Nicole Grant

Funding opportunities:

$10K: Google & Kickstarter Next Wave Fund | Rolling Deadline. Supporting early-stage tech startups and small businesses in hardware, software, gaming, and connected technology with fewer than 20 employees.

$50K: Ulta Beauty Muse Accelerator | Deadline: June 28th. A 10-week program investing in emerging beauty founders with capital, branding strategy, and retail readiness training.

$5K: Entreprenista Evolve Grant | Deadline: June 12th. Designed for women founders with revenue-generating businesses operating at least one year and generating $100K+ annually.

The Billionaire Who Tried to Give Away Her Fortune — Faster Than She Could Keep It

When MacKenzie Scott walked away from her divorce with Jeff Bezos in 2019, she received a fortune worth roughly 36 billion dollars in Amazon stock.

The world immediately began predicting what would happen next.

People imagined private islands floating in turquoise water. Mansions hidden behind iron gates. Luxury yachts cutting across the Mediterranean. A glamorous foundation with televised charity galas, famous guests, photographers, and giant buildings engraved with her name in marble.

Instead, something almost unbelievable happened.

She started giving the money away.

Quietly.

Relentlessly.

And faster than anyone thought possible.

No long application processes.
No expensive fundraising dinners.
No cameras.
No speeches about changing the world.

Just money — flowing directly to people who had spent years holding broken communities together with almost nothing.

Her team searched for organizations the way detectives search for hidden stories.

A food bank that had somehow stayed open for decades while constantly on the edge of collapse.

A rural health clinic where exhausted nurses reused aging equipment because there was no budget for replacements.

A small shelter for women escaping domestic violence, where every bed was full almost every night.

A college serving Native American students that had survived for generations with barely enough funding to continue.

Most of these organizations were invisible to the world. They were not trendy. They were not famous. Nobody was posting about them on social media.

They were simply doing the hard work of keeping people alive.

Then one day, an email would arrive.

Short. Simple. Almost suspicious.

“We have been watching your work. We believe in what you are doing. We would like to support you.”

And then came the number. Five million dollars. Ten million dollars. Sometimes more.

Unrestricted. No hidden conditions. No demands.
No control.

For many nonprofit leaders, the moment felt unreal. Some cried before they even finished reading the message.
Some thought it was a scam.
Some gathered emergency board meetings because nobody knew how to process what was happening.

After years of begging for grants, cutting staff, delaying repairs, and choosing which desperate families they could help and which they could not… suddenly someone trusted them.

Completely.

One organization expanded mental health services for children almost overnight.
Food banks finally stopped turning hungry people away.
Shelters opened more rooms.
Scholarship programs doubled.
Community clinics hired doctors they could never previously afford.

And then came 2020.

The pandemic arrived like a storm.

Entire systems began breaking apart.
Food lines stretched for blocks.
Domestic violence shelters overflowed.
Schools shut down.
Families lost jobs, homes, stability.

While governments debated and billionaires disappeared behind the walls of their compounds, MacKenzie Scott accelerated.

In a single year, she gave away billions of dollars to organizations trying to stop society from collapsing under the pressure.

No press tour followed.
No interviews celebrating her generosity.

Instead, she published short blog posts that read almost like quiet journal entries:
who received the money,
why they mattered,
and what they were trying to do for the world.

The traditional philanthropy world did not know what to make of it.
Where were the giant fundraising galas?
Where were the buildings named after donors?
Where were the endless committees and restrictions?

MacKenzie Scott ignored almost all of it.

Her philosophy seemed radically simple: The people closest to the pain usually understand the solution better than billionaires do.

And perhaps the strangest part of the story was this: Even after giving away more than 19 billion dollars, she remained unimaginably wealthy. Amazon stock continued rising faster than she could distribute the money. It was almost absurd.
Like trying to empty the ocean with a bucket.

Year after year, more organizations received unexpected lifelines.
Climate initiatives.
Schools in struggling communities.
Programs for refugees.
Healthcare organizations.
Food security networks.
Community colleges.
Mental health services.
Places that had spent years surviving in silence suddenly had room to breathe.

And somewhere inside all of this is the reason her story affects people so deeply. Because in an age where so many powerful people seem desperate to be admired, remembered, worshipped, photographed, and celebrated…

she chose something quieter.

She chose usefulness over attention.

While other billionaires raced to build rockets into space, private compounds, and monuments to themselves, she quietly helped strangers she would probably never meet.

Millions of people benefited from her decisions without ever knowing her name.
A child received therapy.
A woman escaping abuse found a safe bed.
A student stayed in college.
A hungry family received food.
A rural patient finally saw a doctor.
Tiny moments.
Life-changing moments.

All because one extraordinarily wealthy person looked at her fortune and asked a question that almost nobody at that level ever asks:

“Who needs this more than I do?”

And then, year after year, she continued answering that question the same way.

By giving…

*GRANT INFO*
$10M in Grants Wells Fargo - Enterprise: The Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge — made possible by Wells Fargo — will award $2 million grants to five organizations with scalable solutions. We’re seeking proven innovations across three areas: design and construction, finance, and service delivery and programs.

National Housing Innovation Grant Competition Enterprise and Wells Fargo have teamed up to launch a new $20 million nationwide grant competition in early 2023 to source innovative ways to meet the country’s growing need for affordable homes.

Arbor Rising announced an open invitation to nonprofits to apply for the 2026-2027 grantmaking cycle. First-year grantees receive $125,000 in unrestricted funds as well as 200-300 hours of Arbor Rising capacity-building consulting. Grants are renewable for up to three years, with the overall package of support totaling at least $450,000 and 500+ hours of consulting support.

Eligible nonprofits are:
· Based in and serving communities within the contiguous 48 states
· Deeply investing in low-income individuals to build pathways out of poverty, often through education, job training, and other programs to support economic mobility
· Post-start-up, pre-scale, typically 2-15 years old with programs that have clearly defined, trackable outcomes
· Have 4+ FTE and an annual operating budgets of $500k - $3m (note they have made limited exceptions for some younger, fast-growing organizations and certain schools/school networks)
· Led by a quality-focused Executive Director and leadership team with demonstrated tenacity, humility, a growth mindset, and a track record of achievement.

Grantseekers | Arbor Rising New grantees entering the Arbor Rising portfolio in 2026 will receive an initial grant of $125,000. This grant is unrestricted and distributed immediately following selection.

Grant Opportunity for Nonprofits

Jay L. Smith Family Foundation
• Gives grants to organizations that promote family values, support the advancement of healthcare, and serve the disadvantaged.

Who it’s for:
• Only tax-exempt nonprofit organizations registered with the IRS are eligible
• The application page says grants are awarded only to charitable organizations recognized by state and local governments and recognized by the IRS as 501(c)(3) organizations.

What to include with the application:
• Proof of nonprofit IRS tax-exempt status
• Resume and background information
• Five most recent years of balance sheets and income statements
• A proposed budget for grant expenditures.

• The foundation says any grant awarded will be a one-time grant
• They ask organizations to not send more than one application per year
• If selected, the recipient will be expected to report on how the grant was used
• The site also makes clear that applying does not guarantee funding.

Deadline / cycle:
• I did not find a posted deadline on the official site
• This appears to be an ongoing application opportunity.

Learn more / apply:
Website: https://www.jaylsmithfamilyfoundation.org/
Apply page: https://www.jaylsmithfamilyfoundation.org/request-an-application

APPLY | jlsff The Jay L. Smith Family Foundation will only award grants to charitable organizations recognized by state and local governments that are recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organizations.

Grant alert!!!

📌 Grant Opportunities

Sharing this in case it helps an organization here:

1. CSX Community Service Grants
• Supports organizations making a strong, quantifiable impact on their greater communities
• Suggested grant range is $1,000 to $5,000
• The online application is open 12 months a year
• CSX says it tries to respond within 30 to 45 days

What they fund:
• Organizations making a strong, quantifiable impact on their greater communities

📅 Deadline / cycle:
• Rolling
• Applications are accepted year-round

🔗 Learn more / apply:
Website: https://www.csx.com/
Community Service Grants page: https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/community-investment/charitable-investments/community-service-grants/

2. CSX Pride in Service Grants
• Specialized grant program for military, veterans, active military, and first responders
• Has its own online application page

What they fund:
• Organizations that honor and support national and local heroes, specifically veterans, active military, and first responders
• CSX lists these focus areas:
• Safety
• Mental, Social, and Emotional Health
• Bridging Community Divides
• Workforce Development
• Financial Assistance & Food Insecurity

📅 Deadline / cycle:
• No single public deadline listed on the main page
• Applicants should use the online application page and follow the current process there

🔗 Learn more / apply:
Website: https://www.csx.com/
Pride in Service Grants page: https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/community-investment/charitable-investments/pride-in-service-grants/

✅ Who can apply for both grants:
• 501(c)(3) organizations listed in the IRS Master File and conducting activities in the U.S.
• State, county, or municipal government entities, including law enforcement and fire rescue, serving the broader community
• Pre-K–12 schools, charter schools, community/junior colleges, and colleges/universities

📍 Service area / geography:
• This is not nationwide. Applicants must be within the CSX service network
• CSX says its footprint covers 23 states, Washington, D.C., and 2 Canadian provinces
• States shown on CSX’s by-state directory include: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, plus Ontario, Canada

CSX.com - Pride in Service Grants CSX is a leading supplier of rail-based freight transportation in North America. But there's more to CSX than you might expect. Learn all about CSX and discover what we're doing for our customers, environment and communities. Visit http://www.csx.com/.

Corporate Grant Opportunity

Sharing this in case it helps an organization here:

PNC Foundation
• Supports community-based nonprofit organizations in areas such as:
• Early Education through PNC Grow Up Great
• Affordable Housing
• Community Development
• Community Services
• Arts and Culture
• Neighborhood Revitalization and Stabilization of Low- and Moderate-Income Areas

Who it’s for:
• Organizations must have an appropriate current IRS tax-exempt designation and be eligible to receive charitable contributions
• The proposed activity must occur in a community where PNC has a significant presence
• Best fit for nonprofits serving low- and moderate-income communities, especially in areas tied to education, housing, economic opportunity, and neighborhood vitality

Service area / geography:
• PNC lists eligible counties/regions across many states, including: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin
• Funded activities must take place in a community where PNC has a significant presence
• Applicants should check PNC’s eligible county list before applying

Deadline / cycle:
• No single national deadline is listed
• Applicants complete the eligibility quiz and then follow the local/regional process

Good to know:
• PNC does not support individuals or private foundations
• It also does not support advocacy groups, religious organizations except for non-sectarian activities, annual funds for hospitals or colleges/universities, or agencies already funded through PNC United Way allocation
• If you are specifically looking at PNC Grow Up Great, there is a separate grant track and eligibility quiz for early childhood education-focused work

Learn more / apply:

PNC Foundation We're strengthening and enriching the lives of our neighbors in communities where we live and work.