Rural Grants

Rural Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Daniel Foundation of Alabama
Last Updated: March 15, 2026

Summary

The Rural Grants program by the Daniel Foundation of Alabama aims to enhance community well-being by supporting organizations in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties. Eligible projects must focus on improving quality of life for residents in areas with populations under 50,000 and higher poverty rates. The foundation prioritizes initiatives that foster education and community collaboration, ensuring that funds are dedicated to impactful, localized efforts for sustainable development.

Overview

NOTE: This cycle starts with an LOI submitted through our online grants management system. LOIs submitted will be reviewed monthly and notifications sent to all organizations submitting.This will be a rolling cycle and the timing of committee meetings will determine application dues dates. In general, we anticipate LOIs submitted: December – March will be considered at the June board meetingApril – July will be considered at the October board meetingAugust – November will be considered at the February board meeting The Daniel Foundation of Alabama’s mission is to strengthen communities within Alabama and improve the quality of life for Alabama citizens. We believe this can be achieved through the support of effective organizations that are focused on building a healthy and well-educated population, living in a vibrant and collaborative community. Rural Grants We determined the eligible geographic areas for this cycle, by county, using the following three criteria from the 2024 Alabama Kids Count Data Book, available through VOICES for Alabama’s Children: County population under 50,000Kids Count county ranking below top 25%County poverty greater than 15% In the list and chart below, Tier 1 counties meet all three of the criteria items; the Tier 2 list incorporates counties who met the first criteria (population), along with counties with population under 125,000 who met both the second and third criteria (overall ranking and poverty rate).

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Projects or programming for organizations based in our Tier 1 or Tier 2 listing, with preference given to Tier 1 counties.Projects or programming overseen by an organization that is in an excluded county, but the project or program delivery is 100% in a Tier 1 or Tier 2 county.Applicants must be a 501(c)3 public charity.Tier 1 CountiesBarbourBibbBullockButlerChambersChoctawClarkeClayConecuhCovingtonDaleDallasEscambiaFayetteFranklinGenevaGreeneHaleHenryLamarLawrenceLowndesMaconMarengoMarionMonroePerryPickensPikeRandolphSumterTallapoosaWashingtonWilcoxWinstonTier 2CalhounCherokeeChiltonCleburneCoffeeColbertCoosaCrenshawDe KalbHoustonJacksonMarshallRussellTalladegaWalker

Ineligibility

Projects or programming occuring outside of Tier 1 or Tier 2 counties.Projects or programming designed to attract residents from Tier 1 or Tier 2 counties into an excluded county for services and programming are not eligible for consideration.