Sparkplug FoundationGrant

Up to $20,000 Sparkplug Start-up Grant (Fall 2026)

Nov 01, 2026 23:59:00 UTC

Opportunity type

Grant

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Nov 01, 2026 23:59:00 UTC

About this opportunity

The Sparkplug Foundation, a US family foundation that has made over 600 grants since 2003, funds start-up organizations and new projects of established non-profits in three areas: education, community organizing and music. It backs early-stage, community-led work that has not yet found broad support, with one-year grants of $1,000 to $20,000. The Fall 2026 cycle starts with a short Letter of Intent, and only applicants invited after that step write a full application.

What you get:

A one-year grant of $1,000 to $20,000, with most grants between $10,000 and $15,000
Funding for what makes a new idea real and sustainable: outreach materials, short-term staff, trainings, and short-term general operating support for new organizations
Supportive feedback during the process from a small staff

What you'll do:

Create an account and answer a short questionnaire that checks you meet the basic criteria
Submit a short Letter of Intent describing your project by 1 November 2026; music applicants also submit a sample of their music
If invited, submit a full application with supporting documents by 16 November 2026
Report back the following year on how the funds were used and what worked and what did not

Key dates:

Fall 2026 cycle opened 1 September 2026
Letter of Intent deadline: 1 November 2026
Full application deadline, by invitation only: 16 November 2026
Grant announcements: 7 December 2026

More information:

Read What We Fund and What We Don't, Areas of Funding and the FAQs on the Information for Grantseekers page before applying
Questions: info@sparkplugfoundation.org or (877) 866-8285

Who can apply

A 501(c)(3) non-profit, or an individual, community or collective with a US-based 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor
Projects in the United States, or in Palestine/Israel involving Palestinian communities, with Palestinian leadership, working for justice (a US fiscal sponsor or Israeli NGO registration is required there)
Annual organization budget under $1 million; chapters cannot apply if the national organization's budget is over $1 million
A start-up organization, or a new project of an established non-profit, covering activities within one year
One application per organization or individual per cycle, in one funding area only
Community organizing projects must be designed and led by members of the affected community and aim to change systems; service and aid projects are not funded
Not funded: businesses, religious projects or organizations, lobbying or election campaigns, university-based projects, visual arts, film, dance, athletics, tuition or scholarships, technology equipment, multi-year requests, or replacing budget cuts in formal education or school music

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

LOT Verification ScoreSolid

Cross-checked 9 of 13 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+Three of the foundation's own pages agree on the Fall 2026 dates
+Two-step process: a short LOI first, full application only by invitation
+Established family foundation, over 600 grants since 2003, 20 to 25 grants per cycle
+Explicitly funds youth-led organizing and education among past grantees
+No application fee anywhere on the site

Worth checking yourself

!No closing time or timezone is published; LOT shows 23:59 UTC, so submit by the evening of 31 October US time to be safe
!Without 501(c)(3) status you need a US-based fiscal sponsor, who may take a share of the grant (the foundation says 3% to 12% is typical and over 10% is unreasonable)
!Only projects in the United States, or in Palestine/Israel with Palestinian leadership, are eligible
!The 16 November full application is by invitation only, after the Letter of Intent is reviewed
!Organizations with budgets over $1 million, businesses, religious and university-based projects are not eligible
!No age range is stated

Sources checked

SPsparkplugfoundation.orgApplySPsparkplugfoundation.orgApplySPsparkplugfoundation.orgApplySPsparkplugfoundation.orgApplySPsparkplugfoundation.orgApplySPsparkplugfoundation.orgApplySPsparkplugfoundation.orgApply

LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.