Grant Opportunities: Prompt Response, STEAM Fellowship, and MoreFlexible funding for Arlington nonprofits responding to urgent community needs
Meeting the Moment is Arlington Community Foundation’s responsive grantmaking initiative designed to help local nonprofits navigate a rapidly shifting landscape. As rising costs, growing demand, and uncertainty in policy and funding continue to affect our community, Meeting the Moment provides support that helps trusted organizations stay strong, adapt, and continue serving Arlington residents.
In its inaugural grant round during early 2026, Meeting the Moment received over 50 applications and awarded 16 general operating grants of $25,000 each to human service nonprofits working to prevent displacement and advance economic mobility for Arlington residents:
These organizations are providing food, housing support, medical care, education, employment services, advocacy, equitable access, and other vital support that helps Arlington residents build stability and opportunity. We are grateful for their work, and for every organization that applied during the inaugural round and shared how they are meeting this moment in our community.
Meeting the Moment is Arlington Community Foundation’s first major open grantmaking round since 2020. Our goal is to offer this level of grantmaking on a regular basis, while continuing to learn from local nonprofits so we can shape more responsive and targeted grant opportunities.
In fact, this spring, we expect to launch a grant round focused on project support for nonprofit capacity building.
For nonprofits interested in future opportunities, Meeting the Moment reflects Arlington Community Foundation’s continued commitment to supporting organizations that serve Arlington residents with care, flexibility, and trust. Click here to sign up for nonprofit news, updates, and future grant announcements.
Meeting the Moment is also an opportunity for donors to invest in the strength and resilience of Arlington’s nonprofit community.
By supporting the Meeting the Moment Fund, you can help Arlington Community Foundation respond to urgent needs, back trusted nonprofit leaders, and expand future funding opportunities for organizations serving our neighbors.
If you would like to learn more about Meeting the Moment, future opportunities, or how you can support this work, please contact Christy Cole, Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer, at ccole@arlcf.org.
Arlington Community Foundation is now accepting grant requests up to $2,500 from our Prompt Response Fund. Grants may be awarded to support a time-sensitive, unanticipated opportunity or need that would be difficult for an organization to address without a prompt response grant. Eligible grantees are 501(c)(3) or publicly supported organizations serving Arlington residents. Prompt response grants are not meant to support political or religious activities. Neither are they meant to be awarded for general operating support or to start new programs. Any grant amounts awarded should be committed or expended expeditiously and, at the latest, within 3 months of the date of the award.
Program priorities
Prompt Response Fund grant requests will only be considered by the Foundation if it is determined that:
Example of an emergency request: To help get the office back into safe operational use after a ceiling tile fell.
Example of a last dollar request: To help 10 students participate in an upcoming school event that they would otherwise have to miss without this funding.
Eligibility
Requests may be submitted at any time by nonprofit 501(c)3 agencies serving Arlington County residents.
Generally, Prompt Response Fund grants are NOT awarded:
Examples of approved Prompt Response requests:
To make a donation to the Prompt Response Fund, click here.
The Summer 2026 STEAM Fellowship application is now OPEN! Keep reading to learn more, and click here or the button below to apply by April 7, 2026 (new users are required to create an account at the link before applying).
Fellowship Goals: The goals of the Arlington Community Foundation (ACF) STEAM Fellowship are to provide Arlington Public School (APS) teachers with opportunities to learn about workplace needs in STEAM-related fields, to use the experience to share findings with colleagues, to enhance student learning, and to help prepare students for future workplace expectations.
Eligibility: High school, middle school and elementary school teachers and other educators in APS with at least two years of classroom teaching experience in APS by June 30, 2026, and who intend to stay with APS for at least two years beyond the fellowship. New STEAM Fellow applicants will be prioritized over prior ACF STEAM fellows. All applicants must submit two letters of recommendation – one from their current principal and one from a professional colleague. There are instructions on how to submit the letters of recommendation in the application below.
Fellowship Placements: A program goal is to offer experiences that are mutually beneficial to fellows and the placement host. The ACF Workforce Development Committee will work closely with award recipients to help identify placements in business, government, or nonprofit sectors. We also anticipate that teachers applying for the fellowships will know of STEAM-related businesses and fields in which they would like to have a fellowship experience. We encourage teachers to work independently to create their own placements to submit to the ACF Workforce Development Committee for final approval. Three-week placements may be subdivided among multiple hosts for a minimum of one week each.
Term: Three-week summer fellowship or up to 120 hours. Schedules may vary. Fellowship dates are flexible and will be determined by the STEAM Fellow and their fellowship placement.
Requirements: 1) Collaboration with ACF’s Workforce Development Committee in identifying a fellowship placement. 2) Completion of the 3 week/120-hour fellowship. 3) An oral briefing and written report to ACF in Fall 2026 on how your summer experience will enhance student learning and reflect the workplace expectations of a selected field or career path. 4) A plan for how you will share your learning with colleagues in the 2026-27 school year.
Arts Requirement: If you plan to pursue a fellowship in the arts, you must demonstrate how you will build connections between the arts and science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.
Stipend and Other Benefits: $5,000. Teachers who successfully complete their fellowship will be eligible to earn 90 points toward recertification as an Educational Project.
Need some inspiration? Meet previous STEAM Fellows
2023 STEAM Fellowship: Making the plaques for Arlington “Stumbling Stones”. Read on WTOP News.
2022 STEAM (Formerly STEM) Fellows: A 6 minute video where 3 Fellows share their experiences. Watch on YouTube.
For additional information about Arlington Community Foundation’s grants, contact Brian Marroquín., Director of Grants and Initiatives.
Whether you’re a business executive thinking about corporate giving or a nature lover who wants to protect our parks, we’d love to hear from you.
