Grants for Small Nonprofits: Where to Actually Look

"Just apply for some grants" is advice every small nonprofit has heard. The hard part is knowing where grants actually come from, and which sources are realistic for an organization with a small budget and a few staff or volunteers.

This guide walks through the main places grant money comes from, roughly in order of how approachable they tend to be for small, local groups, plus free tools to help you search.

Start close to home

For most small nonprofits, the best odds are local. Funders who give in your city or county already care about the place you serve, and they often fund smaller amounts that fit smaller budgets. Federal grants get the most attention, but they're usually the most demanding to apply for and manage.

Community foundations

A community foundation is a public charity that pools gifts from many local donors and makes grants to benefit a defined area, such as a city, county, or region. Many run competitive grant rounds open to local nonprofits, and many also manage donor-advised funds, which let individual donors recommend grants.

To find yours, use the Council on Foundations' Community Foundation Locator, which lets you search by state. We cover how to approach them in our guide to community foundations.

Private and family foundations

Thousands of private foundations, many small and run by families, give locally and have no website. You can find them through their public IRS filings, which list the grants they paid. Our guide on finding foundations with free IRS 990 data explains how, and our 10-minute 990-PF checklist shows you how to size up one foundation quickly.

United Way

Many communities have a local United Way, and some fund local nonprofit programs. Each local United Way is independent and sets its own priorities and process, so what's available varies by area. Use United Way's Find Your Local United Way tool, which searches by ZIP code, then check your local chapter's website or call and ask whether it makes grants to community organizations.

Local government and CDBG pass-through funding

The federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program gives annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities, and counties. According to HUD's CDBG page, HUD does not give CDBG money directly to nonprofits. Instead, the local government runs the program and decides which local projects get funded. Eligible activities include public services "within certain limits," along with facilities and other community development work, and activities must meet a national objective such as benefiting low- and moderate-income people.

In practice, this means:

If you serve a smaller town, your state may run the CDBG program for non-entitlement communities, and local governments apply to the state. A nonprofit may be able to partner with its town or county on an application. Ask your local officials how it works where you are.

State grant programs and portals

State agencies fund many nonprofit services, from arts and humanities councils to health, human services, and economic development programs. Many states have a central grants portal or opportunity list, but there's no single national list, and each state does it differently.

Good ways to start:

Corporate giving programs

Many companies give through a corporate foundation, a direct giving program, sponsorships, in-kind donations, or employee matching gifts. Local businesses, banks, credit unions, and utilities are often the most realistic for small nonprofits, because they want to be visible in the communities where they operate.

Tips:

Federal grants on Grants.gov

Grants.gov is the central place to find and apply for federal grants. You can search grants by keyword and filter by eligibility, category, and agency, and Grants.gov lists "Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS" as a specific eligibility type you can search for. You can also sign up for email alerts about new and revised opportunities.

Before you can apply, your organization must register with SAM.gov. Grants.gov's registration page says registration is free, must be renewed every year, and can take up to 10 business days to become active, or longer if information can't be verified. Start early.

Be realistic. Federal applications are often long, with detailed budgets and reporting requirements. For many small nonprofits, local pass-through funding or partnering with a larger organization is a gentler way into federal money.

Free databases and tools

Put it together

A simple plan for the next month:

  1. Find your community foundation and local United Way, and read their grant pages.
  2. Call your city or county about CDBG and local grant programs.
  3. Look up your state's grant opportunities and your state nonprofit association.
  4. Make a list of 5 to 10 local businesses with ties to your board or donors.
  5. Use free 990 data to find private foundations that fund your cause in your area.

Keep a simple list of each funder, its deadline, typical grant size, and next step. And have your statement of need ready, since almost every application asks for one.

Want a ready-made list?

If you'd rather skip the hunting, CivicVane's Grant Prospect Report ($149) gives you at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with giving history from IRS Form 990-PF filings, how to apply as each funder filed it with the IRS, and matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. It's delivered by email as a PDF within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.

Sources

All links checked on October 25, 2026.

Last checked 2026-10-25.