Up to $250,000 Nathan Cummings Justice Grant

The Nathan Cummings Foundation, a US funder that has given nearly half a billion dollars over three decades, accepts letters of inquiry from organisations year-round. It funds work on racial, economic and environmental justice across the United States, with a particular interest in the US South. Most grants range from about $50,000 to $250,000, and applicants hear within 12 weeks whether they have been selected for further consideration.

What you get:

• Venture Grants of up to $100,000 for one year, for emerging and innovative solutions
• Advancement Grants of up to $250,000 a year for up to two years, to support projects or help scale an organisation
• General operating support or project support, depending on what you request
• A reply within 12 weeks of submitting your letter of inquiry

What you'll do:

• Check that your work fits one of the foundation's racial, economic or environmental justice focus areas
• Register on the foundation's Temelio portal and submit a short letter of inquiry covering your request, budget and three 1,000 character answers
• If selected, move on to a fuller proposal at the foundation's invitation

Key dates:

• Letters of inquiry are accepted year-round and reviewed on a rolling basis
• Applicants are notified within 12 weeks of submission

More information:

• Full eligibility, focus areas and exclusions are on the foundation's FAQ: https://nathancummings.org/faq/
• You can preview the grant letter of inquiry before creating an account: https://nathancummings.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/FY25-FY26-Grants-LOI-Form.pdf
• The same portal also takes program-related investment (loan and equity) proposals, typically $250,000 to $750,000 and repayable

• Applicant must be an organisation based in the United States or its territories; individuals are not funded
• Work must align with racial, economic and/or environmental justice; proposals in or focused on the US South (AL, AR, GA, KY, MO, OK, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV) are especially encouraged
• 501(c)(4) organisations are not eligible
• Not funded: direct services outside a wider advocacy strategy, fundraising events or galas, campus or prison-based programmes, K-12 or extracurricular education, religious congregations, community gardening, tree planting, conservation, and disease or health programmes
• Fiscally sponsored projects may apply as project support
• Enterprise Grants and the Israel-Palestine portfolio are invitation-only