Social Advocacy Grants

The Hispanic Impact Fund, a signature program of the Austin Community Foundation, is dedicated to bridging the racial wealth divide and advancing economic opportunity for Latino families in Central Texas. This initiative aligns with the foundation's broader mission to foster a thriving community by addressing systemic inequities. The fund's strategic priorities are centered on creating a pipeline from "cradle to career" for Latino individuals, thereby contributing to a more equitable and prosperous Central Texas. This approach reflects a theory of change that posits targeted investments in key areas can lead to significant, long-term positive outcomes for the Latino community. The grant program targets Latino families and individuals within the six-county Central Texas region (Travis, Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, and Williamson counties). The overarching impact goals are to improve access to quality education, health services, job skills, and leadership opportunities. By focusing on these critical areas, the fund aims to empower Latino families economically and socially, fostering a vibrant and engaged community. The expected outcomes include increased participation in early childhood education, improved health and wellness outcomes, enhanced entrepreneurial success, and a stronger pipeline of Latino leaders. This grant cycle, the Hispanic Impact Fund is prioritizing organizations and programs that fit into one of four key strategy areas: Early Childhood Education, Health & Wellness, Job Skills & Entrepreneurship, and Leadership Development. For Early Childhood Education, the focus is on providing affordable, high-quality Pre-K and early childhood education starting at age 3. In Health & Wellness, the fund supports preventative, culturally competent health education and access to quality mental and physical health services. For Job Skills & Entrepreneurship, the emphasis is on assisting Latino entrepreneurs in expanding their businesses. Finally, Leadership Development aims to advance Latino leadership and create pipelines of youth, emerging, and established talent. The program includes measurable results through its funding structure, with different grant amounts for winning finalists, runner-up finalists, and semifinalists, distributed over two years. For instance, a winning finalist receives $50,000 total ($30,000 in 2024 and $20,000 in 2025), and a runner-up receives $35,000 ($20,000 in 2024 and $15,000 in 2025). Two semifinalists each receive $20,000 in 2024. These specific funding allocations provide a clear framework for the scale of impact expected from the funded organizations. The eligibility criteria further ensure alignment with the fund's mission by requiring applicants to be tax-exempt nonprofit organizations or units of government working within the specified Central Texas region, and able to demonstrate non-discriminatory practices and secular programming for religious organizations.

This funding opportunity supports community-based programs in Pennsylvania that aim to prevent child abuse and neglect by engaging families and caregivers through evidence-based, long-term interventions.

This program provides funding to non-profit organizations for youth-focused projects that benefit residents of Ohio County in areas such as health, education, and community development.

This funding opportunity supports Indigenous-led organizations and Tribal Nations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to strengthen their communities through initiatives focused on climate justice, self-determination, and sustainable development.

This grant provides funding to local governments and Michigan-based non-profits for projects that improve water quality and recreational access in the Chain of Lakes Watershed and surrounding areas in Antrim County, Michigan.

The District of Columbia Department of Human Services (DHS) Family Services Administration (FSA) is offering multiple grant opportunities to provide health services and education to refugees resettled in the District of Columbia. This initiative aims to address health disparities and improve the well-being of the refugee population in the area. The program aligns with the DHS/FSA's mission to support vulnerable populations and ensure access to essential services. The primary beneficiaries of this program are refugees resettled in the District of Columbia. The impact goals are to provide domestic medical screening and follow-up, enhance health literacy, and reduce gaps in health services. This will be achieved through two main projects: the Refugee Medical Screening project and the Refugee Health Promotion project. The Refugee Medical Screening project prioritizes the provision of initial medical screenings and subsequent follow-up care for newly arrived refugees. The Refugee Health Promotion project focuses on improving health literacy and addressing service gaps through various interventions. These interventions include workshops, wellness and support groups, and medical case management, all designed to empower refugees with the knowledge and resources to manage their health effectively. Expected outcomes include comprehensive medical screening for refugees, increased health literacy within the refugee community, and a reduction in unmet health service needs. Measurable results will likely involve the number of refugees screened, participation rates in health promotion activities, and improvements in health indicators for the target population. The grants aim to create a sustainable framework for health support for refugees in the District.

The Portland Office of Violence Prevention's 2024-2025 Safer Portland Grant is an opportunity to help reduce gun violence through community-based prevention efforts. Who should apply? The 2024-2025 grant prioritizes efforts in the following Portland neighborhoods, including: Cully; Hazelwood; Eliot; Powellhurst-Gilbert; and/or Areas known for high rates of gun violence. Applicants supporting efforts in all neighborhoods, even those outside the priority areas, are encouraged to apply. We encourage organizations that serve culturally specific communities, women and female identifying communities, African Immigrant/Refugee communities, and the LGBTQIA+ community to apply. What programs are supported by the grant? Examples of programs and activities that can be supported through this grant include: Preventative programs, workshops, camps, and events; Flexible funds for direct community assistance and services; Youth and adult mediation and mentoring programs; Arts and culture or recreational violence preventative programs; Aftercare support funds for families of victims; and Capacity building in small contractors to provide services. How much funding is available? A total of $500,000 is available. Organizations can apply for up to $100,000. Grant awards may vary based on the scope of work and number of community members served. How to apply? Visit the City of Portland Webgrants website - https://cityofportlandgrants.net - and create an account. Select "Click here to register." Fill out the required information. Under "Program area of interest," select "ovp - office of violence prevention." Answer the remaining questions. When finished, select "Save registration information." Once your account is created, you will receive two separate emails with your login and password information. Log on to the City of Portland Webgrants website. Access the Safer Portland Grant and fill out the application and budget forms. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on May 17, 2024. Questions? For more information, contact Riamyrie Walter at [email protected].

The IMPACT Bucks grant, supported by BLBB Charitable, Bucks County Foundation (BCF), and Foundations Community Partnership, aims to strengthen communities by fostering economic self-sufficiency and opportunity for socially and/or economically disadvantaged individuals. This initiative directly aligns with BCF's mission to identify and address community concerns, particularly for underserved populations, and to promote creative and collaborative solutions to community problems. The grant seeks to support nonprofits whose work in Bucks County directly improves the lives of residents. The target beneficiaries for the IMPACT Bucks grant are socially and/or economically disadvantaged people within Bucks County. The overarching impact goal is to create safe, healthy, and thriving communities by improving economic self-sufficiency and opportunity for these individuals. BCF emphasizes supporting underserved populations and promoting solutions that address the root causes of community problems, rather than just the symptoms. The grant prioritizes innovative projects and collaborative efforts among community groups or organizations to address unmet needs. BCF is looking for proposals that respect individual concerns while seeking community-wide solutions. Eligible applicants are 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) nonprofits with a Bucks County client population that constitutes 50% or more of their total client base, and whose proposed projects directly benefit Bucks County. Expected outcomes include improved economic self-sufficiency, increased opportunities for disadvantaged individuals, and stronger, more resilient communities within Bucks County. While specific measurable results are not detailed in the provided information, the grant's focus on addressing community concerns and promoting solutions suggests that successful projects will demonstrate tangible improvements in the economic well-being and overall health of the target population. This one-time, 12-month grant award of $75,000 per partner (totaling $225,000 for the IMPACT grant award opportunity) signifies a strategic commitment from the foundations to drive meaningful and measurable change at the community level.

This grant path supports projects focused on community violence intervention or interruption, particularly in high-risk communities. The initiatives should aim at directly engaging with individuals most likely to be involved in or affected by firearm-related harm. Projects should employ strategies like Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs) and Community-Based Intervention Programs (CVIPs) that capitalize on the "teachable moment" immediately after a youth has been involved in violence. Additionally, strategies should include violence interruption programs that provide immediate responses to shootings to prevent further violence and retaliation through community engagement events. Applicants must attend a pre-application webinar.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations working to combat racism, support immigrants and refugees, and promote equitable climate policies, particularly in Baltimore City, the DC region, and New York, with a focus on communities of color and low-income populations.

This fund provides financial support to Tribes and non-profit organizations in Northern California to combat the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples through advocacy, research, and community recovery efforts.

This program provides one-time funding to local nonprofit organizations and municipalities in Dutchess County to improve services and programs for veterans.

This funding opportunity supports projects that preserve and share California Indian culture, art, and traditional practices, prioritizing initiatives that promote knowledge transmission across generations.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations in the Baltimore area that support youth development programs focused on career skills and life skills for high school students.

The Otto Bremer Trust (OBT) is implementing new grantmaking approaches to effectively invest in people, places, and opportunities in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. The new model includes Strategic Grants and Community Responsive Fund grants. Strategic Grants are awarded directly by OBT to organizations with at least $500,000 in expenses from the previous year, aligning with OBT's objectives. Community Responsive Fund grants are managed by intermediary partners, focusing on organizations with less than $500,000 in expenses.

Seeking to foster deeper connections with nature among a range of constituencies, the Foundation invests in environmental programs that focus on education and/or stewardship. In the environmental education area, the Foundation’s emphasis is on high quality programs that promote hands-on experiential activities in formal and informal K-12 educational settings to increase time spent outside in nature for youth. In the environmental stewardship area, the Foundation seeks to support the maintenance and expansion of green spaces, including parks and farms, in under-resourced neighborhoods. The Foundation’s environmental grantmaking is limited to the Baltimore metropolitan region. The Foundation typically provides funding for general operations and/or programming, but not capital needs.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations that support immigrant rights, legal services, and holistic support for refugees and asylum seekers, particularly in Baltimore, the DC region, and New York.

This funding opportunity supports nonprofit organizations that provide programs and research aimed at improving the overall welfare of children and youth across the nation.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations that work on climate justice initiatives, focusing on supporting communities of color and low-income populations in Baltimore City, the DC region, and New York.

Title II Juvenile Justice Council grants are specifically awarded to local juvenile justice councils to implement programs, policies and practices that improve the effectiveness of local juvenile justice systems, reduce unnecessary juvenile justice system involvement and/or analyze and reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED) in each council’s local system. Because this model of local governance, collaboration and data-driven decision-making has proven effective, the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission is allocating funding to support local juvenile justice councils and the development of data-driven, collaborative local juvenile justice plans which guide future system improvement efforts. The Illinois Juvenile Court Act provides that each county or group of counties may establish a local juvenile justice council [705 ILCS 405/6-12]. The purpose of this council, according to the Act, is “to provide a forum for the development of a community based interagency assessment of the local juvenile justice system, to develop a county juvenile justice plan for the prevention of juvenile delinquency, and to make recommendations to the county board, or county boards, for more effectively utilizing existing community resources in dealing with juveniles who are found to be involved in crime, or who are truant or have been suspended or expelled from school.” Through juvenile justice councils, the Act prescribes a response to juveniles in conflict with the law that is comprehensive, driven by data and analysis, and collaborative across all systems that touch these youth. As embodied in the Juvenile Court Act, Juvenile Justice Councils provide a structure to ensure that local jurisdictions respond to youth in conflict with the law in a manner which is data-driven, strategic, and focused on serving youth, families and communities in the most effective ways possible. Unfortunately, very few jurisdictions in Illinois have developed councils that operate in the manner envisioned in the Act. In some communities, youth become involved in the juvenile justice system unnecessarily because alternatives do not exist, or are not embedded within the system decision-making process. Because the needs and resources are different in each community in Illinois, a one-size-fits-all approach is not likely to be very effective. Local councils are in the best position to craft solutions that meet the local community’s needs and take into account local resources. Empowering and supporting local juvenile justice councils can also stem the tide of racial and ethnic disparity in the juvenile justice system at the front door and help ensure that no youth enters the juvenile justice system unnecessarily. Such local ownership is the best way to ensure more effective long-term programming and sustained systemic change. This, in turn, will reduce the costs associated with incarcerating youth in correctional facilities, reduce rates of recidivism, reduce the number of crime victims, and ultimately create safer communities in Illinois. Juvenile Justice Youth Serving Programs: The federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provides funding directly to states through its Title II Formula Grants Program (Title II) to support state and local delinquency prevention, intervention efforts and juvenile justice system improvements. These funds are used to help states implement comprehensive state juvenile justice plans based on detailed studies of needs in their jurisdictions. State Advisory Groups, comprised of members appointed by the governor, set priorities for funded activities. The State Advisory Group for Illinois, the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission (IJJC), administers the Title II funds. These funds support a broad range of juvenile justice activities at the state and local level that are designed to improve the juvenile justice system through the development of more effective education, training, research, prevention, diversion, treatment, and rehabilitation programs in the area of juvenile delinquency. These programs or projects can be designed to be developed, implemented and evaluated directly or through grants and contracts with public and private agencies. Title II also funds state and local activities designed to ensure and maintain the state's compliance with the Core Requirements of the JJDPA. • Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO) • Adult Jail and Lock-Up Removal (Jail Removal) • "Sight and Sound" Separation • Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED); In some communities, youth become involved in the juvenile justice system unnecessarily because alternatives do not exist or are not embedded within the system decision-making process. Because the needs and resources are different in each community in Illinois, a one-size-fits-all approach is not likely to be very effective. Local juvenile justice systems and community-based providers are in prime position to craft solutions and develop youth serving programs that meet the local community's needs and take into account local resources. Empowering and supporting local youth programming can also stem the tide of racial and ethnic disparity in the juvenile justice system at the front door and help ensure that no youth enters the juvenile justice system unnecessarily. Investing in local communities will reduce the costs associated with incarcerating youth in correctional facilities, reduce rates of recidivism, reduce the number of crime victims, and ultimately create safer communities in Illinois.