What We Fund
We support Rural Education, Rural Human/Social Services, Rural Conservation and Preservation, Rural Health, and Rural Arts and Humanities projects. Read our Overall Guidelines.
Appalachian Kentucky Grant Program
In the Appalachian Kentucky Grant Program, The Steele-Reese Foundation is limiting its 2025 grant-making to:
- Elementary and secondary education
- Early childhood education programs,
- Nonprofit organizations providing social services that reduce barriers to learning for Pre-K - Grade 12 students in Appalachian Kentucky and
- Public libraries providing programs for children from early childhood through high school.
Steele-Reese continues its commitment to supporting teachers and administrators who are dedicated to improving educational attainment in Kentucky’s Appalachian mountain communities.
Where We Fund
The service area for the Appalachian Kentucky Grant Program is confined to the Appalachian counties designated by the federal Appalachian Regional Commission. For a current list, please consult www.arc.gov/counties. For other information regarding the Appalachian program, please contact Judy Owens.
The Steele-Reese Foundation has one grant cycle each year. All requests for support must be submitted online via our grant portal. To establish an account or to access an existing account, click here. Please have contact information, an email address, and your organization’s federal tax ID number available when you register.
Please be careful to select the proper application form. The Appalachian Kentucky Grant Program uses two forms: one for public schools and another for all other nonprofit organizations. Applications submitted on an incorrect form may be disqualified.
For Kentucky applicants, the online application form must be submitted no later than March 2, 2026, by 11:59 pm Eastern Time. The checklist in Related Resources may help you prepare your proposal.
The Trustees will notify organizations of their decisions no later than August 1, 2026.
Please contact Appalachian Director Judy Owens if you have any questions.
Idaho and Montana Grant Program
In its Idaho and Montana Grant Program, the Foundation supports work in the following program areas that affect people in rural or tribal areas in Idaho, Montana, and in the Native nations that share this geography. In each of these program and geographic areas, we support work by Native-led and other nonprofit organizations for Projects in Indian Country.
- Rural Education
- Rural Health
- Rural Human and Social Services
- Rural Arts and Humanities, and
- Rural Conservation or Preservation.
Applications from organizations operating outside of these regional or program areas are not eligible for funding consideration. For information about the Appalachian Kentucky Grant Program or the Idaho and Montana Grant Program, click on the links on the right side of this page.
Overall Guidelines
The Foundation’s overall guidelines and grant policies relate to each of our program areas.