Free funder guide · Arkansas · Last checked 16 October 2026
Which Arkansas environmental funders actually accept applications
Most private foundations in Arkansas have already told the IRS they won't read your proposal. This page explains how to spot them, and lists 12 secular funders of environmental and conservation work in Arkansas that do take applications, with what they fund, what they have given, and when they next open.
Of the 66 open Arkansas foundations, 24 made an environmental grant in their latest filing, and all but one of those also gave to a church, a faith-based school, the Salvation Army or another religious group; the one that did not made a single $700 gift. So no Arkansas private foundation is on this list. The one private foundation here is a national wildlife funder.
From my own read of IRS filings, September 2026
In Arkansas, 117 of the 183 private foundations with $1 million or more in assets tick the box on their tax return saying they don't accept unsolicited requests. That is 64%.
That leaves 66 larger Arkansas foundations that say they will read an application. It is a lower share of closed doors than in Virginia (71%, 586 of 820) and Missouri (76%, 1,178 of 1,559), counted the same way.
How I counted: every private non-operating foundation with an Arkansas address on the IRS Exempt Organizations Master File (September 2026 release) reporting assets of $1 million or more, checked against its most recent e-filed Form 990-PF (mostly tax years 2024 and 2025). Operating foundations, which mostly run their own programs, are left out, as they were for Virginia and Missouri. Counting them too gives 67% (133 of 199).
What the checkbox means
One small box on the tax return tells you whether to bother.
Every private foundation files Form 990-PF with the IRS each year. Part XIV, line 2 of that return has a checkbox. A foundation that ticks it is telling the IRS, in writing, that it chooses its grantees itself. A proposal sent to it is usually wasted work.
"Check here if the foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."Form 990-PF, Part XIV, line 2
A foundation that leaves the box empty has to fill in lines 2a to 2d instead: who receives applications, what form they should take, any deadlines, and any limits on who or what it funds. For many small family foundations, those four lines are the only published guidelines they have.
The box does not tell you whether a foundation funds your kind of work. For that, read line 3a, the list of grants it actually paid. Check both before you write a letter of inquiry. Any foundation's return can be read free on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
12 funders
Open to applications, and funding environmental work in Arkansas.
Every funder below is secular, says it accepts applications (on its website or its tax return), and has paid grants to environmental or conservation groups in its most recent filing. Government programs are the exception: they file no tax return. Community foundations are listed by the program that fits environmental groups. Grant examples come from each funder's latest IRS filing unless the funder's own site is named.
Verified date on the funder's own site on 16 Oct 2026Expected based on last cycle; next not yet postedCheck site next date not posted; open their page
Statewide and regional public grantmakers
01
Arkansas Department of Agriculture: Nonpoint Source (Section 319) Grants
Little Rock · priority watersheds statewide
Federal Clean Water Act money for projects that reduce polluted runoff in the state's priority watersheds: on-the-ground practices, restoration, monitoring and education. State and local agencies, nonprofits and academic institutions can apply; federal agencies cannot.
Typical grant
A 40% non-federal match (cash or in-kind) is required (its site). Nonprofit awards announced June 18, 2026: Beaver Watershed Alliance $350,622, The Nature Conservancy $321,049, Watershed Conservation Resource Center $298,500, Illinois River Watershed Partnership $222,593, Saline Watershed Alliance $196,550, Friends of Fourche Creek $44,700.
Next deadline
Once a year: the program issues its request for proposals in July or August. Fiscal 2027 pre-proposals were due by August 31, 2026, and that round has closed. Next about July to August 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Pre-proposal form first, following the year's request for proposals and eligibility requirements on the program page.
Arkansas Department of Transportation: Recreational Trails Program
Little Rock · statewide
Federal money for building and maintaining motorized and non-motorized recreational trails. 501(c)(3) nonprofits are eligible applicants, along with public agencies.
Typical grant
80 percent federal share on a reimbursement basis, with a 20 percent non-federal match; the maximum per project is set at the start of each cycle (its site).
Next deadline
The 2026 cycle closed April 30, 2026. The 2027 window is not posted yet; expect early 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Application to ARDOT's Local Programs division during the open cycle, following the instructions on its program page.
Small reimbursement grants for community projects in beautification, litter prevention, recycling and waste reduction, environmental education and eco-restoration, including trash booms that stop litter in waterways. Nonprofits, schools, local governments, civic groups and businesses can apply.
Typical grant
Up to $2,500 each; up to eight grants per cycle and 16 a year (its site).
Next deadline
Twice a year, January 1 to February 15 and August 3 to September 12. The summer 2026 cycle has closed. Next: January 1 to February 15, 2027 Verified.
Pays for qualified conservation nonprofits, local governments and tribes to buy private forest land outright and keep it as a community forest with public access. Conservation easements are not eligible.
Typical grant
Up to $600,000, covering at most 50% of project costs with a 50% non-federal match (its site).
Next deadline
Fiscal 2026 round: applications were due to state foresters by October 13, 2026, and that round has closed. The next round is not posted yet Check site.
How to apply
Notice of funding opportunity on Grants.gov; the application goes to your state forester.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Restoration Fund
Washington, DC · the Delta of eastern Arkansas and six other states
Restoring bottomland hardwood forests, wetlands and the rivers and streams that run through them in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, on private land and refuges. Nonprofits, agencies, local governments, tribes and schools can apply.
Typical grant
$150,000 to $750,000, with a 1:1 non-federal match expected (2026 request for proposals). Arkansas grant in its 2026 slate: National Wild Turkey Federation $186,700 (a forester for wetland easements in Arkansas).
Next deadline
One cycle a year. The 2026 full proposals were due April 23, 2026; the 2027 request is not posted yet. About April 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Full proposal in NFWF's Easygrants system; groups that cannot meet the match are asked to contact NFWF first.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration
Washington, DC · Arkansas priority: Little Rock
Community partnerships that restore wetlands, streams and riparian habitat, build nature-based stormwater projects and involve local residents in the work. Each project needs several local partners. Little Rock is Arkansas's priority area in the 2026 request for proposals.
Typical grant
$30,000 to $150,000, 30 to 40 grants a year, with at least a 1:0.75 match to be competitive (2026 request for proposals).
Next deadline
About June 2027 Expected. The 2026 full proposals were due June 4, 2026; the 2027 request is not posted yet.
National Forest Foundation: Matching Awards Program
Missoula, MT · national forests, including the Ozark-St. Francis and Ouachita
Stewardship and community engagement projects on national forests and grasslands, or adjacent public land that benefits them: trail and restoration work, youth and volunteer crews, watershed and habitat projects. Nonprofits, tribes and universities are eligible.
Typical grant
Requires a 1:1 non-federal cash or in-kind match (its site). Its latest filing shows no Arkansas grantee.
Next deadline
Twice a year. The second 2026 round ran May 27 to July 9, 2026 and has closed; dates for the next round are not posted yet Check site.
How to apply
Online application during an open window, following the round's request for proposals.
Small grants for hands-on environmental and outdoor education anywhere in Arkansas, led by classroom teachers or non-formal educators. Schools, government agencies and 501(c)(3) nonprofits are eligible.
Typical grant
Up to $500; funds must be spent in the calendar year of the award (its site).
Next deadline
Applications opened September 14, 2026 and are due October 23, 2026 Verified. Awards are announced by December 4, 2026, with funds paid in January 2027.
Ozark and Ouachita regions, plus northwest Louisiana
Grants to nonprofits and schools for conservation and environmental projects that get K-12 students doing hands-on work with an educational part. Preference goes to conservation value, youth engagement, community need and projects the students design.
Typical grant
$500 to $2,500; projects should finish within a year (its site).
Next deadline
Once a year, October 1 to November 30. The 2026 window is open now and closes November 30, 2026 Verified.
How to apply
Youth grant application linked from the program page; a report is due when the project ends.
The Conservation Alliance: Member Collective Grants
North America, including Arkansas
Outdoor-industry companies pool money for grassroots groups working on long-term protection of land and water, landscape-scale restoration, and management planning for protected places. It says it is unlikely to fund general stewardship, outdoor or environmental education, research or events.
Typical grant
Invited applications of up to $50,000 (its site). Its awards lean heavily toward the western states, and I found no Arkansas project among its 2026 awards.
Next deadline
Once a year. The 2026 inquiry window ran March 2 to April 10, 2026, with invited applications April 27 to May 15. Next inquiry window about March 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Submit the inquiry form during the open call; the grant director contacts eligible groups and invites some to apply through the online portal. Member companies then vote.
Each of the foundation's local affiliates makes yearly competitive grants from its Giving Tree endowment, decided by a committee of local leaders. Any 501(c)(3) public charity, school or agency serving an affiliate's counties can apply. No affiliate names the environment as a focus, but most take any local charitable purpose.
Typical grant
Average grants by affiliate in the fall 2026 cycle ran from $250 to $8,000 (for example Hot Springs Area $500 to $8,000, Fayetteville Area $1,000 to $4,000) (its site).
Next deadline
Two application periods a year, January 10 to February 15 and July 10 to August 15; not every affiliate takes proposals in both. The summer 2026 period has closed. Next: about January 10 to February 15, 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Check which affiliates are accepting proposals for the cycle, then apply online to the affiliate serving your county.
Funds two things: guide and assistance dogs, and conservation of wildlife and habitat. It prefers direct conservation and science-based projects, gives priority to threatened and endangered species, and does not fund groups whose main work is advocacy or litigation.
Typical grant
Its 2025 filing shows 31 grants totaling $1,486,807, most for nature conservation. None went to Arkansas; the nearest was George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, $13,000.
Next deadline
The 2026 cycle closed July 1, 2026 (portal opened April 1; first-time or lapsed applicants had to send an initial inquiry by June 1). The 2027 cycle should follow the same pattern Expected.
How to apply
Online only, through its SmApply portal. Groups not funded in the past three years start with an initial inquiry.
It is not exhaustive and it is not a ranking. Deadlines and guidelines change, so open each funder's own page before you start. Grants are competitive, and past grant sizes describe what a funder gave, not what it will give you. I list secular funders only.
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