Arbor Rising Grant

Arbor Rising Grant, established in 2010, is a NYC-based nonprofit providing unrestricted multi-year funding and capacity-building support to nonprofits focused on alleviating poverty. The grant process occurs every three years, with the next round in 2025 being invitation-only. Eligible organizations must demonstrate high potential and effective leadership, typically operating on a modest budget. Arbor Rising prioritizes applicants from the NYC metro area while expanding to cover the lower 48 US states.

Note: We run an open-invitation process once every three years, most recently in 2023. In 2025 we will run an invitation-only process over the summer and will select new grantees in the fall. If, after reading the above you'd like to put your organization on our radar for consideration either this year or in a future grantmaking process, we encourage you to fill out the interest form.
Founded in 2010, Arbor Rising is a NYC-based grantmaking nonprofit and a 501c3 organization. We provide unrestricted multi-year funding and high-dosage capacity-strengthening support to a portfolio of promising nonprofits focused on building pathways out of poverty.
For Grantseekers
Arbor Rising is always on the lookout for exceptional nonprofit partners.
Partnership structure
Arbor Rising partnerships typically involve a three-year investment which includes both financial contributions and consulting support. During each year of engagement, we invest additional money and time, helping to strengthen grantee capacity in critical areas such as outcomes measurement, financial planning, and performance management.
Our grant package:

• We provide support tailored to the second stage of nonprofit organizations: flexible, multi-year capital alongside deep, consulting support.

Financial supportThe cash portion of the grant is unrestricted and distributed immediately following selection. Though only one year of support is promised at a time, more than 90% of Arbor Rising grantees are funded for three years.Grantees in the Arbor Rising portfolio can expect support in the range of $125,000–$175,000 per year.Consulting engagementDuring each grant year, the Arbor Rising team invests 200–300 hours working closely with each Executive Director to diagnose pressing challenges, co-create robust solutions, and support implementation of deliverables.Grantees, in turn, typically spend 4–6 hours of meeting time plus 4–8 hours of homework time per month on these capacity-strengthening projects.
In each of our grantee projects, we co-develop customized tools, deliverables, and plans—nothing comes off the proverbial shelf. The work is geared toward strengthening grantee capacity in key areas such as:
​Strategy Development: theory of change, earned-income strategies, and growth plansFinancial Management: true cost accounting and projecting multi-year budgetsData Analysis: quantifying metrics, developing tracking systems, and program evaluationStakeholder Management: board development, employee performance management, and executive coaching

Eligibility

Arbor Rising supports nonprofit organizations that are:Building pathways out of povertyOrganizational models that create meaningful opportunities for low-income individuals to achieve economic mobility, most often in the fields of education or job trainingHigh-potentialCommitted and diverse leadership teams employing a model which has produced (or is on track to produce) meaningful outcomes for program participantsSecond-stageOperating an observable program with a modest budget(AR's median incoming grantee is 5 years old with a budget of $1.1M)Historically, we have partnered with organizations directly serving participants in the NY-NJ-CT region, but in 2023 we began expanding our footprint. Going forward, we are open to applicants from the lower 48 US states, though we continue to prioritize applicants in the greater NYC metro area and those serving under-resourced populations in the eastern half of the United States.Additional requirements501c3 status or be fiscally sponsored by a 501c3 organizationAt least one full-time, paid staff personA budget of more than $200,000 and less than $2,500,000 (for organizations based in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut) or less than $5,000,000 (for those outside New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut).Re-application guidelinesOrganizations that have applied for Arbor Rising funding in the past are eligible to re-apply. That said, those that have repeatedly applied (especially in the last five years) are much less likely to be competitive unless they have new leadership and/or have undergone significant programmatic changes.

Ineligibility

This capacity-strengthening work is central to the Arbor Rising value proposition, and organizations without a strong interest in this aspect of the grant should not apply.