GRANTMAKING

We believe that ambitious, rural-centric, climate grantmaking is needed now more than ever. That's why our grant program is designed to provide critical funding and resources to grantees that are taking practical, community-focused and innovative actions to implement equitable climate solutions in rural America.

Enabling our grantees to focus on driving meaningful change in rural communities is paramount at Rural Climate Partnership. With the combined strength of pooled resources from foundations & donors, we offer general operating and project support grants to bolster the work of rural-led and rural-serving organizations. Our funding typically ranges from $20,000 to $100,000 for projects and from $75,000 to $150,000 for general operating support.

We fund with the intention of cultivating and maintaining lasting relationships with our grantees. We’re committed to building trust through transparency, accountability, consistency, and collaboration at every stage. We strive to engage grantees as trusted partners, recognizing them as the community and issue experts they are.

Submit an LOI

what we fund

Organizations with rural leadership, based in rural communities, and directly serving or targeting rural areas, small towns and small cities under 50-thousand across the United States, prioritizing communities with a population density under 10-thousand
Organizations that are nonprofits, public agencies, religious organizations or tribal governments<
National organizations that have a distinct rural focus and are actively engaged in addressing critical rural issues
Funding requests that support long-standing organizations or that scale up new organizations

What we don't fund

Organizations based outside of the U.S or international funding projects
Grants to individuals or scholarships for personal use, capital campaigns (e.g., to buy a building) or endowments
Organizations that discriminate by race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation or national origin
Organizations or projects with an urban focus or impact, or those primarily serving areas with a population above 50,000

LOI Process

We strongly encourage interested groups to learn more about who we are, our approach, what we do, where we work, and who we work with prior to sending us an inquiry. Groups aligned with our work and seeking funding from RCP are welcome to submit a Letter of Inquiry Form (LOI).

Descriptions of your work can include the following:

The organization's background and makeup
RCP aligned issues that the organization or project will address
Specific goals, strategies, and activities that RCP funding will support
Geographic focus and populations served/targeted, and why
Description of the rural communities supported in the work: This can include the demographics, history, challenges, and opportunities in these areas and how your work addresses their unique needs
Details on rural expertise and representation in your organization: This can include staff experience living or working in rural areas, local knowledge of rural communities, and where your team works or resides (e.g., remote or hybrid staff based in rural places)
1-2 key accomplishments your organization has achieved
Any existing partnerships or potential collaborations related to the request

Submissions are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Due to the volume of inquiries we receive, we’re unable to provide individualized feedback. If there’s a potential fit with RCP’s current priorities and funding capacity, a member of our team will reach out to learn more.