(2026) A Legacy of Heroes, A Future of Hope Education & Community Grants Program

A Legacy of Heroes, A Future of Hope Education & Community Grants Program
Deadline: Monday, February 9, 2026
GRANT OVERVIEW

A global leader since the early days of transplantation, Gift of Life Donor Program and its nonprofit affiliate Gift of Life Transplant Foundation understand the unique alliance of science and humanity required for a stranger’s heart, lungs, kidneys or other organs to be donated in death to bring life to others. Gift of Life knows that in order to save more lives and enable us to reach the day when no one dies waiting for a transplant, greater awareness about organ health, transplantation and donation is needed.

Gift of Life Transplant Foundation will provide grants to high schools, houses of worship and non-profit community organizations in urban communities where donor registration rates are low and the waitlist for transplants is long. More than half of the 100,000 people on the nation’s organ transplant waitlist are from communities of color. In Philadelphia, the county with the lowest donor registration rate in Pennsylvania, more than 70 percent of people on the kidney waitlist are African American, often due to diabetes, high blood pressure and other prevalent diseases.

Grants of up to $5,000 will be provided for hands-on, interactive programs with demonstratable metrics, along with information, speakers and ongoing counsel. Previous grants have supported programs that included educational workshops, health screenings, lunch & learns, PSA (Public Service Announcement) contests, science education, career mentoring for students and other components.

Grant applicants should support projects that focus on registration, education, and awareness about organ donation and transplantation. Applications should prioritize these objectives and outline clear strategies to achieve them. Please review the following prior to beginning your application:
ELIGIBILITY & APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Eligible organizations:
- Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations
- Houses of worship
- High schools (public, charter, parochial) and trade schools
Organizations must be located in Philadelphia.

Strong applications will have:
- a detailed and clear strategy for increasing public health, organ donation, and transplantation education and registrations in priority communities
- evidence demonstrating the organization’s ability to reach and engage high priority populations, with relevance to communities with low registration rates and/or high rates of organ disease, and a strong connection to their community
- realistic reach expectations, with a minimum of 50 participants
- a realistic budget demonstrating cost-effective use of the funds and timeline noting the project will be complete by December 31, 2026
- a plan for measuring effectiveness through community health surveys (provided by Gift of Life).
- a plan to participate in at least one Gift of Life program throughout the year, such as National Donate Life Month (April), Community Village at Gift of Life Donor Dash (April), National Minority Donor Awareness Month (August), PA Donor Day (August), Donor Sabbath (November), and/or Home Cook Heroes at Gift of Life Howie’s House for transplant families
Additionally, organizations will need to submit a W9 and letter of support from your organization/school leader at the time of submission.

Grant applications for Cohort 1 can be submitted until Monday, February 9. Applications for Cohort 2 will open in late Spring 2026.

If you have any questions about the grant or the application process, please contact Naja Killebrew, Multicultural Affairs Specialist, at 267-838-1736 or nkillebrew@donors1.org.

Organization Name*
Organization Physical Address*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
Is your physical address the same as your mailing address?*

YesNo
Organization Mailing Address

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
Organization Email*
example@example.com
Organization Phone Number*
Please enter a valid phone number.
Organization Website/Social Media
Contact Person Name*

First NameLast Name
Phone Number*
Please enter a valid phone number.
Email*
example@example.com
Is the contact person the same as the project lead?*

YesNo
Project Lead Name*

First NameLast Name
Phone Number*
Please enter a valid phone number.
Email*
example@example.com

Organization’s background (mission, size, population served)*
Why are you interested in implementing a program on organ donation?*
Describe the specific project/activities planned. *
What experience do you have with these types of programs?*
How many people do you plan to reach?*
Tell us about the people your program will reach (age, gender, race, neighborhood, etc.) *
What is the proposed timeline for your project, completed by December 31, 2026*
How will you promote the program? *
How will you measure the effectiveness of your program in expanding support for and understanding of organ donation registration? Include a plan to distribute Community Health Surveys (Gift of Life will provide the community survey).*
Which Gift of Life program will your organization be participating in? Select at least one:*

National Donate Life Month (April)Community Village at Gift of Life Donor Dash (April)National Minority Donor Awareness Month (August)PA Donor Day (August 1)Donor Sabbath (November)Home Cook Heroes (Year-round)

Use this budget format for proposed costs, which can include materials, technology, activities and promotion. Requests for funding for staff time/training will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The maximum amount of funding that can be requested is $5,000.*

	Item	Cost	Purpose
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Terms and Conditions
Upload W9*

Cancelof
Upload Letter of Support*

Cancelof
Please disclose any personal, professional, financial or other type of relationship that you or another member of your organization (or any of your close family members) has with any of the Gift of Life entities (Gift of Life Donor Program, Gift of Life Transplant Foundation or Gift of Life Howie’s House). Please explain or write N/A. *
If awarded, grantees:
- comply with all Grant Program standards.
- shall utilize the grant funds only for the purposes awarded.
- are required to submit progress and final reports on grant implementation and impact.
- are responsible for all legal and tax compliance relative to receipt of a grant.
- will collaborate with Gift of Life Donor Program and its affiliate Gift of Life Transplant Foundation in promoting any grant supported program and will acknowledge the support received from Gift of Life.
- will immediately notify Gift of Life of any program suspensions or closure or adverse action.
- will immediately refund any grant funds, at the request of Gift of Life and in the event of a failure to adhere to grant standards.
If you have any questions about the grant or the application process, please contact Naja Killebrew, Multicultural Affairs Specialist, at 267-838-1736 or nkillebrew@donors1.org.
By signing this form, I acknowledge that I have carefully read and fully understand and agree to the terms and conditions.
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A Legacy of Heroes, A Future of Hope Education & Community Grants Program

Deadline: Monday, February 9, 2026

Terms and Conditions