Social Services Grants for Nonprofits

Social services are essential for helping the vulnerable individuals and families within our communities. However, there are significant gaps in social services in many regions, gaps which only look set to widen. There are many nonprofits willing to step in to fill this gap. But they are only able to do so thanks to the funding provided by social services grants.

These grants can be used for all sorts of programs and initiatives. These run the entire gamut of social services and the nonprofits involved in them - these grants could be put towards counseling, therapy, housing support, child welfare, senior services or job training, just for starters.

Social services grants are given out by an equally diverse range of nonprofit organizations. Traditionally this included federal organizations, such as the Department of Health and Human Services. There are also many private foundations involved in this space, such as the Kresge Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

When drafting social services grants, it's important to accumulate data relevant to your nonprofit’s mission. Exactly what data this is will depend on the purpose of your nonprofit and the gap it seeks to fill, but will likely include demographic statistics on things like poverty, homelessness or mental health. A good place to get started would be the U.S. Census Bureau. 

If you need more guidance on writing excellent grant proposals, make sure to check out our full overview on the topic. You can also start to browse a selection of social services grants right here, all open for applications.