Grants

Feeding America has announced a five-year, $5 million grant from the ConAgra Foods Foundation to help provide free and reduced-price meals for children over the summer months, when many lose access to nutritious meals at school.

Last year, the United States Department of Agriculture provided healthy meals to more than 20 million children during the school year, but to only 2.3 million children through its Summer Food Service Program. The foundation aims to supplement that program by awarding Hunger-Free Summer grants to foodbanks in twenty-three states.

Nonprofits' grantseeking work may be finding its footing two-and-a-half years after the economy shattered, a new survey says.

Among 867 nonprofits responding to an online survey conducted by GrantStation and PhilanTech, 49 percent applied for more grants in the last six months of 2010 than they had in the same period a year earlier, and 34 percent applied for the same number of grants.

In the last six months of 2009, in comparison, 45 percent of respondents applied for more grants than they had in the same period of 2008.

The Shalem Center announced that it has received a $12.5 million challenge grant from the Tikvah Fund to help establish Israel’s first liberal arts college. The grant, intended to galvanize other major philanthropists to support the launching of Shalem College, provides a one-to-one match for gifts that are received during the college’s first four years. Shalem’s application for accreditation from Israel’s Council for Higher Education is pending, and it is anticipated that the college will open in fall 2012.

Education Pioneers, a national network of leaders and entrepreneurs committed to improving leadership within public education, but outside the classroom, announced it received a $7.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant will allow Education Pioneers to attract and develop more than 500 professionals, many of whom are specifically trained in data and analysis, to work in school districts, public charter organizations and state departments of education. This is the largest grant Education Pioneers has received in its eight years of operation.

Chase announced the 100 charities that will each receive a $25,000 grant from Chase and will advance to Round 2 of the Chase Community Giving Program. These 100 charities now have a chance to receive a $500,000 grant from the bank.

The 100 charities span 27 states and Washington, D.C., and promote a range of worthy causes from preventing domestic violence and animal abuse to supporting youth arts education and youth leadership programs.

Over the past decade, U.S. foundation support explicitly benefiting Native Americans declined from 0.5 percent to 0.3 percent of total foundation giving. According to Foundation Funding for Native American Issues and Peoples, released by Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) and the Foundation Center, total grant dollars targeting Native Americans dropped 30.8 percent in the latest year, compared to a 12.4 percent overall downturn in foundation giving.

The economy … well … sucks at the moment! But does that really mean nobody is giving? Nope! Fundraising is alive and well and even thriving. I have 10 tips to help you get your share of the money that's going around.

The Levine Museum of the New South has nearly doubled its goal of raising $350,000 in its 20th anniversary year, raising more than $635,000 since last fall, and received a challenge grant from The Leon Levine Foundation that could total $3 million over 10 years. The anniversary fundraising effort, which will fund programming in the next fiscal year and begin to build reserves for the future, included a $150,000 matching gift from The Leon Levine Foundation.

Developing genetic interventions that target the immune system and creating personalized cancer vaccines are just two of more than 80 innovative research grants being funded this year by Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The world’s largest breast cancer organization announced it will fund $55 million toward research grants at 56 institutions across the U.S. and internationally in 2011 and nearly $3 million toward 33 grants to support patient support conferences and programs.

The Pew Charitable Trusts announced that it will provide $7,168,000 over the next three years to 45 Philadelphia-area organizations that serve some of the region’s most vulnerable adults. These agencies help low-income individuals with limited education and work skills to obtain competitive employment; expand the availability of proven treatment approaches for persons with serious mental illness or substance abuse; and ensure a comprehensive array of services for adults with multiple needs, thereby enhancing their prospects for greater independence.