Thoma Equity Grants

Update: As of September 2021, our Equity Grants program is temporarily on pause as we consider our strategic direction for 2022. Please reach out to grants@thomafoundation.org with any questions. Stay up to date with the Thoma Equity Grants by subscribing to our grants alerts.

The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation is excited to announce the Thoma Equity Grants, a new initiative designed to improve the lives of young people in rural or under-resourced areas of Arizona, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, or Texas. The Thoma Equity Grants support established and emerging nonprofits as they build capacity, launch new initiatives, and enhance existing programming to better serve their stakeholders.

Founders Carl and Marilynn Thoma are proud and passionate supporters of education. The Thomas are deeply involved in their shared alma mater, Oklahoma State University, and Carl Thoma serves on the board of the New Mexico School for the Arts. The Thoma Foundation has championed educational initiatives through its grantmaking efforts, including a $186,000 award to the Chicago High School for the Arts’ Digital Electronic Reach Initiative, and funding for a new clinical appointment in the field of the Art of the Spanish Americas at the University of Illinois, Chicago. With roots in rural New Mexico and Oklahoma, the Thomas relate to the specific challenges that many rural adolescents face including geographic isolation, intergenerational poverty, and limited access to technology and services. 

These life experiences have inspired the Foundation to expand its grantmaking in support of rural youth, art-focused community programming and whole-child centered education. At the heart of this initiative is the desire to create lasting, sustainable impact for young people in our target region. Through these new grants, the Thoma Art Foundation honors the power of the arts, education, and community to inspire the next generation of leaders, changemakers, and entrepreneurs.

In the Fall of 2020, the Thoma Foundation initiated conversations with educators, government officials, nonprofits, and funders in New Mexico to learn about the needs of various communities throughout the state. Following these conversations, the Foundation selected a handful of Partner Organizations to participate in our pilot Equity Grants program. These Partners represent diverse communities, disciplines, and strategic goals, but they share a passion for advancing equity and creating pathways to opportunity in New Mexico. Read Profiles of our Partners here.

The Thoma Equity Grants aspire to increase the opportunities for young people (ages 12-22) and their communities in nonmetro areas of Arizona, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas by supporting emerging and established nonprofit organizations that:

• Deliver impactful, evidence-backed arts, education, and community programming.
• Advocate for universal access to essential services, quality education, and career opportunity.
• Confront intergenerational poverty, addiction, and trauma.
• Address the gap in services offered to older adolescents through programming that forges confidence, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
• Dismantle structural racism and combat the continuing impacts of colonization.
• Promote accessibility and equity in their internal workings and public-facing programs.
• Increase investment in rural and underserved urban areas.
• Empower experienced and emerging BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and women nonprofit leaders.
• Celebrate the stories, traditions, knowledge, and rich cultural landscapes of our target states.

Our target nonprofit partners:

• Are established nonprofit leaders in AZ, IL, NM, OK, or TX.
• Represent 501(c)(3) organizations that have been in operation for at least three years.
• Deliver quality youth-centered programming that promotes the arts, increases educational opportunities and access, and/or strengthens local communities.
• Apply rigorous self-evaluation to measure progress and promote organizational accountability.
• Are committed to equity in their hiring, leadership, programming, and institutional culture.
• Can substantially add capacity or create new program offerings that build on existing organizational strengths.
• Have lasting buy-in from their local stakeholders and the support of other local or national philanthropic organizations.
• Agree to share their successful programs, initiatives, and best practices with the broader nonprofit community, including other Thoma Equity grantees.
• Effectively leverage their Partner Organization status to secure additional funding from other sources (matching grants may be available).

Some initiatives of our funded Partner Organizations to date:

• Creating or strengthening existing pipelines from high school/GED programs into college & careers
• Supporting whole-child education through Social & Emotional Learning (SEL), community schools initiatives, after school programming, and other wraparound services
• Helping young culturemakers nurture sustainable business practices through entrepreneurial support & mentorship
• Building capacity by scaling proven models & programs to reach statewide or multistate audiences
• Providing online training to teachers, counselors, and parents to support improved remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

The support the Foundation can provide:

• Between $75,000 and $100,000 for year one, renewable for a second year
• Project-based funding, with the goal of capacity building or piloting a new program; projects are developed as an open conversation between prospective partners and the Thoma Art Foundation
• Can include staffing, administrative overhead, and other support costs; Thoma grants staff will help partners create a budget breakdown that balances project support and general operating costs
• Supplemental funding for evaluation; up to 10% on top of baseline award value

Meet our 2020 Partners! While the Foundation cannot accept unsolicited applications, we welcome your inquiries about the Partner Organization program at grants@thomafoundation.org.