Funding Types
Annual Campaign
Any organized effort by a nonprofit to secure gifts on an annual basis; also called annual appeals.
Awards/Prizes/Competitions*
Grants for artists.
Building/Renovation
Grants for constructing, renovating, remodeling, or rehabilitating property. Includes general or unspecified capital support awards.
Capital Campaign
A campaign to raise funds for a variety of long-term purposes such as building construction or acquisition, endowments, land acquisition, etc.
Collections Acquisition
Grants to libraries or museums to acquire permanent materials as part of a collection, usually books or art.
Collections Management/ Preservation
Grants for maintenance, preservation and conservation of materials.
Commissioning New Works*
Grants to support the creation of new artistic works.
Computer Systems Equipment
Grants to purchase or develop automated systems.
Conferences/Seminars*
Includes workshops.
Curriculum Development*
Awards to schools, colleges, universities and educational support organizations to develop general or discipline-specific curricular.
Debt Reduction*
A grant to reduce a recipient organization’s indebtedness; also referred to as deficitfinancing. Frequently refers to mortgage payments.
Electronic Media/ Online Services
Grants for support of projects on the Internet and World Wide Web, including online publications and databases, development of Web sites, electronic networking and messaging services, CD-ROM products, and interactive educational programs.
Emergency Funds
A one-time grant to cover the immediate short-term funding needs of a recipient organization on an emergency basis.
Employee Matching Gifts†
Usually made by corporate foundations to match gifts made by corporate employees.
Employee-Related Scholarships*
Scholarship program funded by a company-sponsored foundation usually for children of employees; programs are frequently administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corp., which is responsible for selection of scholars.
Endowment Funds*
A bequest or gift intended to be kept permanently and invested to provide income for continued support of an organization.
Equipment
Grants to purchase equipment, furnishings or other materials.
Exhibitions*
Awards to institutions such as museums, libraries or historical societies specifically to mount an exhibit or to support the installation of a touring exhibit.
Faculty/Staff Development*
Fellowship Funds*
Fellowships – To Individuals†
Film/Video/Radio Production*
A grant to fund a specific film, video, or radio production, often named in the grant text. (Do not use for general support of TV/radio stations.)
Foundation-Administered Programs*
General/Operating Support*
Grants for the day-to-day operating costs of an existing program or organization or to further the general purpose or work of an organization; also called unrestricted grants.
Grants to Individuals†
Income Development*
Internship Funds*
Land Acquisition
Grants to purchase real estate property.
Management Development*
Grants for salaries, staff support, staff training, strategic and long-range planning, budgeting and accounting.
Performance/Production Costs*
A grant to cover costs specifically associated with mounting a performing arts production, often named in the grant text.
Program Development
Grants to support specific projects or programs as opposed to general purpose grants.
Program Evaluation
Grants to evaluate a specific project or program; includes awards both to agencies to pay for evaluation costs and to research institutes and other program evaluators.
Program-Related Investments/Loans**
A loan to an organization for a project related to the foundation’s stated purpose and interests. As of October 2019, the Foundation is accepting applications for investments. Please see the Impact Investments page rather than completing a grant application.
Professorships*
Grants to educational institutions to endow a professorship or chair.
Publication*
A grant to fund reports or other publications issued by a nonprofit resulting from research or projects of interest to the funder.
Research
Funds to cover the costs of investigations and clinical trials, including demonstration and pilot projects. (Research grants for individuals are usually referred to as fellowships).
Scholarships – To Individuals***
Seed Money
A grant to start, establish or initiate a new project or organization; may cover salaries and other operating expenses of a new project. Also called start-up funds.
Student Aid*
Assistance in the form of educational grants, loans or scholarships.
Technical Assistance
Operational or management assistance given to nonprofit organizations, including fundraising assistance, budgeting and financial planning, program planning, legal advice, marketing and other aids to management.
Institutional/Program Activity Categories:
- Animal Related
- Arts, Culture, and Humanities
- Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy
- Education
- Employment/Jobs
- Environmental Quality, Protection & Beautification
- Food, Nutrition, Agriculture
- Health – General & Rehabilitative Services
- Health – Multipurpose Associations/ Services Associated with Specific Diseases/Disorders/Medical Disciplines
- Housing/Shelter
- Human Services: Multipurpose & Other
- Medical Research
- Mental Health, Crisis Intervention
- Philanthropy, Voluntarism, and Grant Making Foundations
- Public Protection: Crime & Delinquency Prevention, Legal Administration, Legal Services
- Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief
- Public/Society Benefit: Multipurpose & Other
- Recreation, Leisure, Sports, Athletics
- Religion
- Science and Technology Research Institutes/Services
- Social Science Research Institutes/Services
- Youth Development
Note that types with an * are outside our former priority areas. You may nowselect this type. Types with a † are not eligible to apply. Types with a ** are better applied for as Impact Investments in the “About” section of our website. *** Note that for scholarships, we make grants to scholarship funds, but do not accept applications from individuals for scholarships.