GRANTS | BNI Foundation

Givers Gain Grants

Your donations mean that we can fund grants which help disadvantaged or endangered young people to get a better start in life

Grants are normally for $1,000 or the local equivalent, and are funded from donations received. They are available to support educational organizations which make a lasting impact on the future of their students. Grants are awarded twice a year with an open application process lasting 4 weeks. If you know of an eligible organization which would benefit from receiving a Givers Gain Grant, invite them to contact us on info@bnifoundation.org for more information.

Unsolicited requests
Schools or educational organizations without an active Business Voices Team
Schools or educational organizations that discriminate with regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, ancestry, marital status, disability, or protected veteran status
Organizations without a primary focus on children’s education

The BNI Foundation does not accept grant proposals from:

Grants which benefit individuals
Scholarships
Requests for partial funding for large projects
Private foundations
Conferences and seminars
Capital campaigns

Eligibility:

The BNI Foundation gives grants by referral only. A school or educational organization must have a relationship with a BNI Director, Chapter, Member, or Business Voices Team in order to apply for a grant. Schools or educational organizations that fit our mission for helping children and education are eligible to apply for the grant. Givers Gain Grants will also be awarded to non-US nonprofits when appropriate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Since our teams are predominantly made of of BNI Chapter Members, please visit BNI to meet our members and learn if there is a local Business Voices team. You may find a chapter near you at www.BNI.com. If there is no Business Voices team serving your community, please email info@bnifoundation.org, and our staff will assist you with determining the likelihood that a team may be forming in the future.
We appreciate that educators are not grant writers. Our grant application is very straight forward and is sent to you in the form of a link to a questionnaire. We will need to know your contact information, including the school or organization’s address; tax ID number; information about your project, such as size of your classroom, subject, name of your project, how it will benefit the students and how you will measure that; how you will spend the grant money; how you are being assisted by the local Business Voices team; who is your contact and what is their contact information; and your non-profit’s budget and a copy of your most recent 990 tax form.
No, we want to fund the full amount of your project. The only exception would be if your Business Voices team has committed to match the Givers Gain® grant amount of $1000 by doing local fund raising for your school or educational organization to support your project.
You may apply by referral of a BNI Member only one time within a 12-month timeframe. For example, if a Member refers you for the Spring grant cycle, and you are awarded, you would not be able to be referred again until the following Spring grant cycle.
We pride ourselves on getting through the grant cycle quickly and efficiently. We make every effort to have the grants reviewed and recipients selected within 30 days of closing a grant cycle.
We will make every attempt to notify everyone of the status of your application; however, due to the volume of requests received, it is not always possible to notify everyone. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us to inquire as to the status of your application.
Our BNI Foundation affiliates have their own registered Non-Profit and make grants from within their countries. Please contact us for more information on BNI Foundation activity in your country, if applicable.
By email at info@bnifoundation.org or by phone at 704-248-4800, ext: 66.