Grants

Grants by the biggest U.S. foundations to support social justice totaled $3.1 billion in 2009 and accounted for more than 14 percent of their grant dollars, virtually flat compared to 2008, and 11 percent of their grants, a new report says.

Forty-seven percent of social-justice grant dollars supported international activities, says Key Facts on Social Justice Grantmaking, a report by the Foundation Center.

YMCA of the USA, the resource office for the nation's YMCAs, has received a $500,000 grant from The Sierra Club Foundation to provide thousands of military youth and their family members with outdoor camp experiences at YMCA day camps, overnight camps and family camps from April 2011 through March 2012. This announcement comes on the heels of First Lady Michelle Obama's call this morning for greater support for military families.

Tourism in Florida is getting a $30 mililon boost from BP, state officials said Monday. Gov. Rick Scott announced the Northwest Florida Tourism Council will recieve a grant to help mitigate the impact to the area's tourism industry as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a statement from the governor's office said.

How could philanthropy do a better job of meeting today’s challenges? By ditching the jargon, getting over its aversion to paying for fund-raising costs, and tackling the kinds of goals that capture people’s imaginations, according to speakers at today’s kick-off of the annual Council on Foundations meeting in Philadelphia.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is challenging colleges and universities to think creatively about how they educate future scientists, science teachers, and a scientifically-literate public. The Institute has invited 215 undergraduate-focused colleges and universities from across the country to apply for a total of $60 million in science education grants.

USA Funds, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that helps American families benefit from postsecondary education, has awarded $1 million grants to two nonprofit organizations that help disadvantaged students succeed in college. 

Bottom Line, a nonprofit organization in Boston, will receive funding as the recipient of the USA Funds Trustees’ National Award for College Success. Starfish Initiative, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit, will receive funding under the USA Funds John Burkhart Indiana Award for College Success.

Two local nonprofits working to better the lives of children and families were recently honored with grants totaling more than $20,000. The Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County recently announced nearly $125,000 in financial awards this year to local nonprofit groups through its grant program, including the YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County and the Anne Arundel Community College Foundation.

In honor of World Water Day, the Conrad Hilton Foundation announced a $50 million commitment to clean water initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mexico and India. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), inadequate access to safe water kills 3,900 children every day who fall prey to waterborne illness.

The Hilton Foundation's $50 million pledge will be divided up into grants awarded to nonprofit organizations to fund projects, such water and sanitation infrastructure, as well as spreading information to at-risk communities.

The Obama administration moved forward Friday with a housing initiative designed to revitalize deteriorated neighborhoods while improving education, job and public transit opportunities in those areas.

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan said 17 communities will share $4 million in funding for planning grants as part of the new Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, which received $65 million in funding as part of the fiscal 2010 budget.

Sage North America introduced Sage Grant Management, a new Web-based grant receiving product that helps nonprofit and government organizations maximize their funding potential by tracking grants and providing transparency at the organization, program, and grant level. An integrated development and financial management solution, Sage Grant Management helps organizations strengthen collaboration, build pipeline management, and optimize success measures so they can better serve their missions, constituents, and communities.