$10,000+ for Small Nonprofits Working in Education, Environment, Arts & More

If your nonprofit is working in humanitarian support, education, arts and culture, environmental protection, animal welfare, or programs benefiting children, the Hansen Family Foundation is worth putting on your grants calendar.

The Foundation describes its approach as “grassroots giving with worldwide impact” and generally looks for opportunities where a relatively small grant can create a meaningful, identifiable impact.

Typically $1,000–$10,000

The Foundation may consider larger requests, but will not consider requests over $50,000. It generally prefers funding specific community projects rather than administrative costs.

Their focus areas include:

• Humanitarian support, with particular attention to disadvantaged children

• Education

• Arts & culture

• Environmental causes

• Animal welfare

Applicants must:

• Be a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit

• Have a budget of $1 million or less

• Have overhead of 25% or less

• Use the funding for a charitable project or initiative

The Foundation accepts applications from organizations around the world, as long as the applicant is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3).

Hansen says it generally prefers smaller organizations where its funding can make a significant difference. It looks for projects that provide a “seed” that can create benefits over time, inspire others, and have a clear, lasting impact.

The Foundation also expects at least 75% of an organization’s spending to go toward giving/charitable purposes rather than operating costs.

Fall 2026 applications portal opens on August 24 and closes on September 11, 2026

The Foundation’s next board meeting is October 17, 2026, during which grant allocations will be decided.

Applications are submitted online, and the Foundation holds two grant cycles per year.

This is a very small family foundation, and it receives roughly 250–500 applications per grant cycle. So a focused request with a clear use of funds and a tangible outcome is likely much stronger than a broad organizational request.

If you’re a smaller nonprofit with a specific project that could genuinely benefit from $1,000–$10,000, this one is worth a shot.