The Donor Alliance Foundation: 2025-2026 Request for Proposals & Grant Priorities

Grant Application Deadline:

5:00 p.m. MDT on Monday, August 4, 2025

The Donor Alliance Foundation (The Foundation) was created to extend the mission of organ and tissue donation and transplantation by building partnerships and breaking down barriers to influence change to positively affect the donation and transplant community. The Foundation believes that organ and tissue donation and transplantation are human gifts that save lives and that all those affected by donation deserve to be acknowledged, supported, and given access to resources that enable the gift of life.

2025-2026 Criteria Overview
The Foundation funds efforts in Colorado and Wyoming that provide access to resources and education for those affected by organ and tissue donation and transplantation. We also support living donors and their families. To achieve this, we provide funding in three key areas: Education, Family Assistance, and Research (both social and scientific).

The Donor Alliance Foundation celebrates seven years of grantmaking, with a focus on community impact. By addressing system barriers that prohibit people from receiving an organ and/or tissue transplant, we provide equitable and equal access to donation and transplantation resources through funding in three program areas: education, family assistance, and research.

The Foundation’s annual allocation for its eighth cycle has been set at $225,000 for grants in the 2025-2026 cycle—an increase of $25,000 from previous years.

So, what does it take to apply? We want to understand how your project will meet the needs of vulnerable populations. Are you considering inclusive practices in the scope of your project? The Foundation’s goal is for everyone in Colorado and Wyoming to have equal and equitable access to donation and transplantation resources that enable the gift of life.

To do this, we plan to:

• Provide access to donation and transplantation resources for underinsured, vulnerable, and socio-economically disadvantaged populations and those living in rural areas of Colorado and Wyoming who are eligible for transplant or already on the transplant list
• Further seeking projects that consider inclusive practices and can demonstrate them in their programming
• Look for applicants who are or plan to provide education or assistance to reach their audiences in new and innovative ways
• Remain nimble regarding changes or shifts needed to accomplish grantee goals or priorities
• Continued focus on organ research and projects related to gathering data to provide better outcomes for transplant patients, long-term

Qualifying organizations can apply to receive funding to:

• Provide family assistance to patients waiting for a transplant or who are post-transplant and their families, as well as living donors
• Assist service providers with transportation, food, housing, gas, and other related expenses for families in need pre-, post-, and during-transplant
• Provide grief assistance and compassionate support for donor families
• Offer new and innovative approaches to education about donation and transplantation through hospitals, governmental agencies, foundations, and related nonprofit community health-serving organizations, given reduced social interaction
• Conduct social and scientific research to further the donation and transplantation field

We will consider applications from partners in the following categories:

• Nonprofit hospitals (or their foundations) and/or transplant centers; or nonprofit foundations at for-profit hospitals
• Nonprofit community health-serving organizations
• Nonprofit organizations providing services to support donation and transplantation (e.g., grief centers, Ronald McDonald Houses) Nonprofit academic institutions providing clinical training via scholarships (e.g., nursing, medical, or transplant technicians)
• Governmental agencies (emphasis on regional/rural public health departments)
• Foundations
• Nonprofit Associations (transplant or medical-related)
• Nonprofit regional chambers of commerce (funding transplant-related programs)

We will fund:

• Efforts to meet the needs of patients pre- and post-transplant who have a financial need with limited or no access to funds
• Projects that provide equal and equitable access to donation and transplantation resources that enable the gift of life
• New and innovative education approaches about donation and transplantation to reach audiences in populations who may not be aware of their options, given reduced social interaction
• Programs and services that offer grief assistance and compassionate support in Colorado and Wyoming
• Efforts to increase living donation
• Medical and social research related to transplantation that provides an opportunity to conduct pilot studies or early exploration (e.g., seed grants)

We will not fund:

• For-profit companies or businesses
• Individuals
• Advocacy or lobbying work
• Sponsorships
• Scholarships
• Capital projects
• Other transplant-related causes (e.g., bone marrow, stem cell)
• Projects outside our service area

Grantmaking Criteria

The project must align with our mission.
Does this work build partnerships, break down barriers, and positively affect the donation and transplant community?
Does it influence change?

The project must make a difference in Colorado and/or Wyoming.
Does it benefit our service area and the surrounding community?
Does it demonstrate a positive impact?
Can you show measurable results in the population served?

The project provides services to the most vulnerable people in Colorado and/or Wyoming.
Does it serve the underinsured or fill an insurance gap?
Does it consider inclusive practices in equitable ways?
Help fund services for people trying to get listed for transplant, who are experiencing financial hardship.

The project must be achievable and sustainable.
Are you able to complete this work in 12 months?
Can you demonstrate a plan for lasting impact beyond 12 months?
Can the project be completed within the proposed budget?

The project must demonstrate measurable outcomes.
Are you able to track and monitor progress and report outcomes?
You must provide mid-grant and year-end reports to show how you have met your goals.

We will only consider applications from nonprofit, academic, and governmental organizations. Individuals, including Donor Alliance employees, are not eligible to apply.

Research Grants
All applicants seeking a research grant (social or scientific) must follow a few additional steps to ensure the project is documented correctly, as per Donor Alliance policy. All research applications will be asked to disclose their lead investigator or central point of contact and have an initial brief conversation with Donor Alliance’s Director of Performance Excellence after the application is submitted and before it is approved. This additional step will help improve the time from approval to issuing funds.

Additionally, applicants should be prepared to provide a research synopsis and other relevant documentation for review when submitting their application, to ensure the project is properly documented and evaluated in accordance with Donor Alliance policy. Any published papers will be expected to list The Donor Alliance Foundation as a funding partner.

Eligibility and Application Information

Timeline
The grant cycle occurs annually on a calendar year basis. The application window will be open for nine weeks beginning at 9:00 a.m. MDT on Monday, June 2, 2025. Once the cycle closes at 5:00 p.m. MDT on Monday, August 4, 2025, the review period will occur from August 5 through September. If a site visit is requested, it will happen virtually or in person in October. A vote on final grantees will take place on November 18, 2025, and applicants will be notified of their application status (regardless of funding) later that week. All funds will be made available by December 31, 2025, once the grant agreement has been signed and submitted to The Donor Alliance Foundation. The official timing of the grant, as noted in the grant agreement, will be from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026.

Deadline
All applications must be received through The Donor Alliance Foundation’s online grant submission portal by 5 p.m. MDT on Monday, August 4, 2025. Late or incomplete proposals may not be considered. Again, applicants will be notified of their application status in the days following the vote on November 18.

Funds Available and Grant Period
The Donor Alliance Foundation anticipates making grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. We look favorably on applications that demonstrate the ability to provide equal and equitable access to donation and transplantation resources, enabling the gift of life.

The Donor Alliance Foundation makes one-year grants; funds must be expended from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026. Due to limited funds, it is anticipated that not all applicants will receive funding.

Additionally, Family Assistance grants may be expected to provide a match from their institution, of some value (monetary or in-kind).

Eligibility Requirements
The Donor Alliance Foundation accepts proposals from community health-serving organizations, nonprofit hospitals, academic institutions, governmental agencies, foundations, and associations supporting donation and transplantation efforts.

Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt classification from the Internal Revenue Service; be a tax-supported institution such as a hospital, government, or nonprofit organization; or have a formal fiscal sponsorship arrangement with a tax-exempt organization. Organizations must be located in and serve Donor Alliance’s designated service area of Colorado
and/or Wyoming.

Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt classification from the Internal Revenue Service; be a tax-supported institution such as a hospital, government, or nonprofit organization; or have a formal fiscal sponsorship arrangement with a tax-exempt organization. Organizations must be located in and serve Donor Alliance’s designated service area of Colorado
and/or Wyoming.

Submission Limit! Organizations with grant requests from other foundations may apply for this grant opportunity. Organizations may submit only one application in each program area, up to a maximum of three. The only exception is for Research submissions. Up to three departments can submit research grant requests, each led by a different project director. In cases where two or more organizations are partnering on a program or project, one organization should submit a single proposal on behalf of the partnership.

We continue to offer a two-year funding opportunity for Research projects. Organizations submitting research proposals must submit a scope of work, timeline, and budget. Research grants can take time to complete, so allowing two years for projects will be an option this year, provided a well-outlined plan is in place. One-year research projects will also be accepted, provided the details are provided.

For Education and Family Assistance projects, The Foundation will only offer a one-year grant opportunity. We do not currently fund multi-year grants in these two categories. If you have received funding for over a year for a project, you will be asked to discuss how year-to-year funding has impacted your project, specifically, how you have moved the needle with your project to meet/exceed goals year after year.

Indirect costs, such as key and other essential personnel, equipment and supplies, publications and miscellaneous fees, contract services, and travel expenses, cannot exceed 10 percent of total funding (this includes Dean’s tax). These are defined as administrative costs.

Questions
If you have questions about The Donor Alliance Foundation’s funding priorities, the online grant application, or anything else at any time throughout the process, please get in touch with Executive Director Jennifer Moe at jmoe@donoralliancefoundation.org or 303-503-8795 (mobile).

Completing Your Application

Applications must be submitted through The Donor Alliance Foundation’s online grant portal. You can access the portal beginning Monday, June 2, at 9:00 a.m. MDT. As a new applicant, you must create a custom log-in and account to complete, view, and submit your grant application. Returning applicants may use their login credentials from past cycles. Only applications submitted through The Donor Alliance Foundation’s online grants portal will be considered.

After Submitting Your Application
Once you have submitted your grant application online, you will receive an email confirming acceptance. You may also receive updates as your application moves through the multi-step review process. If you wish to access your application at any time or apply for another grant (within the open period), log in to your account. You may not edit your application once submitted.