Examples of Current Nonprofit Grant Opportunities

Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) – 2024 

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Building Technologies Office (BTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled “Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) – 2024”. The 2024 BENEFIT FOA will invest up to $30M (subject to appropriations) across four topic areas: Topic 1: Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning and Water Heating Technologies with improved materials, components, equipment design, and engineering, lower cost manufacturing processes, and easier installation. Topic 2: Innovative, Replicable, and Low-Cost Roof and Attic Retrofits Technologies for affordable and scalable roof and attic retrofits that improve energy efficiency and address air and water infiltration. Topic 3: Building Resilience and Capacity Constraints Novel approaches to maintain essential loads during blackouts and add power capacity to buildings without the need for major infrastructure upgrades; localized thermal management systems and thermally resilient building envelopes to provide cooling and overheating protection against extreme heat events. Topic 4: Commercial Lighting Retrofit Advancements Low-cost, high-quality retrofit solutions for lagging sectors in energy-efficient lighting adoption (schools, certain commercial buildings).

NIAID Research Education Program Advancing the Careers of a Diverse Research Workforce

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The overarching goal of this R25 program is to support educational activities that encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research. To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this NOFO will support educational activities with a primary focus on: Courses for Skills Development Research Experiences Mentoring Activities

WaterSMART Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects For Fiscal Year 2024 and Fiscal Year 2025

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s (Department) WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) Program provides a framework for Federal leadership and assistance to stretch and secure water supplies for future generations in support of the Department’s priorities. Through WaterSMART, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) leverages Federal and non-Federal funding to work cooperatively with States, Tribes, and local entities as they plan for and implement actions to increase water supply sustainability through investments in existing infrastructure and attention to local water conflicts. WaterSMART provides support for priorities identified in Presidential Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (E.O. 14008) and aligned with other priorities, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government (E.O. 13985). The WaterSMART Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects also support the goals of the Interagency Drought Relief Working Group established in March 2021 and the National Drought Resiliency Partnership. These grants will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative. Established by E.O. 14008, the Justice40 Initiative has it made it a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities. Federal agencies are using the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool to help identify disadvantaged communities. The objective of this NOFO is to invite States, Indian Tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with Reclamation on small-scale on-the-ground projects that seek to conserve, better manage, or otherwise make more efficient use of water supplies. Proposed projects that are supported by an existing water management and conservation plan, System Optimization Review, or other planning effort led by the applicant are prioritized. This prioritization will help ensure that projects funded under this NOFO are well thought out, have public support, and have been identified as the best way to address water management concerns. Reclamation has simplified the evaluation criteria and streamlined the application process for this category of WaterSMART Grants to ensure that the process works for smaller entities. Simplified evaluation criteria are intended to provide each applicant with an opportunity to succinctly explain how the proposed project would meet a defined need identified through a prior planning effort.

Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 AmeriCorps Seniors Senior Companion Program (SCP) Replacement and Expansion Opportunity

AmeriCorps improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. AmeriCorps brings people together to tackle some of the country’s most pressing challenges through national service and volunteerism. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities and those serving. AmeriCorps helps make service a cornerstone of our national culture. 

Established in 1974, the AmeriCorps Seniors’ Senior Companion Program engages adults aged 55 and over to provide companionship and support to other adults in need of extra assistance to remain at home or in the community for as long as possible. AmeriCorps Seniors’ volunteers in the Senior Companion program serve with most of the volunteer service taking place in the homes of their clients. Among other activities, they provide companionship to ease loneliness and social isolation, assist with transportation and light chores, help to serve as eyes and ears to professionals who can intervene in the case of medical or other deterioration on the part of the clients, and give support to informal caregivers. While serving, AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in the Senior Companion Program improve their own lives by staying active and civically engaged. 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparents (FGP) Replacement and Expansion Opportunity Program

AmeriCorps improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. AmeriCorps brings people together to tackle some of the country’s most pressing challenges through national service and volunteerism. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities and those serving. AmeriCorps helps make service a cornerstone of our national culture. 

Established in 1965, the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) engages adults aged 55 and over to provide caring and experienced tutors and mentors to children and youth with special or exceptional needs, or who would benefit from the one-one-one attention an AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer can provide. AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve in schools, Head Starts, drug treatment centers, correctional institutions, and childcare centers. Among other activities, they review schoolwork, reinforce values, teach parenting skills to young parents, and care for premature infants and children with disabilities. AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers often maintain an ongoing, intensive relationship with the children and youth served for a year or longer.

Bidirectional Influences Between Adolescent Social Media Use and Mental Health

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) focuses on understanding bidirectional relationships between social media use and adolescent mental health, psychiatric symptoms, and risk or resilience for psychopathology. For the purposes of this NOFO, social media are defined as internet-based communication platforms and applications that enable interactions between users by sharing or consuming information. The NOFO focuses on adolescents (broadly defined here as 10-20 years of age), who have increasing access to social media and greater autonomy in their use of digital platforms. No effectiveness/efficacy trials will be accepted.

Fiscal Year 2023 Presidential Residence Protection Assistance Grant Notice Of Funding Opportunity

The objective of the FY 2023 PRPA Grant Program is to reimburse extraordinary costs state and local agencies while protecting the President’s non-federal residences. Among the goals outlined in the DHS Strategic Plan, Fiscal Years 2020-2024, the FY 2023 PRPA Grant Program supports the goal to Counter Terrorism and Homeland Security Threats, Objective 1.3: Protect Designated Leadership, Events, and Soft Targets. It also supports the 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan, Objective 3.2: Posture FEMA to Meet Current and Emergent Threats. 

Rural Health Network Development Planning Program

The purpose the Rural Health Network Development Planning Program (“Network Planning Program”) is to plan and develop integrated health care networks that collaborate to address the following legislative aims: (i) achieve efficiencies; (ii) expand access to and improve the quality of basic health care services and health outcomes; and (iii) strengthen the rural health care system. This program supports one year of planning and brings together members of the health care delivery system, particularly those entities that may not have collaborated in the past, to establish and/or improve local capacity in order to strengthen rural community health interventions and enhance care coordination. The Network Planning program uses the concept of developing networks as a strategy toward linking rural health care network members together to address local challenges, and help rural stakeholders achieve greater collective capacity to overcome challenges related to limited economies of scale for individual hospitals, clinics, or other key rural health care stakeholders. For more details, see Program Requirements and Expectations.

Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Research Programs is accepting applications for the Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence (AI) program. Launched through NEH’s new Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence initiative, the purpose of the program is to create new humanities research centers on AI at eligible institutions. Centers must focus their scholarly activities on exploring the ethical, legal, or societal implications of AI, as outlined by the 2023 National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan. Centers should include scholars from multiple disciplines, but they must be led by scholars in the humanities or humanistic social sciences. NEH is particularly interested in Centers that explore the impacts of AI-related technologies in the areas of equity, privacy, or civil rights.

FY 2023 Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program Phase 2 Notice of Funding Opportunity

This is Phase 2 of a two-phase competition. Applications received after this deadline will not be reviewed or considered. Only applicants that EDA Designated as Tech Hubs in Phase 1 will be permitted to apply to Phase 2. 

Pursuant to section 28(c) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. § 3722a(c)), consortia that EDA Designated as Tech Hubs under the Phase 1 NOFO are eligible applicants under this NOFO. An eligible consortium must include one or more of each of the following: (i) institutions of higher education, which may include Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and Minority-Serving Institutions; (ii) State, territorial, local, or Tribal governments or other political subdivisions of a State, or a consortium thereof; (iii) industry groups or firms in relevant technology, innovation or manufacturing sectors; (iv) economic development organizations or similar entities focused primarily on improving science, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, or access to capital; and (v) labor organizations or workforce training organizations. See section A.1.b.iii. for additional requirements related to consortia. See section C.1. of this NOFO for a list of other entities that may also be part of a consortium. 

Subject to the availability of funds, awards made under this NOFO will seek to strengthen U.S. economic and national security through place-based investments in regions with the assets, resources, capacity, and potential to become globally competitive Tech Hubs, within approximately ten years, in the technologies and industries of the future, and for those industries, companies, and the good jobs they create to start, grow, and remain in the United States. Through this NOFO, EDA will award approximately $50-75 million in implementation grants to each of approximately 5-10 Designated Tech Hubs.

Information and Practice Needs Relevant to Late Talking Children

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Tackling Acquisition of Language in Kids (TALK) initiative seeks to support activities to better understand early language learning and delay. NIH TALK invites applications for research projects that aim to better understand the information and practice needs of caregivers, professionals, and other invested parties who support late talking children and to determine whether those needs are being effectively met. Community engaged research combined with rigorous qualitative research and diverse perspectives is needed to enrich our understanding of how to get state-of-the-science information and practice to those who need it most to guide decisions about late talking children.

National Digital Newspaper Program

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Preservation and Access is accepting applications for the National Digital Newspaper Program. This program creates a national digital resource of historically significant newspapers published between 1690 and 1963 from all 56 states and U.S. jurisdictions. The Library of Congress (LOC) maintains this freely accessible, searchable online database.

FY 2022-23 Accelerating Advanced Digital Construction Management Systems Program Competitive Funding Opportunity

FTA’s Office of Research, Demonstration, and Innovation is pleased to announce the launch of a new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provision, the Accelerating Advanced Digital Construction Management Systems (ADCMS) Program. The statutory goal for the FTA ADCMS Program (49 U.S.C. § 5312(b)(4)) is to: “promote, implement, deploy, demonstrate, showcase, support, and document” advanced digital construction management systems. One of the US Department of Transportation’s major initiatives is to increase infrastructure project excellence. Accelerating the use of digital tools across the lifecycle of an infrastructure program can result in significant benefits to transit agencies, especially to reduce cost overruns and mitigate potential schedule changes. FTA sought input from transit agencies to assess their current level of implementation of digital construction management systems. Based on their input, FTA designed this program for the current state of ADCMS implementation in the transit industry. The first funded activity for ADCMS will be a new $5M notice of funding opportunity for a demonstration program.

FY2024 Farm to School Grants

The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program is designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools and help connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for school meals. Grants can launch new farm to school programs or expand existing efforts. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Farm to School Grant awards projects of 24 months in length for funding up to $500,000. Applicants are required to provide matching support of at least 25 percent of the total project budget in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. The RFA offers three tracks - Implementation, State Agency, and Turnkey - to support a variety of projects and implementation stages. Eligible applicants may include schools and other institutions that operate Child Nutrition Programs, Indian Tribal Organizations, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers, nonprofit entities, and State and local agencies.

Field Initiated Projects Program (Research)

The purpose of the Field Initiated Projects program is to generate new knowledge through research or to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technologies -- to maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family/caregiver support, and economic and self sufficiency of people with disabilities, especially people with the greatest support needs. In carrying out a research activity under a Field Initiated Projects research grant, a grantee must identify one or more hypotheses or research questions and, based on the hypotheses or research questions identified, perform an intensive, systematic study directed toward producing (1) new scientific knowledge, or (2) better understanding of the subject, problem studied, or body of knowledge. Please note that this will be the funding opportunity for Field Initiated Projects Research proposals. We will invite Field Initiated Projects Development proposals under a separate announcement. NIDILRR plans to make 15 Field Initiated Projects awards. Grants will have a 36-month project period, with three 12-month budget periods. NIDILRR's Field Initiated Projects will include a combination of research applications and development applications, depending on the combined ranking of individual research and development applications by the peer review panel.

Field Initiated Projects Program (Development)

The purpose of the Field Initiated Projects program is to generate new knowledge through research or to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technologies -- to maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family/caregiver support, and economic and self-sufficiency of people with disabilities, especially people with the greatest support needs. In carrying out a development activity under a Field Initiated Projects development grant, a grantee must use knowledge and understanding gained from research to create materials, devices, systems, methods, measures, techniques, tools, prototypes, processes, or intervention protocols that are beneficial to the target population. Please note that this will be the funding opportunity for Field Initiated Projects development proposals. We will invite Field Initiated Projects research proposals under a separate announcement. NIDILRR plans to make 15 Field Initiated Projects awards. Grants will have a 36-month project period, with three 12-month budget periods. NIDILRR's Field Initiated Projects will include a combination of research applications and development applications, depending on the combined ranking of individual research and development applications by the peer review panel.

Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP)

This SHOP NOFO announces the availability of $ 12,500,000 in FY2022 SHOP Grant funds to be awarded to national and regional non-profit organizations and consortia to facilitate and encourage innovative homeownership opportunities on a national, geographically diverse basis through the provision of self-help homeownership housing programs. Applicants must propose to use a significant amount of SHOP Grant funds in at least two states. Individuals are not eligible to apply for SHOP Grant funds. SHOP Grant funds must be used for land acquisition, infrastructure improvements, and for reasonable and necessary planning and administration costs (not to exceed 10 percent). The construction or rehabilitation costs of each SHOP unit must be funded with other leveraged public and private funds. The average SHOP Grant expenditure for the combined costs of land acquisition and infrastructure improvements must not exceed $25,000 per SHOP unit. SHOP units must be decent, safe, and sanitary non-luxury dwellings that comply with state and local codes, ordinances, and zoning requirements.  The SHOP units must be sold to homebuyers at prices below the prevailing market price. Homebuyers must be low-income and must contribute a significant amount of sweat equity towards the development of the SHOP units. A homebuyer’s sweat equity contribution must not be mortgaged or otherwise restricted upon future sale of the SHOP unit. Volunteer labor is also required SHOP Grantees may award SHOP Grant funds to local non-profit affiliate organizations to carry out the Grantee’s SHOP program. These affiliate organizations must be located within the Grantee’s service area.

Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program

Funds may be used to pay expenses associated with providing technical assistance and/or training (TAT) to: Identify and evaluate solutions to water problems relating to source, storage, treatment, or distribution; identify and evaluate solutions to waste problems relating to collection, treatment, or disposal: assist applicants, that have filed a pre-application with RUS, in the preparation of water and/or waste loan and/or grant applications; and/or provide technical assistance and/or training to water/wastewater system personnel that will improve the management, operation and maintenance of water and waste disposal facilities. Grant funds may not be used to duplicate current services, such as those performed by an association’s consultant in developing a project; fund political or lobbying activities; pay for capital assets; purchase real estate or vehicles; improve or renovate office space, or repair and maintain privately owned property; pay the costs for construction, improvement, rehabilitation, modification or operation and maintenance of water, wastewater, and solid waste disposal facilities; and pay costs incurred prior to effective date of grant.

Residential (Staff Secure) Services for Unaccompanied Children

The Office of Refugee Resettlement/Division of Unaccompanied Children Operations (ORR/DUCO), within the Administration for Children and Families, provides temporary shelter care and other child welfare-related services to unaccompanied children (UC) in ORR custody.  Residential care services begin once ORR accepts a UC for placement and end when the minor is released from ORR custody, turns 18 years of age, or the minor’s immigration case results in a final disposition of removal from the United States.  Residential care and other child welfare-related services are provided by state-licensed residential care programs in the least restrictive setting appropriate for the UC’s age and special needs. ORR is announcing the availability of funds under this Standing Notice of Funding Opportunity (SNOFO) to seek staff secure residential care providers. A staff secure care provider facility maintains stricter security measures, such as higher staff to UC ratio for supervision, to control disruptive behavior and to prevent escape. Residential care providers operating a staff secure facility must be licensed (state child placement license and facility license) to provide residential care services for UC that require a heightened level of supervision. All entities funded under this SNOFO must also comply with Flores v. Reno, Case No. CV 85- 4544 RJK (C.D. Cal. 1996) (the Flores Settlement Agreement); pertinent federal laws and regulations; and ORR policies and procedures, including, but not limited to, the ORR Policy Guide and Manual of Procedures. ORR encourages applicants to review ORR's policies, instructions, and procedures at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/policy-guidance/unaccompanied-children-program-policy-guide as these will be critical to the overall program design. Please refer to this SNOFO when it publishes for more details on application closing dates and project periods.