Federal grant deadline calendar for small nonprofits, 2026 to 2027
Most published grant calendars are copied from other calendars, and dates rot silently. This one carries a source link on every row, and anything we could not stand behind was either left out or marked approximate. 35 entries: 33 verified against an official page, 2 marked approximate because the agency publishes a cycle rather than a date.
Read this before you use any date here. Federal deadlines move, and agencies amend notices without announcing it. Treat every row as a pointer to the official page, not as a substitute for it. Click the source link and confirm the date on the agency's own notice before you plan a submission around it. If a date here is wrong, tell us and it gets corrected.
Two facts that cost first-time applicants more than any missed date
Registration takes weeks, not minutes
You cannot submit a federal application without an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account tied to it. The DOJ grant application guide tells applicants to start SAM.gov registration or renewal at least 30 days before the deadline, and warns that anyone starting fewer than 10 business days out "may not be able to complete the process in time" and will not get a late-submission waiver. The NEA puts it more bluntly: "Registration can take several weeks."
Sources: OJP Grant Application Resource Guide, NEA Grants for Arts Projects.
11:59 pm Eastern is a convention, not a rule
Each agency sets its own cutoff in its own notice. Most of the notices on this page say 11:59 pm Eastern, but Title X closes at 6:00 pm Eastern and USDA Rural Business Development Grants close at 4:30 pm local time at a state office rather than on Grants.gov. Read the time, not just the date, and leave at least two business days of buffer.
Sources: Title X notice, HHS ACF notice.
The calendar
Sorted by deadline, soonest first, with rolling and cycle-based programs last. Every row links to the page the date came from. Checked 2026-08-31.
| Program | Agency | Deadline or cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Economic Development Projects Community Development Corporations with 501(c)(3) status. $100,000 to $800,000, about 21 awards. | HHS, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services | Sep 8, 2026, 11:59 pm ET verified | Grants.gov 362237 source |
| Culturally Specific Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services Flat $200,000, about 25 awards. One of the better-sized awards on this list for a small organization. | HHS, ACF, Family Violence Prevention and Services | Sep 8, 2026, 11:59 pm ET verified | Grants.gov 362378 source |
| OVW Consolidated Grant Program (children, youth, engaging men) Nonprofit victim service providers. $350,000 to $500,000, about 30 awards. | DOJ, Office on Violence Against Women | Sep 8, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363199 source |
| Rural Housing Preservation Grant Rural housing repair nonprofits. About 100 awards expected, so the odds are unusually good. | USDA Rural Development | Sep 8, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363400 source |
| Specialized Services for Abused Parents and Their Children Nonprofit domestic violence service providers. $300,000 to $350,000, about 60 awards. | HHS, ACF, Family Violence Prevention and Services | Sep 8, 2026, 11:59 pm ET verified | Grants.gov 362404 source |
| Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Pilot Private nonprofits eligible as Section 5310 applicants or subrecipients. Transportation for older adults and people with disabilities. | DOT, Federal Transit Administration | Sep 9, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363122 source |
| OVW Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Victim service providers and state DV or SA coalitions. $450,000 to $750,000. | DOJ, Office on Violence Against Women | Sep 14, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363331 source |
| Diaper Distribution Demonstration Research Pilot Restricted eligibility: CSBG state associations, tribes and territories already CSBG-funded in FY25. Read the eligibility section before you start. | HHS, ACF, Office of Community Services | Sep 15, 2026, 11:59 pm ET verified | Grants.gov 363015 source |
| NEH Collaborative Research Research-oriented, up to $250,000. Realistic mainly for organizations with scholarly staff or partners. | National Endowment for the Humanities | Sep 16, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363084 source |
| NEH Scholarly Editions and Translations Up to $1,000,000. Multi-year scholarly editing projects, not general operating work. | National Endowment for the Humanities | Sep 16, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363014 source |
| Brownfields Job Training Grants, FY27 Workforce development nonprofits in communities affected by contaminated sites. Up to $300,000, about 20 awards. | Environmental Protection Agency | Sep 23, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363223 source |
| Second Chance Act Family-Based Substance Use Disorder Treatment Reentry and substance use treatment nonprofits. Up to $1,000,000. | DOJ, Bureau of Justice Assistance | Sep 24, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363638 source |
| OVW Training and Services to End Violence and Abuse Against Individuals with Disabilities Disability organizations partnering with victim services, or the reverse. Partnership is the point of the program. | DOJ, Office on Violence Against Women | Sep 25, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363568 source |
| OVC Housing Assistance for Victims of Human Trafficking Nonprofits with transitional housing capacity. Up to $1,200,000, about 17 awards. | DOJ, Office for Victims of Crime | Sep 28, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363654 source |
| OVC Integrated Services for Minor Victims of Human Trafficking Youth-serving nonprofits providing direct services to minors. | DOJ, Office for Victims of Crime | Sep 28, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363656 source |
| NEA Partnership Agreement Grants, FY2027 State arts agencies and regional arts organizations only. Listed here so you do not mistake it for the general arts grant, which is Grants for Arts Projects below. | National Endowment for the Arts | Sep 29, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 362676 source |
| OVC Preventing Trafficking of Girls Prevention-focused community organizations rather than direct victim services. | DOJ, Office for Victims of Crime | Sep 29, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363668 source |
| OVC Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Direct-service anti-trafficking nonprofits. Up to $950,000, about 27 awards. | DOJ, Office for Victims of Crime | Sep 29, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363669 source |
| Cold Chain Grants for Emergency Food Assistance Food banks, 501(c)(3) only. Large awards ($2M to $7.5M) but only 3 of them, so a long shot for a small organization. | USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service | Oct 1, 2026, 11:59 pm ET verified | Grants.gov 363631 source |
| Kevin and Avonte Program (locating missing individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities) Up to $150,000, one of the lowest ceilings here, which usually means a realistically sized application. | DOJ, Bureau of Justice Assistance | Oct 6, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363629 source |
| Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share, 2026 Urban greening nonprofits. $200,000 to $750,000 but only about 5 awards, so read the priorities closely before committing a week. | USDA Forest Service | Oct 12, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 361315 source |
| Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program Land trusts and community nonprofits acquiring forest land. Up to $600,000. | USDA Forest Service | Oct 13, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363348 source |
| AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Competition, FY2027 Nonprofits running volunteer programs for adults aged 55 and over. | AmeriCorps | Oct 20, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 363482 source |
| Exploring and Enhancing Outdoor and Heritage Tourism in the Chesapeake $10,000 to $50,000 with about 26 awards, which makes it the best-sized federal opportunity on this page for a one to three person organization. You must be a Chesapeake Gateways Network member in the watershed. | Interior, National Park Service | Nov 4, 2026, 11:59 pm ET verified | Grants.gov 363728 source |
| Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program, 2026 Food and agriculture nonprofits working across state lines. $250,000 to $1,000,000. | USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service | Dec 4, 2026, 11:59 pm ET verified | Grants.gov 361876 source |
| Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Community Forest and Open Space Great Lakes basin nonprofits. Up to $1,000,000, about 6 awards. | USDA Forest Service | Dec 8, 2026, 11:59 pm ET verified | Grants.gov 361418 source |
| NEH Public Humanities Projects Planning grants up to $75,000, implementation up to $750,000. The NEH page explicitly encourages small and mid-sized organizations. | National Endowment for the Humanities | Dec 9, 2026 verified | NEH program page source |
| NEH Collections Stewardship Small museums, archives and historical societies. $50,000 to $500,000, about 50 awards. | National Endowment for the Humanities | Dec 15, 2026 verified | Grants.gov 361480 source |
| Title X Family Planning Services Grants Open to any public or private nonprofit entity. Note the 6:00 pm cutoff: this one is not the usual 11:59 pm. | HHS, Office of Population Affairs | Jan 11, 2027, 6:00 pm ET verified | Grants.gov 361754 source |
| AmeriCorps State and National Competitive Grants, FY2027 Most applicants apply through their State Service Commission rather than direct to AmeriCorps. Check which route applies to you before building a timeline around this date. | AmeriCorps | Jan 13, 2027 verified | Grants.gov 363696 source |
| ROSS Rapid Response Program Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, plus resident associations. $112,500 to $250,000, about 20 awards. | HUD, Office of Public and Indian Housing | Jan 25, 2027 verified | Grants.gov 361206 source |
| EDA Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Nonprofits are eligible when acting in cooperation with a political subdivision, so this needs a local government partner from the start. | Commerce, Economic Development Administration | Rolling, no deadline. The notice states there are no submission deadlines and applications are accepted on an ongoing basis until a new notice is published verified | Grants.gov 346815 source |
| NEA Grants for Arts Projects The standard NEA route for arts nonprofits. Two-part process: Part 1 on Grants.gov, Part 2 in the NEA Applicant Portal about a week later. The February 2027 date is our expectation from the published pattern, not an announced date. | National Endowment for the Arts | Recurring cycle, Part 1 filed on Grants.gov in February and again in July. The two FY2027 dates were Feb 12, 2026 and Jul 9, 2026, both 11:59 pm ET. The next cycle is expected in February 2027 approximate | NEA program page source |
| Rural Business Development Grants Rural nonprofits doing small business technical assistance. No FY2026 or FY2027 notice was published at the time of checking; the FY2025 notice is the most recent. Watch the Federal Register in autumn. | USDA Rural Development | Typically late February, submitted to your state Rural Development office by 4:30 pm local time rather than through Grants.gov. The FY2025 deadline was Feb 28, 2025 approximate | Federal Register notice source |
| Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Afterschool nonprofits look for this on Grants.gov every year and do not find it. The ED page states awards are made to state education agencies, which then run statewide competitions. Go to your state education agency instead. | Department of Education | No federal deadline exists for nonprofits. Funds go to state education agencies by formula, and each state runs its own subgrant competition on its own calendar verified | ED program page source |
How to actually use a calendar like this
- Filter hard before you plan. Most federal programs on this list are wrong for most small nonprofits. Read the eligibility section of the notice first; it is usually the second thing in the document and it will save you a wasted week.
- Work backwards from the close date. Submission buffer of two business days, internal review three days before that, complete draft a week before that. If those dates are already in the past, this cycle is not yours and the next one is.
- Set up your own alerts rather than trusting any list. Grants.gov lets you save a search and email you when a matching opportunity posts. That is free, it is authoritative, and it beats every third-party calendar including this one.
- Do not chase federal money to fill a gap. Federal awards arrive slowly, carry heavy reporting, and often require an audit above a spending threshold. A $25,000 local foundation grant frequently costs a small organization less to win and less to keep.
Free sources worth more than this page
- Grants.gov search and saved-search email alerts: the authoritative listing of federal discretionary opportunities.
- SAM.gov: where the registration every federal applicant needs actually happens.
- Grantmakers.io: free private-foundation research from public 990 filings, including a grantee search that finds funders by looking at who funds organizations like yours.
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer and IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search: verify a funder's real giving range before you spend a week on the application.
- Your state's nonprofit association and your regional community foundation. State and local money is usually a better fit for a small organization than anything on this page, and neither is listed on Grants.gov.
See also our comparison of grant search tools, which lists what the paid databases cost in 2026 and which free option to try first.
Get told when this page is updated
We refresh the calendar as cycles turn over. One email when it happens, nothing else. No sharing, no selling, unsubscribe by replying.
Method, so you can judge the list
Rows came from two places: live records in the Grants.gov opportunity API, which carry the agency's own close date, and the agencies' own deadline pages for programs that repeat on a published annual cycle. Nothing was taken from another calendar, a blog post, or a vendor page. Where an agency publishes a cycle ("early January and early July") rather than a date, the row is marked approximate and says so. Where a program is administered by states rather than applied for federally, the row says that too, because applying to the wrong level is a common and expensive mistake.
Programs we looked for and could not source to an official page were left off rather than estimated. That is why this list is shorter than the ones that rank above it.