Grants for Technology for Nonprofits 2026: Who Pays

Technology cost source review, Grantsights, November 4, 2026: Grantsights checked the federal cost principles in 2 CFR 200.453 (opens in a new tab), the definitions in 2 CFR 200.1 (opens in a new tab), the equipment rule in 2 CFR 200.439 (opens in a new tab), the indirect cost rule in 2 CFR 200.414 (opens in a new tab), and FEMA's FY2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program listing (opens in a new tab) against the foundation filings. Where official sources stop: none of them tells you which database to buy, what a fair IT support contract costs in your city, or whether a local foundation will fund a server. Those answers come from your own quotes and each funder's past gifts.

How Grants for Technology for Nonprofits Actually Work

Only 65 grants in the November 4, 2026 pull named a nonprofit's own technology in the filed purpose, out of many thousands of human services and community gifts on 990-PF returns. Foundations pay for a lot of nonprofit technology, but most of it travels as unrestricted operating money or a capacity building grant, and the filing just says "general support." The 65 grants here are the ones where the funder wrote the purpose down.

This table shows where technology money usually comes from.

Grantsights' honest view: a nonprofit that asks for "technology" with no program attached is asking a funder to buy office supplies. The grants that got filed with clear purposes tied the equipment to a service: home-delivered meals, refugee case files, family centers, archives. Write the ask that way, and the capacity building guide shows how to frame the bigger version.

Who Funds Nonprofit Technology: What 990-PF Filings Show

Grantsights analysis of human services grants pulled November 4, 2026 found 28 foundations that made 36 grants worth $1,629,209 to 35 nonprofits buying their own technology, with a median of $11,174. The community group added 26 foundations, 29 grants and $802,374, with a median of $5,000. According to the IRS page about Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab), the return is how a private foundation figures tax on its investment income and reports its charitable distributions, so every gift below traces to a public filing.

A handful of big gifts drive the totals. The McGovern grant alone is about 31% of the human services total, and the top 3 human services gifts add up to $950,000, or 58% of it. The McGovern purpose also covered emergency food, so not all of that money went to technology. For a group asking for the first time, the medians tell you more: $11,174 in human services, $5,000 in community giving, and $7,500 across both. In human services, 9 of the 36 grants were $5,000 or less.

The human services gifts clustered in 3 states. California, New York and Texas each had 4 foundations giving to nonprofits for their own technology, according to the November 4, 2026 pull. No other state reached 3. That's a small sample, and it mostly reflects where large family foundations sit, not where technology needs are greatest.

8 Technology Projects Foundations Paid For

Grantsights checked each of these 8 grant purposes against the recipient's type of work, and all trace to a named 990-PF grant in the November 4, 2026 pull. They show the range of what a foundation will fund when the purpose is written plainly.

1. Delivery routing and client records. The Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust gave Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County $300,000 in 2024 for technology upgrades. The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation gave Meals on Wheels in Waco $26,477 in 2025 for the same purpose. Meal programs run on routes and client data, so the case is easy to picture. See grants for home-delivered meal programs.
2. A donor and case database. One organization in Washington, Refugee Women's Alliance in Seattle, got $31,000 from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust in 2023 to implement a Salesforce database. The Ken Birdwell Foundation gave the Korean Community Center of the East Bay $49,800 in 2023 for a second phase of the same kind of work.
3. Computers for housing groups. The Hyde and Watson Foundation filed several grants with the purpose "purchase of computer equipment": $15,000 to the Housing Partnership for Morris County in New Jersey in 2024, and $10,000 to the Supportive Housing Network of New York, $7,000 to Neighborhood Housing Services of Brooklyn Bedford-Stuyvesant and $5,000 to the Fair Housing Justice Center in 2023.
4. A server. The Myra Foundation gave Northlands Rescue Mission in Grand Forks, North Dakota $12,347 in 2024 to replace one.
5. A security assessment. The Pallottine Foundation of Huntington gave Big Sandy Area Community Action Program in Kentucky $7,500 in 2024 for a Microsoft 365 security assessment to find weak spots in its systems.
6. Grantmaking software. The Irving S. Gilmore Foundation's $300,000 to the Kalamazoo Community Foundation in 2024 paid for grantmaking and donor software. Smaller community foundations got smaller gifts for the same need, such as the Margaret Dunning Foundation's $11,000 to the Canton Community Foundation in Michigan in 2023 for software and website upgrades.
7. A historical society's systems. The Hillcrest Foundation gave the Dallas Historical Society $150,000 in 2024 for a technology infrastructure update, and the Gheens Foundation gave The Filson Historical Society in Louisville $25,000 in 2023 for a technology capacity project. Historical societies made up 12 of the 26 community recipients.
8. A veterans group's website. The Barre Savings Charitable Foundation gave Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center in Massachusetts $7,800 in 2024 for a website redesign, and the Cannon Foundation gave Veterans Bridge Home in Charlotte $12,544 in 2023 for new staff computers.

Each purpose names a thing and the people it serves. That's the pattern to copy.

Federal Rules: What 2 CFR 200 Allows for Technology

The federal cost rules don't create a technology grant, but they decide how technology gets paid for inside one. Grantsights didn't find a federal program whose stated purpose is a nonprofit's own IT. Instead, 2 CFR part 200, the Uniform Guidance, sets the rules for most federal grants a nonprofit receives.

According to 2 CFR 200.1, computing devices are machines that acquire, store, analyze, process and publish data electronically, including peripherals for printing, sending, receiving or storing it. The same section says a computing device counts as a supply, not equipment, when its cost is below the lesser of your capitalization level or $10,000, whatever its useful life. Equipment is tangible property, including information technology systems, with a useful life of more than 1 year and a per-unit cost at or above that same threshold.

According to 2 CFR 200.453(c), charging computing devices as direct costs is allowed for devices that are essential and allocable, but not solely dedicated, to the federal award. So a case manager's laptop can go on her program's budget even if she also answers other programs' email.

Bigger purchases follow 2 CFR 200.439. Capital spending on general purpose equipment is allowed as a direct cost only with prior written approval from the federal agency or pass-through entity, and the rule says equipment and other capital spending can't be charged as indirect costs.

The indirect side matters for shared systems like your accounting software or network. According to 2 CFR 200.414(f), a recipient without a negotiated indirect cost rate may charge a de minimis rate of up to 15% of modified total direct costs (MTDC), may use it indefinitely, and doesn't have to document it. Note that MTDC, as 2 CFR 200.1 defines it, excludes equipment. The indirect cost rate guide walks through the math.

What the Uniform Guidance Doesn't Tell You About Technology Costs

Read next to the foundation filings, the 2 CFR text leaves 5 practical gaps.

1. The rules allow costs; they don't fund them. A federal award pays for technology only when it serves that award's program. A food bank with a federal nutrition grant can charge part of a warehouse tablet to it. It can't use that award to replace the development office's donor database.
2. Approval timing is a common mistake. Groups underestimate how long prior written approval takes for equipment. Buy a server first and ask later, and the cost can be disallowed.
3. The de minimis rate is thin for technology-heavy groups. Fifteen percent of MTDC has to cover rent, finance, HR and IT together. If your shared systems are expensive, a negotiated rate may recover more, and federal grant management systems explains the tracking that makes one possible.
4. Subscriptions blur the line. The rules were written around devices, but most nonprofit tech now arrives as monthly software. The 200.1 definition of information technology systems includes software and services, so treat subscriptions as project costs only for the share the project uses.
5. Federal money rarely pays for the database itself. This is where the foundations in the table above come in. The Murdock grant for a Salesforce database and the Gilmore grant for grantmaking software are the kind of organization-wide systems a federal program won't buy.

Grantsights' view: if your technology need is organization-wide, ask a foundation. If it's tied to one program, put it in that program's federal or state budget.

Cybersecurity Grants: What's Actually Open to Nonprofits

FEMA's FY2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) totaled $300,000,000, split into $150 million for nonprofits in designated high-risk urban areas and $150 million for those outside them, according to FEMA's FY2026 notice on Grants.gov (opens in a new tab). Its allowable equipment list includes anti-virus and malware software, personal and network firewalls, intrusion detection systems, encryption software and remote authentication systems.

The catch is the purpose. According to FEMA's notice, allowable costs focus on facility hardening and physical security for nonprofits at risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack, and eligible subapplicants are 501(c)(3) organizations that apply through their State Administrative Agency. A single site could ask for up to $200,000, with up to 3 sites per funding stream and a $600,000 cap per state. The application deadline was July 24, 2026, and as of November 4, 2026 Grants.gov lists the FY2026 notice as archived. A food pantry that wants better passwords and backups isn't the target. A house of worship or community center with a documented threat may be. The church security grants guide covers how that program works.

The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program is a red flag for nonprofits that read about it in the news. According to the FY2025 listing on Grants.gov (opens in a new tab), only the governor-designated State Administrative Agency could apply, the goal was helping state, local and tribal governments manage cyber risk, and FY 2025 was the final year of funding.

For free help, NIST's Small Business Cybersecurity Corner (opens in a new tab) publishes guides on ransomware, phishing, multi-factor authentication, securing data and devices, and responding to an incident. It's written for small businesses, but the guidance applies to any small office. A local foundation is the more likely source of cash: the Moody Foundation's $50,000 to the Alcohol Drug Abuse Women's Center in 2024 named cybersecurity in its purpose, and so did the Pallottine Foundation's assessment grant in Kentucky.

Why the Human Services List for Nonprofit Technology

Human services had 35 confirmed recipients in the November 4, 2026 pull and the most precise matches of the cause groups Grantsights checked: 35 of 39 names were nonprofits buying their own technology. That's why Grantsights points nonprofits to the human services list here. But no cause reached 40 foundations giving technology grants with 3 or more in 5 states, so there's no technology-specific funder list. The free preview on the Grantsights human services funder list shows human services funders across your state broadly, not funders picked for technology.

Each row above is a statewide count of all human services giving in Grantsights analysis of 990-PF filings pulled October 29, 2026, so none of it is limited to technology. The useful pattern is that technology money usually comes from funders who already back your cause. A food bank's technology grant came from a hunger funder, and a historical society's came from a history or community funder. So pick the list for your own work: a museum should use the arts list and a land trust the environment list. If you run a human services group, the human services funder list reaches every state, and a refund is yours for 30 days if it doesn't fit your work.

Budgeting a Technology Grant Request

Nonprofits often underestimate what a $10,000 laptop order really costs once setup, licenses and support are counted. This table is illustrative, not data: prices depend on your size, vendors and region.

Report what changed for the people you serve: hours saved on intake, faster routes, fewer outages.

Common Mistakes in Technology Grant Requests

These 6 mistakes cost small groups a first gift near the $7,500 median.

• Asking without a program. A common mistake is a request that lists equipment and stops there. Tie each item to a service and a number of people served.
• Funding the purchase but not the years after. A red flag for funders is a new database with no plan to pay its license in year 2. Show how the operating budget picks it up, and see grants for nonprofit operating costs for funders who pay ongoing costs.
• Mixing up your tech with the public's. Teaching neighbors to use computers is a program, not an internal upgrade. Tech job training like NPower's draws workforce funders, and Grantsights left those grants out.
• Calling it "capacity" with no detail. Capacity grants fund technology all the time, but say what you'll buy. How to write about organizational capacity shows how to describe systems and staff.
• Asking too big. Match each ask to the funder's past gifts. How to read a 990-PF shows where they're listed.
• Skipping security. A new system without backups or multi-factor sign-in is a weak spot you just paid for. 2 of the grants above paid for security work directly, so it's a fundable line, not an extra.

Related Guides for Nonprofit Technology

The $2,431,583 in technology-named grants is a thin slice of what foundations give, so most nonprofits find technology money through funders of their own cause. Food programs should read grants for food banks, since several of the largest technology gifts here went to food banks and meal programs. History groups made up 12 of the 26 community recipients, and grants for historical societies shows who funds them. Community foundations that need grantmaking software can compare notes in the community foundation grants guide.

Groups just starting out should read grants for new nonprofits, since a first technology setup is often part of a startup budget. Veterans groups with outdated computers can look at grants for veterans organizations, and anyone managing federal awards should keep the 2 CFR 200 Uniform Guidance guide close. The Grantsights grant database tracks open federal and state notices.

FAQ: Common Questions

How many foundations give grants for nonprofit technology? 50, filing 65 grants worth $2,431,583 in the November 4, 2026 pull.

How big is a typical foundation technology grant? The median was $7,500; human services grants had a median of $11,174.

Is there a federal grant for a nonprofit's own computers and software? Grantsights didn't find one; federal awards cover project technology under 2 CFR 200.

Can a nonprofit get a federal grant for cybersecurity? Only through narrow programs like NSGP, which focuses on physical security threats.

Are grants for teaching people computer skills the same thing? No. Those are programs for the public, with different funders.

Why does Grantsights point nonprofits to the human services list? It had 35 of 39 recipients confirmed as nonprofits buying their own technology.

Sources

These 9 pages, checked November 4, 2026, back the federal and filing claims above.

• eCFR: 2 CFR 200.1, definitions (computing devices, equipment, supply, information technology systems, MTDC) (opens in a new tab)
• eCFR: 2 CFR 200.453, materials and supplies costs, including computing devices (opens in a new tab)
• eCFR: 2 CFR 200.439, equipment and other capital expenditures (opens in a new tab)
• eCFR: 2 CFR 200.414, indirect (F&A) costs, including the 15% de minimis election (opens in a new tab)
• Grants.gov: FY2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (DHS-26-GPD-008-00-99) (opens in a new tab)
• Grants.gov: FY2025 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (DHS-25-GPD-137-00-99) (opens in a new tab)
• NIST: Small Business Cybersecurity Corner (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: About Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab)
• Grantsights pull of 990-PF grant records, November 4, 2026, and human services statewide pull, October 29, 2026