Deaf-centric nonprofit organizations work tirelessly to provide uniquely accessible and culturally responsive services. These organizations often experience financial challenges, which impact the scope and scale of the essential work they do for deaf individuals, families and communities.
Less than 2% of philanthropic dollars are directed toward nonprofits that work with disabled communities; thus, deaf-centric organizations’ access to funding is extremely limited. Moreover, the nonprofit sector itself—from grant programs, to networking events, to professional development opportunities, and more—is frequently inaccessible to deaf organization leaders.
We’re here to change all that! Deaf Organizations Fund (DOF) was established in 2021 to offer fully accessible grants and resources to deaf-centric nonprofits based in the United States.
Our work marries the lenses of trust-based philanthropy and disability justice. Organizations that work on the front lines know their communities’ needs best, and DOF trusts deaf-centric organizations to utilize our grants in ways that best align with their missions and, ultimately, in ways that best serve deaf communities.
To date, DOF has distributed nearly $500K in grant funds among 27 deaf-centric organizations.
The next grant program is expected to reopen in Fall 2025 with funds awarded in January 2026.
Please subscribe to our emails to receive information on funding opportunities and other updates.
Are you passionate about supporting deaf nonprofits and their work? DOF recruits deaf community members with a range of nonprofit experience to join our grant review committee and evaluate applications.
Submit your interest at any time. If we are in need of additional reviewers at the time of open grant programs in the future, we may contact you.
Our grant program is currently closed and will reopen in Fall 2025 with funds awarded in January 2026. To be informed of when our grant application is open, please subscribe to our emails.
We recognize that a large part of the work towards collective care for our deaf communities exists outside of the non-profit 501(c)(3) framework. Unfortunately, because of government regulations, we are limited to working within this framework.
If you are not a tax-exempt organization with 501(c)3 status, you will need to have a fiscal sponsor organization prepared to accept funding on your behalf. The fiscal sponsor is legally responsible for proving that the grant money has been spent on non-profit purposes allowed by U.S. tax law. Fiscal sponsors may charge you, usually between 3% to 12%, for the service of being your sponsor, taking a percentage of the grant money.
A fiscal sponsorship agreement must be in place and signed by the sponsor and grantee at the time of submitting your application. When DOF makes a grant through a fiscal sponsor, we ask for a copy of that signed agreement and documentation of the fiscal sponsor’s 501(c)3 status.
The following are some resources to help you find a fiscal sponsor:
Schools and religious organizations sometimes have 501(c)3 status; if so, they may be able to serve as a fiscal sponsor.