Implications of the 2023 Supreme Court Decision to Ban Race-Conscious Admissions at Colleges and Universities for Educational Attainment and Economic Mobility

Overview:

The Russell Sage Foundation, in collaboration with the Hewlett, Spencer, and William T. Grant foundations, seeks to support innovative research on the effects of the Supreme Court decision on a diversity of outcomes—from who attends college and where and the extent to which alternatives to race-conscious policies contribute to educational attainment and economic mobility among different groups in the population. Our interests extend beyond the effects on applications, admissions, enrollment, and degree completion and include the downstream effects, including whether and how the decision alters the college-to-career pipeline that many employers rely on to diversify their workforce, and the factors associated with public opposition to and support for race-conscious policies.

We are especially interested in proposals that will advance social science research on the social, political, and economic effects of the Supreme Court decision and the future of race-conscious policies more generally. Examples of the kinds of topics and questions that are of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• What are the short- and long-run effects of the June 2023 Supreme Court ruling that restricts race-conscious policies in university and college admissions on who attends college and where?
• What has experience with the direct admissions or percentage plans of California, Texas, and other states revealed about what happens to racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity in enrollment and degree completion when race-conscious admission policies are no longer permissible for undergraduates or graduate students?
• Which alternatives to race-conscious policies, whether independently or in tandem, generate socioeconomic and racial and ethnic diversity in applications, admissions, enrollment, debt-free degree completion, and social mobility?
• To what extent are the beneficiaries of race-conscious admissions policies, who enroll in selective colleges and universities, more or less likely to graduate relative to those attending less-selective institutions?
• To what extent do race-neutral or alternative admissions policies contribute to the promotion of educational attainment and economic mobility among racially, ethnically, and economically diverse groups following the Supreme Court decision?
• What are the racial and socioeconomic composition effects of eliminating other admission practices such as early admissions, the use of standardized test scores, or the preferential treatment of the children of donors, alumni, faculty, and recruited athletes?
• To what extent will the race-conscious admissions ban impact the effort that high school students put into their studies, their educational aspirations, and their subsequent enrollment in higher education?
• What are the educational, social, and civic engagement benefits that derive from students’ interactions with classmates whose backgrounds, race and ethnicity, experiences, and political views differ from their own?
• What can we learn from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU’s) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSI’s) on how to support retention, recruitment, and degree completion for students from marginalized groups?
•  What program or policy changes might provide the basis for addressing historical racial harm in the context of higher education access and economic mobility?
• To what extent might improvements in college affordability lead to the promotion of educational attainment and economic mobility among racially, ethnically, and economically diverse groups?
• To what extent will the Supreme Court decision alter the college-to-career pipeline that many employers rely on to diversify their workforce?
• To what extent is the Supreme Court decision affecting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I) initiatives in the recruitment, hiring, retention, promotion, and advancement of workers of color and or/other groups in higher education and in the private and public sectors?
• How are attitudes towards the use of race, ethnicity, or gender criteria in admissions, hiring, or contracting preferences formed? What factors are associated with opposition to and support for race-conscious policies? How might the framing of diversity, bias, opportunity, and/or mobility affect opposition or support for race-conscious policies?

We are particularly interested in analyses that make use of newly available data or demonstrate novel uses of existing data. We also support original data collection, such as surveys, field or survey experiments, in-depth qualitative interviews, and ethnographies. This initiative encourages methodological variety and inter-disciplinary collaboration. Proposals must have well-developed conceptual frameworks and research designs. Plans for analyses must be specified, and research questions and hypotheses (where applicable) must be clearly stated.

Other information:

Funds can support research assistance, data acquisition, data analysis, and investigator time. Trustee grants are capped at $200,000, including 15 percent indirect costs, over a two-year period. Presidential awards, over a two-year period, are capped at $50,000 (no indirect costs), but at $75,000 (no indirect costs) when the proposed project involves original data collection or gaining access to restricted-use data.

Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context

Overview:

The Russell Sage Foundation’s (RSF) core program on Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context merges its long-standing program on Behavioral Economics and its special initiative on Decision Making and Human Behavior in Context. This program encourages perspectives from multiple disciplines, including economics, psychology, political science, sociology, law, public policy, and other social sciences, to further our understanding of economic, social, and political decision-making processes, attitudes, behaviors, and institutional practices in public and private contexts such as policing/criminal legal systems, employment, housing, politics, racial/ethnic relations, and immigration.

The term “behavior” is used in multiple ways across disciplines. Behavioral observation has long been used for psychological research on human behavior. Experimental psychologists conduct experiments to learn more about why people take certain actions. Behavioral economists focus on the decision-making processes of individuals and institutions. In political science, the subfield of political behavior focuses on attitudes. Sociologists study how human behavior is shaped by the groups to which people belong and by the social interactions that occur within those groups. Social scientists across these areas have evaluated interventions in ongoing policies and programs to test the effectiveness of their theories and models. The foundation seeks applications from all of these perspectives regarding how they affect individual, group, and institutional behaviors and social structures.

RSF priorities do not include analyses of health or mental health outcomes or health behaviors as these are priorities for other funders. For the same reason, RSF seldom supports studies focused on educational processes or curricular issues but does prioritize analyses of inequities in student achievement or educational attainment. Limited consideration will be given to projects that test well-established behavioral effects without examining their context or underlying mechanisms. RSF does not fund studies using data from other countries unless they are part of a comparative project aimed at elucidating social and living conditions in the U.S.

The kinds of topics and questions that are of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Biases and Misperceptions 
• Institutions, Policies, Social Structures and Networks 
• Motivations, Incentives and Choice Architecture 
• Habits, Time Preferences, Mental Bandwidth and Behavior Change
• Affect and Emotions

Other information:

Applications for research grants must be preceded by a brief letter of inquiry (4 pages max. excluding references) to determine whether our present interests and funds permit consideration of a proposal. We do not consider unsolicited proposals unless otherwise specified in a request for proposals.

Award Information
Trustee Grants are generally capped at $200,000, including 15% indirect costs. Presidential Grants are capped at $50,000 (no indirect costs). PIs may request up to $75,000 (no indirect costs) when the proposed research project has special needs for gathering data (e.g.: qualitative research) or gaining access to restricted-use data.

Pipeline Grants Competition

Overview:

The Pipeline Grants Competition seeks to support early-career scholars (Assistant Professors, Lecturers and Adjunct Assistant Professors) and promote diversity by prioritizing applications from scholars who are underrepresented in the social sciences and/or employed at under-resourced colleges and universities. This includes racial, ethnic, gender, disciplinary, institutional, and geographic diversity.

The primary goal of the Pipeline Grants Competition is to support innovative research on economic mobility and access to opportunity in the United States. We are also interested in research focused on structural barriers to educational attainment, economic mobility, political and civic engagement, and how individuals, communities and state entities understand, navigate and challenge systemic inequalities.

Below we provide some examples of topics and questions that are relevant to this competition. This list is not all-encompassing. Short descriptions of previously funded projects are available on our website.

Our priorities generally exclude research focused on health​ or mental health outcomes or health behaviors, ​as these are priorities for other funders. ​For the same reason, RSF seldom supports research focused on educational processes or curricular issues. It does prioritize analyses of the causes and consequences of inequities in student achievement or educational attainment.

RSF has a long-standing goal of encouraging methodological diversity and inter-disciplinary collaboration. We are interested in novel uses of new or under-utilized data, and creative uses of administrative data or new data linkages across systems (e.g., in and across criminal justice, safety net, labor markets). Applicants might propose exploratory fieldwork, a pilot study, field or survey experiments, in-depth qualitative interviews, ethnographies, and/or pilot or exploratory studies which support the development of a randomized evaluation (randomized controlled trial).

Areas of Interest: 

• Income & Wealth
• Policy Impacts and Interventions
• Neighborhood Characteristics, Gentrification and Segregation
• Climate Change & Natural Disasters
• Criminal Justice & the Legal System
• Young Adults of Color, Social Movements, and Democracy
• Accessing the Safety Net
• Labor Markets
• Immigrants, Immigration, and Immigrant Integration Policies
• Education
• Gender, Work and Public Policies

Solicitation limitations:

Only faculty who have not previously received a research grant or a visiting fellowship from RSF are eligible to apply. 

Other information:

Applicants can apply for either the Pipeline Grants Competition or the October LOI deadline for presidential and trustee grants, but not both.

RSF expects to fund about 20 one-year projects by assistant professors, lecturers, and adjunct assistant professors. Individual applicants can apply for grants of up to $35,000; teams of two or more eligible applicants can apply for grants of up to $50,000. RSF will pair grantees with mentors conducting research on related issues and provide an honorarium for the mentors. On occasion, RSF will deem a project or applicant more appropriate for its Presidential Grants Competition and review a Pipeline Grants proposal as a letter of inquiry for that competition instead.

Grantees are expected to present their findings at a conference at the end of the one-year grant, where other grantees, mentors, and other senior scholars will participate.

2025 Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Grant

Overview:

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, "A Foundation for All", was established in 2002. It was begun in order to give a clear voice for those who wish to be a part of the many, worthy, forces for change in our world. We are a foundation whose purpose is to look ahead towards the future, giving the past its due by remembering where we came from, and how much we can all accomplish together. We aim to make the critical difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever changing world. We respect all Life, the Environment, and all People, no matter who they are.

See website for more information and previous grants. 

Solicitation limitations:

ASU may submit only one (1) application to the sponsoring organization. After the posted internal deadline, this opportunity will be first come, first served.

Other information:

Award: Not specified. [Historically, sponsor has funded educational programs up to $40K.]

FY25 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) Education and Workforce Program

Overview:

This NOFO is for STEM education programs and activities, which is formal or informal education that is primarily focused on physical and natural sciences, technology, engineering, social sciences, and mathematics disciplines, topics, or issues (including environmental science education or stewardship). 

STEM education programs and activities that could be supported by this NOFO include one or more of the following as the primary objective: 

• Develop learners’ knowledge, skill, or interest in STEM.
• Attract students to pursue certifications, licenses, or degrees (two-year degrees through post-doctoral degrees) or careers in STEM fields.
• Provide growth and research opportunities for post-secondary, college and graduate students inSTEM fields, such as working with researchers or conducting research that is primarily intended tofurther education.
• Improve mentor/educator (K-12 pre-service or in-service, post-secondary, and informal) quality inSTEM areas.
• Improve or expand the capacity of institutions to promote or foster STEM fields.

This NOFO will not consider applications for research, with the exception of those whose primary purpose is intended to further education (as described in third bullet above) and that are not expected to generate intellectual property. Efforts for research, including those supporting STEM, should be submitted under the current fiscal year Long Range BAA.

Other information:

Anticipated award based on previous years: up to $600,000 ($200,000 per year for no more than 3 years)

NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship

Overview:

The NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship supports early career scholars working in critical areas of education research. Through professional development, funding, and mentorship from senior scholars, the fellowship enhances the career and research opportunities of the fellow.

As a highly competitive initiative, this fellowship annually identifies and supports 25 of the most exceptional researchers conducting postdoctoral studies relevant to education.

The award

This non-residential fellowship supports scholars who promise to make significant contributions to the field of education and advances the careers of the recipients. Scholars may conduct their research at their home institution or at another research site that they have arranged. The fellowship comprises three key components:

1. Fellows receive $70,000 for one academic year, distributed in two installments.
2. Fellows participate in three professional development retreats facilitated by NAEd members and other distinguished scholars. These retreats offer general and specialized discussions to enhance the fellows’ research capabilities and academic growth.
3. Fellows choose an NAEd member or another esteemed scholar as a mentor, providing guidance and support throughout the academic year.

Solicitation limitations:

To receive the fellowship, applicants must:

1. Have received their PhD, EdD, or equivalent research degree between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2024. These dates are accurate for the upcoming application cycle. If you will complete your doctorate this year (2025), you are eligible to apply next year.
2. Not hold tenure status at the time of the application deadline.
3. Have a demonstrated record of research experience in education and the project must be in education research.
4. Submit an individual application as we will not accept group applications.

Other information:

Earliest start date: Sept. 1, 2026

Duration of award: Varies (generally two years)

ECMC Foundation: Open Letter of Inquiry

Overview:

The Foundation is focused on improving postsecondary education outcomes so that all students have a better chance of career success. The scope of higher education includes credit-bearing career and technical education (CTE), and other two- and four-year postsecondary credentials. The Foundation focuses particularly on improving outcomes for underserved populations and is committed to evaluation and learning from our grantmaking and field expertise to drive evidence-based innovation in higher education.

The Foundation aims to drive systemic change, getting at the root causes of complex challenges in higher education, not just the symptoms. This may mean tackling the biases, institutional, system-level or state or federal policies, resource allocation and flows, and financial and life circumstances that create barriers to success for underserved learners.

Our strategic priorities represent a three-pronged approach to creating systemic change in higher education that includes creating immediate change by removing obstacles that stand in the way of learner success right now; equipping institutions and organizations to better serve learners; and evolving the postsecondary ecosystem over time to become more adaptive, resilient, and capable of delivering better college completion outcomes for all students.

• Removing barriers to postsecondary completion--We bolster programs that directly support learner success by meeting the unique needs, goals and aspirations of today’s learners
• Building the capacity of organizations, systems and institutions--We strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions, systems, and other support and service organizations to improve outcomes for today’s learners and evolve to meet the changing needs of learners.
• Transforming the postsecondary ecosystem--We support large-scale, cross-sector collaborations and innovations that have the potential to transform the postsecondary ecosystem so that more students, especially those farthest from opportunity, have a better chance of earning a postsecondary degree or credential.

Growing Our Initiatives
To drive systemic change, we focus a substantial portion of our strategic grantmaking and program-related investments on initiatives. As the Foundation evolves in its learning, existing initiatives will grow and new initiatives will be developed. An initiative represents the Foundation’s commitment to working toward systemic change in or through an area of the postsecondary ecosystem. All grantmaking and investing related to an initiative will be strategically connected to the initiative. 

Established initiatives include:

1. Basic Needs Initiative -- Our multipronged approach aims to decrease the percentage of postsecondary students experiencing basic needs insecurity by 10% by 2033.
   Strategies for Action: To realize this ambitious-but-possible goal, ECMC Foundation addresses basic needs insecurity in postsecondary education by supporting programs and solutions that align with the following strategies.
   1. Growing Data Capacity: Incorporate use of data to understand effectiveness of basic needs interventions on student experiences, nonacademic outcomes and academic outcomes.
   2. Scaling Effective Practices: Leverage, improve and modernize local, state and federally funded basic needs services that align to the evolving needs of today’s students and expand use of services.
   3. Informing Policy Reform: Advance the understanding of policy change to remove structural barriers to basic needs services and promote student success.
2. CTE Leadership Collaborative Initiative -- The CTE Leadership Collaborative (LC) Initiative brings together diverse perspectives and equips postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) leaders with the tools, resources and skills needed to advance the field. Across the country, there is a critical shortage of qualified workers needed to fill middle-skill jobs—jobs that require more education and training than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year college degree. Many of the middle-skill jobs in high-demand industries, like manufacturing, information technology and healthcare, pay family-sustaining wages and can be accessed by attaining postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) credentials. While CTE programs in high-demand fields exist, the quality and outcomes of programs vary, research and awareness of best practices are limited, and leadership and professional development opportunities are uncommon.
3. Rural Impact Initiative -- In response to sparse data and wide-ranging potential impact, the Rural Impact Initiative aims to enhance the field’s understanding of the unique opportunities, assets and challenges of rural postsecondary institutions and learners and to ultimately increase completion rates and build the capacity of organizations, institutions and systems to support rural learners.
4. Parenting Student Success Initiative -- By funding and supporting the work of grantee partners, ECMC Foundation strives to make strategic investments so that parenting students can realize their educational dreams, fostering a brighter and more equitable future for them and their children. 

Remaining Strategically Responsive 
In addition to our initiatives, we make grants and investments through our open letter of inquiry process. As we pursue systemic change in the postsecondary ecosystem, we remain committed to funding evidence-based innovation with the flexibility to adapt as the higher education landscape evolves. We reserve funding for projects that do not fit within one of our established initiatives but are connected to one or more of our strategic priorities.

Our Commitment to Learning and Evaluation
As part of our commitment to embodying a culture of humility and responsiveness, learning and evaluation is evolving and increasing its role significantly through our strategic framework. Learning and evaluation is a driving influence of initiative strategies to ensure that the work within each initiative is moving toward the initiative goals, advancing a learning agenda and is aligning to one or more strategic priorities.

In recent years, ECMC Foundation has strengthened attention to learning and evaluation and is developing a robust approach befitting the growth of the Foundation’s grantmaking and our strategic focus on systemic change. This approach will be ongoing and iterative, incorporating data from applications, reports and conversations with grantees to make evidenced-based decisions. Centered in equity and focused on systemic change, learning and evaluation is being integrated into the entire strategy development and works in close partnership with the grantmaking and investing teams. Grantees are essential partners in all stages of the Foundation’s learning and evaluation processes.

Other information:

ECMC Foundation makes grants and investments with durations ranging from one year to five years and amounts from $50,000 to over one million dollars. The grant period and funding amount varies based on the proposed request, however our average grant duration is two years and our average grant size is $500,000.

All new requests for funding will be required to meet one or more of the strategic priorities under the strategic framework.

LOI Deadline: ECMC Foundation’s open application and rolling deadline make us unique among national foundations. Our LOI process is open, meaning organizations do not need to be invited to apply. Each LOI, whether solicited or not, is processed the same way internally. And there’s no specific timeline for submission – LOIs are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis (all year long), which means there are no deadlines or missed windows of opportunity.

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation National Grant

Overview:

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation supports innovative projects that help youth with disabilities develop the leadership and employment skills they need to succeed. MEAF will also consider projects to create tools that help break down barriers to employment and increase job opportunities for young people* with disabilities entering the workforce, including returning veterans with disabilities.

Current Strategies and Recent Grants

• Inclusive Education
• Increasing the Talent Pipeline
• Mentoring and Internships
• School-Industry Partnership

MEAF supports projects from 501(c)(3) organizations that:

• Develop youth leadership & employment skills, and/or create tools for employers that help break down barriers and increase employment opportunities for youth and veterans with disabilities
• Present an innovative approach that leads to measurable employment outcomes for youth with disabilities
• Are national in scope, or model projects that have a definite plan for national dissemination and replication
• Support U.S. youth with disabilities as the main beneficiary, or young veterans with disabilities transitioning to civilian life
• Promote the full-inclusion of youth with disabilities alongside their peers without disabilities, and promote inclusive, competitive employment practices
• Have a well-defined evaluation, dissemination and replication plan

* MEAF defines youth from birth through college-aged (about 26)

Other information:

Deadline: MEAF accepts proposals between July 15 through November 1 every year for projects starting on or after April 1.

2025 NSF's Eddie Bernice Johnson Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) Initiative

Overview:

With this solicitation, NSF invites proposals for three of five types of projects (described below) that connect and contribute to the National Network: (1) Alliances, (2) Network Connectors, and (2) Conferences. 

1. Alliances are large-scale networks that implement, study, and scale up systemic strategies that address a critical broadening participation challenge in STEM. Like Collaborative Change Consortia, Alliances build the infrastructure necessary to foster collaboration and broaden participation in STEM, but for Alliances, the level of impact should be national and supported by a backbone organization. Alliances engage partners to operationalize the five design elements of collaborative infrastructure; work to achieve common goals through well-defined, common objectives; contribute rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base about broadening participation in STEM; leverage NSF’s broadening participation investments; and use lessons learned, promising practices, evidence-based mechanisms, the science of broadening participation, and research and evaluations from past and present efforts to transform systems and broaden participation in STEM at scale. Alliances are required to: 

• Develop a shared vision and strategy for broadening the participation of an identified population(s) in STEM, along with relevant metrics of progress and key milestones/goals to be achieved at a national level, during the funding period and beyond; Establish multi-sector partnerships and build infrastructure to achieve progress on the project’s goals; Contribute rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base on broadening participation in STEM;
• Establish a "backbone" (i.e., support) organization that provides a framework for continuous communication, data management, capacity building, networking, expansion, sustainability, and visibility of the project network beyond a single city, state, or region;
• Advance a logic model or other heuristic that identifies Alliance outcomes, reflecting the implementation of change at a national scale and progress toward developing an inclusive STEM enterprise;
• Collaborate with the INCLUDES Coordination Hub to share project evaluations, data, new scientific findings/discoveries, and promising practices with the INCLUDES National Network and build critical knowledge that enables measurable progress toward INCLUDES goals;
• Participate in a network of peer alliances and the INCLUDES National Network to achieve INCLUDES goals;
• Work to build connections to other organizations and broadening participation stakeholders to join in and expand the INCLUDES National Network.

2. Network Connectors initiate or maintain linkages to the INCLUDES National Network for projects or partnerships that are not currently funded by the INCLUDES Initiative. Network connector proposals may be submitted by existing NSF-funded and non-NSF funded projects seeking funding to provide or participate in:
   • new collaborations that expand the impact of active or previously-funded INCLUDES projects;
   • new opportunities for collaboration across the INCLUDES National Network; novel ideas to bring a community of NSF-funded projects into the INCLUDES National Network;
   • efforts to equitably scale up innovative and evidence-based approaches to broadening participation in STEM;
   • NSF-funded research activities with the goal of broadening participation in STEM;
   • development of shared goals, measures, and mutually reinforcing activities to build collaborative infrastructure for broadening participation in STEM;
   • communicating knowledge and results from the NSF broadening participation portfolio of programs and projects, NSF Center-scale activities, or other major Foundation investments; or
   • communicating findings from the science of broadening participation research community to the INCLUDES National Network, especially pertaining to new efforts to translate basic research into practice.

Network Connectors implement connections to NSF-funded or other existing projects and evidence-based approaches. A letter of collaboration from a leader of the existing project is needed. Institutions and organizations that are new to the National Network who are looking to adopt or adapt evidence-based practices that emerged from current or previously-funded INCLUDES projects are encouraged to apply.

3. Conferences provide platforms for new collaborations or exchange of ideas that strengthen the INCLUDES National Network. Conference proposals may be submitted by current or former INCLUDES awardees or organizations that are not currently part of the INCLUDES portfolio. 
   
   The INCLUDES Initiative will consider conference proposals on an ongoing basis. Please note that although Conference proposals may be accepted at any time, proposals received after the second Tuesday in May target date each year may not be reviewed until the next fiscal year.

Solicitation limitations:

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: An organization may serve as a lead organization on only one proposal per project type, not including conferences. Proposals that exceed the organizational limit will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made. 

For Network Connectors and Conferences, full proposals must be submitted as a single submission from a lead organization, with other collaborating organizations included as subawardees.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI:
An individual may serve as a PI or Co-PI on only one INCLUDES proposal per annual due date, not including conferences. Proposals that exceed the PI or Co-PI limit will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made. 

A PI or co-PI of an active INCLUDES Alliance may not be a PI or co-PI on a proposal under this solicitation, if the Alliance would still be active at the start of the new award. This limit does not include conference proposals. 

Other information:

Network connector proposals may request up to $250,000 per year for up to two years.
Alliance proposals may request up to $2,000,000 per year for up to five years.
Conference proposals may request up to $100,000 for one year.

Investigators planning to submit a proposal are strongly encouraged to submit a one-page description of their proposal idea to [email protected] at least three months prior to proposal submission. An INCLUDES program director with related expertise will review and provide feedback on the alignment of the idea with the solicitation.

Change Happens Foundation Grant

Overview:

The Change Happens Foundation is dedicated to forging a brighter future where innovation aligns with the pillars of environmental stewardship, education, and human services. We strategically invest in initiatives that catalyze systemic and sustainable solutions to environmental challenges, aiming to ignite a ripple effect of change for a healthier, more resilient world. In the realm of education, we champion diversity, equity, and inclusion, empowering women and underrepresented communities by dismantling barriers and cultivating opportunities that fuel aspirations and transformative change. Our human services focus addresses nutrition and support, combatting food insecurity and enhancing community health through strategic funding that empowers and nurtures long-term well-being. Each initiative is a step toward a legacy that values courage, collaboration, and impactful change, ensuring a thriving planet and equitable society for future generations.

We prioritize supporting organizations that operate nationwide or globally, aiming to create significant impact across the country and beyond. Additionally, we occasionally offer smaller community grants to initiatives within specific regions, including Iowa, the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Barbara County, the Puget Sound area, and Portland.

Additionally, one catalytic international grant is awarded each quarter to support disadvantaged regions globally.

Solicitation limitations:

To be considered for funding, organizations must have a current 501(c)(3) Public Charity status, be a recognized government entity, or an IRS-recognized tribe. 

Other information:

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling Deadline for LOIs

Letter of Inquiry (LOI): Initiate your application by submitting a Letter of Inquiry through our portal. This step helps assess whether your project matches our current priorities and budget.

Proposal Submission: Following a positive review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a detailed proposal for further consideration and meet virtually with a Co-Executive Director prior to a full board vote.

Our grants do not cover indirect costs such as processing or fiscal sponsor fees. Applicants will need to secure other resources for such expenses.