With the launch of our refined strategy, our grantmaking approach is shifting to deliver on our vision.
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Efforts We Support Starting in 2026, Nellie Mae will offer the following grant categories:
Sponsorships:
Supporting organizations and communities with one-time event support that closely align with our mission, vision, and values is an important part of our strategy. Over the last several years, the number of sponsorship requests the Foundation received has increased exponentially, requiring us to assess, clarify, and tighten our criteria, eligibility, and selection process. Please carefully review the Criteria and Eligibility sections of the Event Sponsorship Guidelines before submitting a request. Applicants can apply for an Event Sponsorship up to $5,000. Deadlines for applying: March 26; June 25; September 10; and November 5 2026
Strengthening State Coalitions for Public Education in New England:
Much of what shapes a young person’s education is decided outside the classroom. State budgets, funding formulas, statutes, and agency guidance set the conditions that districts and schools work within. Those conditions rarely change because one organization asks. They change when organizations that trust each other, acting as a coalition, push in the same direction over time, and when the people working inside the state government have the capacity and the support to act.