2026 Impact Grants
Request for Proposals: Round 3
Submission deadline: August 1st, 2026
Introduction:
The Neilom Foundation is a Maryland nonprofit dedicated to supporting diverse initiatives that harness the power of technology to educate, empower, and engage young people in their communities. With almost 100 years of education experience between our founding members, since 2013 we have awarded 300+ grants, directly impacting over 7,000+ participants and reaching nearly 55,000 people. Our mission is to create an active community of young people using technology to improve people’s lives, primarily throughout the state of Maryland.
In our third round of funding, we’re looking to make a larger impact on our commitment to Maryland’s nonprofit community by offering five $20,000 awards to organizations making a positive impact in their communities. Proposals will be accepted from June 1st to August 1st, 2026, with awards announced on September 1st, 2026. Funded Organizations will be required to provide a report to the Foundation as well as an onsite visit with our team.
Awards Process:
Each organization will submit a proposal via our online form and then our team will evaluate them. Upon evaluation, we will create a list of finalists where we will have an interview process with each one of the organizations to pitch us on their proposal. This provides the organization with the ability to give more context for their proposal and to wow the judges. Due to the size of the prize we will be expecting a higher level of detail when it comes to the proposal, budget, and reporting process.
Objective:
The objective of this request is to provide funding for projects at non-profit organizations that leverage technology to educate, empower, and engage young people in their communities. We aim to support initiatives that showcase young people using technology to drive positive change in the lives of others, while also recognizing projects using technology to directly benefit and support young people themselves. Our goal this round is to provide more support for a smaller group of non profits in order to make meaningful change in their community. In particular, we seek proposals that demonstrate a clear connection to our mission by highlighting innovative and unusual approaches.
Submission Guidelines:
In order to apply for this funding opportunity, you must be a Maryland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in good standing otherwise we will not accept your application.
To submit your proposal, simply click the link Here, where you’ll be prompted to fill out a form and provide the following:
Organization Overview (short answer questions, web form)
THESE ANSWERS MUST BE A COUPLE SENTENCES EACH, NO LONG PARAGRAPHS
Your organization’s name, address, website, tax-ID (EIN), point of contact and their position.
A brief description outlining your organization’s mission and goals.
A list of up to three (3) projects/programs your organization has implemented over the past five years and their impact. ONE SENTENCE EACH
Future goals (specific priorities you aim to achieve in the next 3-5 years).
Project Proposal (maximum 2 pages (plus budget), PDF format file upload)
Upload ONE PDF named YourOrganization_RFPAug1.pdf detailing your organization’s project budget and proposal which clearly explains:
How will your project either use technology to benefit young people or enable young people to drive change using technology (or both)?
What impact will this have on young people, the broader community, or both? Be specific.
What key resources (staff, organization partnerships, and/or technology) will support your success?
How will you measure if the project was successful or not?
If you were to receive additional funding, how would you scale your project?
Add an itemized DETAILED budget on how you would spend the funds for your proposed project (this does not count towards the 2 page maximum)
Additional Requirements
Provide Detailed project timeline, including milestones and key deliverables.
Outline your evaluation plan, including how you will collect data, assess progress, and measure success.
Describe your Theory of Change, explaining how your project will lead to a specific outcome.
Identify potential risks, challenges, or obstacles you may face during the project and propose strategies for mitigating these risks.
*****Any proposals without these details will not be considered*****
Evaluation Criteria:
Our evaluation team will review submissions based on the following criteria:
Eligibility: 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, Maryland focused
Alignment: The project proposal must align with The Neilom Foundation’s mission to support innovative use of technology to improve lives, demonstrating a clear understanding of our goals and objectives.
Youth & Technology Focus and Impact: Clear demonstration of using technology to benefit and support young people (e.g., skills-building, digital access, empowerment). Or enabling young people to create change using technology (e.g., youth-led innovation, civic tech, community impact)
Capability: Evidence that the organization has a sufficient staff with relevant expertise and experience and availability of necessary resources (financial, human, technological) to effectively carry out the project within the proposed budget
Quality: Completeness and focus of the proposal, demonstrating a clear understanding of the project’s goals, objectives, and methodology
Budget: The proposed project budget must:
Be realistic and achievable within the $20k prize amount
Align with the project’s goals and objectives, demonstrating a clear understanding of how funds will be utilized
Innovation: Unique approach or methodology related to the use of technology (e.g., new software development, innovative data analysis, creative storytelling)
Timeline:
The submission deadline is August 1st, 2026. We expect to notify awardees on September 1st, 2026.
For clarification or questions regarding this RFP, please contact our Director of Operations, Alexander Anand, at alex@neilom.org.
