Grief Reach Cycle 1 – 2026
Changemaker Supported Community Expansion Cycle
Open November 3 to December 1, 2025 at 8pm ET.
Grants awarded March 2026
Submission Information
This grant opportunity is open for applications through December 1, 2025, at 8pm ET. In order to receive the application, the eligibility form must be completed by November 21, 2025.
CYCLE OVERVIEW
Through Grief Reach, the New York Life Foundation and the National Alliance for Children’s Grief are working together to strengthen nonprofit infrastructure, enhance access, and elevate the field of childhood bereavement through the Grief Reach grant program.
FOCUS OF THIS CYCLE: CHANGEMAKER SUPPORTED COMMUNITY EXPANSION
The focus of this cycle is community expansion through innovation. In considering your application, we encourage you to take a closer look at your community’s unique needs to better serve children who are grieving. What innovative approaches can you introduce to meet these needs? Or how can you expand current programs to have a greater impact? For this grant, innovation means thinking outside the box—rethinking traditional services and creating programs that align with your community’s specific needs.
An example of this could be offering weekend programming to reach families with limited availability or hosting sessions in community spaces to increase accessibility. Consider your community’s makeup and challenges, and how you can tailor your approach to provide the most effective and inclusive support for children who are grieving.
For this cycle, we are excited to partner with the Judi’s House/JAG Institute Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Initiative. In the first year, awarded organizations will participate in the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Initiative. This transformative program provides essential training and resources on program evaluation in the form of workshops, exercises, and individualized consultation.
Following this foundation-building year, Participants will have the opportunity to refine their proposal and begin building out the tools to evaluate the impact. The following two years will focus on the community expansion project identified in the proposal.
Please direct inquiries to the National Alliance for Children’s Grief info@nacg.org. You will find everything you need to know on this page. Please take a moment to read it all the way through.
Application Resources:
- For more information, please view the Request for Proposal here.
- Download a sample application. This is for preview purposes only and is not an official application. The application link will be sent to eligible applicants once eligibility is confirmed.
- Download the GANTT Chart here.
- NEW FOR THIS CYCLE: We will use a grief reach eligibility form for this grant to determine eligibility to apply. This ensures you do not invest time in completing a full application if you do not qualify. Please use the button below to complete the eligibility check to determine your grant application eligibility. Once eligibility has been determined, you will be given access to the complete application.
Additional Eligibility Information:
Eligibility & Application Process Overview | Request for Proposals (RFP)
Before an organization is invited to submit a full application for funding for the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Grief Reach Cycle, there are two required eligibility screenings based on a single form. These eligibility rounds ensure that applicants are a good fit for the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Initiative and are eligible based on the grant opportunities’ financial requirements. We strongly encourage organizations to begin the process early, as both of these eligibility checks will close for submissions on November 21st. Late eligibility submissions will not be accepted.
- Step 1: Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Eligibility Review: This initial screening evaluates whether your organization is a strong fit for the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Initiative.
- Step 2: Financial Eligibility Review: Organizations that pass the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker eligibility review will move on to a financial screening to ensure they meet the minimum financial criteria for the cycle. This review includes:
- Submission of most recent audited or reviewed financial statements/990
- Verification of annual operating budget
Eligibility Outcomes
Based on the results of both eligibility rounds, organizations will fall into one of the following categories:
- Eligible for Both Childhood Bereavement Changemaker and Financial Reviews: Organizations that meet both eligibility requirements will be invited to submit a full application for the Changemaker/Grief Reach Grant Program.
- Eligible for Childhood Bereavement Changemaker, Not Financially Eligible: Organizations that are aligned with the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Initiative goals but do not meet financial eligibility may still be invited to participate in the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker-Only Track. This track offers evaluation building and support, but not direct funding through this grant cycle.
- Not Eligible for Either Review: Organizations that do not meet the criteria for either Childhood Bereavement Changemaker or financial eligibility will not move forward in this grant cycle. We encourage such organizations to consider future opportunities and to stay connected with us for future support and engagement.
Grief Reach Grants Timeline:
November 3
Application Opens
November 10 at 2pm ET
Grief Reach Q&A Call
Register for the Call →
November 21
Eligibility Form Closes. No new applicants after this date.
December 1
8pm ET
Application Closes
For additional information, please view the Request for Proposal (RFP) or use the link below to complete the eligibility form.
About Grief Reach:
This grant program began in 2011 as a partnership between the National Alliance for Children’s Grief and the New York Life Foundation. Grief Reach is a dedicated grant opportunity supporting childhood bereavement services in the United States. This competitive funding opportunity has the following goals:
- Increase access to bereavement support services in local communities, especially diverse communities
- Enhance the capacity of organizations providing bereavement support services
- Expand bereavement support services to address unmet needs
- Support communities dealing with grief and loss with tangible resources
The competitive grant opportunity is open to any organization that currently serves young people who are grieving and is looking for funding to enhance access to and increase grief support for youth and their families. Each cycle has a dedicated focus area – please reference the focus area when making the decision to apply.