Grants

The White House announced that nine states — California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington — will receive grant awards from the $500 million Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge fund, a competitive grant program jointly administered by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.

DoSomething.org will receive a $2 million grant from Google.org to support its innovative work leveraging technology to inspire teens to do more volunteer work.

In 2011, DoSomething.org pivoted to become a membership organization, tracking the long term engagement of individual teens. The organization leverages communications technologies like text messaging, social media, and its own popular website (which doubled traffic over the last year).

Nonprofit organizations may be struggling with a decline of donations, but there's still a source of funding that's remained strong despite the economic downturn.

Matching grant programs, in which companies provide dollar-for-dollar matches of contributions made by employees, have been growing over the past couple of years, industry experts say. The programs can provide millions of dollars in donations to nonprofit organizations, particularly small ones, that may not catch the eye of larger giving programs.

NPR will expand its training initiatives to increase the use of digital tools in public radio newsrooms, with a new $1.5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The most recent Knight Foundation investment will boost the production of digital content at NPR member stations, and in the NPR newsroom. Building on successful training piloted by NPR a few years ago, the grant provides for the development of extensive training for more than 70 local public radio stations.

The African Media Initiative has announced a competition designed to promote digital experimentation and innovation that strengthens news organizations on the continent. The African News Innovation Challenge will award seed grants ranging from $12,500 up to $100,000. In the first phase of the competition, African journalists and publishers will be asked to identify pressing issues facing their industry, followed by a call for applications in February 2012. Winners will be chosen through a competitive judging process, and projects will be showcased at international media gatherings.

To have the best shot at foundation funding in this new and more austere environment, nonprofits must be honest and open about their needs, open to change, and skilled at telling their stories, experts say.

Right now, what most nonprofits need is operating dollars, and they shouldn't be afraid to ask for that, says Kathleen Enright, president and CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations.

The Rasmuson Foundation awarded $8,356,282 in Tier II grants and investments for nonprofit projects in Alaskan communities that stretch from Ketchikan to Togiak. The dollar amount of awards made is the highest since July 2008 and reflects a moderate rebound in the assets available for new projects.

These grant awards were made from Rasmuson Foundation's Tier 2 program, which supports large capital (building) projects, projects of demonstrable strategic importance or innovative nature, or the expansion or start-up of innovative programs that address issues of broad community or statewide significance.

The Greater New Orleans Foundation announced that it has awarded six grants totaling $1,311,501 to six regional nonprofit organizations who are working with families and individuals still struggling in the wake of the Gulf Coast oil spill.

The six nonprofits receiving grants in this round include Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing, Options for Independence, Saint Anna’s Episcopal Church, Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadian, Seedco Financial, and United Houma Nation.

Programs enhancing educational opportunities for youth and those providing services for the homeless and disadvantaged were among the major recipients of $5.7 million in grants to nonprofits announced by the Daniels Fund for the fourth quarter.

“These organizations set a high standard for excellence in serving people in need in Colorado,” explained Linda Childears, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “We are honored to support their efforts to make life better for people in communities across the state,” she added.

More than 65 nonprofit groups have been selected to receive $1.25 million in grants from the Entergy Charitable Foundation, bringing the total amount of grants awarded by the foundation during 2011 to $3,052,267.

Among the Entergy shareholder-funded grants are a $100,000 grant to Barataria Terrebonne Estuary Foundation to stem coastal land loss by restoring small isolated bay islands and the natural resources and wildlife that rely on them.