Sustainers are the backbone—the steady hands who keep systems running, resources flowing, and communities thriving long after the initial excitement fades. Your role is critical: without maintenance and operational funding, even the best-built projects fail. Here's your framework for securing ongoing support.

Grant Categories for Sustainers

1. General Operating Support Grants

Unrestricted funding for day-to-day operations—the hardest to find but most valuable.

• Ford Foundation (USA/Global) – fordfoundation.org – General operating support for social change orgs

• MacArthur Foundation (USA/Global) – macfound.org – Flexible funding for established organizations

• Hewlett Foundation (USA) – hewlett.org – Multi-year general operating grants

2. Capacity Building & Organizational Strengthening

• Nonprofit Finance Fund (USA) – nff.org – Financial sustainability consulting and grants

• Packard Foundation (USA) – packard.org – Organizational effectiveness funding

• European Foundation Centre (EU) – efc.be – Nonprofit strengthening resources

3. Program Continuation & Scaling Grants

• Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (USA) – dfrkapfoundation.org – 3-year scaling support

• Omidyar Network (Global) – omidyar.com – Scaling social impact ventures

• Blue Meridian Partners (USA) – bluemeridian.org – Large-scale expansion funding

Framework: How Sustainers Should Approach Grants

1. Build diverse revenue streams—don't rely on single funders

2. Track and report impact metrics consistently

3. Seek multi-year grants to reduce annual fundraising burden

4. Build reserves and create sustainability plans funders want to see

5. Cultivate funder relationships for renewal, not just new asks

Next up: Educators—funding for knowledge-sharing and community empowerment programs.