Frontline communities have been historically underfunded and underserved, especially when it comes to advancing environmental and climate justice. Outside of our own grant cycles, FRI collects and shares a range of external grant and federal funding opportunities with our extensive network of frontline communities. FRI’s grant resource list will be updated frequently, so please check back often for up-to-date information.
Grants
External Grant Opportunities
Open Funding Opportunities
| DEADLINE | Grant Title | Organization | Brief Description | Eligibility | Amount (USD) | Location(s) of focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24-Apr-24 | Collective Abundance Fund | NDN Collective | Supports wealth-building through grants and wealth-building plans for Indigenous individuals and families in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. | Indigenous individuals and families in MN, ND, and SD | Up to $50,000 | Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, US |
| 24-Apr-24 | Kozik Environmental Justice Reporting Grants | National Press Foundation | Funds journalism in any medium that covers EJ and environmental racism in the U.S. | Professional and/or freelance journalists covering environmental justice. | Up to $75,000 | United States |
| 26-Apr-24 | Alaska Indigenous Engagement Program Grants | U.S. NOAA Fisheries | Funds support collaboration with Indigenous Knowledge holders to develop bi-directional and parallel knowledge pathways to support climate-informed studies and ecosystem policies regionally and internationally. | Nonprofits; individuals; universities and colleges; for-profit organizations; state, local, and Tribal governments. | $500,000 | Alaska |
| 30-Apr-24 | Nathan Cummings Foundation Open Call | Nathan Cummings Foundation | Funds two types of opportunities: grants and program-related investments (PRIs). Both must align with the foundation’s interconnected goals of racial justice, economic justice, and/or environmental justice. | Nonprofit organizations whose work falls within NCF's goals (see FAQs for information). | $50,000 to $200,000 for grants; $200,000 to $500,000 for PRIs. | United States, with focus on U.S. South |
| 1-May-24 | Massachusetts Environmental Justice Grants | Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation | Funds tree planting efforts on public and private property in disadvantaged communities across Massachusetts. | Municipalities, 501(c)3 Organizations, and federally recognized Tribes. | Up to $100,000 | Massachusetts, US |
| 1-May-24 | Vermont Equity & Justice Grant Program | Ben and Jerrys Foundation | Funds support Vermont-based non-profits addressing racial, economic, social, and environmental injustices in Vermont. | 501(c)3 organizations and fiscally-sponsored projects based in Vermont. | Up to $15,000 | Vermont, US |
| 4-May-24 | South Carolina Urban, Community and Pollinator Garden Projects | U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service | Funds projects in South Carolina that increase food security, increase capacity in rural and tribal communities, foster agricultural innovaion, and promotes environmental justice through sustainable economic development. | Non-profit organizations (with or without 501(c)3 designation); institutions of higher education; state, local, and Tribal governments; independent school districts; small businesses; public housing authorities. | Up to $100,000 | South Carolina, US |
| 8-May-24 | Caribbean Partners for Conservation | USDA | Funds projects addressing local natural resource concerns that promote collaboration between state and community-level conservation leadership in the Caribbean Area (PR and USVI) | Nonprofits; local, state, and Tribal governments; public and private instituteions of higher education | $75,000 to $200,000 | Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands |
| 15-May-24 | https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/349434 | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | Funds projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of "community level innovations" in reducing barriers related to the social determinants of health. | 501(c)3 and non-501(c)3 nonprofit organizations; state, city, and local governments; Tribal governments and organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts | $465,000 - $600,000 | United States |
| 20-May-24 | FY 2024 Arctic Indigenous Exchange Program | U.S. Department of State | Awards one cooperative agreement to design and implement a new program focused on bringing 50 Indigenous leaders from Greenland, Alaska, and Canada together for relationship and capacity building. | 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, including academic and cultural institutions. | Up to $1,500,000 | United States - Arctic Region |
| 20-May-24 | Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | Funds community-based projects that promote the social and economic independence of Native American communities. | 501(c)3 non-profit organizations and community-based organizations serving Indigenous Peoples; Federally-recognized, non-federally-recognized, and state-recognized Tribes, Tribal colleges and universities. See eligibility for full list. | Up to $300,000 per year | United States |
| 20-May-24 | Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance (P&M) | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | Funds community-based projects that promote the survival of Native American languages. | 501(c)3 non-profit organizations and community-based organizations serving Indigenous Peoples; Federally-recognized, non-federally-recognized, and state-recognized Tribes, Tribal colleges and universities. See eligibility for full list. | Up to $300,000 per year | United States |
| 21-May-24 | Rural eConnectivity (ReConnect) Program | USDA | Provides loans and grants to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas that currently lack access to broadband. | Nonprofit or for-profit entities applying as: 1) cooperatives or mutual organizations, 2) corporations, 3) LLCs or LLPs, 4) states or local governments, 5) Tribal governments, 6) US territories | $100,000 to $25,000 | Rural United States |
| 21-May-24 | Cultural and Community Resilience Program | National Endowment for the Humanities | Funds support community-based efforts to address the impacts of climate change and COVID-19 by safeguarding cultural resources and fostering cultural resilience through identifying, documenting, and/or collecting cultural heritage and community experiences. | 501(c)3 non-profit organizations; institutions of higher education; state, local, and federally-recognized Tribal governments. | Up to $150,000 | United States |
| 3-Jun-24 | RWJF Culture of Health Prize | Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Honors place-based communities for completed exemplary work addressing structural racism and other injustices in order to advance equity and health. Since this is a prize, this opportunity funds work that has already been completed. | Place-based communities; see website for full list. | $250,000 | United States |
| 5-Jun-24 | Research to Action: Assessing and Addressing Community Exposures to Environmental Contaminants | U.S. NIH | Funds multidisciplinary, community-driven research regarding health risks of environmental exposures, including the "development and implementation of an environmental public health action plan based on research findings". | Nonprofits, community-based organizations, higher education institutions, governmental entities, for-profit organizations. | Up to $500,000 | United States |
| 10-Jun-24 | FY24 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants | U.S. HUD | Funds locally-driven, collaborative planning efforts for redevelopment of "severely distressed public housing" to support community well-being. | Non-profit organizations, Tribal entities, local governments, and Public Housing Agencies (PHAs). | Up to $500,000 | United States |
| 12-Jun-24 | Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations | U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities | Funds small and mid-sized cultural organizations to expand scope and reach of public programs, particularly those who serve marginalized groups. | 501(c)3 Nonprofit organizations, Public and private institutions of higher education, State and local governments and their agencies, Federally recognized Tribal governments. | $25,000 | United States |
| 20-Jun-24 | Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communiteis (WORC) Round 6: A Grant INitiative for the Appalachian, Delta, and Northern Border Communities | U.S. Department of Labor | Funds projects that address employment and training priorities of local workforces in rural communities. Projects should be designed with community partners and align with community economic priorities. | Nonprofits with or without 501(c)3 status, Minority-serving nonprofits, Tribal governments, Public and private institutions of higher education (including MSIs), Labor unions and worker organizations, State, county, and city governments. See RFA for full list. | Up to $1,500,000 | U.S.: Appalachian region, Lower Mississippi Delta Region, Northern Border region |
| 30-Jun-24 | HHS Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge Phase 2 | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | Funds support the development of innovative and effective community strategies to address health disparities in communities and Tribes disproportionately burdened by environmental and climate change-related hazards. You don’t need to participate in Phase 1 to apply. | See eligibility section. | $70,000 | United States |
| 30-Jun-24 | Earth Rising Foundation Grants | Earth Rising Foundation | Funds projects in five focus areas: Youth Activism, Indigenous Voices, Sustainable Visions, Climate Intersections, and Regenerative Agriculture. | 501(c)3 Status Nonprofit Organizations and international equivalents | $200 - $20,000 | United States |
| 31-Oct-24 | NDN Collective Community Action Fund | NDN Collective | Provides rapid-response funding for frontline organizations, groups, and individuals engaging in time-sensitive direct actions and organizing efforts focused on defending Indigenous Peoples' rights. | Indigenous-led nonprofit organizations; U.S.-based Tribes and tribal entities; Alaska Native Villages and non-profit entities; First Nations or Inuit and Metis communities, groups and organizations based in Canada or Mexico; Individuals. | Up to $40,000 | U.S., Canada, and Mexico |
| 21-Nov-24 | Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program | U.S. EPA | Funds partnerships led by community-based organizations to design and implement community-driven projects focused on pollution reduction/prevention, climate resilience, procedural justice, workforce dvelopment, and overall equitable investment. | Partnerships between community-based organizations (CBOs), or between a CBO and a Federally-Recognized Tribe, local government, or institution of higher education. | Up to $20 million, depending on track | United States |
| Rolling | Communities First Fund Rapid Response Fund | Communities First Fund | Provides rapid-response funding to frontline and grassroots organizations to help them respond to infrastructure crises, federal rulemaking and funding notices, and other time sensitive issues. | 501(c)3 organizations and fiscally-sponsored projects. | $10,000 to $100,000 | United States, with focus on U.S. South and Midwest. |
| Rolling | National Grassroots Organizing Grant Program | Ben & Jerry's Foundation | Funds grassroots organizing strategies and activities for organizations with annual operating budgets under $350,000. | 501c3 non-profits and fiscally-sponsored projects | Two-year grants of up to $30,000 per year | United States |
| Rolling | Security and Well-Being Grants | Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights Asia & Pacific | Supports women and non-binary activists and organizations responding to urgent crises; funds are used to ensure safety from both physical and emotional harm. | Women/Non-binary led, human rights focus, and specifically for addressing urgent crises or threats. | Up to $5,000 | Asia and the Pacific |
| Rolling | Resourcing Resilience | Urgent Action Fund for Women's Rights Asia and Pacific | Funds women and non-binary human rights defenders who are seeking to implement an initiative that would support their activism. | Women or Non-binary Led | Up to $5,000 | Asia and the Pacific |
| Rolling | Environmental and Climate Justice Grants | Urgent Action Fund - Africa | Funds environmental women human rights defenders and woman-led grassroots environmental organizations to confront systemic environmental injustices in Africa. | Woman/trans-led organizations resopnding to urgent situations. | Up to $15,000 | Rainforest Zones Across Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia, Ethiopia, Zambia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Angola, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Togo |
| Rolling | Opportunity Grants | Fondo de Acción Urgente -América Latina | Funds strategic actions to defend women's and LBTIQ+ rights, falling under a broad a range of topics from women's rights to gender, racial, or environmental justice. | Woman/trans-led organizations resopnding to urgent situations. | Up to $5,000 | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Rolling | Protection and Security Grants | Fondo de Acción Urgente -América Latina | Funds actions focused on protection of women and trans activists (and their organizations) when at-risk due to their work defending human rights and/or land. | Woman/trans-led organizations resopnding to urgent situations. | Up to $5,000 | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Rolling | Security Grants | Urgent Action Fund | Supports the safety and security of women/trans/non-binary activists in unanticipated, time-urgent situations. | Funds must support women/trans/nonbinary activists in response to unanticipated situations. | Up to $8,000 | Middle East, Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Turkey, Central Asia, Russia, Canada and the United States |
| Rolling | Charity Pot Grant | LUSH | Supports small, grassroots organizations in North America and around the world that are working on the root cause of issues and creating long-term sustainable change. Funds organizations working in areas of animal protection, environmental justice, and human rights | Registered or unregistered organizations/charities, non-profits, or Indigenous and community groups with an annual revenue of $500,000 or less | Up to $25,000 | Worldwide |
| Rolling | EJII Capacity Building Grants | Wisconsin Environmenal Justice Infrastructure Initiative | Supports Wisconsin communities raising community awareness on environmental justice issues | Wisconsin grassroots organizations (501(c)(3) not required) | $200,000 | Wisconsin |
| Rolling | Federal Access Center Grants | Just Transition Fund | Provides financial and technical assistance to communities impacted by the coal economy to access government funding | 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations and local governments serving coal communities | Up to $100,000 | US |
| Rolling | Seed Grants | New England Grassroots Fund | Funds groups launching new projects or starting to significantly change the direction of an existing project | Groups doing local, grassroots work in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island or Vermont (tax status and fiscal sponsor not required) | $500 - $1,000 | New England |
| Rolling | Grassroots Grants | Story of Stuff | Funds projects on water privatization, plastic pollution, and other environmental justice focus areas. | Groups must be led by and serving black, indigenous, and communities of color | Up to $5,000 | U.S. only |
| Rolling | The Catalyst Fund | Roddenberry Foundation | Supports groups anywhere in the world with early-stage idea or project that addresses pressing global challenges | Must be 18 years of age or older and submit an application in English | $2,500 - $15,000 | Worldwide |
| Rolling | Cornell Douglas Foundation Grants | Cornell Douglas Foundation | Funds proposal in the following areas of focus: environmental health and justice, land conservation, mountaintop removal mining, sustainability of resources, watershed protection | $15,000 - $50,000 | NA | |
| Rolling | EDLC Grants | Environmental Defender Law Center (EDLC) | Covers expenses of public interest litigation against those responsible for resource development projects that harm the human rights, health, and environment of communities in developing countries | NA | Worldwide | |
| Rolling | Norman Foundation Grants | The Norman Foundation | Promotes economic justice and development through community organizing, coalition building and policy reform efforts; work to prevent the disposal of toxics in communities, and to link environmental issues with economic and social justice; link community-based economic and environmental justice organizing to national and international reform efforts | Priority given to organizations with annual budgets of under $1 million | ~$30,000 | US |
| Rolling | Petchem Frontline Fund | Center for International Environmental Law | Supports groups and organizations fighting the petrochemical buildout and infrastructure in the United States | NA | US | |
| Rolling | Technical Assistance Grant Program | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Helps communities participate in Superfund cleanup decision-making by providing funding to community groups to contract their own technical advisor to interpret and explain technical reports, site conditions, and EPA’s proposed cleanup proposals and decisions | Group may apply if members’ health, economic well-being, or enjoyment of the environment is, or may be, hurt by a Superfund site. Group must must incorporate for the purpose of participating in decision-making at the site. Nonprofit and tax-exempt status not required. | Up to $50,000 | US |
