In line with Nonprofit Tech for Good, many nonprofits are leveraging expertise to boost their processes—79% use automation expertise in on-line fundraising, and 15% even have synthetic intelligence software program in place to foretell donor conduct. Not each group, nevertheless, has the funds to remain on the reducing fringe of expertise.
That’s the place nonprofit expertise grants are available. These grants provide the mandatory funds for forward-thinking nonprofits to achieve entry to software program options and assets that may amplify their affect. On this information, we’ll cowl:
To attain greater and higher outcomes, nonprofits should frequently undertake and adapt to advances in expertise that streamline important processes resembling fundraising, advertising, and donor engagement. By doing so, your group can release extra capability for what issues most: bettering the lives of these you serve.
What are expertise grants for nonprofits?
Nonprofit expertise grants present important funding for organizations to accumulate and implement cutting-edge instruments and software program, considerably enhancing their affect and effectivity.
These grants can cowl a variety of technological wants, together with:
- Software program Licenses and Subscriptions: Funding for buying licenses for important software program instruments resembling CRM methods, accounting software program, challenge administration instruments, and different specialised purposes
- {Hardware} and Tools: Grants for buying computer systems, tablets, networking gear, and different {hardware} needed for every day operations and repair supply
- Cybersecurity Options: Assist for implementing cybersecurity measures to guard delicate knowledge and guarantee compliance with knowledge safety rules.
- Web site Improvement and Upkeep: Funding to construct, redesign, or preserve a nonprofit’s web site, making certain it’s user-friendly, accessible, and up-to-date with present applied sciences
- Innovation and Improvement Initiatives: Assist for revolutionary expertise tasks that handle particular challenges or alternatives throughout the nonprofit’s mission, resembling creating new apps or digital platforms
Whereas common grants can generally handle technological wants, it’s usually more practical to use for grants particularly tailor-made to expertise. Tailor-made expertise grants are designed to handle the distinctive challenges and alternatives related to implementing and managing technological options, offering extra focused help and assets.
The place can nonprofits discover expertise grants?
Like most grants, expertise grants are sometimes supplied by three major sources:
- Authorities businesses: Federal, state, and native governments provide grants to cowl completely different wants. Authorities sources usually present funding for nonprofits searching for expertise grants to improve methods and enhance service supply. Though, these grants are sometimes extremely aggressive.
- Foundations: Foundations are a standard and dependable supply of funding for nonprofits. They will vary from well-known entities just like the Ford Basis and the Invoice and Melinda Gates Basis to local people foundations. Whereas basis grants could not all the time be massive, they are often instrumental in serving to organizations enhance their expertise infrastructure.
- Companies: Main firms resembling Google and Walmart provide devoted expertise grants for nonprofits as a part of their CSR efforts. Particularly, tech firms are conscious of the crucial function their merchandise play and have developed grant packages to assist nonprofits entry important expertise. Company grants can present vital assets, enabling nonprofits to implement state-of-the-art instruments and software program to higher serve their communities.
Regardless of your group’s focus—whether or not you’re an environmental nonprofit or a nonprofit hospital—entry to the newest expertise allows you to serve your beneficiaries extra successfully and obtain higher outcomes. Look to those sources to search out a possibility that matches your group’s wants.
How can expertise grants help nonprofits?
Relying in your particular objectives, a expertise grant can empower your nonprofit to:
- Enhance cybersecurity. NTEN’s State of Nonprofit Cybersecurity Report reveals that solely round 20% of surveyed nonprofits have documented insurance policies and procedures in place ought to a cyberattack happen. A expertise grant can present your group with cybersecurity coaching assets and the fitting instruments to maintain your data safe.
- Leverage automation. A expertise grant permits your group to streamline every day operations by way of automation, considerably decreasing the time and assets required for duties resembling knowledge entry and donor administration. For instance, implementing an automatic CRM system can release workers to give attention to strategic initiatives and direct service supply, enhancing general effectivity and affect.
- Streamline fundraising. A expertise grant can allow your group to undertake top-of-the-line CRM software program and digital fundraising instruments that make it straightforward to handle supporter relationships and solicit items.
- Improve knowledge administration. Environment friendly knowledge administration is essential for personalizing communications, partaking donors, and deriving beneficial insights to refine your methods over time. With a expertise grant, your group can prioritize superior knowledge administration methods, enabling workers and volunteers to harness knowledge successfully for higher strategic affect and decision-making.
- Develop a high-quality web site. A nonprofit expertise grant can present the mandatory funds to raise your present web site or create a wholly new one which conjures up extra help.
When you’ve pinpointed your group’s particular wants for expertise funding, it’s time to discover a funder that finest aligns together with your mission and values. The extra well-matched you might be to the grantmaking group, the extra seemingly you’ll reach successful the grant.
13 Prime Expertise Grants for Nonprofits
Use these nonprofit expertise grants as a jumping-off level to your pursuit of expertise funding:
1. Google Advert Grants
Since its creation, the Google Advert Grants program has offered over $10 billion in free promoting to nonprofits. All eligible organizations can obtain $10,000 month-to-month to bid on key phrases for advertisements that may seem on Google’s search outcomes pages. With these advertisements, you may promote key pages in your nonprofit’s web site, resembling your donation web page or occasion registration web page, to generate extra help on your trigger.
To satisfy this system’s eligibility standards, your group should:
- Be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
- Not be a authorities, healthcare, or academic establishment.
- Have a high-quality web site.
- Create a Google for Nonprofits account.
Prepared to begin leveraging $10,000 a month totally free promoting? Join our Google Advert Grants publication to study insider suggestions and maximize your outcomes.
This nonprofit expertise grant can equip your group with a strong device for spreading the phrase about your mission and attracting extra supporters to your trigger. To make sure that you safe your grant and take advantage of it, think about turning to a Google Advert Grants company like Getting Consideration that may care for the complete course of for you.
2. Salesforce’s Energy of Us Program
Salesforce is a number one buyer relationship administration (CRM) platform that gives a complete suite of cloud-based purposes and companies. The Energy of Us Program has offered discounted CRM expertise entry to over 56,000 nonprofits and academic establishments. To affix these ranks, your group should:
You may discover the complete listing of necessities right here. When awarding grants, the Salesforce Basis prioritizes alignment with its grantmaking objectives, demonstrated program affect, a dedication to measuring and adapting, and a powerful management group that displays the group it’s addressing.
3. Twilio
Twilio is an SMS and messaging platform that empowers social good organizations to increase their attain. In 2023, an unimaginable 20,000 organizations used the platform to ship over 22 billion messages.
By its Influence Fund, Twilio awarded $7.3 million in grants and investments to increase entry to transformative communications expertise for social affect causes final yr. Organizations which are eligible for this nonprofit expertise grant funding should:
- Be a acknowledged 501(c)(3) nonprofit or have equal standing.
- Not be a authorities entity, unregistered social affect initiative, political group, or for-profit entity.
At the moment, Twilio is funding tasks in digital transformation, humanitarian help, and local weather motion. To obtain an invite to use, join the Influence Entry Program, which affords further advantages resembling reductions on Twilio merchandise.
4. Okta for Good
Okta is a complete id and entry administration platform that gives organizations safe single sign-on capabilities, authentication and authorization, password administration, person provisioning, safety and compliance, and cellular gadget administration.
Okta for Good’s Nonprofit Expertise Initiative strives to satisfy nonprofits’ expertise wants by supplying $10 million in philanthropic funding. They’re additionally offering a further $10 million through in-kind donations of their expertise and companies. To be chosen for these funds and donations, nonprofits should:
- Be a acknowledged nonprofit group of their nation of operation.
- Have sturdy management groups and mission alignment with Okta.
Whether or not your nonprofit is searching for to enhance its knowledge safety or transfer to the cloud, Okta’s give attention to digital transformation is value trying into for any group taken with expertise enhancements.
5. Field Influence Fund
Field Influence Fund helps nonprofits on their path to adopting expertise that may improve their every day operations and work. To satisfy Field Influence Fund’s eligibility necessities, organizations should:
- Have authorized standing in your respective nation.
- Give attention to little one welfare, disaster response, or the surroundings.
- Suggest a digital transformation challenge.
Field lists 4 particular standards for evaluating grant purposes: alignment, affect, inclusion, and scale. Be certain that your group matches this funder’s priorities to set your software up for achievement.
6. Cisco Product Grant Program
Cisco is a multinational expertise conglomerate that designs, manufactures, and sells networking {hardware}, telecommunications gear, and different high-technology merchandise.
The Cisco Product Grant Program provides networking and communications expertise to nonprofits targeted on disaster response, schooling, financial empowerment, and local weather change. To be eligible for this system, organizations should:
- Be acknowledged as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or equal in your nation.
- Serve the group at massive.
- Have multiple yr of profitable operations.
- Not be a faculty, hospital, library, or meals financial institution.
- Not exceed an overhead of 25%.
Cisco accepts grant proposals year-round and evaluations them quarterly. To make sure your nonprofit meets all the factors, take this eligibility quiz that Cisco gives on its web site.
7. Microsoft Tech for Social Influence
Microsoft is a number one multinational expertise firm. The corporate launched Microsoft Tech for Social Influence to supply discounted and donated Microsoft instruments to nonprofits. These instruments can empower your nonprofit to securely handle supporters’ knowledge, scale back working prices, and allow distant alternatives for workers and volunteers.
To be eligible for Microsoft’s nonprofit packages, your group should:
- Be a acknowledged 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public library, or public museum.
- Adjust to Microsoft’s anti-discrimination coverage.
- Solely assign licenses to eligible workers members.
Considered one of Microsoft’s hottest nonprofit expertise grants is the Azure grant, which awards candidates with $2,000 credit per yr and entry to the entire portfolio of Azure merchandise and cloud companies. On its web site, Microsoft gives a step-by-step registration course of to entry accessible tech.
8. Expertise Innovation Awards
Tech Ahead is a nonprofit expertise convention that unites organizations to discover how expertise can improve their missions. On the convention, the host gives $10,000 by way of its annual Expertise Innovation Awards to help nonprofits searching for funding for technology-related tasks. To be eligible for this grant, your group should:
- Be a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) charitable group.
- Not be a church, non-public academic establishment, nonprofit hospital, or governmental unit.
- Have an annual working finances of at the very least $500,000.
- Ship a consultant to the convention to simply accept the award.
As a part of the nonprofit expertise grant software, you’ll must current data resembling your mission, companies, and key constituents, together with a full expertise challenge proposal.
9. TechBridge
TechBridge makes enterprise-grade software program to empower nonprofits to get rid of generational poverty. TechBridge’s Dream Massive Grant gives a possibility for nonprofits to accumulate expertise options that may improve their operations and enhance their affect. To be eligible for one in every of these grants, your group should:
- Be a acknowledged 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a minimal two-year working historical past.
- Give attention to one in every of 4 pillars: starvation reduction, homeless help, social justice, or workforce growth.
- Have annual working bills over $2,000,000.
- Have at the very least 5 full-time paid workers who’re paid minimal wage or extra.
The applying course of for one in every of these expertise grants for nonprofits consists of an eligibility test, an software essay, and a video submission.
10. Verizon Basis
Verizon affords invitation-only grants to help nonprofits in three most important areas: digital inclusion, local weather safety, and human prosperity. Nonprofits should contact their local people relations supervisor about receiving an invite. If you happen to’re accepted to use, you’ll nonetheless have to satisfy these eligibility necessities:
- Be a acknowledged 501(c)(3) nonprofit and additional categorised as a public charity or a not-for-profit faculty.
- Not duplicate or considerably overlap the work of public businesses.
- Maintain books accessible for out of doors audits and make outcomes accessible to all potential contributors.
Moreover, in case you request funds for IT infrastructure enhancements that complete greater than 20% of the grant’s complete direct prices, you should present particular particulars on how your group will use these IT property in your grant software.
11. HP Expertise for Neighborhood
HP is a multinational data expertise firm that develops and sells {hardware}, software program, and companies. The corporate provides grants to nonprofits in order that they’ll buy expertise to higher serve their functions. To be eligible for HP Expertise for Neighborhood, organizations should:
- Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
- Not be a member company or a faculty.
- Not be situated exterior of the US.
Whereas certified nonprofits can apply from throughout the nation, HP will give choice to these working in or close to the positioning communities listed in its necessities.
12. The Change Occurs Basis
The Change Occurs Basis is a non-public nonprofit basis devoted to supporting nonprofits targeted on creating social change round science, the surroundings, and schooling. The muse affords a number of grants in these areas. To be eligible, organizations should:
- Be a acknowledged 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
- Not be faith-based or situated exterior of the US.
- Have a three-year historical past of 990 types.
When you’ve decided your nonprofit’s eligibility, you should submit a Letter of Inquiry as a first-time applicant to find out if the muse’s pursuits align together with your request. Organizations accepted for additional consideration can then submit their grant proposals.
13. TechSoup
TechSoup gives nonprofits and libraries with discounted expertise merchandise, companies, and coaching to boost their mission-driven work. Whereas not explicitly a nonprofit expertise grant, it gives unimaginable affords from main manufacturers like Microsoft, Adobe, and Zoom.
To be validated by TechSoup, your group should:
- Be registered as a nonprofit or non secular group.
- Function on a nonprofit foundation for the general public profit.
- Maintain all needed permissions to obtain donations from overseas the place relevant.
TechSoup even gives a handy eligibility quiz. Earlier than making use of, discover TechSoup’s full product catalog to find out how entry to completely different applied sciences will affect your group.
How do I discover the fitting expertise grant for my nonprofit?
This listing is a good place to begin, however there are a number of straightforward steps you must take to decide on the perfect grant on your group. With the fitting method, you’ll be effectively in your method to securing funding for transformative expertise initiatives that may improve your nonprofit’s effectivity, effectiveness, and general affect.
1. Confer with your objectives and mission.
Earlier than beginning your seek for grant alternatives, it’s essential to root your self in your group’s objectives and mission. This ensures that you just solely determine and apply for expertise grants which are well-suited to your nonprofit.
Do not forget that every grantmaking group has its personal mission and pursuits. Consequently, they’re extra liable to fund nonprofits that align with their very own priorities and generate the form of affect that they’re trying to see.
2. Conduct analysis.
Amongst potential expertise grant sources, there are round 127,595 foundations in the US alone. Due to this, it’s important to be strategic in your analysis to search out the perfect choices. Observe these finest practices to get began:
- Research related nonprofits and find grantmakers who’ve funded them prior to now.
- Determine current connections that your board or workers members could have with funders.
- Look by way of grant directories and databases, resembling Grants.gov and Basis Listing.
Evaluate every nonprofit expertise grant’s software standards to make sure that you’re eligible to use. As an illustration, some grantmakers could require your group to be situated in a particular area or space.
3. Put together your expertise grant software.
When you’ve discovered a nonprofit expertise grant that you just’re taken with making use of for, personalize your software in keeping with the analysis you’ve performed on the funder. An efficient grant software clearly defines your nonprofit’s wants, leverages storytelling to convey your affect, and specifies practical objectives for the funding you’re requesting.
4. Contemplate searching for knowledgeable assist.
In case your nonprofit needs further steering to make your expertise grant purposes stand out, think about partnering with a nonprofit grant advisor. Prime nonprofit grant consultants will dedicate themselves to making sure that your group’s grant efforts succeed.
As an illustration, Getting Consideration’s specialists absolutely perceive the Google Advert Grants program. From confirming your eligibility to complying with the newest rules, we all know this system’s intricacies and might help you purchase and retain the grant. If you associate with us, our group will take the time to totally perceive your mission so we will craft compelling advertisements that precisely characterize your work and encourage seemingly supporters.
Set excessive expectations on your expertise grant advisor and select one who will do the next:
- Study the ins and outs of your nonprofit, together with your mission, affect, and audience.
- Develop a devoted technique and conduct analysis to determine grant alternatives that align with all that they’ve realized about your group.
- Deal with your nonprofit grant purposes to maximise your probabilities of successful the grant.
- Help your group with constructing relationships with funders to safe extra help in a while.
A nonprofit grant advisor could be instrumental in serving to your group safe nonprofit expertise grant funding, particularly when you’ve got restricted time and assets to hold out the complete course of successfully.
Wrapping Up
New applied sciences are always rising, and together with them come higher methods for nonprofits to serve their communities and make a long-lasting distinction. Determining how you can incorporate these instruments into your fundraising, advertising, and communications methods is crucial to setting your group up for achievement.
Authorities businesses, foundations, and companies acknowledge this precedence as effectively. Due to this, there are quite a few expertise grants for nonprofits accessible to fund your initiatives—you simply must know the place to look and how you can pinpoint the fitting alternatives to pursue.
For extra data on grants and how you can deepen your nonprofit’s affect, discover these assets:
