Grant Opportunities
Driving Innovation
Inspiring Future Generations
The Don Wood Foundation is leading the development and growth of the Next-Gen Manufacturing Workforce in Northeast Indiana by supporting programs and initiatives that align opportunities between students, education, and industry.
Our three priorities are designed to activate the Next-Gen Manufacturing Talent Funnel, which illustrates how early engagement, intentional skill building, and industry alignment work together to build a future-ready manufacturing workforce.
Tools to Make it Happen
Grants
Scholarships
Research
Communication
Strategic Convening
Connect with a Program Officer
If you represent a youth-serving nonprofit or PK-12 school, please contact:
If you represent a career and technical (CTE) program, higher education institution, or adult learning center that is expanding experiential learning opportunities or strengthening the Next-Gen Manufacturing workforce, we want to hear from you.
If you represent an economic development organization, workforce development organization, entrepreneurship support organization, or any other type of nonprofit organization that is strengthening technology adoption, talent development, and the systems that connect them, we’d like to learn more.
If you have questions, technical issues, or need assistance with the grants process, please contact:
What to Expect as a Grant Partner
When you partner with the Don Wood Foundation, you can expect a relationship grounded in shared purpose, trust, and mutual respect. Across our focus areas - Engaging Youth, Developing Talent, and Empowering Manufacturing - we view grantees as valued partners in strengthening the manufacturing ecosystem and building pathways to opportunity and long-term community impact.
A Partnership Filling the Funnel for Lifelong Learning
Our grantmaking reflects the interconnected nature of a Next-Gen Manufacturing Workforce. Whether your work expands access to hands-on experiences for youth, creates opportunities for skills and credentials through career and technical education, or helps upskill workers and strengthen manufacturers, we seek to understand how your efforts fit within the broader system—and how we can learn together.
Engaged and Clear Communication
We are eager to learn alongside our partners and value a relationship-based approach. Program Officers partner with applicants throughout the review process to ensure a clear understanding of the proposed work and alignment with grant objectives, milestones, and expected outcomes. We are committed to a transparent, timely process and will communicate expectations, timelines, and decision-making criteria clearly while maintaining open dialogue and shared learning throughout the partnership.
Purposeful Learning and Reporting
Reporting is designed to be a constructive tool that supports shared learning and meaningful impact. Rather than emphasizing compliance-driven or overly burdensome requirements, we focus on outcomes, insights, and lessons learned that can strengthen both the work itself and future efforts. Our approach is intended to encourage thoughtful reflection on what is working well, what challenges may be emerging, and where there may be opportunities to adapt, refine, or build on progress.
Openness to Feedback and Growth
We are committed to continuously improving our practices and value honest feedback from our partners. Your perspectives help shape how we advance our work in engaging youth, developing talent, and empowering manufacturing.
Eligibility
The Don Wood Foundation welcomes inquiries and requests from schools and nonprofits that work with students and industry partners in the following 12 counties of northeast Indiana: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Grant, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, and Whitley.
Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations classified as public charities and tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation does not provide grants to individuals or for-profit companies.
Typical Grant Partners include, but are not limited to:
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Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers and programs,
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Colleges and universities,
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Community foundations,
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Economic development corporations or organizations,
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Nonprofit organizations,
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PK-12 public and private schools, and
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Technical colleges, trade schools, and vocational schools.