{"id":203767,"date":"2025-01-27T13:52:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T21:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/?page_id=203767"},"modified":"2025-09-12T05:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T12:41:10","slug":"grants-for-community-development","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-for-community-development","title":{"rendered":"Community Development Grants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\" style=\"min-height:151px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-16807\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/funding-guide-banner-blue-dots-1.png\" data-object-fit=\"cover\"\/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3cbd868f110473572b7a51d4d99b842c\" style=\"color:#484848;font-size:42px\">Grants for Community Development <\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro-box has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebeeeb\">Learn about<strong> <\/strong>grants for community development by exploring our curated list of top funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities for housing and homelessness using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/grantfinder-search\">search tool <\/a>for Grantfinder. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/membership\"><strong>Become a member.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-1 one-column gb-background-auto gb-background-no-repeat\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bg-radiant-dots-shortest.png);background-position:50% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-0 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\" style=\"padding-top:20px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-2 gb-2-col-wideright\" style=\"padding-top:60px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:6px;background-position:80% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-2 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column ip-gf-key-funders-box gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Key Funders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list key-funders-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-b\/ballmer-group\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ballmer Group<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-b\/bloomberg-philanthropies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bloomberg Philanthropies<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant-places\/illinois-grants\/chicago-community-trust\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chicago Community Trust<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-f\/ford-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Ford Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-g\/gates-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gates Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-f\/jpb-foundation\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"136283\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Freedom Together Fund<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-h\/the-home-depot-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Home Depot Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-j\/robert-wood-johnson-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Robert Wood Johnson Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-k\/wk-kellogg-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">W.K. Kellogg Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/k-grants\/kresge-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kresge Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-m\/melville-charitable-trust\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Melville Charitable Trust<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-r\/rockefeller-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rockefeller Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-s\/silicon-valley-community-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Silicon Valley Community Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-t\/tides-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tides Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-w\/walton-family-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Walton Family Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-w\/harry-and-jeanette-weinberg-foundation\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"136214\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The \u201cBig Three\u201d &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-w\/wells-fargo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wells Fargo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-b\/bank-of-america-charitable-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bank of America<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-c\/jpmorgan-chase\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"135421\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">JPMorgan Chase<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Funding landscape for community development<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1717845861887_314\">Community economic development (CED) seeks to improve overall quality of life in a community, usually with reference to communities that have been underserved or disinvested in. CED refers to both the physical development of communities and services such as workforce development and education.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1717845861887_314\">The government is a primary source of funding for community economic development, but private philanthropy has long played a pivotol role in the field. Private philanthropies serve as catalysts and connectors, and are able to fill gaps and take risks, funding research, investing in innovative approaches, and offering funding that is more flexible than government grants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1717845861887_314\">Many of the major private foundations in the U.S. make grants for community development. Corporate giving is also significant in this space, especially from banks and other financial institutions that are required by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalreserve.gov\/consumerscommunities\/cra_about.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Community Reinvestment Act<\/a> to meet the needs of low- and moderate-income community members. Especially because community development grantmaking is place-based, community foundations often serve as intermediaries or act as anchor organizations in multi-sector collaborations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1717845861887_314\">Inequities among communities stem from the economic system and a legacy of structural racism, including redlining and underinvestment in communities of color, and CED itself has sometimes been associated with discriminatory practices. That said, for the last few decades at least, \u201ccommunity development has been one of the primary ways in which philanthropy has attempted to redress centuries of structural racism,\u201d write IP guest contributors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/2023-3-22-philanthropy-must-change-so-community-development-can-keep-changing-for-the-better\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Fukuzawa and Nancy O. Andrews<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where community development grants are going<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Philanthropy for community economic development is usually place-based and involves significant cross-sector collaboration. Funders also engage in national cross-sector efforts, such as \u201cthe Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), originally conceived by the Ford Foundation, which acts as an intermediary of sorts between community organizations and private and governmental funders to provide financing for housing,\u201d as described by Danielle Wallis in IP\u2019s State of American Philanthropy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/state-of-american-philanthropy-pdfs\/giving-for-community-and-economic-development\">brief<\/a> on giving for CED.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<!-- Non-displaying inline paywall marker. Editors: please keep this code block. Position this block before the first full-width paragraph or just above the foundations list heading. -->\n<div id=\"ipInlineOffer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container foundation-list paywall gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<p>Beyond grants, philanthropic involvement in CED prominently involves impact investing, such as community development financing and community loan guarantees.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tension between development, gentrification, and displacement is a source of ongoing debate and challenges in this field. Many grantmakers presently in the field give through an explicit racial equity or social justice lens, with a trend toward intersectional approaches and support of resident-led solutions. The current <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/whats-next-for-philanthropy-after-the-fearless-fund-settlement\">backlash against DEI<\/a> may impact how philanthropy can support community development through the lens of racial equity.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Community development grants go to a range of initiatives related to housing, health, employment, education, and other elements of a healthy, vibrant community. Grants for community development support many kinds of nonprofits and projects, including community land trusts, subsidized housing, supportive housing, tenants\u2019 rights advocacy, job training programs, public health initiatives, early childhood education, and more. Historic preservation is also sometimes linked to community development and community revitalization funding. Climate resilience and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arts.gov\/impact\/creative-placemaking\">creative placemaking<\/a>\u201d are also focuses of some community development grantmaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>History of philanthropy for community development<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Community economic development has roots in 19th-century settlement houses, Progressive-era reforms, and later projects of the New Deal and LBJ\u2019s \u201cWar on Poverty,\u201d as outlined by urban planner and historian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jchs.harvard.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/w12-6_von_hoffman.pdf\">Alexander von Hoffman<\/a>. In its early iterations, the field of community improvement already took a multifaceted approach, addressing work, education, social services, and more. Over the past century, the field has experienced shifting trends, where in some eras one issue (e.g., housing) becomes the primary focus, and in other eras a more multi-pronged, holistic approach is more common. For much of its history, the field was top-down and rooted in the idea that outside experts or professionals (such as social workers or policymakers) knew what was best for a community. As a result of the efforts of grassroots social movements from the 1960s onward, there is a growing understanding that solutions should come from and center community residents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Philanthropy has long played a role in community development alongside government funding. The Rockefeller family was involved in social housing efforts in New York in the 1920s and \u201930s, researcher Gaia Caramellino <a href=\"https:\/\/rockarch.issuelab.org\/resources\/27975\/27975.pdf\">explains<\/a>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-f\/ford-foundation\">Ford Foundation<\/a>, a longtime shaper of the field, \u201cprovided funding for the nation\u2019s first community development corporation (CDC), Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation in New York in the 1960s, and established a key community development financial intermediary in the 1980s,\u201d Danielle Wallis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/state-of-american-philanthropy-pdfs\/giving-for-community-and-economic-development\">explains<\/a>. Today, many large private foundations make grants for community development as part of multi-issue work to address poverty and redress structural injustice, or as part of grant programs dedicated to specific aspects of community well-being such as housing, health, or education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more on the history of philanthropy focused on housing, and how housing grants intersect with community development, see IP&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/housing-grants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Grant Funder at-a-glance view of grants for housing,<\/a> which also offers a curated list of leading funders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Gaps in funding for community development&nbsp;<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Community development funding is often associated with impoverished urban communities, with some eras of increased focus on poor rural communities. There is growing awareness of the need for equitable, inclusive community development funding in suburban areas as well. There is also a need for more dedicated support for community-based, resident-led organizations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group modified-date-row is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f56a869c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p><em>Published on <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"font-style:italic;font-weight:400;\" class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2025-01-27T13:52:00-08:00\">January 27, 2025<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px;width:0px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-1 one-column gb-background-auto gb-background-no-repeat\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bg-radiant-dots-shortest.png);background-position:50% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-0 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\" style=\"padding-top:20px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-2 gb-2-col-wideleft\" style=\"padding-top:60px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:6px;background-position:80% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-4 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-25180599d95e511ffa03116cedf5db8d\" style=\"color:#d79533\"><strong><strong>Additional Resources<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.funderstogether.org\/\">Funders Together to End Homelesssnes<\/a>s, an national affinity group focused on housing and homelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.housingisopportunity.org\/\">Funders for Housing and Opportunit<\/a>y, a group of 15 national foundations that seek to spark large-scale change across the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn about grants for community development by exploring our curated list of top funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities for housing and homelessness using the search tool for Grantfinder. Become a member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"parent":13716,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":true,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-203767","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/203767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203767"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/203767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224377,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/203767\/revisions\/224377"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}