2026 Grant Opportunities for Community Practitioners: Funding You Shouldn’t Miss

Community practitioners, nonprofit leaders, grassroots organizers, and social impact professionals often face the same challenge every year: finding the right funding at the right time. Many high-quality grant opportunities never reach the people who need them most simply because discovery is fragmented.

This curated 2026 opportunity hub highlights grants, prizes, and funding supports specifically relevant to community-rooted work—including social justice, environmental advocacy, mental health storytelling, rural organizing, youth development, and public health impact. Whether you are a nonprofit executive, program manager, independent changemaker, or community-based practitioner, these opportunities can help you expand your impact.

Robert G. Wilmers Integrity Prize – $50,000 for Individual Changemakers

The Robert G. Wilmers Integrity Prize recognizes individual leaders in the United States who are advancing the greater good but may not yet have received significant recognition or funding. This is not an organizational grant—it is specifically for individuals doing bold, community-rooted work across fields such as:

• Social justice
• Education
• Environment
• Law
• Medicine
• Nutrition
• Arts and culture

Two finalists also receive $5,000 awards, making this an excellent opportunity for emerging leaders and under-recognized innovators.

Deadline: March 31, 2026 at 9:00 PM ET
Apply or Nominate: https://www.wilmersintegrityprize.org/application

Sewall Foundation Keystone Program – Maine Environmental & Racial Justice Funding

For Maine-based organizations, the Elmira B. Sewall Foundation Keystone Program offers multi-year funding for grassroots and community-led efforts that advance environmental justice and racial equity. Keystone prioritizes:

• Community resilience
• Movement building
• Systems-level advocacy
• Leadership rooted in lived experience

With $1.39 million available and grants lasting up to four years, this program is particularly strong for rural and BIPOC-led initiatives.

Deadline: February 25, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Details & Application: https://www.sewallfoundation.org/keystone

Mental Health Accelerator – $20,000 Grants for Filmmakers

The Mental Health Accelerator, led by Kristen Bell and Dr. Stacy L. Smith, supports emerging filmmakers who center mental health, resilience, and emotional capacity in short films. Up to three filmmakers receive $20,000 grants to produce short works that can serve as proof-of-concepts for future feature films.

This is a rare opportunity for storytellers who want to shift public narratives around mental health through creative media.

Learn More & Apply: https://aiimha.framer.website/aiimha

Women & Girls of Color Fund – Colorado Unrestricted Grants

The Women & Girls of Color Fund (WGCF) from the Women’s Foundation of Colorado provides unrestricted two-year grants ranging from $10,000 to $60,000 to Colorado-based organizations led by women or nonbinary leaders of color. The fund emphasizes:

• Healing and liberation
• Justice and power-building
• Burnout reduction and leadership sustainability
• Flexible use of funds (operations, staffing, development)

Eligibility is determined by the organization’s headquarters ZIP code, not service area.

Applications Open: January 7, 2026
Deadline: February 18, 2026
Awards Distributed: April 2026
Apply Here: https://www.wfco.org/impact/women-girls-of-color-fund

Foundation for a Healthy High Point – Free Grant Writing Support

Nonprofits serving Greater High Point, North Carolina (High Point, Jamestown, Archdale, and Trinity) can receive fully funded professional grant writing support for external opportunities of $50,000 or more. This program removes one of the largest barriers to funding: capacity to write competitive proposals.

Key features include:

• No cost to the nonprofit
• Vetted professional grant writers
• Rolling applications with decisions in ~2 weeks
• Focus on social determinants of health and upstream solutions

Grant Portal: https://www.healthyhighpoint.org/grantmaking/grant-writing-assistance-fund/
Support Line: 336-822-7740

BEC Foundation Project Grants – Texas Community Projects

The BEC Foundation provides $2,500–$10,000 project-specific grants for nonprofits serving communities within the Bandera Electric Cooperative territory in Texas. Ideal projects are:

• Stand-alone and clearly budgeted
• Focused on education, safety, or community well-being
• Supported by measurable outcomes

Quarterly Deadlines:
March 1 | June 1 | September 1 | December 1

Application Page: https://www.banderaelectric.com/community/bec-foundation/applications/

Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Community Progress Fund – Rural North Carolina

The Community Progress Fund supports rural, community-led organizations in North Carolina that are ready to build on existing momentum. Grants range from $20,000–$30,000 per year for 1–2 years and are particularly strong for:

• Place-rooted initiatives
• Organizations led by and serving communities of color
• Flexible, growth-oriented funding needs

Deadline: February 2, 2026
Learn More: https://zsr.org/grant/community-progress-fund/

ViaPath Foundation Impact Grants – Youth & Career Pathways

The ViaPath Foundation Impact Grants provide up to $15,000 per organization, with a three-year cap of $50,000, for nonprofits serving at-risk communities. Priority areas include:

• Youth development
• Advocacy
• Career pathways
• Inclusive programming

Selected grantees may also receive media and social amplification opportunities.

Application Window: January 26 – February 20, 2026 (3:00 PM EST)
Details: https://www.viapathfoundation.org/news/viapath-foundation-opens-2025-grant-application-process/

New Hampshire Opioid Abatement Community Grants – Multiyear Funding

Administered by Granite United Way and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, this initiative will invest $10 million over two years in community-led opioid prevention, harm reduction, recovery support, and root-cause solutions. Eligible entities include nonprofits, government agencies, and public organizations.

Funding Level: Up to $75,000 per year for 1–2 years
Deadline: February 18, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET
Apply Here: https://www.nhcf.org/how-can-we-help-you/apply-for-a-grant/oacgp/

Why These Opportunities Matter for Community Practitioners

For community practitioners, funding is more than financial—it is infrastructure for impact. The opportunities above emphasize:

• Flexible and unrestricted funding
• Capacity building
• Equity-centered leadership
• Rural and grassroots inclusion
• Storytelling and narrative change
• Public health and social determinants of health

Rather than one-size-fits-all grants, these programs recognize the diverse ecosystems where change happens: local communities, creative media, youth programs, environmental justice movements, and recovery initiatives.

Pro Tip for 2026 Grant Planning

Create a simple tracking sheet with columns for deadline, eligibility, funding amount, contact info, and alignment with your mission. Many of these opportunities recur annually, so even if timing isn’t right this cycle, they may become cornerstone funding sources in future years.

By staying proactive and informed, community practitioners can shift from reactive funding searches to strategic, mission-aligned grant planning—and ultimately build stronger, more sustainable impact.