NTCF Toolbox Grants

The NTCF Toolbox Grants support Tarrant County-based nonprofits by providing capacity building resources focused on fundraising and strategic planning. These transformative grants aim to enhance organizational stability and effectiveness in serving vulnerable communities facing poverty, poor health, and educational challenges. Eligible nonprofits must be 501(c)(3) organizations with a minimum operating budget of $50,000 and demonstrate impact in areas like education and housing. Note: An LOI is required before full proposal submission.

NOTE: Applicants should first submit an LOI. Select organizations will be invited to submit a full proposal.
Over the past year, North Texas Community Foundation (NTCF) engaged more than 200 local nonprofit stakeholders through surveys, focus groups, and strategic planning sessions to assess current capacity constraints across the nonprofit community.
In response, NTCF reimagined the ToolBox 2026 grant cycle to support Tarrant County nonprofits providing or piloting capacity-building strategies that strengthen organizations serving vulnerable populations. This year’s funding focuses on improving organizational effectiveness and resilience, filling resource gaps, and strengthening the overall nonprofit ecosystem. We define a nonprofit ecosystem as the interconnected network of organizations, people, resources, and conditions that shape how nonprofits operate and create impact in the community.
This collaborative process identified three key capacity-building priorities to advance sector-wide progress:
Talent and Leadership Development: Strengthening nonprofit workforce and leadership pipelines.Technology and Data Systems: Modernizing technology infrastructure and improving datamanagement.Shared Infrastructure and Support Services: Expanding access to shared resources and operational support for nonprofits.
The data from this input also indicated that organizations serving vulnerable populations have been disproportionately impacted by recent funding changes, reinforcing the need for sector-wide investment

Eligibility

Nonprofit Eligibility:501(c)(3) organizations headquartered in Tarrant County
Annual operating budget of at least $50,000 and not more than $5,000,000
Demonstrated impact serving residents experiencing poverty
Focus on education, employment, health (physical or mental) and/or housing
Must have a representative attend one of two virtual orientation meetingEligible Funding Requests:Fundraising Consulting:Assessment and planning for staff and/or board, coaching, grant writing consulting, etc.$10,000Strategic Planning Consulting:Strategic plan development or updates
$10,000-15,000Strategic planning requests must include the following: Indication of a board-level strategic planning committee;
Board Chair letter of endorsement (to be uploaded with Letter of Intent); and
A six-month review meeting with the consultant after the plan is completed (to be noted in the consultant’s bid). Up to 15% of a ToolBox grant may be applied toward staff time for project implementation.

Ineligibility

Ineligible organizations:Organizations that received a ToolBox grant in 2022
Organizations that have already initiated a fundraising or strategic planning engagement
Organizations that are not designated 501(c)(3) by the IRS
Religious organizations seeking funds to support evangelism Ineligible RequestsCertificates that benefit a single staff member (e.g. Certified Fund Raising Executive training/fees)ConferencesGeneral operationsProgrammingSoftwareStaffingOutsourced grant writers (grant writing consultation should build your organization’s capacity to apply for grants independently)