New Community Foundation ‘Small Grants’ Boost Support for Emerging Nonprofits

June 13, 2023

Community Foundation of Broward "Small Grants" are a new, flexible form of financial support to help diverse, up-and-coming nonprofits sustain and grow their critical work to help Broward residents.

More than $500,000 in new Community Foundation of Broward “Small Grants” are on the way to help emerging nonprofits expand or strengthen their vital community services.

This new wave of Small Grants – ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 each – will help 28 nonprofits provide educational programs, career development, emergency aid, support for the arts and much more to help make life better in Broward.

Last year, the Community Foundation launched the Small Grants initiative to provide a new, flexible form of financial support to help diverse, up-and-coming nonprofits sustain and grow their critical work to tackle unmet community needs.

Today, the Small Grants initiative is enabling the Community Foundation to forge new collaborations to help underserved communities. Nearly 90 percent of Small Grant applications came from nonprofits that had never received a Community Foundation grant. And 64 percent of the applications came from minority-led nonprofits.

“We are seeing more grassroots organizations making grant proposals that align with our focus areas because the needs are tremendous here in the community,” said Sheri Brown Grosvenor, Community Foundation Vice President of Community Impact. “Small Grants enable emerging nonprofits to reach into underserved pockets of the community to provide residents with much needed help.”

More About Small Grants

Small Grants make it easier for emerging nonprofits to get a boost of financial support to maintain or expand their vital community services.

Small Grants range from $2,500 to $25,000
They are available to Broward nonprofits with a less than $500,000 operating budget and at least two years of local operating experience
Priority is given to minority-led nonprofits that help Broward residents overcome barriers to success
Nonprofits can apply for our Small Grants, available during spring and fall cycles, using our online grants portal. Applications for the fall 2023 Small Grants cycle begin Sept. 5.

“By providing access to funds and resources at the critical early stages of development with the Small Grants Program, you have changed the game for many of us as we navigate the fine lines between capacity building and programmatic delivery,” said Karen Prescod, CEO and Founder of Bowtie Kids, which helps children living with chronic pain. “We are excited, grateful and proud to be a 2023 Small Grants recipient and thank you for your vision and commitment.”

Help for Nonprofits Seeking Small Grants

Whether seeking a Small Grant or another source of support, nonprofits interested in improving their grant application skills can turn to the Community Foundation’s Broward Center for Nonprofit Excellence.

The Broward Center for Nonprofit Excellence provides training, mentoring and other resources to help nonprofits build the resiliency and sustainability needed to achieve their charitable missions. That includes training workshops about improving their grant applications.

The year-old Nonprofit Center is already showing strong results from its training workshops. Forty-five percent of the nonprofits that received spring 2023 Small Grants from the Community Foundation participated in one of the Nonprofit Center’s “Grants 101” workshops.

Don’t miss the next “Grants 101” workshops that start on Aug. 15.

“I’m so proud of all of our small and emerging nonprofit grantees! The work they are doing in their communities is vital, and we are proud to help power their success,” said Cathy Brown, Director of the Broward Center for Nonprofit Excellence.

The latest Small Grants recipients include:

Avenues of Excellence: At-Risk Teen Girl Career Development and Financial Literacy Program
bcalmed, Inc.: Bags and accessories to help post-op patients with their recoveries
Black LGBTQ Liberation Inc: Improve marketing outreach and engagement to launch a wellness program for the BIPOC LGBTQ+ community
Bowtie Kids: Expand the number of children and families served through a six-month, therapeutic, STEM-based, urban farming, experiential learning program
Broward County Audubon Society: Modernize and improve the website to make its conservation resources more user-friendly and effective.
Clifford Heart Foundation: Community Outreach for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness
Code/Art: Expand after-school coding clubs to two new sites to reach 48 girls in grades 3-8 from underserved communities with life-changing computing career skills.
Different Brains: In-person advocacy media productions and mentorship program for neurodivergent individuals over the age of 18.
EmpowHERto: Hire experienced contractors and mentors to provide expert guidance and support minority women and girls toward achieving financial independence.
Fitwize 4 Kids: Provide 20 scholarships for youth 5-12 from low-income and at-risk families to participate in the 2023 Fitwize Summer Camp fitness, health promotion and youth development programming.
Friendship Circle of Greater Fort Lauderdale: Life Skills & Job Training for young adults with developmental disabilities.
Glimmer of Hope Foundation Inc: Family Support services for a surge in refugees coming to South Florida from the southern border.
Grace Arts Center, Inc: Support for a new art exhibit and pop-up theater opportunity created by residents working with teaching artists.
Harvest Drive Inc.: Help pay rent for newly leased space for Harvest Drive Boutique with an accompanying food pantry, located much closer to Broward’s high-need eastern corridor.
Heal the Planet: SEED Program for Broward Public Schools about nutrition, mindfulness, sustainability, and the power of choice. SEED stands for Sustainable Energy Education.
Heart Gallery of Broward: Support to help raise awareness of the need to find foster or permanent adoptive homes and promote the health, support, maintenance and welfare of children in custody of the state.
Homes Helping Hands Inc.: Young adult mentoring to support transition to adulthood with help finding housing, transportation, educational opportunities and employment.
House of Love Ministries Inc.: Help homeless task force pay for mental health therapy and counseling services, weekly bus passes, food items and hygiene and grooming products.
Huge Heart Foundation: Empowering homeless elderly individuals and veterans suffering from mental illness to improve their health, conquer hardships and escape poverty.
Illuminate Heart Inc: Support for activities, classes and workshops to help adults with disabilities practice social skills to achieve better integration in the community.
Las Olas Capital Arts: Promote diversity in the arts by promoting, educating, marketing and funding artists who also choose to give back to the community.
LEV Children’s Museum: Support for Sunday School for neurodivergent children ages 5 and up that customizes learning.
South Florida Chamber Ensemble: Create an innovative science program that includes math for children with disabilities or low-income.
Step Up!: Support a mentorship program that includes positive role models and support systems to help people work to overcome challenges.
Historic Stranahan House: Provide free summer camp educational experiences for economically disadvantaged students, migrant students and special needs participants.
The Scholarship Plug: Provide financial aid and scholarship workshops, college and career planning, volunteer opportunities, peer test prep and scholarship essay writing training.
The Sound Check Group: Support student success sessions, masterclasses, educator clinics and professional development workshops and mental health unwinds in underserved communities.
The McKenzie Project, Inc.: Support arts and entrepreneurship events and classes, provide supplies for classes and transportation support for the community to attend.