IMBY Africa is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2016, supporting humanitarian and community-based initiatives in the United States, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our work includes access to clean water, food assistance, educational support, and essential resources for vulnerable communities.
As a small nonprofit, we want to identify realistic grant opportunities that align with our mission, current programs, and organizational capacity. We have primarily relied on personal contributions and limited private support, and we are looking to establish a more structured approach to identifying potential institutional funders.
We are seeking a volunteer with experience in grant prospect research to identify foundations and funding organizations that support grassroots humanitarian initiatives, including U.S.-registered nonprofits conducting projects internationally.
Our initial focus is on smaller grants ranging from $500 to $3,000, with consideration of opportunities up to $5,000 where appropriate.
This project will focus exclusively on researching suitable funding opportunities, verifying eligibility, prioritizing funders, and developing a practical grant calendar. Grant proposal writing is not part of this assignment.
By the end of this project, we would like the volunteer to provide:
A prioritized list of approximately 10–15 grant opportunities that align with IMBY Africa's mission, programs, geographic focus, and organizational capacity.
A grant prospect research spreadsheet identifying each funder, website, typical funding amount, eligibility criteria, application requirements, geographic restrictions, and application link.
A practical 12-month grant calendar showing confirmed application deadlines, expected opening dates where available, recommended preparation dates, and funding amounts. Opportunities without published deadlines should be clearly identified.
A ranking of the most suitable funding opportunities based on organizational eligibility, program alignment, funding size, and application requirements.
Recommendations for maintaining and updating the research spreadsheet and grant calendar as new funding opportunities become available.
The research should prioritize funders that support smaller nonprofits and, where applicable, U.S.-registered organizations implementing humanitarian programs internationally.
Success will mean IMBY Africa has a verified, reusable funding research database and a practical grant calendar to guide future applications. This project does not include drafting or submitting grant proposals.
