As the federal grant funding landscape undergoes changes, it’s more important than ever to stay proactive in seeking funding opportunities. Cal Poly Humboldt Sponsored Programs Foundation will be sharing a regular round-up of non-federal grants for those looking to diversify their funding sources. As a reminder, SPF offers funding search assistance! Please visit our website to explore some of our funding resources, or contact Research Development Support & Marketing Coordinator Cara Peters at cara.peters@humboldt.edu 

 _______________________________________________________________________________

Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grants: Burroughs Welcome Fund - Awards $2,500–$50k. Rolling application through July 24, 2025. Promotes new connections between scholars, practitioners, and/or educators working to understand and mitigate the impacts of climate change on human health. Also of interest is work piloting new approaches toward reducing the impact of health-centered activities, for example, developing more sustainable systems for health care. Another interest area is preparation for the impacts of extreme weather and other crises that can drive large scale disruptions that will immediately impact human health and delivery of health care. 

Food Sovereignty Grants: CS Fund and Warsh-Mott Legacy - Average grant is $20k. Letters of Intent accepted on a rolling basis. Supports work grounded in traditional agricultural knowledge and agroecological practices. Focuses on three cornerstones of agrobiodiversity and food system resilience: preserving native and traditional seeds, building healthy and fertile soils, and protecting and restoring the populations and diversity of native pollinators.

Exploring Equitable Futures: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RRJ) - No award limit - applicants should request the amount needed to complete the proposed project. Rolling application through October 15, 2025. Seeks projects that seed new and unconventional ideas that could radically advance health equity for generations to come. Supports visionary thinkers—scientists, anthropologists, engineers, technologists, creatives, and others—who are imagining what the world might look like in the next 10 to 100 years, and exploring how those futures may unfold in ways that could slow down or speed up our collective efforts to dismantle structural racism and improve health equity.

Funding will be given to projects that:

• Explore the future by researching and experimenting with ideas that are ahead of the curve or at the edge of our collective imagination;

• Shine a light on the emerging trends and forces that are shaping our future for better or worse—and suggest ways to navigate them to mitigate harm and advance health equity;

• Dream big and challenge conventional wisdom to surface possibilities and uncover new paths to dismantle structural racism and build a more equitable future.

Education Grants: Hearst Foundation - Awards start at $100k. Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Funds higher education programs, college access and college success programming, professional development for educators, science education programs that focus on developing career pathways in science, technology, engineering, environment and math, and programs educating the next generation of health professionals, such as nursing and mental health. 

NOTE: If you are interested in applying or have any questions, please contact our Pre-Award Specialists Pia Gabriel at pg12@humboldt.edu, Kaz Wegmuller at kaz.wegmuller@humboldt.edu, or Jocelyne Takatsuno at jt366@humboldt.edu 

While exploring alternative funding is valuable, continued engagement with federal grants remains critical—consistent applications help demonstrate the demand for these programs and ensure their ongoing availability. We’re here to help you navigate these funding opportunities and keep research thriving at Cal Poly Humboldt.