quality, well-trained early childhood leaders and teachers.

Grant Philosophy

Since its inception in 2002, The TK Foundation has awarded over $46 million in grants to non-profit organizations and projects to improve the maritime realm and the lives of disadvantaged youth.

Youth Development Grant

The TK Foundation enables disadvantaged youth to maximize their capabilities through pathways such as education, training and life skills with a view to becoming self-sufficient. We do this by supporting programs that:

• Improve educational achievement of disadvantaged youth
• Prepare disadvantaged youth for succeeding in the workforce

The TK Foundation envisions a world where all youth have access to opportunities that lead to employment that allows them freedom, equity, security and human dignity. The TK Foundation’s Youth Development Grant Programs run in three-year cycles in South Africa, The Bahamas, Canada and The United States. 

Priority Sevices

Winning programs will effectively address youth’s current context, identify their needs and barriers to success and will produce effective and innovative solutions, as appropriate, in the service areas listed below: 

• Improve youths’ educational achievement: Programmatic elements can include: Mentoring, tutoring, educational field trips. Increase in GPA, attendance, and/or changes in behavior should be documented and measurable
• Prepare youth for workforce success: Programmatic elements can include: Opportunities to receive job skill training, attend vocational courses, obtain internships, or other types of work-related, hands-on experience
• Provide support services to youth: Programmatic elements can include: Case-management, counseling, financial literacy and/or other life skills courses
• Promote youth leadership skills: Programmatic elements can include: Volunteer opportunities, peer (or adult) mentorships, or advocacy

Client Targeting

We are focused on providing services to youth as described below:

• Disadvantaged- The TK Foundation wishes to target youth that 1) do not have equal opportunities because of circumstances that makes achievement unusually difficult and/or 2) are at risk of social exclusion in accessing school and/or employment.
• Motivated- The TK Foundation wants to support organizations working with motivated youth who attribute their educational results and other accomplishments to internal factors that they can control (e.g. the amount of effort they put in), believe they can be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are not determined by luck), and are interested in being self-sufficient.
• Age- Between the ages of 15 to 24. Applicants are requested to differentiate between “Teen” (15-18) and “Young Adult” (19-24).

Game On-Community Places to Play is an initiative of The DICK’s Sporting Goods Foundation and LISC. The initiative provides funding and technical assistance to community-rooted organizations working to create and renovate multi-use youth sport spaces for youth ages 6-24 years old in under-resourced communities across the country.

What we're offering

The goal is to improve the quality, safety and accessibility of local athletic spaces for young people. Grant awards will range from $50,000-$100,000 and will require 1:1 match funding. Funds will be awarded to outdoor and indoor facilities that enable and demonstrate local community access and usage for all organized youth sports, including but not limited to basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, football, tennis, lacrosse and volleyball. Youth development program services should include, but are not limited to, life skills workshops, civic engagement and leadership, workforce development and academic support. 

Washington Federal Foundation

The Washington Federal Foundation's purpose is to facilitate direct giving to community-based nonprofits that primarily serve the needs of people with low-and-moderate incomes.

Grants range from $1,000 - $5,000 and applications are taken on a rolling basis. Organizations can apply once per calendar year.

We direct our monthly contributions to these primary areas:

• Emergency and Sustainable Housing
  • We support organization like Habitat for Humanity, land trusts, and other low-income housing programs that get people into stable homes. We also support homeless and emergency shelters and organizations that provide basic needs, wrap around services, wellness programs, social services, sustainable senior living, and other housing programs that help get people back on their feet and move out of poverty.
• Food and Nutrition
  • With the abundance of food in our society today, no one should go hungry. We support organizations that deliver food and nutritious meals to those in need.
• Economic Stability and Job Development
  • Economic stability means people have the essentials they need to live a healthy life. Living wage jobs are a corner stone in the stability that lifts people out of poverty. We support organizations and programs that provide employment training, access to affordable childcare, reliable transportation, access to quality healthcare, career counseling, education services, disability services, workforce training, small business entrepreneurialism, and employment stability.
• Financial Literacy
  • Financial Literacy How to get out of debt, write a check, create a budget, or save for a home. These are all important skills everyone needs to build bright and stable financial futures. We give to organizations that provide financial literacy education so individuals and families can make empowered and informed financial decisions.
  • See more about Financial Literacy
• Employee Involvement
  • Washington Federal Foundation will consider small grants to charitable organizations where our employees serve in a leadership role or as a board member.