Signature Employment Grants

Transforming Employment Outcomes with Novel Solutions

Innovation lies at the core of all the Foundation’s Signature Employment Grants. It involves developing or adapting ideas, processes, or services to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities. Innovation requires assessing needs, applying knowledge, creativity, and initiative to develop new solutions or repurpose existing ones in a novel way. To qualify, proposed interventions must demonstrate broader impact beyond your organization and be innovative at the state, national, or industry level.

2025 Grants Target States with Low Employment

For our 2025 Signature Grants, the Foundation invites proposals for groundbreaking employment projects from tax-exempt organizations operating in states with some of the lowest employment participation rates for people with disabilities. These states – Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and West Virginia – represent areas where targeted interventions can have a transformative impact.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

• Eligible organizations in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and West Virginia may apply for up to two years of funding, ranging up to $50,000 annually with a maximum total of $100,000.
• Applicants may include up to 15% for indirect costs in their proposed budget.
• All grants are awarded at the discretion of Kessler Foundation and its Board of Trustees.
• Tax-exempt organizations, including nonprofits, schools, universities, and government entities in the U.S. or its territories, may apply.

Ineligibility

• Kessler Foundation does not fund projects outside the U.S. or those that discriminate based on race, gender, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, or national origin.