Sunflower Grant

A responsive, unrestricted award for smaller Oregon partners, open every January and June

Cycle No.2 application window is now closed. 

Program At a Glance

Process At a Glance

FUNDING ELIGIBILITY

Operating expenses around $250,000 or less in most recent fiscal year
Operating expenses for a nonprofit include the costs of running the organization—such as staff salaries, rent, utilities, program-related expenses, and other day-to-day needs. For Sunflower grants, an organization must have reported operating expenses of approximately $250,000 or less in its most recently completed fiscal year. If your organization's budget is close to—but slightly exceeds—the $250,000 threshold, you are welcome to choose the grant program (Sunflower or Rose) that feels like the best fit. If you need more guidance on which program to choose, you are welcome to contact us here or attend a Sunflower Info Session starting June 2026.

Independent 501(c)(3) public charity in Oregon
Though we value our Washington State partners, the Sunflower Grant is only available to Oregon applicants at this time. Furthermore, applicants must be an independent 501(c)(3) to apply. Organizations who are fiscally sponsored, or those operating under the purview of a larger public charity, are not eligible to pursue a Sunflower Grant.

Active 501(c)(3) for one (or more) completed fiscal year(s)
Eligible applicants must have financial statements that capture a full and complete fiscal year as a 501(c)(3). A Statement of Activities (Profit and Loss) for your last completed fiscal year is required at the time of application.

Direct service provider
The Sunflower Grant aims to support organizations whose hands-on efforts directly support specific communities or populations. Organizations who act as conveners, networks, research agencies, or support pass-through funding are not eligible to pursue a Sunflower Grant.

Has functional and informative online presence (website) 
With this grant program, much of what we learn or affirm about an organization is found via online research. While we prefer applicants to have a clear and informative website, we accept other online mediums that are comparably informative and purposeful.

Meets all of our regular funding criteria and terms
Applicants must affirm their commitment to non-discrimination and agree to our terms of funding; these terms can be reviewed here. 

THE APPLICATION

We ask that applicants submit the following information and documentation when applying for a Sunflower Grant:

Organizational Overview:

  • Oregon Focus: How much of your work occurs in Oregon? 

  • Service Area: How would you describe the primary communities or regions your organization serves? Options include primarily rural communities, primarily urban communities, an equal combination of both, etc.

  • Individuals Served: How many individuals did your organization directly serve in the last fiscal year?

Documentation & Financials

  • Operating Expenses: Enter your total operating expenses from your last completed fiscal year.

  • Operating Revenues: Enter your total operating revenues from your last completed fiscal year.

  • Statement of Activities: Upload your most recently completed fiscal year’s Statement of Activities*.

    *If the fiscal year of your Statement of Activities ended more than 11 months ago, you are required to submit a Balance Sheet dated April 2026 or later. Additionally, if your organization reported a deficit in your Statement of Activities, we would encourage you to submit a Balance Sheet.

  • IRS Determination Letter (optional)

  • Additional Context (2,000-character count allowance): This optional field is intended to provide space for organizations who noted any financial challenges or public perception concerns above. Please use this space to share more about your circumstances. We recognize that context matters, and additional information helps us make more informed, equitable decisions.

Impact & Equity

  • Impact (1,000-character count allowance): Please describe the impact of your programs and services using relevant data, demographics, and/or figures collected. If this information is collected, please list approximate numbers of people served by your organization.

  • Equity (1,000-character count allowance): How does your organization address the needs of underrepresented groups and ensure equitable access and treatment throughout their experience with your organization? Share how this is reflected in your programs and operations.

Grant Term

  • Preferred Years of Funding: Please select how many years of funding (annual installments) you would prefer to receive, if awarded.

Common Questions

  • If you have an active grant in a Primary Program (Sunflower, Rose, or Daffodil), you are not eligible to apply until that grant term is complete and your grant report has been submitted. If you have an active grant in a Secondary Program (Washington, Capital, or Zinnia), and are eligible for a Sunflower grant, you may apply. Please see our Grant Programs Overview page for more information.

  • This grant is designed for general operating support only. It is not intended to support capital campaigns, specific programs, or special initiatives.

  • The Sunflower grant is our least competitive application process; however, we have seen a rise in applications in 2025, which has lowered our award rate to approximately 50–55%.

    Grant amounts are determined by how closely an organization aligns with our funding priorities:

    • Organizations with strong alignment typically receive larger awards.

    • Those with moderate alignment receive mid-sized awards.

    • Organizations doing meaningful work but with less alignment may still receive smaller awards.

    • In rare cases, organizations with exceptional alignment may be considered for our largest Sunflower awards.

    Applicants who are not selected for funding are typically asked to wait one year before reapplying, which usually means sitting out for one full application cycle before submitting again.

  • We do not ask applicants to request an award amount in this application; award amounts are calculated through our evaluation process.

  • We hope to issue funding decisions within 10 weeks of application closure.

  • This program is designed for organizations with operating expenses around $250,000 or less. We want to ensure that this program is sustainable for its design, such that it remain marginally competitive and with sufficient funds readily available. However, should your organization be slightly above this threshold, we would highly encourage you to reach out to our team at grants@marielamfrom.org so we can better direct the appropriate grant program for your organization.

Do you have more questions about the Sunflower Grant? Please contact us here or call us at (503)877-3943 to speak with one of our team members.