Below is a list of current and upcoming opportunities. If you have questions about an opportunity listed below or additional grant opportunities you’d like to add to the list, please contact Josie Smith (josie@regionalopportunityinc.org).

ROI Grant Opportunities

Check back soon for grant opportunities from ROI!

Grant Opportunities Outside of ROI

The following opportunities are offered by organizations other than ROI. ROI is not affiliated with any of these grants. This list is meant to provide our partners with other sources of funding for the great work they do in the Indiana Uplands Region.

PreservINg Main Street

The Office of Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, in partnership with Indiana Landmarks and Indiana Humanities is offering the PreservINg Main Street grnat program. The program provides funding to create a sustainable historic preservation model while building local capacity and a comprehensive downtown revitalization plan. The program also provides funding for the preservation of downtown Main Street buildings.

  • Award Range: Up to $2 million, with at least a 10% match requirement
  • Timeline: Applications open May 1, 2025 and close July 17, 2025 at noon
  • Learn More >>

Collaborative Capacity Program for Forests and Communities Mini-Grants

The National Forest Foundation is offering mini grants up to $10,000 to support collaborative activities that increase wildlife resilience, recreation opportunities, forest health, and rural economies in areas in and around National Forest System lands. Eligible efforts must describe how investments in collaboration will support a long-term strategy for achieving stewardship outcomes and how these outcomes benefit National Forest System lands.

  • Award Range: Up to $10,000
  • Timeline: Applications due July 25, 2025
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Kentucky Wishes Grant Program

The KFC Foundation’s Kentucky Wishes program provides grants to support capacity-building projects that expand access to food and shelter in local communities. Examples of eligible projects include remodeling food pantries, creating community gardens, upgrading animal shelters, and repairing or renovating buildings. Eligible applicants must be local nonprofit organizations, or local chapters/affiliates of larger nonprofits, that directly serve their communities.

  • Award Range: Up to $10,000
  • Timeline: Applications due July 31, 2025
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Collaborative Capacity Program for Forests and Communities Community Partner Grants

The National Forest Foundation is overing grants to support collaborative activities that increase wildlife resilience, recreation opportunities, forest health, and rural economies in areas in and around National Forest System lands. Eligible efforts must describe how investments in collaboration will support a long-term strategy for achieving stewardship outcomes and how these outcomes benefit National Forest System lands.

  • Award Range: $10,001 – $75,000
  • Timeline: Applicants due August 1, 2025
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Grants to Advance Literacy and a Love of Reading

The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation is offering grants for the purchase of children’s books to organizations which operate bookmobile programs. The Foundation’s Bookmobile Grants support bookmobile programs that serve economically or socially at-risk children. The grants are for purchasing books published for young people preschool through grade 8. 

  • Award Range: $500 to $3,000
  • Timeline: Applications due August 15, 2025
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Grants to Support Preservation, Education, and Wellness

The J.W. Couch Foundation is accepting grant applications in the following areas for its 2025 cycle: animal well-being, including organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals; early childhood education, with a focus on schools that provide young children with a creative and balanced approach to education; teachers, with a focus on teams helping teachers succeed in educating future generations; and getting outside, including organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities.

  • Award Range: Not specified
  • Timeline: Applications due September 26, 2025
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Historic Preservation Education Grant

The Historic Preservation Education Grant from Indiana Humanities fund public programs that educate Indiana citizens about historic places and properties and the need to preserve and protect them. Eligible programs include workshops, presentations, exhibitions, and brochures. Indiana Humanities is also increasingly interested in supporting digital projects like online exhibits, webinars, and podcasts that expand outreach and educate more people about the value of historic preservation.

  • Award Range: Up to $3,000 with a 100% cash/in-kind match
  • Timeline: Round 2 applications due September 30, 2025
  • Learn More >>

Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative

The Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative’s mission is to provide practical support for efforts that promote safe, responsible use of off-highway vehicles; educate the public on proper recreational land use and wildlife conservation practices; and protect appropriate and sustainable access to public lands. Support is provided to nonprofit or tax-exempt groups, including clubs and associations, public riding areas, outdoor enthusiast associations, land conservation organizations, and communities with an interest in protecting, improving, expanding, or maintaining access for safe, responsible, and sustainable use by motorized off-road vehicles.

  • Award Range: Not specified
  • Timeline: Applications due September 30, 2025
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IU’s Sustaining Hoosier Communities

Sustaining Hoosier Communities pairs one rural community with IU faculty, staff, and students for an intensive year to advance community-identified projects that improve Hoosier lives.

  • Award Range: No direct funding, but includes support and tailored reports on community-identified projects.
  • Timeline: Application deadline is October 1, 2025.
  • Learn More > >

Karma for Cara Foundation Youth Service Project Microgrants

The Karma for Cara Foundation seeks to support young people throughout the United States in their efforts to contribute to society and help repair the world through volunteerism and community service. Students 18 years of age and under may apply for funds between $250 and $1,000 to complete service projects in their communities. The microgrants support a wide variety of projects and events, such as turning a vacant lot into a community garden, rebuilding a school playground, or helping senior citizens ready their homes for the winter.

  • Award Range: $250 – $1,000
  • Timeline: Application deadlines are January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 annually
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Indiana Trails Program Grant

The Indiana Trails Program Grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is a grant program to support the development of trails throughout the state. The program uses state funds to help connect Hoosiers to outdoor recreation opportunities and natural environments without needing to rely on the use of a vehicle. Funds care be used for the construction of trails, development of trailheads and other support amenities, construction of bridges, boardwalks, and crossings, acquisition of easement or property for trails. Projects must be completed within four years and be universally designed to accommodate all people.

  • Award Range: $100,000 – $400,000
  • Timeline: Application opens September 1, 2025 and closes October 1, 2025
  • Learn More >>

Walmart Spark Good Local Grants

Walmart’s Spark Good Local Grants supports creating opportunity, advancing sustainability, and strengthening community.  The focus is on local organizations that meet the unique needs of the communities where Walmart U.S. stores, Sam’s Clubs, and distribution centers are located. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, government entities, public and nonprofit private educational institutions, and churches or other faith-based organizations with proposed projects that benefit the community at large.

  • Award Range: $250 to $5,000
  • Timeline: Applications due August 15, 2025
  • Learn More >>

Grants to Support Youth

The Dale Jr. Foundation is offering grants to support youth in the following areas: empowerment, education, wellness, hunger, and hope.  The Dale Jr. Foundation is dedicated to giving underprivileged youth the resources to improve confidence, education, and the opportunity to achieve extraordinary goals. 

  • Award Range: Unspecified, support includes monetary grants or in-kind donations
  • Timeline: Applications due October 31, 2025
  • Learn More >>

FundPlay Software Grant

FundPlay Foundation, originally formed as a philanthropic initiative within the youth sports management platform LeagueApps, works to support youth sports organizations across the country that use sport as a vehicle for youth development. The Foundation’s Software Grants provide technology, training, and support to sports-based youth development organizations across the country. Grants include a free license to LeagueApps’ youth sports management software, a small cash donation for the organization, free coach training for staff from Positive Coaching Alliance, and other benefits.

  • Award Range: Cost of license to LeagueApps and other benefits
  • Timeline: Not specified
  • Learn More >>

Water and Waste Disposal Predevelopment Planning Grants

The Water and Waste Disposal Predevelopment Planning Grants from the US Department of Agriculture provides funding to help eligible rural, low-income communities plan and developing funding for the agency’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program. The goal of this program is to support the provision of clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and stormwater drainage for households and businesses in rural areas.

  • Award Range: Up to $60,000 with a 25% cash match requirement
  • Timeline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis
  • Learn More >>

Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program

The Water and Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program from the US Department of Agriculture provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas. Long-term, low-interest loans and grants combined with a loan are available.

  • Award Range: Long-term (up to 40 years), low-interest loans
  • Timeline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis
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Jeffris Heartland Fund

The Jeffris Family Foundation’s Jeffris Heartland Fund supports historic preservation projects in small towns and cities in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The Fund provides matching grants for advanced planning studies for historic preservation projects preparing for a capital campaign and a restoration project. Grants cover 50% of the cost of a Historic Structure Report, and must be matched dollar-for-dollar with cash from other sources. Projects must be located in small towns and cities with a population under 150,000 that are not within a major metropolitan area, and the historic site must be on (or be eligible to be on) the National Register of Historic Places.

  • Award Range: Up to 50% of the cost of a Historic Structure Report, with a 1:1 matching requirement
  • Timeline: Preliminary inquiries accepted on a rolling basis
  • Learn More >>

CreatINg Places Grants

CreatINg Places is a place-based grantfunding program from the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA). The grant supports projects that activate underutilized public spaces or create new public spaces. The program aims to generate public interest and involvement in the development and implementation of place-based improvements by incentivizing small, public donations with a matching grant from IHCDA if and when their funding goal is reached by a set period of time.

  • Award Range: $5,000 – $50,000 with a 1:1 fundraising match requirement
  • Timeline: Applications are available now and accepted on a rolling basis
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Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program

The purpose of the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program from the US Department of Agriculture is to provide funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Projects supported through this program must demonstrate substantial community support, and facilities must serve the rural area where they are or will be located. Rural areas must have no more than 20,000 residents, according to the latest US Census Data. Examples of essential community facilities include healthcare facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes, or dental clinics; public facilities, such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars, or street improvements; community support services, such as childcare centers, transitional housing, or community centers; and public safety services such as fire departments and vehicles or police departments and vehicles.

  • Award Range: Unspecified, applicants may apply for a loan, a grant, or a combination of both
  • Timeline: Applications are available now and accepted on a rolling basis
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Community Heart & Soul Seed Grant Program

The Community Heart & Soul Seed Grant Program provides start-up funding for resident-driven groups in small cities and towns looking to implement the Community Heart & Soul model. Community Heart & Soul is a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, the future they want for it, and how to achieve it. 

  • Award Range: Up to $10,000 with a 1:1 cash matching requirement
  • Timeline: Applications are available now and accepted on a rolling basis
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Next Level Jobs – Employer Training Grant

The Employer Training Grant offers employers $5,000 per employee who is trained, hired, and retained for at least 6 months in seven priority sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Technology and Business Services, Transportation and Logistics, Health and Sciences, Building and Construction, Agriculture, and Early Childhood. 

  • Award Range: $5,000 per employee, up to $50,000 per employer
  • Timeline: Open now and ongoing
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Next Level Jobs – Workforce Ready Grant

The Workforce Ready Grant is a grant program for individuals that covers the tuition and fees of qualifying certificate programs across Indiana. Trainings are available in the following industries: Advanced Manufacturing, Building and Construction, Health and Life Sciences, Information Technology and Business Services, Transportation and Logistics, and Early Childhood. 

  • Award Range: Cost of qualified training
  • Timeline: Open now and ongoing
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School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network: Principal Student Support Services Grant

The School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN) is offering a new grant opportunity for public school principals interested in implementing student mental health support services. Grant funds must be used to expand access to mental health support services for students with a documented history of chronic absenteeism, behavioral challenges, or declining academic performance. The grant provides a fully funded mental health professional for each school campus who will deliver evidence-based mental health support services directly to students. In addition, qualifying schools are eligible for up to $5,000 per year, renewable for five years, to support student service initiatives aligned with the program’s objectives.

  • Award Range: Fully funded mental health professional, plus and additional $5,000 per year, renewable for five years
  • Timeline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis
  • Learn More >>

Children’s Book Project Grant

The Children’s Book Project Grant, from the Pilcrow Foundation, is a 2-to-1 match grant for rural libraries to purchase up to $1,200 worth of new, quality, hardcover children’s books. 

  • Award Range: Up to $1,200 with a 2-to-1 matching requirement
  • Timeline: Applications are due every April 1 and October 1
  • Learn More >>