Grief Reach Cycle 1 – 2027
Changemaker-Supported School-Based Community Expansion and School-Based Community Expansion
Open October 19 to November 30, 2026 at 6pm ET.
Grants awarded TBA
Submission Information
This grant opportunity is open for applications through November 30, 2026, at 6:00pm ET. In order to receive the application, the eligibility form must be completed by November 20, 2026.
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: SCHOOL BASED PROGRAMMING
There are two grant opportunities: Changemaker Supported Community Expansion and Community Expansion.
This grant cycle will focus on supporting organizations with existing bereavement programming that are expanding their work with schools, either by establishing school-based programming for the first time or by strengthening and expanding existing school partnerships and services. All proposed projects must focus on school-based programming.
The focus is community expansion through innovation in school-based bereavement programming. We encourage organizations to consider their community’s unique needs and how they can expand or introduce innovative approaches to better support grieving children in schools. This may include establishing school-based programming for the first time, expanding existing school partnerships, or adapting current services to reach more students and strengthen support within school communities.
For this grant, innovation means thinking creatively about how to meet the needs of grieving students through school-based services. Examples may include offering grief support groups, providing training for school staff, developing resources for educators, or creating new partnerships to increase access to bereavement support. Consider your community’s unique needs and how your organization can tailor its approach to provide effective, inclusive, and sustainable support for children who are grieving in schools.
Only one application per organization is allowed during this cycle. The eligibility process will confirm which grant opportunity you are eligible to apply for.
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.
- Register for the Q&A Call 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.
- IMPORTANT NOTE: 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
Before applying, complete the Eligibility Check Form to confirm you meet the basic criteria. If eligible, you’ll be granted access to the full application.
To be considered, your organization must:
- Be a U.S.-based public charity recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and not a private foundation.
- Have operated as a 501(c)(3) organization for at least three consecutive years.
- Provide direct services to children and youth who are grieving.
- Have at least one paid staff member.
- Ensure the proposed project will expand school-based childhood bereavement programming.
- Submit Form 990 for at least two of the last three years and its most recent audited or independently reviewed financial statements.
- Ensure the grant payment requested will not exceed 15% of the organization’s most recent fiscal-year actual revenue.
- Have completed any previous Grief Reach grant and submitted the final report.
- Include a clear and specific grant budget
- Include the cultures, identities, strengths, and needs of the children and school communities to be served.
Organizations that cannot meet every requirement should not submit an eligibility form for this cycle.
Organizations that are part of a larger institution
A childhood bereavement program operating within a hospice, hospital, university, or other larger institution must submit a budget for the dedicated childhood bereavement program. The financial eligibility review will consider the program budget and the applicant entity’s financial documentation.
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed by representatives of the NACG, Judi’s House/JAG Institute, the New York Life Foundation, and other professionals in childhood bereavement. Final decisions will consider organizational eligibility, alignment with the cycle focus, demonstrated community need, project quality and feasibility, partnership readiness, evaluation, budget alignment, cultural responsiveness, and sustainability. Character limits will apply to application questions, and only text within those limits will be reviewed.
Grief Reach Grants Timeline:
October 19
Application Opens
November 2 at 2:00pm ET
Grief Reach Q&A Call
Watch the playback →
November 20
Eligibility Form Closes. No new applicants after this date.
November 30
6:00pm 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.