Environment Grants is sponsored by Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Supports non-profit organizations working to protect and preserve natural resources, promote sustainable energy solutions, and strengthen environmental policies.

Charles Stewart Mott Foundation | Inside Philanthropy OVERVIEW: The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation funds education, the environment, civil society, and the Flint, Michigan area. Grants are available to organizations in the U.S. for all funding areas, and internationally through its Civil Society and Environment programs. Mott’s education funding covers primary, secondary and higher education efforts.

Mott no longer accepts unsolicited LOIs or proposals as of 2025, so this funder will require a straightforward approach and networking. Mott mainly works with well-established nonprofits and NGOs in its areas of interest, some of which regrant to grassroots organizations. Mott is very transparent about its past and current grantmaking activities, and it maintains a comprehensive, searchable grants database going back two decades.

PROFILE: The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation was founded in 1926 by Charles Stewart Mott, an engineer, entrepreneur and early director of the General Motors Company. Headquartered in Flint, Michigan, the foundation has offices in Troy, Michigan; London, England; and Johannesburg, South Africa, and works globally to “promote a just, equitable and sustainable society.

” This foundation has five funding initiatives: Civil Society , Education , the Environment , and problem solving and community development for the greater Flint, Michigan area. Grants for Civic Engagement, Democracy and Nonprofits The Mott Foundation’s Civil Society program area works to “foster engaged, empowered and equitable communities throughout the world.

” Related grantmaking focuses on local organizations that work at the grassroots level in order to bolster inclusion and equality. This program area offers two subprograms related to civics and democracy: Protection of the Sector and Common Ground . Mott is a hands-on funder that appreciates working closely with “grantees to strengthen the space for civic engagement, enhance local philanthropy and increase access to justice.

” The foundation’s Protection of the Sector subprogram aims to “strengthen the philanthropic ecosystem and support civil society defenders. ” The overall approach of this program is to support “innovation, research and tools” that protect nonprofits and civil organizations as they respond to current challenges quickly and effectively.

Grantmaking supports regional and national work in the U.S. as well as organizations in other parts of thew world working to “defend and strengthen the civic space. ” The foundation emphasizes “challenging environments” and supports efforts for security, including digital security and new technologies for counterterrorism and other protections.

Mott’s Common Ground subprogram focuses on providing support to community foundations so that they can better “bridge divides and solve local issues together with their communities. ” This work is global in scope, and grants do not go to community foundation’s directly, in most cases.

Instead, the program provides support to “organizations that help community foundations build common ground by bringing diverse groups of people together to identify and address local problems. ” Global funding has focused on Africa and Latin America and support for “[c]apactiy development efforts of national-level organizations.

” The foundation recently supported the East Africa Community Foundation Initiative in Kenya and Connecting Communities in the Americas. Stateside, support “capacity building tools and measurement frameworks,” as well as “intermediaries” that support and convene community foundations as they develop capacity and “learn from one another.

” A recent grant supported a project at Indiana University on the history of community foundations in the U.S. Other grantees include Native Americans in Philanthropy and the Association of Black Foundation Executives. Grants for Criminal Justice Reform The foundation further supports civic work through its Access to Justice program, a subprogram of the Civil Society initiative.

This program works to “help people access knowledge and tools to understand, use and shape the law to protect their rights and improve their lives. ” Its main approach, however, focuses on research to inform policy that makes “justice systems more responsive to people’s needs.

” A significant portion of this work focuses on African nations, where the foundation supports grassroots justice services, efforts to “correct systemic injustices” and the coordination of “sustainable justice financing. ” Grants also support global efforts for “people-centered justice.

” Recent grantees include South Africa’s Social Change Assistance Trust and the Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education, which received funding for its Praxis Program–A Foundation Course for Emerging Leaders. Grants for Early Childhood, K-12 and Higher Education The Mott Foundation recently broadened a longstanding education initiative to encompass broader efforts for Youth Engagement .

This is a U.S.-focused program that works to “expand opportunities that equip young people to reach their full potential in school, work and life. ” Advancing Afterschool seeks to increase access to quality educational and extracurricular activities for students from low-income families or underserved communities.

This subprogram works in all 50 states to support policy, opportunity and professional development for afterschool educators. Youth Leadership is a newer initiative that works in Flint and elsewhere in the U.S. to provide learning experiences related to entrepreneurship. Another initiative supports efforts to increase investment in Children’s Savings Accounts nationwide.

Funding supports research on the effectiveness of CSAs and “effective programs that serve as models for how to design and implement” early savings programs.

Recent grants from the Youth Engagement focus area have supported national organizations like the Afterschool Alliance and the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Afterschool Education and Outreach Project, as well as some local organizations like Detroit’s Books Before Boxing and the Genesee Youth Entrepreneurship Network in Flint. Higher education currently is a smaller area of giving for Mott.

However, grants from its Flint Area program support local higher education and postsecondary credentialing programs via subprograms for Education from Birth Through College and Economic Development. Grantees include Mott Community College, Kettering University and Michigan State University. Grants for Community and Economic Development The Mott Foundation supports community and economic development for Flint, Michigan.

through its Flint Area program, which supports “efforts to connect people, ideas and resources to foster a vibrant and inclusive community ” in the foundation’s hometown. This program was restructured in 2025 to focus more earnestly on the community’s economic well-being. The focus area for Education from Birth through College works to increase the availability of quality learning opportunities at every level.

Specific areas of interest include policy related to early childhood education and care, the renovation of K-12 buildings, the integration of children’s services into public education and improving the quality of local higher and career education programs and schools.

Another focus area targets Housing and Blight Elimination through efforts to revitalize neighborhoods, improve the downtown area of Flint and support housing and commercial development in strategic areas. Grants for Economic Development focus on job creation and training with a focus on ” next­-generation industrial manufacturing sites.

” And the Child Poverty Solutions focus area targets “policy, advocacy and programs that aim to increase household income and assets. ” Funding has supported the RxKids program, which provides payments to mothers during pregnancy through a child’s first year, as well as research and policy work on other guaranteed income and cash assistance programs for people living in poverty.

In 2026, the foundation marked its centennial with the Youth Choice Awards , which asked kids in Flint to “compete for and help award 100 grants of $1,926 each” for their community. Flint grantees include the North Flint Reinvestment Corporation, the Flint Downtown Development Authority and Flint Community Schools, among others.

Grants for Environment, Clean Energy and Marine Conservation The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation conducts its Environment grantmaking through a lens of equitable economic development and sustainable communities. Its current focus areas target the accessibility of clean drinking water in the U.S., global clean energy transition and land rights for the people of the Amazon Basin.

Mott’s One Water initiative pursues a simple goal clean, affordable drinking water for all people in the U.S. In the Great Lakes region, the foundation supports leadership development, capacity building and policy development. The foundation also supports efforts to expand the One Water movement to other regions of the U.S. through networking, technical assistance, research and media to “build movement strength nationally.

” Finance for Sustainability is an area of longstanding interest for the foundation. The aim of this program is to accelerate clean energy transition through financial policies and large-scale sustainable practices. Mott’s climate finance work emphasizes “a just and equitable energy transition” that acknowledges “human rights, environmental protections and community priorities.

” Grants have supported the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Brazil’s SITAWI Finance for Good and Peru’s Derecho Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. A third focus area centers specifically on the Land, Water and People of the Amazon Basin .

While Indigenous land rights and stewardship are primary goals of this program, grants tend to support large intermediaries like the Brazilian Institute for Consumer Defense and the World Wildlife Fund, which received funding for a program addressing Renewable Energy Access for Sustainable Livelihoods and Conservation in the Amazon. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation made nearly $200 million in grants in a recent year.

Grants range from $10,000 to several million. Most grants fall in the $50,000 to $200,000 range. Grantmaking is global in scope, but most programs maintain specific geographic areas of focus.

See individual program pages for current information about areas of focus. Mott’s grantees tend to be large nonprofits and NGOs with strong reputations. The exception is the Flint area, where some smaller community groups receive support.

The foundation offers a searchable grants database with information on grants dating as far back as 1977. The Mott Foundation no longer accepts unsolicited LOIs or proposals. General inquiries may be made via the foundation’s contact page.

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