Rural Grants
Rural Grants support public charities’ projects and programming in rural Alabama, with a focus on building relationships with organizations and communities to identify opportunities to serve rural areas.
Funder: Daniel Foundation of Alabama
Due Dates: October 15, 2026 (Cycle 1 LOI) | December 15, 2026 (Cycle 1 proposal) | February 15, 2027 (Cycle 2 LOI) | March 31, 2027 (Cycle 2 proposal) | June 15, 2027 (Cycle 3 LOI) | July 31, 2027 (Cycle 3 proposal)
Funding Amounts: Multi-year grants considered on an opportunity-by-opportunity basis; partial funding is possible
Summary: Supports public charities’ projects and programming in 50 eligible rural Alabama counties, with preference for Tier 1 counties.
Key Information: Applicants must be 501(c)(3) public charities, and project delivery must occur entirely within eligible counties.
Description
The Daniel Foundation of Alabama introduced its Rural Grants initiative in 2026 to support projects and programming in rural Alabama. Its geographic focus uses county population, child well-being rankings, and poverty data from the 2024 Alabama Kids Count Data Book, published by VOICES for Alabama’s Children. The initiative emphasizes building relationships with organizations and communities to identify or create opportunities to serve rural Alabama.
The program covers 50 counties organized into two tiers, with preference given to the 35 Tier 1 counties. Rural Grants are distinct from the foundation’s Operating and Special Project grant opportunities: those programs’ subject-area priorities and operating eligibility restrictions do not apply to the rural initiative. Public charities based outside eligible counties may apply when their project or program delivery occurs entirely within Tier 1 or Tier 2 counties.
