January and February are the months for many 501c3 and nonprofit organizations to apply for grants from Bank of America. More information below.

Over the next 10 years, Bank of America is expected to provide funding of $2 billion to nonprofit organizations through grants, sponsorships and other funding.

In 2013, Bank of America provided over $200 million to fund nonprofit organizations and 501c3 organizations and to support community needs. Bank of America funds causes related to workforce development, education, jobs, youth, housing, community development and basic human services, such as hunger. One of the best features of some of Bank of America’s grants is that the funds can be used as general operating support for the nonprofit organization.

In the year 2015, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation will issue requests for proposals in its various areas of interest. The application periods are as follows:

Jobs, workforce development and education (application period open from January 20 – February 13, 2015).

Housing and community development (application period open from April 20 – May 8, 2015).

Hunger and basic human services (application period open from July 20 – August 7, 2015).

More information on requests for proposals can be found on the  website of Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

Bank of America also provides regional sponsorships to support local economic, social and cultural activities, including art exhibits and sporting events.

Bank of America provides matching gifts that encourage employees to contribute to their favorite charitable causes. Thus, if an employee makes a contribution to a charitable organization, the organization may be eligible to get a matching gift from Bank of America up to $5,000 per person.

Annually, more than 3,000 charitable organizations receive the assistance of volunteers who are employees and retirees of Bank of America. Again, Bank of America will provide grants to these charitable organizations up to $500 per employee.

More information on the Bank of America grants and sponsorships can be found on the website of Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

The Kroger Foundation awards millions of dollars in grants annually to local nonprofit organizations and depends upon recommendations from local operating divisions for awarding those grants. Over the past 5 years, the Kroger Company Foundation provided more than $37 million in grants to local organizations.

In order to be eligible for Kroger grants, the organization must serve the geographic areas where the company operates. Thus, if there is a Kroger store in your area, you are within the geographic area eligible for Kroger grants. Currently, the Kroger Foundation provides grants to local nonprofit organizations in approximately 35 states.

Types of charitable organizations eligible to apply for Kroger grants include educational organizations, primary schools, hunger relief organizations, local breast cancer and women’s health initiatives, women and minority advancement and diversity programs, service men and women programs, and local grassroots community organizations.

The Kroger Foundation provides funding for capital campaigns, start up grants and funding for special projects.

In addition to direct funding from Kroger Foundation, local Kroger stores partner with many local organizations by collecting donations at check-out stands in stores. Specially marked canisters at check- out stands have been used in Kroger to collect donations for such causes as local children’s hospitals, food banks and wildlife relief efforts. Over the period from 2008 through 2012, approximately $17 million was collected through Kroger stores using this method.

Kroger employees also donate to the local causes through the Kroger Foundation. During the period from 2008 through 2012, Kroger employees donated approximately $6 million to support local causes.

The initial step to obtaining a Kroger grant is to send a written inquiry to the operating division serving your geographic region. More detail on The Kroger Company Foundation grants can be found on the website of The Kroger Company Foundation.