Arkansas Income Security and Social Services Grants

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Pulaski, Lonoke, and Saline Counties that deliver programs focused on youth opportunities, financial security, and healthy communities for individuals and families living below the ALICE threshold or the Federal Poverty Line.

This program provides funding to local organizations in Arkansas to help reduce poverty and support low-income individuals through services like employment, education, housing, nutrition, and health.

This funding opportunity supports Arkansas-based nonprofit organizations focused on projects that promote agricultural and rural community development.

The Arkansas Community Foundation is seeking applications for its Giving Tree Grant Program to support a broad range of projects with the potential for statewide impact and programs serving immediate local needs. Donor Name: Arkansas Community Foundation State: Arkansas County: Selected Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 08/15/2024 Size of the Grant: Not Available Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The Foundation Looking For When you apply, they’ll ask you to share some basic information about your organization, including: Your mission and purpose. What need or opportunity in the community does your organization address? Description of your funding request. How will you use a grant from the Community Foundation, and what will the impact of this grant be, for your organization and for the community you serve Potential outcomes. What will success look like? How will you know or measure whether you’ve been successful? Budget. What are the expenses related to your request? Which pieces will be paid for using a Community Foundation grant, and which pieces will be covered by funding from other sources? They also ask you to indicate whether you’re requesting “capacity building support” or “program/project support.” What’s the difference? Capacity building These are funds focused on improving the effectiveness of your organization. Examples are: Purchasing or upgrading equipment for staff use (computers, a financial database, security system) Upgrading your facility in ways that will allow you to serve more clients (buying a new refrigerator for a food pantry, replacing recalled cribs in an early childhood education facility) Providing training for staff, board or volunteers Hiring a consultant to help your organization develop a strategic plan or fundraising plan Communications/marketing consulting or start-up assistance, including help with branding, developing a social media presence, promotional materials, e-news campaign or other outreach strategy Developing an evaluation system to track the effectiveness of your program Organizing shared services with other nonprofit organizations, such as shared IT support, back-office admin support, financial services, etc. Project/program support These are funds designated to help you carry out a specific project for the clients you serve. Examples are: Providing food to a larger number of food pantry clients Establishing a book mobile to bring library books to low-income neighborhoods Offering dental screenings through school-based health centers Creating a new exhibit at a museum Matching students with adult mentors Providing care and case management for victims of domestic violence Adding tutoring services to your after-school program The following factors are considered, although not exclusively, in reviewing proposals: Likelihood of the project to make a significant difference in the community Likelihood of our grant to make a significant difference for the organization (in other words, is the size of our grant a good fit for the size and scope of the request?) Evidence of a plan to measure or evaluate the success of the proposed request Organization’s ability to carry out the proposed request successfully Clarity and thoroughness of responses to application questions Impact on the county/ies served by the affiliate to which you’re applying. Please note that if you’re applying for funding on behalf of a regional or statewide organization, your proposal is more likely to be successful if you can demonstrate that the project will be based in or have a direct impact on the county where you’re applying. What Foundation not Looking For Each request is considered on its own merit. However, the following types of requests generally are not considered: Support for annual fundraising campaigns Support for capital campaigns Projects that address sectarian religious purposes Projects that are political in nature or have a political bias Multi-year proposals Scholarships or fellowships for formal education at any level Funding for salaries Eligibility Criteria Giving Tree grants are place-based, meaning that your organization must serve one of the areas where They currently making grants. Please note that if you’re applying for funding on behalf of a regional or statewide organization, your proposal is more likely to be successful if you can demonstrate that the project will be based in or have a direct impact on the county where you’re applying. Any 501c3 public charity, school, hospital or government agency serving the counties where They are making grants is eligible to apply. For more information, visit Arkansas Community Foundation.

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) announced up to $10.3 million in funding through the Grid Enhancement Grant. Donor Name: Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration State: Arkansas County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 07/19/2024 Size of the Grant: More than $1 million Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: DFA is seeking proposals for grid enhancement and resilience projects that will strengthen the resilience of the electric grid and/or reduce the impacts of electric outages in the state.  This program leverages allocated federal funds to enhance and modernize America’s power grid against natural disasters and expand economic development. This funding is provided through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and will be allocated to projects that deliver direct benefits to Arkansans by increasing grid resilience, protecting against outages during natural disasters, and encouraging investments into the state’s grid workforce.  Objectives The funds will be used to enhance the resilience of the electric grid and prevent electric outages by addressing three objectives: Increase the Reliability of the Arkansas Electric Grid – Reduce the frequency with which the grid experiences sustained interruptions and decrease the number of customers impacted by all-hazard events, especially those customers that experience higher-than-average frequency and duration of outages. Achieve Whole Community Impact – Ensure that these Grid funds benefit Arkansans, specifically those who reside in communities that are more susceptible or vulnerable to electric power outages. Support the Development of the State’s Grid Workforce – Support the development of the state’s workforce responsible for grid enhancement projects, potentially by means of offering additional professional development and/or workforce development opportunities. Consider additional efforts to help Arkansas train, attract, and retain a skilled workforce. Eligible Projects and Investments  Through this program, most of the state’s funding will be allocated to projects that strengthen the state’s electric grid through one or more of the following eligible enhancements: Adaptive protection technologies Advanced modeling technologies Fire-resistant technologies and fire prevention systems Hardening of power lines, facilities, substations, or other systems Monitoring and control technologies Relocation of power lines or reconductoring of power lines with low-sag, advanced conductors Replacement of old overhead conductors & underground cables Undergrounding of electrical equipment Use or construction of distributed energy resources (DERs) for enhancing system adaptive capacity during disruptive events, including microgrids and battery-storage subcomponents Utility pole management Vegetation and fuel-load management Weatherization technologies and equipment Eligibility Criteria Eligible applicants include all Arkansas electric utilities (e.g., investor-owned electric utilities, electric cooperatives, and municipal electric utilities). Electric grid operator- Maintains reliable and secure operation of the electric grid Electricity storage operator Manages and maintains energy storage system Electricity generator- Generates electricity for public use Transmission owner or operator- Maintains efficient and reliable transmission of electricity from electricity generators to regional/local distribution operators Distribution provider -Operates and manages local and/or regional energy distribution networks Fuel supplier- Supplies fuel used to generate electricity in the state For more information, visit DFA.

The Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation’s Community Grant opportunity provides statewide support to communities and nonprofit organizations focusing on oral health education and services to underserved and uninsured Arkansas residents. Donor Name: Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation State: Arkansas County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 09/20/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Funding focuses on increasing access to oral health care through community partnerships by funding preventative services and/or treatment for underserved individuals of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and socio-economic statuses in Arkansas. Community Grants support transactional projects and services promoting good oral health practices and increasing access to dental care. Focus Areas  Prevention Provide preventive and basic oral healthcare needs for the community.  Treatment Treat at-risk or low-income populations with oral health conditions.  Grant-Making Focus DDARF Community Grants support projects focused on increasing access to treatment and preventative care, and services promoting good oral health practices. It is the intention that this funding will help organizations do one or more of the following: Provide oral health treatment, education, and disease prevention services Increase access to oral health services for underserved Arkansans Promote collaboration across a wide range of health providers in Arkansas Funding Information Community Grants range from $2,500 up to $40,000 per organization. DDARF will prioritize grant requests that incorporate the following (as applicable): A clear oral health focus A project plan detailing how and when the program will be carried out and who will be responsible for each task (template provided in the application) Active collaboration among organizations, schools, and/or healthcare providers Inclusion of diverse groups Referral protocols that link individuals needing dental care with a source of dental care Wrap-around support that links participants to other social services Initiation of oral health programs in counties where none or few exist Funds may be used for Program specific administrative/staffing costs Capital needs (equipment, supplies, one-time expenses) Dental clinic treatment expenses/supplies Programmatic, operational expenses Eligibility Criteria Applicants must be an Arkansas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, government agency, school, or charitable dental treatment facility – they do not provide grants to individuals. Typically Not Funded Direct dental staff salaries or payments to cover dental treatment Individuals – grants must be awarded to an eligible organization Fundraising events/sponsorships Private foundations and endowments Reduction of organizational debt Excessive salary costs, travel, or incentives/gifts Programs that discriminate on any basis For more information, visit Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation.

UpStart Thrift Store will award competitive grants of up to $5,000 to small business owners in Washington County. The UpStart Thrift Store team will work with the Startup Junkie Foundation leadership to select the awardees based on the merits of their application. If your startup or small business could benefit from such a grant, fill out the application at the link below. Please don't apply unless your business is physically located in Washington County, Arkansas. The grant awards starting at $500 are provided by the sales proceeds derived from efforts of an all volunteer non-profit thrift store called Upstart Thrift that is a program of the 501c3, Startup Junkie Foundation. The intent is to provide a hand up to deserving small businesses in Washington County, Arkansas. Applicants will only be eligible for one award per calendar year. Applications will be reviewed quarterly. The top three candidates will be contacted to conduct a brief interview. Candidates who do not receive a grant are still eligible for funds via Kiva NWA and free consulting from Startup Junkie.