Economic Opportunity Grant Program
Expanding Access and Creating Opportunity
Areas of Impact
The Nasdaq Foundation's Economic Opportunity Grant Program drives impact through five key areas—regional revitalization and rural wealth building, access to capital, employee and community ownership, financial literacy, and investor identity.
Financial Literacy
Empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed financial decisions, thus cultivating financially resilient communities.
Access to Capital
Supplying financial resources that catalyze the growth of businesses and projects originating from revitalized regions, supporting both new and established ventures.
Investor Identity
Cultivating a new generation of investors equipped to shape the future financial markets.
Employee and Community Ownership
Enabling individuals to directly control assets and promote shared ownership to achieve fairer distribution of wealth, resources, and economic opportunities.
Regional Revitalization / Rural Wealth Building
Promoting community development, improving infrastructure, and offering workforce training to strengthen economies and increase market opportunities.
How to Apply
1. Read the Grant Guidelines
Start by reviewing the Grant Guidelines.
They include eligibility requirements and detailed information about the Nasdaq Foundation’s areas of impact, so you’ll know if your organization and project align with our priorities.
2. Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)
Submit your Expression of Interest through the Grants Connect portal prior to the 2026 deadlines on February 13 and July 31.
3. Invitation to Submit a Full Proposal
After reviewing EOIs, select applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal.
Please note that not all applicants will move to this stage.
FAQs
The Nasdaq Foundation will accept grant requests from:
- Organizations designated as tax-exempt according to §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code.
- A for-profit business or consultant acting on behalf of a qualified tax-exempt entity or through a fiscal sponsor that is tax-exempt. Please note that if the grant is awarded, a representative of the tax-exempt entity must sign the grant agreement, and the grant will be paid to the tax-exempt entity.
Entities specifically ineligible for Foundation support include:
- For-profit businesses – generally, entities not designated as tax-exempt according to §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code.
- Entities and individuals designated as “disqualified persons” as defined in §4946 of the Internal Revenue Service code.
- Former grant recipients who did not fulfill the terms of a previous grant from the Nasdaq Foundation or another tax-exempt entity.
- Organizations that present a potential conflict of interest with Nasdaq, Inc., Nasdaq Philanthropic Foundation, Inc. or any of their officers or directors
Expressions of Interest will be accepted bi-annually before two deadlines in 2026—February 13 and July 31. More information about the timeline can be found in our grant guidelines.
Reasonable overhead costs may be included in the grant request but must be specified.
Unless otherwise specified and agreed upon, all grants have one-year terms. The Nasdaq Foundation will consider a multiple-year commitment if the grant seeker can demonstrate the necessity or benefit of multiple-year funding in the grant proposal.
There is no limit as to the number of Expression of Interests a single entity may submit at one time.
For questions about the Economic Opportunity Grant Program, contact us at foundation@nasdaq.com.
2026 Grant Recipients
2025 Grant Recipients
2024 Grant Recipients
Past Grantees & Reports
Use the dropdown to access our Nasdaq Foundation Reports highlighting our partners’ achievements over the years.