Nathan Cummings Foundation Grant 2026 - $50k to $250k

Organisations working on racial, economic and environmental justice in the United States, which NCF shortens to REEJ. Proposals that intersect two or three of those areas are strongest, and work connected to the foundation's place-based initiatives, including the US South, gets particular encouragement. NCF has awarded nearly half a billion dollars over three decades and describes a totality of assets approach, meaning it puts non-financial resources behind partners alongside the money.

Most grants fall between $50,000 and $250,000. Within that, Venture Grants run up to $100,000 for one year, Advancement Grants up to $250,000 annually for up to two years, and Enterprise Grants above $250,000 annually for longer, though that top tier is invitation-only. Program Related Investments are separate and larger, typically $250,000 to $750,000, and they are repaid rather than given, usually within three to seven years.

No. Individuals appear directly on the list of what NCF does not support, so a personal application will not succeed regardless of the idea. People without their own organisation generally work through a fiscal sponsor or an eligible partner organisation that would hold the grant. Anyone looking for a personal scholarship or research stipend should look elsewhere, since this is organisational funding.

There is no deadline. The Letter of Inquiry portal is open year-round for REEJ-related submissions and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with decisions made as they come. NCF staff anticipate notifying applicants to learn more about their submission within 12 weeks of receiving it. The practical implication is to submit when your LOI is genuinely ready rather than rushing toward a date that does not exist.

A long and specific list: 501(c)(4) organisations, individuals, social or direct service projects that sit outside a larger advocacy strategy such as cash transfer, workforce development, food and education services and housing assistance, fundraising events, sponsorships, panel requests and galas, campus or prison-based programmes, K-12, extra-curricular, religious or community arts education programming, religious communities and congregations, community gardening and tree planting, conservation projects, and projects addressing diseases including medical research, personal health and wellness programmes.

Two steps. First, review the FAQs and the racial, economic and environmental justice focus areas to work out whether your work aligns. Second, register on the online portal and complete a Letter of Inquiry. Grant and Program Related Investment proposals use the same portal. NCF has moved to a new system, so new applicants sign up fresh while returning applicants use the Forgot Password route with their email to reconnect to their organisation's earlier submissions.

A grant is money given to support the work. A program related investment is capital that comes back: PRIs typically run from $250,000 to $750,000 and are repaid within three to seven years. Both are proposed through the same LOI portal and both must align with the foundation's racial, economic and environmental justice goals. Choose the PRI route only if your organisation has a realistic path to repayment.

No. Enterprise Grants, which run above $250,000 a year for more than two years and come as multi-year unrestricted funding, are invitation-only. NCF extends them to partners with deep alignment across its REEJ focus areas where it sees the most opportunity to put all of its financial and non-financial resources behind a solution. The realistic route in is a Venture or Advancement Grant, and a relationship that grows from there.