Funding Resources

Featured Funding Opportunities 

Beginning Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at 8:00 a.m., eligible nonprofit organizations in Leon County can apply for grant funding by submitting an application through the Leon CARES online portal, which can be found here. Before starting an application, applicants must register an account through the portal by providing their name, email, and password.  Grant awards range between $5,000 to $20,000 with $3 million in total available funds to disperse.   Applications will be made available until all funds are dispersed.  Read the FAQ for more information.  To apply, visit http://www.leoncountycares.com/

 

 

Community Project Grants

Florida Humanities awards grants – known as Community Project Grants – to nonprofit organizations and public institutions across Florida whose projects strengthen vibrant communities and cultures, promote civic engagement, spark thoughtful community dialogue, and reflect on the human experience across the Sunshine State.

These grants are designed to support a vast array of projects. Applicants can request up to $5,000 for proposed projects, which should involve a humanities scholar(s), attract diverse audiences, bring the public together for discussion and exchange, and be free and open to the public (or not cost prohibitive). Please see the Community Project Grant Application Guidelines for more information.  For more information and to apply, visit Florida Humanities.   Upcoming deadlines are October 14, ,2020 and January 13, 2021. 

 

RRF Foundation:  Foundation for Aging

RRF Foundation for Aging focuses on improving the quality of life for older people. In an effort to strengthen the Foundation’s impact, RRF has established Priority Areas. These Priority Areas are specific topics in aging that will be given higher priority within the Foundation’s grantmaking program.  While these reflect RRF’s primary funding interests, the Foundation will remain open to considering compelling applications on other topics.

Letter of Inquiry (not required) due November 1, 2020.  To learn more and apply, visit http://www.rrf.org/apply-for-a-grant/

FY 2021 AmeriCorps Competitive  Funding Opportunity

Each year, approximately 80,000 Americans meet critical community needs through service in AmeriCorps. With funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service that is administered by Volunteer Florida, AmeriCorps members dedicate a year of their life to intensive community service in exchange for a small living stipend and education award. The experience often leads to a life enriched by volunteering and in many cases, a career in the nonprofit sector or public service.

AmeriCorps programs address critical community needs including education, disaster services, economic opportunity, environmental stewardship, healthy futures and veterans and military families. Sample activities include tutoring and mentoring youth, response to local disasters, restoring natural habitats and job training/placement. AmeriCorps members also mobilize community volunteers and strengthen the capacity of the organizations where they serve.

Application deadline: November 2, 2020.  For more information, visit the Volunteer Florida website. 

Grantmakers for Girls of Color  

Girls and young women of color live at the intersections of sexism, racism, and other forms of oppression that prevent their full participation in our country’s future. Yet new research is helping us to better understand the barriers they face, while opening up new pathways for partnership and shared progress.  While we are now pausing review of new fund inquiries until mid-August, all organizations that meet the qualifications are invited to submit an interest form for consideration for an invitation to apply for a grant. For more information on the criteria to apply to the fund please see our G4GC Love is Healing COVID-19 Response Fund FAQ.  Visit Grantmakers for Girls of Color website for more information. 

PPP Nonprofit Loan Forgiveness Comes Early  Source:  Nonprofit Charity

In a 34-page interim final rule (IFR) issued in consultation with Treasury, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) addresses a number of issues related to the PPP, which was created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide forgivable loans to small businesses, not-for-profits, and certain other entities hurt by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated government-imposed quarantines.

Specifically, the new interim final rule makes revisions to previous guidance to reflect the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, which became law on June 5 and made significant changes to the PPP, most notably:

  • Expanding to 24 weeks, from eight weeks, the covered period during which PPP loan recipients can spend the funds and still qualify for loan forgiveness. The 24-week period applies to all loans made on or after June 5. Borrowers that received loans before June 5 can choose to elect an eight-week period.
  • Lowering to 60% from 75% the proportion of PPP funding that must be used on payroll costs to qualify for full forgiveness.
  • Expanding the term for new loans to five years from two years. Borrowers with loans received before June 5 can extend their loan term to five years if their lender agrees.   Continue reading. 

Mellon Foundation 

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supports a wide range of initiatives to strengthen the humanities, arts, higher education, and cultural heritage.  Organizations in those fields can consult descriptions of the Foundation's areas of grantmaking to determine whether a project fits within the Foundation's programmatic interests and priorities.  Learn more. 

$1.7 Billion in Cash, Debt Committed To Stabilize Nonprofits

Five foundations have committed to increase their payouts $1.7 billion within the next three years — mostly through issuing debt versus spending from endowments — to help stabilize nonprofits impacted by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and social injustice.

The foundations participating in today’s announcement, followed by their anticipated commitment, are:

  • Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, up to $100 million;
  • John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, $100 million; and,
  • Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, $200 million.

Learn more here. 

CRA Now Accepting Grant Submissions

The City of Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has authorized $385,000 to help fund the Fiscal Year 2020 and 2021 Promotional & Special Event Grants and the Large Event Grant Programs. The Greater Frenchtown/Southside (GFS) and Downtown (DT) Promotional/Special Event Grant Program has been approved for a total of $85,000 with $50,000 allocated for the GFS District and $35,000 allocated for the DT District. The FY2020 GFS, FY2021 GFS and FY2021 DT Large Event Grant Programs have been approved for $100,000, respectively. Events of the four programs must take place within the applicable CRA District for which the application is submitted.  Learn more information about the CRA grant and submission. 

National Endowment for Humanities has 39 grant opportunities.

NEH offers a variety of grant programs to individuals and organizations that do the highest quality work to promote the humanities.  Grants range from capacity building to research and development.  Visit their website for more information. 

Need help with applying for the Payroll Protection Plan?  Then contact a fellow nonprofit organization, Florida Community Loan Fund for assistance.  https://fclf.org/paycheck-protection-program

The Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provides potentially forgivable loans for nonprofits with 500 or fewer employees.

We are pleased to announce that Florida Community Loan Fund (FCLF) is partnering with the Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF) with the capacity to bring up to $10 million in PPP loans to Florida nonprofit organizations. This partnership brings together FCLF’s knowledge and experience with lending to Florida nonprofits, and CRF's experience as an SBA-qualified lender.

Florida nonprofit organizations can now apply for an SBA Paycheck Protection Program loan through FCLF’s nonprofit SBA lending partner, CRF. Important to note:

  • You do not need to be an existing FCLF borrower to apply (spread the word!)
  • Loan applications of any size are welcome
  • We serve the entire state and our program is open to any nonprofit organization based in Florida.

 

Emergent Fund

There are two types of efforts we support, which distinguish an Emergent Fund grant from thousands of other worthy projects and organizations:

  • Efforts that support emergent strategies that help communities respond to rapidly changing conditions. This includes resisting new or amplified threats and building power to move a proactive agenda.

  • Efforts seeking long-term social justice and economic justice in a political and social climate that seeks to dismantle such efforts.

Additional considerations:

  • Emergent work: New solutions responding to rapidly changing conditions in the current political environment

  • Visionary and Power Building: Seeks transformational systemic changes rooted in social and economic justice. Develops community power through organizing and/or leadership development (including through new tools), direct action, and/or cultural work

  • Leadership from affected communities

  • Intersectional Analysis: Engages multiple identities and multi-racial alliance building as core to theory of change

  • Endorsed: Recommended by a member of the Nominations Network

  • Right size of need: The level of Emergent Fund support is appropriate to the work

Proposals can be ideas, collaborations, campaigns, or organizations, whether or not they are fully formed; don't worry about your notes being perfect or comprehensive.   For more information, visit https://www.emergentfund.net/covid-19 

De Colores Rapid Response Fund
As the outbreak of COVID-19 presents growing and unprecedented challenges for organizers nationwide, the De Colores Rapid Response Fund, designed for strategic intervention in movement moments like this, offers grants of $500 to $1,000 to grassroots organizations working to make positive community interventions through strategic, organizing-focused approaches, especially in marginalized communities of color and working class communities. 

Equal Sound Corona Relief Fund
The Equal Sound Corona Relief Fund provides direct financial assistance to musicians in the U.S. who have lost work as a result of Corona-related event cancellations. The Fund will pay out a maximum of $500 per gig.  Learn more and apply.

Florida Blue Foundation

Our commitment to making a positive impact in the community is firmly rooted in our core company value to help people and communities achieve better health. Working in partnership with nonprofit organizations, the Florida Blue Foundation addresses critical issues in local communities, opening new windows of opportunity to better enable our neighbors to reach their potential.

Build Healthy, Strong Communities encompasses applications for programs and support related to improving education/literacy, especially birth through 5; health and human services; arts and culture; and community development.

To request support for your program, please click on the following link:
Build Healthy, Strong Communities Application
Once your application is received, our review team will rank it against our criteria and respond within 60 days. Please click on the links below for more helpful information about our charitable giving program.

MusiCares: COVID-19 Relief Fund
To help address the concerns of the music industry during this time, MusicCares has expanded their services to include lost income due to the cancellation of scheduled gigs or performances due to Coronavirus/COVID-19 precautionary measures. Music industry professionals may apply for basic living assistance (rent or mortgage). 

National Endowment for Humanities 
The National Endowment for Humanities has received millions to award to nonprofits.  Be creative and submit your grant.

“Our federal agency will work around the clock to ensure that these vital funds immediately reach large and small cultural organizations, as well as educators, curators, scholars, filmmakers, and other humanists,” said NEH Chairman Jon Parrish Peede.

One Fair Wage Emergency Fund
The One Fair Wage Emergency Fund is providing cash assistance to restaurant workers, car service drivers, delivery workers, personal service workers, and more who need the money they aren’t getting to survive. At the moment, the Fund is prioritizing tipped workers, gig workers and service workers in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. However, they are currently taking applications nationally and are actively raising money to support workers in all states as soon as possible.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funds a wide array of research and initiatives to help address some of America’s most pressing health challenges.

Stimulus Funds Administered through the U.S. Small Business Administration
There are three funding options available to small businesses and nonprofit organizations through the SBA. :

  1. Paycheck Protection Program
  2. Economic Injury Disaster Loan
  3. Economic Injury Disaster Advance Loan

Small Business Administration Extended Disaster Loans
SBA is collecting the requested information in order to make a loan under SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program to the qualified entities listed in this application that are impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). 

US Department of Labor
The US Department of Labor is offering National Dislocated Worker Grant funding to address the emergency response to COVID-19. U.S. Department of Labor Employment Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) provide resources to states and other eligible applicants to respond to major economic dislocations, such as large, unexpected layoff events that cause significant job losses. 

Writer's Emergency Fund
The Writers’ Emergency Fund supports the literary community at a time when the health and livelihoods of so many are at risk. Grants of $500 to $1,000 will be based on applications that demonstrate an inability to meet an acute financial need, especially one resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Fund is open to professional writers based in the United States, including fiction and nonfiction authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists.

LyftUp COVID-19 Community Grants
The LyftUp COVID-19 Community Grants program provides support to organizations in the U.S. Through the Essential Deliveries program, organizations that need delivery services for essential goods—such as groceries, medical supplies, auto parts, and home necessities—are matched with Lyft drivers, who can carry the deliveries out. Additionally, in collaboration with 500+ community partners, Lyft is helping provide essential services, including trips to the grocery store, pharmacy, healthcare appointments, etc., to those in need. Requests may be submitted at any time.

Awesome Tallahassee
Awesome Tallahassee gives a $1000 grant, each month, to “people doing awesome things in our community.” If you have a great idea for the Tallahassee area apply for a grant today! The application deadline is the 15th of each month and they typically meet the following Wednesday to review grant applications. If you applied and your project was not selected, please feel free to reapply. They only review applications from the current month’s applicant pool. Also, don’t hesitate to contact them if you would like feedback on your application.
If you have any questions about applying for a grant or becoming a trustee you can e-mail them at, [email protected]

Costco Wholesale
Costco Wholesale’s primary charitable efforts specifically focus on programs supporting children, education, and health and human services in the communities where we do business. 

Donation and Grant Eligibility Guidelines
To apply for Costco support, organizations must meet the following general requirements:

  • Must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
  • Focus on supporting children, education, and/or health and human services

  • Monetary requests only

Costco accepts and reviews funding requests throughout the year on a rolling basis, and organizations are eligible to submit one application per fiscal year (Sep-Aug).

Florida Resilient Coastlines Grants

FRCP offers Resilience Planning Grants (RPG) and Resilience Implementation Grants (RIG) that are specifically designed to assist local governments with resilience planning and funding assistance to implement those plans.

RPGs provide financial assistance to aid cities and counties in promoting resilience planning, including complying with the “Peril of Flood” statute. The legislation requires coastal communities that have a coastal management element in their comprehensive plan to analyze the current and future effects of flooding from sea level rise, storm surge, precipitation and other sources.

RIGs assist coastal communities in implementing their adaptation and resilience plans by supporting nature-based options for erosion and flood control, including coral reef and mangrove restoration, elevating public structures, and projects specifically included in existing adaptation/resilience plans.

The deadline to apply is Oct. 9, 2020, at noon.

The FRCP Resilience Grants webpage has additional information and applications.