Funding Opportunities

Focused giving
BOK Financial and the BOKF Foundation contribute an average of $6 million to more than 600 nonprofit organizations each year. Our giving is focused on enhancing the quality of life and economic wellbeing in the communities where we operate in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Our charitable contributions are focused on four pillars of giving.

Pillars of giving

Basic needs
We provide volunteer and financial support to organizations serving the most vulnerable members of our community. Our efforts largely focus on organizations providing direct services addressing such issues as poverty, hunger, healthcare, housing and safety.

Education
An equitable, robust educational system drives long-term community growth. We support local nonprofits whose primary mission is promoting basic education, including public school foundations, early childhood education, financial literacy, and institutions of higher education.

Economic development
Actions that raise the standard of living and economic health of our communities make them better places to live and work. We provide support to local chambers of commerce; nonprofits focused on workforce development, job training, etc.; and public/private partnerships investing in our communities.

United Way
Our focus on strategically investing in the community aligns perfectly with United Way’s approach to achieving its mission of mobilizing the caring power of communities to advance the common good.

Ineligible organizations/activities:
Individuals
Programs outside the geographic markets we serve
Fraternal organizations
Political organizations/activities/candidates
Public schools (K through 12) unless in partnership with BOK Financial "Partners in Education Schools" and "Adopt-a-School"
Industry and trade groups
Athletic programs
Religious organizations promoting a specific doctrine

This Notice of Funding Opportunity solicits applications for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program (“Competitive Grant Program” or “Program”), the third of three digital equity programs authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, Division F, Title III, Public Law 117-58, 135 Stat. 429, 1209 (November 15, 2021) (“Infrastructure Act,” also known as the “Digital Equity Act” or “DE Act”). The Competitive Grant Program will make funds available to a wide range of entities to address barriers to digital equity faced by Covered Populations as defined by 47 U.S.C. §1721(8). The Competitive Grant Program will support efforts to achieve digital equity, promote digital inclusion activities, and spur greater adoption and meaningful use of broadband among the Covered Populations. Specifically, the Digital Equity Act authorizes funds to be used for the development and implementation of digital inclusion activities that benefit the Covered Populations; programs that facilitate the adoption of broadband by Covered Populations to provide educational and employment opportunities; training programs that cover basic, advanced, and applied skills; workforce development programs; access to equipment, instrumentation, networking capability, hardware and software, or digital network technology for broadband services at low or no cost; and the construction or operation of public access computing centers for Covered Populations.

Awards will focus on addressing the needs of the Covered Populations not met by the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and will strive for a diverse pool of recipients. To ensure funds are directed to the most effective programs with the greatest reach, and to minimize administrative overhead, NTIA encourages proposals that demonstrate a broad partnership of entities with the ability to administer significant resources and address the varied concerns of the Covered Populations.

Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) solicits applications to lead a consultative process and create a Sustainable Agriculture Action Plan to document the research, regulatory, infrastructure, and educational needs and priorities required to increase sustainable agriculture practices in a specific industry/commodity or geographical location in the Western SARE region. The Sustainable Agriculture Action Plan (SAAP) intends to provide important stakeholder-derived feedback about the sustainable agriculture needs and priorities of specific industries and geographic locations to university researchers, Extension specialists, regulators, non-governmental agencies, elected officials, the USDA, and other potential funders. Western SARE seeks to fund two applications: 1. An application focused on a specific regionally important agricultural industry or commodity 2. An application focused on a specific, limited geographic area in the Western Region that includes multiple crops or production systems. The geographic area must be limited and logical, for example, a specific watershed, a Soil and Water Conservation District, an island or island system, etc. Each successful application will be funded for a maximum of $20,000 which will be awarded as a costreimbursable subaward agreement from Montana State University, Western SARE Host Institution

The Land and Water Conservation Fund was established by Congress in 1964 to fulfill a bipartisan commitment to safeguard our natural areas, water resources and cultural heritage, and to provide recreation opportunities to all Americans. Using zero taxpayer dollars, the fund invests earnings from offshore oil and gas leasing to help strengthen communities, preserve our history and protect our national endowment of lands and waters. The LWCF program can be divided into the "State Side" which provides grants to State and local governments, and the "Federal Side" which is used to acquire lands, waters, and interests therein necessary to achieve the natural, cultural, wildlife, and recreation management objectives of federal land management agencies.

Available Funds: Variable (based on project needs and timeline)
Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants include governmental entities (cities, towns, counties, tribal governments, state and federal agencies). Non-profits and clubs are not eligible for the LWCF.
Eligible Projects: Funding can be used for outdoor recreation facilities; ADA/accessibility upgrades; acquisition of park lands; baseball & soccer fields, bike parks, pools, playground equipment.

The overarching goal of the WCAHS Pilot/Feasibility Program is to encourage the development of creative research projects while nurturing researchers—particularly early-career and under-represented researchers—interested in improving agricultural health and safety for the western U.S. It is designed to fund short-term research projects to support the collection of preliminary data, attract new investigators to WCAHS and the field of agricultural health and safety, facilitate the exploration of innovative research directions, and engage and mentor early stage investigators as defined by the NIH.

Nationwide Foundation grants fall into three categories:
General operating support
Project and/or program support
Capital support (these grants are limited and considered on a case-by-case basis)
We make our funding decisions based on a four-tier giving structure we call our Community Impact Model.

Tier 1: Emergency and basic needs
Aligned to our business, we're there to help in an emergency. We partner with organizations that provide life's necessities.

Tier 2: Crisis stabilization
Before a crisis happens or after one hits, we hold the safety net. We partner with organizations that provide resources to prevent crises or help pick up the pieces after one occurs.

Tier 3: Personal and family empowerment
We help at-risk youth and families in poverty situations who need tools and resources to advance their lives. We partner with organizations that assist individuals in becoming productive members of society.

Tier 4: Community enrichment*
We understand the well-being of a community affects all who live in it. We partner with organizations that contribute to the overall quality of life in a community.

*Tier 4 organizations, such as agriculture, arts and culture, civic and community, higher education/scholarships, and health research organizations, are by invitation only.

The Arizona Iceberg Lettuce Research Council (“AILRC”) has established a Grant program to assist Arizona iceberg lettuce producers in identifying solutions to production issues. All research findings, abstracts, and reports resulting from funds awarded through this grant process shall be made available to Arizona iceberg lettuce producers through the AILRC. The AILRC is exempt from the provisions of Title 41, Chapter 24, Arizona Revised Statutes, relating to grants pursuant to A.R.S. § 41-2706(B)(6) and instead awards grants according to the competitive grant solicitation requirements of A.A.C. R3-9-106.

Since 1932, Bashas’ has donated more than $100 million to thousands of schools, churches and non-profits operating in the communities we serve through the generosity of our company, our team members and our customers. Due to the volume of requests we receive, please take a moment to review the guidelines and procedures we have in place prior to submitting your request.

How It Works:
-Purposeful Giving donation requests must be made through our online portal.
-Bashas’ Community Relations team reviews all requests within four (4) weeks of the submittal date.
-The request must be received a minimum of 90 days prior to the date needed.
-Organizations must be located in a city or town where Bashas’ Family of Stores operates a location (this could include a Bashas’, Bashas’ Diné Market, AJ’s Fine Foods, Food City or Eddie’s Country Store).
-Bashas’ provides support to organizations once per year.
-Organizations must be a 501(c)3 in good standing.

All proposals must specifically address how the proposed project will directly and measurably contribute to the accomplishment of the Pollinator Fund’s goals as outlined in NFWF’s Monarch Butterfly Business Plan. As such, all proposals must provide the number of acres restored or enhanced as a result of the project.

Proposals must include plans to restore or enhance a minimum of 100 acres in California or 500 acres in all other eligible states. For project ideas related to overwintering sites in California that anticipate preserving, restoring, or improving less than 100 acres, please contact Senior Program Manager Crystal Boyd (crystal.boyd@nfwf.org) to discuss before applying. Acres may be counted from multiple sites; the sites do not need to be contiguous. Since 2015, successful proposals have included a median of 960 acres and an average of 2,120 acres restored or enhanced.

If a project is expected to benefit multiple at-risk native insect pollinator species, the applicant should list the relevant species and how they will benefit. Priority will be given to projects that benefit the monarch butterfly and one or more native insect pollinator species that are federally listed, candidate, or proposed native insect pollinators.

Community Impact and Engagement: Projects that incorporate outreach to communities, foster community engagement, and pursue collaborative management leading to measurable conservation benefits are encouraged. When possible, projects should be developed through community input and co-design processes. Additionally, projects should engage community-level partners (e.g., municipalities, NGOs, community organizations, community leaders) to help design, implement, and maintain projects to secure maximum benefits for communities, maintenance, and sustainability post-grant award.

Each applicant will identify one category that best describes the project. The Pollinator Fund seeks projects in the following two categories:

1. Technical Assistance for Private Working Lands

Funding in this category will support implementation of technical assistance to increase the number of private landowners voluntarily engaged in monarch butterfly and pollinator conservation practices on private working lands. Up to $2 million is expected to be available for grants ranging from $150,000 to $500,000. Funding will be awarded for projects up to three years in length following finalization of the grant agreement.

This category aims to support conservation planning and practice design with private landowners to advance voluntary conservation efforts on working lands that align with NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife frameworks or initiatives, and especially increase Working Lands for Wildlife participation among farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners in the Historically Underserved and Special Emphasis categories.*

2. Habitat Improvement

Funding in this category will support on-the-ground work to increase the quality, quantity, and connectivity of habitat for the monarch butterfly and other native insect pollinators. Up to $3.1 million is expected to be available for grants ranging from $200,000 to $300,000. Funding will be awarded for projects up to two years in length following finalization of the grant agreement.

Applicants in this category should define a step-by-step restoration plan including site preparation, equipment used, planting techniques, size of the project area, description of target native plant community, and maintenance plan (e.g., prescribed burning, mowing, grazing schedules).

If preparing a proposal that includes collecting or propagating native plants, applicants should describe the intended use of the seed or seedlings and how planting success will be monitored. Giveaways of milkweed seeds or seedlings are discouraged unless significant staff time is committed for follow-up, support, monitoring, and mapping with the milkweed recipients.

Plantings must include at least one species of regionally appropriate milkweed. To help meet the nutritional needs of a broad range of pollinator species, plantings must also provide at least three native blooming nectar species (in addition to milkweed) during each of the following periods: spring, summer, and fall.

Projects proposed to benefit other at-risk native insect pollinators should specify habitat needs for those species and how the proposed work will support their breeding, nectaring, nesting, or other habitat needs.

It is declared policy of the legislature to provide for a coordinated effort for the restoration and conservation of the water resources of this state. The Arizona Water Protection Fund (AWPF) is a competitive state grant program that is designed to allow the people of Arizona to prosper while providing funding to interested parties for the development and implementation of measures to protect water of sufficient quality and quantity to maintain, enhance, and restore river and riparian resources throughout Arizona (including projects that benefit fish and wildlife that are dependent on these important resources), and measures to increase water availability and supply. The distribution of grant funds from the AWPF is authorized pursuant to A.R.S. § 45-2101 et seq. and is overseen by the Arizona Water Protection Fund Commission (Commission). The program is administered through the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR).

The AWPF supports projects that fit the following objectives to meet the program goals:
 Provide identified and measurable benefits to the water resources of Arizona through broad-based local support.
 Provide positive, effective examples for other similar projects.
 Advance the field of water conservation knowledge in Arizona.
 Increase public awareness of the function and value of riparian resources in Arizona.