Other Funding Sources

Upcoming grant deadlines | Past grant deadlines | Rolling deadlines | Grant resources

Upcoming grant deadlines

Inclusive and Equitable Entrepreneurial Communities Grant
August 5 - (Deadline):  Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation - This grant supports organizations which are providing direct resources and services to start and expand business opportunities within diverse and/or traditionally underserved populations in southern Minnesota. Learn more »

Media Projects
August 14 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - These grants support the development, production, and distribution of radio programs, podcasts, documentary films, and documentary film series  that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. Learn more »

Public Humanities Projects
August 14 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - These grants support projects that bring the ideas of the humanities to life for general audiences through public programming. Projects must engage humanities scholarship to analyze significant themes in disciplines such as history, literature, ethics, and art history. Learn more »

Archives*Records 2024 in Chicago, Illinois
August 14 to 17 - Chicago, IL: Society of American Archivists - Dive into unparalleled learning opportunities! Connect with peers, acquire essential skills, and expand your perspectives at this year's hybrid Annual Meeting. Learn more »

Our Town 
August 15 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Arts - Through project-based funding, this grants program supports activities that integrate arts, culture, and design into local efforts that strengthen communities over the long term. Learn more »

Program Preserves Equal Rights History
August 20 - (Deadline): National Park Service - The History of Equal Rights Grant Program (HER) will preserve sites related to the struggle to achieve the ideal of equal rights in America. HER Grants will fund a broad range of preservation projects for historic sites including: architectural services, historic structure reports, preservation plans, and physical preservation to structures. Learn more »

Public Scholars 
August 28 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - This program offers grants to individual authors for research, writing, travel, and other activities leading to the creation and publication of well-researched nonfiction books in the humanities written for the broad public. Learn more »

African American Civil Rights Grants
September 5 - (Deadline):  National Park Service - African American Civil Rights Grants documents, interprets, and preserves sites and stories related to the African American struggle to gain equal rights as citizens. Grants fund a broad range of planning, development, and research projects for historic sites including: survey, inventory, documentation, interpretation, education, architectural services, historic structure reports, preservation plans, and "bricks and mortar" repair. Projects are split into two categories: physical "preservation projects" and "history projects." "Preservation" grants are for the repair of historic properties. "History" grants are for more interpretive work, like exhibit design or even historical research. Learn more »

National Medal for Museum and Library Service
September 6 - (Deadline): The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is the nation's highest honor for institutions that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. Learn more »

Dialogues on the Experience of War
September 17 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - This program supports the development of humanities-focused discussion programs that enlarge the understanding of the meaning and experiences of military service and war. Learn more »

Summer Stipends
September 18 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - This grant program aims to stimulate new humanities research by providing small awards to individuals pursuing valuable research for scholars and general audiences at any stage of development. It funds a wide range of individuals, including independent scholars, community college faculty, and non-teaching university staff. Learn more »

Climate Smart Humanities Organizations
September 18 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - Through the Climate Smart program, your humanities organization can undertake activities such as energy audits, risk assessments, and meetings with consultants. Individual organizations can apply for themselves or lead a consortium of organizations collaborating on strategic climate-smart planning. Learn more »

National Leadership Grants for Libraries
September 20 - (Deadline): Institute of Museum and Library Services - These grants support projects that develop, enhance, or disseminate replicable practices, programs, models, or tools to strengthen library and archival services for the American public. Learn more »

Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program 
September 20 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities -  These grants support the training and professional development of library and archives professionals; developing faculty and information leaders; and recruiting, educating, and retaining the next generation of library and archives professionals in order to develop a diverse library and archival workforce and meet the information needs of their communities. Learn more »

Tennant Foundation
September 22 - (Deadline): The Tennant Foundation provides modest operating grants to organizations serving the Minneapolis community; their typical grant range is $1,500-$10,000. Tennant is particularly interested in requests that further their commitment to creating a cleaner, safer, and healthier world. Priority areas of giving include environmental programs, social services, workforce readiness through education and vocational rehabilitation, and cultural and arts organizations. Learn more »

Archaeological and Ethnographic Field Research
September 25 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - This grant program makes awards to institutions and organizations conducting empirical field research to answer significant questions in the humanities. Learn more »

NAHA Archives & NAHA Publications Fellowships
October 1 - (Deadline): Norwegian-American Historical Association - These fellowships provide support for research of the Norwegian-American experience. Learn more »

• NAHA Archives Fellowship - One award of up to $2,000 will be available for a specific research project by a graduate student or advanced career scholar.
• NAHA Publications Fellowship - One award of $2,500 is available for a specific research project to scholars at any stage of their career. 

Costume Society of America College and University Collection Care Grant
October 15 - (Deadline): Costume Society of America College - Grants of $1500 are intended to assist the costume and textiles collection of a college or university that receives little or no financial support from its institution. Funding may be used to support the care, conservation, and/or instructional mission of a collection of historic, period, or otherwise informative costume and textiles that are intended for preservation and are used for study by an institution that has a degree program in apparel, textiles, or theatre. Learn more »

Costume Society of America Small Museum Collection Care Grant
October 15 - (Deadline): Costume Society of America College - Grants of $1,500 are intended to assist the costume and textiles collection of a small museum (including historical societies, historic houses or sites, and other similar institutions) that has a very limited budget and staff. Funding may be used to support the care, conservation, and/or exhibition of costume and textiles that have historic, regional, or other significance and are intended for preservation. Learn more »

Daughters of the American Revolution Historic Preservation Grants
August 1 - October 31 (open for applications): The program provides community grant funding for projects that preserve historic resources, sites, and other history-related projects. The maximum grant is $10,000, and smaller projects are encouraged. Each application must be accompanied by a DAR chapter or state organization sponsorship letter. Learn more »

Site Preservation Grant
November 1 - (Deadline): Archaeological Institute of America - The goal of the grant, which carries a maximum award of $15,000, is to enhance global preservation efforts and promote awareness of the need to protect threatened archaeological sites. The AIA seeks to support projects that not only directly preserve archaeological sites, but those that also include public outreach and education components that create a positive impact on the local community, students, and the discipline of archaeology as a whole. Learn more »

Archaeological Site Preservation Grants
November 1 – (Deadline): Archaeological Institute of America - Funding is available to support projects that not only directly preserve archaeological sites, but those that also include public outreach and education components that create a positive impact on the local community, students, and the discipline of archaeology as a whole. Learn more »

Museums for America
November 15 - (Deadline): Institute of Museum and Library Services - This program supports museums of all sizes and disciplines to undertake projects that strengthen their ability to serve the public. Project activities may include exhibitions, educational or interpretive programs, digital learning resources, professional development, community debate and dialogue, audience-focused studies, and/or collections management, curation, care, and conservation. Learn more »

Inspire! Grants for Small Museums
November 15 - (Deadline): Institute of Museum and Library Services - This grants program is designed to support small museums of all disciplines in project-based efforts to serve the public through exhibitions, educational/interpretive programs, digital learning resources, policy development and institutional planning, technology enhancements, professional development, community outreach, audience development, and/or collections management, curation, care, and conservation. Learn more »

Museums for America
November 15 - (Deadline): Institute of Museum and Library Services - The Museums for America program supports museums of all sizes and disciplines in strategic, project-based efforts to serve the public through exhibitions, educational/interpretive programs, digital learning resources, professional development, community debate and dialogue, audience-focused studies, and/or collections management, curation, care, and conservation. Learn more »

Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program
November 15 - (Deadline): Institute of Museum and Library Services - This grant program is designed to support Indian tribes and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians in sustaining indigenous heritage, culture, and knowledge. The program supports projects such as exhibitions, educational services and programming, workforce professional development, organizational capacity building, and collections stewardship. Learn more »

Laura Jane Musser Fund
The fund was established by the estate of Laura Jane Musser of Little Falls, MN to continue the personal philanthropy which she practiced in her lifetime. Several funding initiatives are available, including the three listed below:

Rural Initiative
October 2, 2023 - (Deadline): Through the Rural Initiative, the Laura Jane Musser Fund encourages collaborative and participatory efforts among residents in rural communities that will help to strengthen their towns and regions. The applicant community must have a population of 10,000 or fewer. Program planning grants up to $5,000 and program implementation grants up to $25,000 will be considered.
Learn more »

Intercultural Harmony Initiative
October 16, 2023 - (Deadline): Through the Intercultural Harmony Initiative, the Laura Jane Musser Fund supports projects that promote mutual understanding and cooperation between groups of community members of different cultural backgrounds. Project planning grants up to $5,000 or implementation grants up to $25,000 will be considered. New programs or projects in their first three years are eligible.
Learn more »

Past grant deadlines

Community Grants Program
April 1 - (Deadline): The Butler Family Foundation’s Community Grants Program awards two-year grants for general operating support or for specific projects and programs. Organizations applying for grants in the arts or human services must work in the urban cores of Saint Paul or Minneapolis or in the East Metropolitan suburbs. Organizations applying for grants in the environment may work anywhere in Minnesota. Learn more »

Mini-Grants for K-12 Educators Teaching Native American Content
January 22 - (Deadline): Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in partnership with the Minneapolis Foundation is pleased to announce a new program to provide educators with small grants to assist them in teaching Native subject matter accurately. This funding opportunity is part of the SMSC’s Understand Native Minnesota campaign, which is focused on improving the narrative about Native peoples, their history and culture, and tribal governments in Minnesota K-12 schools. Minnesota educators at public, private, charter, and tribal schools are eligible to apply for up to $2,000. Learn more »

Dan David Prize   
Nominations accepted between June 14, 2023 and October 11, 2023. The Dan David Prize is the world’s largest history prize, annually awarding 9 prizes of $300,000 each to early and midcareer scholars and practitioners in the historical disciplines, to acknowledge their outstanding achievements and support future work.   
Nominees can come from any field related to the study of the human past, both within academia and outside it. Learn more »

Grants for Scandinavian Folk Arts and Cultural Traditions        
Competition opens January 2024: American-Scandinavian Foundation offers a program to support Scandinavian folk arts and cultural traditions in the Upper Midwest. Learn more »

The ASALH Book Prize                
September 15, 2023 - (Deadline); The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) awards an annual prize to recognize an outstanding book in the field of African American history and culture. Books must engage archives to be eligible for consideration, however, the book prize committee invites submissions from across disciplinary and interdisciplinary boundaries. Learn more »

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Fellowships                
October 30, 2023 - (Deadline): Gilder Lehrman Institute provides annual short-term research fellowships to doctoral candidates, college and university faculty at every rank, and independent scholars working in the field of American history. Learn more »

Awards from the Small Museum Association 
December 31 - (Deadline): Small Museum Association - Do you know someone who's made a significant impact on small museums? Nominate them for the Hunter-Burley or Small Museum Association Award and let their dedication shine. The Hunter-Burley Award - Recognizing outstanding contributions to public access and professional growth in individual institutions. The Small Museum Association Award - Celebrating exceptional contributions to funding, professional growth, and accessibility in the small museum community. These awards highlight those who drive progress, access, and growth in the museum world. Together, we can celebrate and elevate the contributions of our colleagues. Nominate a deserving colleague and help us honor their hard work. Learn more »

Rolling deadlines

Nonprofit Infrastructure Grant Program                
Propel Nonprofits is accepting applications for the Nonprofit Infrastructure Grant Program (NIGP). The NIGP is aimed at supporting the missions of small, culturally led organizations by strengthening their infrastructure. Increasing the capacity of small organizations that work with historically underserved cultural communities helps position these organizations for greater impact in their community. The NIGP will provide grants, as well as ongoing support to grow the organizational capacity of small Minnesota nonprofits. This is a government reimbursement grant, so Propel Nonprofits staff will also work with grantees to navigate the reimbursement process. Learn more »

Minnesota Council for Nonprofits Scholarships                
Minnesota Council for Nonprofits offers a limited number of partial scholarships for most MCN sponsored trainings and events. Learn more »                
Qualifying Criteria:

1. Employees of organizations with budgets under $1,000,000 that meet one or more of the following criteria:                
   Greater Minnesota organizations from outside the seven-county Twin Cities area; Immigrant and refugee organizations; Culturally specific organizations working with communities of color, and BIPOC-led
2. Individuals                
   Full-time students; Jobseekers; Full-time volunteers (i.e., AmeriCorps, VISTA, Public Allies, etc.)

Blandin Foundation Grants for Rural Minnesota                
The Blandin Foundation, a private foundation based in Grand Rapids, MN, is the largest Minnesota-based foundation serving only rural communities. Start by visiting the About Grants page for details on eligibility and how to submit an inquiry if your project aligns with the Foundation’s focus areas. Learn more »

Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation                
The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation - creates grant partnerships with organizations that generate transformational results in human and social services, education, and health and medicine. Grantees must serve the people and communities in the 7-county Twin Cities region. Requests to serve counties that fall outside of these are by invitation only. The Foundation seeks proposals that focus on the areas of Human and Social Services, Education, Health, and Medicine. Learn more »

Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board                
IRRRB is an economic development program of the State of Minnesota, designed to advance growth on Minnesota's Iron Range. The program provides grants and other funding to local units of government and non-profits to support economic development and vibrant and prosperous communities. Learn more »

Local Government Grants                
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has two economic development grants: 

• Greater Minnesota Business Development Public Infrastructure Grant Program
• Innovative Business Development Public Infrastructure Grant Program.

Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) - Workplace Safety Consultation (WSC) Safety Grant Program                
The Safety Grant Program awards funds up to $10,000 to qualifying employers for projects designed to reduce the risk of injury and illness to their workers. Learn more »

Local Arts Funding                
Willmar Area Community Foundation has funding opportunities for organizations serving Willmar and the Kandiyohi County area. Fund for the Arts program supports small and medium-sized community organizations leading arts activities conducted by community organizations.

Jeffris Family Foundation                
The Jeffris Family Foundation assists the preservation of historic sites for nonprofit organizations in small towns and cities in the eight Midwest states (WI, MN, IA, MO, IL, IN, OH, MI) in the range of $5,000 to $50,000 through three funding categories:

• The Jeffris Heartland Fund provides matching grants for advanced planning studies for historic preservation projects preparing for a capital campaign and a restoration project.
• Capital Campaign Challenge Grants are made to invited projects which have completed their planning and are ready to launch a capital campaign. Unsolicited applications are not accepted. Applicants should submit an Inquiry and will be assigned a Director of the Foundation to help assess the appropriateness of an application well in advance of stated deadlines.
• The Foundation occasionally funds special projects and initiatives it finds of interest.

Art Projects Improving Street Safety
Bloomberg Philanthropies' Asphalt Art Initiative aims to help cities use art and community engagement to improve street safety and revitalize public space. Learn more »

Brooks and Joan Fortune Foundation Grants   
Ongoing – This Foundation primarily provides funds to support education, art, and outreach programs and projects. Learn more »

Needmor’s Core Grants Program            
This grants Program provides general operating support to groups engaged in the work of community organizing. Grantees funded through this program are eligible to receive funding for up to three years, after which an organization may not apply for at least two years. Learn more »

Wells Fargo Grants                
Deadlines Vary: Wells Fargo Foundation - Wells Fargo welcomes applications year-round from qualified nonprofits and educational institutions. Review the site to determine if any of the regions and priorities are a good fit. Then, check out the various program deadlines under 'How To Apply.' Deadlines and grant amounts vary greatly among programs. Learn more »

Bank of America Art Conservation Project (ACP) Grants                
ACP is a unique program that provides grants to nonprofit museums across the world to conserve historically or culturally significant works of art that are in danger of deterioration. Proposals for 2022 ACP grants are being accepted from October 1 to November 30, 2021. Nonprofit cultural institutions of all sizes with artwork requiring conservation are welcome and encouraged to apply. Learn more »

Hometown Grants        
T-Mobile - Applications are open for grants of up to $50,000 each to revitalize community spaces in towns with 50,000 people or less. Applications are open on a quarterly basis. Learn more »

J.M. Smucker Company Community                
Ongoing - One of their primary areas of focus is Culture and the Arts – Support is focused on the visual and performing arts, libraries, museums, and cultural centers. Learn more » (select CHARITABLE REQUEST on their contact form).

Community Impact Grants Program                
The Home Depot Foundation is offering grants of up to $5,000 in its Community Impact Grants Program.

Emergency/Intervention Funding                
National Trust for Historic Preservation - Intervention funding from the National Trust is awarded in emergency situations when immediate and unanticipated work is needed to save a historic structure, such as when a fire or other natural disaster strikes. Funding is restricted to nonprofit organizations and public agencies. Emergency grants typically range from $1,000 to $5,000, but unlike the majority of our grant funding, a cash match is not required for intervention projects. Learn more »

National Trust for Historic Preservation - Peter H. Brink Leadership Fund                
This fund helps to build the capacity of existing preservation organizations and encourages collaboration among these organizations by providing grants for mentoring and other peer-to-peer and direct organizational development and learning opportunities. Grants from the Peter H. Brink Leadership Fund support travel costs and mentor honoraria with a maximum reimbursement of $2,500. Learn more »

National Trust Community Investment Corporation New Markets Tax Credits                
National Trust Community Investment Corporation, a tax credit syndicator, operates by forming a legal partnership with a developer of historic real estate that results in NTCIC making an equity investment in the project in exchange for receiving rights to the federal tax credits generated by the rehabilitation of the property. This is similar to what can be done with state historic tax credits. Combining state and/or federal historic tax credits with the federal New Markets Tax Credit is also a possibility if the project is located in a low-income census tract. Learn more »

National Trust Community Investment Corporation New Markets Tax Credits                
National Trust Community Investment Corporation, a tax credit syndicator operates by forming a legal partnership with a developer of historic real estate that results in NTCIC making an equity investment in the project in exchange for receiving rights to the federal tax credits generated by the rehabilitation of the property. This is similar to what can be done with state historic tax credits. Combining state and/or federal historic tax credits with the federal New Markets Tax Credit is also a possibility if the project is located in a low-income census tract. Learn more »

Wikimedia Foundation Grants                
Grant programs for groups of individuals, Wikimedia affiliates, and non-profit organizations.                
Rapid Grants fund Wikimedia community members to organize projects throughout the year up to $2,000. Projects can include experiments or standard needs that don't need a broad review to get started.

National Council on Public History Awards                
Over $8,000 in award money is available to recognize excellence in the multitude of ways public historians apply their skills to the world around us. Nomination deadlines vary. View all award descriptions and guidelines »

Americans and the Holocaust: A Traveling Exhibition for Libraries  
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association - Libraries can apply to host the Americans and the Holocaust exhibit that will travel in a second round from 2024 to 2026. This traveling exhibition examines the motives, pressures, and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war, and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. Learn more »

Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Regional Grant Program      
The Teaching with Primary Sources Regional program promotes the widespread, sustained and effective use of primary sources from the Library of Congress in K-12 classrooms by increasing access to the TPS program. Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. Learn more »

Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program                
The USDA offers a Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program for essential community facilities in rural areas, which includes museums and libraries. Learn more »

Research Grants at Presidential Libraries                
Several private foundations associated with Presidential Libraries provide grants-in-aid to assist researchers studying Presidential Library holdings.

National Trust Community Investment Corporation New Markets Tax Credits                
National Trust Community Investment Corporation, a tax credit syndicator, operates by forming a legal partnership with a developer of historic real estate that results in NTCIC making an equity investment in the project in exchange for receiving rights to the federal tax credits generated by the rehabilitation of the property. This is similar to what can be done with state historic tax credits. Combining state and/or federal historic tax credits with the federal New Markets Tax Credit is also a possibility if the project is located in a low-income census tract. Learn more »

Support Available for Professional Theatres and Dance Companies 
The Shubert Foundation is dedicated to sustaining and advancing the live performing arts in the United States. Learn more »

Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC) Grants and Scholarships                
Grants and scholarships are available in several categories including Professional Development, Conservation, Outreach, and Emergency Preparedness & Response. Visit website »

Early American Art and Heritage Projects Supported
Rolling Deadlines: Americana Foundation - American Heritage program area supports projects and programs throughout the United States that seek to broaden the inclusivity of early American art and the early American historical narrative to "tell the full story of" the American experience. Learn more »

Grant resources

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits 2024 Grants Directory
The 2024 Minnesota Grants Directory is designed to help grantseekers by providing an overview of the state's most active foundations and giving programs. The directory includes basic information on over 100 community foundations, corporate giving programs, and private foundations.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants (Legacy grants)                
Find guidelines, training information, and application information online. Visit website »

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits                
Fundraising & seeking resources to help organizations prepare for fundraising and learn about a variety of funding sources in Minnesota. Visit website »

State of Minnesota Grants website                
Minnesota State Grants website is the first stop for organizations interested in learning about grant opportunities at 23 state agencies. Visit website »

National Endowment for the Humanities grant application deadlines                
Deadlines for grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Visit website »

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Grants                
Learn how to Apply for a Grant, or search for Awarded Grants. Visit website »

National Trust for Historic Preservation                
Find guidelines and deadlines for the various grants offered by the National Trust. Visit website »

Arts Grants
Minnesota State Arts Board offers several grants for arts programs and artists. Visit website »

Google Ad grants                
Designed for non-profit organizations, the Google Ad Grants AdWords program awards advertising on the Google.com site. Google Grant recipients use their award of free AdWords advertising on Google.com to raise awareness and increase traffic. Each organization awarded a grant receives at least three months of in-kind advertising. Deadline: Ongoing. Visit website »

Source for Grant Information                
Check out Fundsnet Services, a free directory with information on grants and fundraising. Visit website »