Requests for Proposals
Kaplun Foundation Grants
You can request to be notified of future grant opportunities from the Foundation board and from the Youth Boards.
SPRING 2025 GRANT CYCLE
Proposals due by June 23, 2025, 6 pm Pacific Time
The Kaplun Foundation seeks proposals from small, localized organizations that work with middle-school-age youth to build empathy and cross-cultural understanding at a time of rising polarization, hate speech, and disinformation targeting American youth. We are interested in organizations/programs that give young people experience and skills to critically assess narratives and disinformation, particularly those spread through social media, AI tools, or ideologically driven platforms, enabling them to interact with those whose life experiences differ.
Our desired outcome is young people who will bring with them to high school and beyond an appreciation and respect for people with different experiences and practices and who, by their actions, will be ambassadors for mutual respect and understanding.
Our focus is on direct programming with youth. We seek deep impact more than broad reach - a program that makes a lasting impact for a handful of youth is of at least as much interest to us as one that reaches 100 youth for a one-time hour-long program.
501(c)(3) organizations operating anywhere in the United States and with annual budgets of up to $500,000 that serve middle-school-age children may apply.
Kaplun Youth Board Grants
There are no active Youth Board RFPs at this time. Check back in December 2025 or request to be notified of future grant opportunities from the Foundation board and from the Youth Boards.
Each year, one or more cohorts of the Kaplun Youth Board issue RFPs, usually in December.
The Youth Board is an initiative of the Morris J. & Betty Kaplun Foundation. Established in 2019, it gives high school and first-year college students an opportunity to learn about concepts of Jewish philanthropy, explore Jewish values, dive into grant making, and review and analyze grant proposals during a series of online board meetings over a school year.
Each year, a new youth board develops its mission statement, issues a Request for Proposals and determines how to distribute a total of $5,000 of the Foundation’s funds to one or more nonprofit organizations. We are thrilled to partner with Honeycomb, which developed the curriculum and facilitates the Youth Board.
Criteria
Nonprofit organizations in the United States and elsewhere are encouraged to submit proposals, using the Foundation’s online submission portal on this page. Applicants should meet the following criteria:
Must be a non-profit organization with a 501(c)3 status.
Should have an annual budget of less than $500,000. The Foundation may consider proposals from larger organizations for distinct projects or divisions with smaller budgets.
Religious congregations (synagogues, churches, Hillels, etc.) may not apply, unless for a project that is aligned with the board’s mission and distinct from any religious activities or programming.
We ask that grant recipients acknowledge the Morris J. & Betty Kaplun Foundation in their materials and website, as appropriate.
Recipients must provide a brief report within one year of the grant award, showing how the funds were used and the results.
Submission Process
Proposals must be submitted online at: kaplunfoundation.org/rfp.
Please keep proposals brief. Applicants may upload attachments, at their discretion, but are encouraged not to include lengthy reports or extensive materials.
Organizations that make it to the final round will be contacted and asked to participate in a 30-45 minute online “site visit” with one or more members of the board.
Questions may be directed to David Connerty-Marin, info@kaplunfoundation.org.