Mini Grants Now Available!

Deadline Extended: Applications Due March 31, 2022

Mini Grant Application

The Funders Network (TFN), in partnership with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, is pleased to announce a new round of Partners for Places Mini Grants.

These grants are available to help local governments, place-based funders, and frontline community groups build relationships, align around project ideas — and ideally develop a proposal that centers racial equity in water, sustainability, and/or climate action work.

Partners for Places Mini Grants are designed to strengthen the relationship between the three partners in order to aid in the development of a full and jointly developed Partners for Places matching grant proposal. Applicants can receive up to $10,000 in funding, which can be used to hire experts and/or to bring together local government water and/or sustainability department leaders, local funders, and frontline community groups. This grant requires the hiring of an equity expert to facilitate the integration of equity principles in the collaborative partnership processes. Frontline community members may be compensated for their participation.

Update: Mini Grant application deadline has been extended to March 31, 2022 by 11:59 PM ET. 

→ Click HERE to apply now!

About Partners for Places

Partners for Places will help Chicago schoolyards into vibrant green spaces for play and learning. Photo credit: Space to Grow.

A joint effort of TFN and USDN, Partners for Places is a matching grant program that improves U.S. and Canadian communities by building partnerships between local government leaders, frontline community groups, and place-based funders. These sustainability efforts take place from coast to coast, in communities both large and small, and focus largely on empowering and engaging low-income neighborhoods.

To date, Partners for Places has awarded nearly $8.5 million across the U.S. and Canada in this successful matching grant program, leading to over $18 million in investments.  

The matching grant program brings national funder investors together with place-based funders to support equitable sustainable climate action and green stormwater infrastructure projects. The program is currently supported by six investor foundations: The Allen H. and Selma W. Berkman Charitable Trust, The JPB Foundation, Kendeda Fund, The Kresge Foundation, New York Community Trust and the Pisces Foundation. 

Read about the latest round of Partners for Places matching grant recipients here. 

To learn about the previous round of Partners for Places Mini Grants, visit here. (All grant announcements can be found on the Partners for Places webpage.) 

For questions about the Partners for Places Mini Grants or matching grants program, please reach out to Ashley Quintana. 

Partners for Places FAQ’s

→ Where is Partners for Places making an impact?
Read previous grant announcements and explore the Partners for Places Grantee Map here. 

→ Where can I learn about completed Partners for Places projects?
Visit the Partners for Places Idea Bank to explore what grantees are doing, learning and sharing. 

→ When is the next round of Partners for Places matching grants?
Partners for Places will open a new round of funding Feb. 23, 2022.

For more information about Partners for Places, please reach out to Ashley Quintana, ashley@fundersnetwork.org.