Long Shot Grants - Giving Tuesday Project

Official Rules & Eligibility Requirements

Presented by Robinson Family Foundation (R-FF) | Giving Tuesday 2026

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1. About the Long Shot Grants

The Long Shot Grants are a Giving Tuesday initiative presented by Robinson Family Foundation (R-FF) to support Michigan nonprofit organizations doing meaningful work in the areas of heart, mind, and/or body.

We believe some of the most impactful work happens at organizations that may not have the size, resources, or visibility of larger institutions, but have a mission worth betting on. Through the Long Shot Grants, RFF will award three grants of $10,000 each, totaling $30,000, to selected organizations serving communities in Michigan.

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2. Grant Timeline

• Entry Period Opens: October 23, 2026
• Entry Deadline: November 17, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
• Grant Recipients Announced: Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2026

Entries must be posted within the entry period to be considered.

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3. Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a Long Shot Grant, an organization must meet all of the following requirements:

• Michigan location: The organization must be located in, and serve residents of Michigan.
• Nonprofit status: The applicant must be an organization recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or a charitable project operating under the fiscal sponsorship of an eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
• Operating budget: The organization's annual operating budget must be less than $2,000,000, based on its most recently completed fiscal year.
• Mission alignment: The organization's mission and/or programming must align with at least one of RFF's focus areas: heart, mind, and/or body.
• Specific use of funds: The applicant must identify a specific project or program for which it would use the $10,000 grant and explain how the funding would advance its mission or serve its community.

Organizations operating under a fiscal sponsor are eligible to enter. R-FF may request documentation verifying the organization's eligibility, fiscal sponsorship arrangement, operating budget, and proposed use of funds.

Meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee selection or receipt of a grant.

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4. How to Enter

To enter the Long Shot Grants, an eligible organization must complete all of the following steps between October 23 and November 17, 2026:

1. Create a short video (2-3 minutes) introducing your organization, sharing the work you do, and explaining how a $10,000 grant from R-FF would advance your mission.
2. Post the video on Instagram from an account with a publicly accessible post that R-FF can review.
3. Tag @robinsonfamilyfoundation in the Instagram post.
4. Include #RFFLongshotGrants in the post caption.

All required entry elements must be completed by November 17, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

The entry must remain publicly accessible through the end of the entry period so R-FF can review it. Entries posted by private accounts, or posts that are deleted or otherwise inaccessible during the review period, may not be considered.

Entries must be submitted by the organization seeking the grant. Each entry must accurately represent the organization, its mission, and its proposed project or program.

An entry is not complete unless all required steps have been fulfilled. Submission does not guarantee selection or receipt of a grant.

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5. Grant Selection

R-FF will review eligible entries and select three organizations to receive a Long Shot Grant of $10,000 each. The selection process will include a virtual interview with members of R-FF’s Board of Directors.

R-FF will evaluate eligible entries based on the following considerations:

• Mission alignment: The degree to which the organization's mission and/or programming aligns with heart, mind, and/or body.
• Community impact: The organization's work, demonstrated impact, and potential to benefit its community.
• Proposed use of funds: The clarity, feasibility, and potential impact of a $10,000 grant.
• Vision and purpose: The organization's ability to communicate its mission, goals, and the difference the grant could make.

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R-FF will select recipients through its internal review process. Winners will not be selected through a random drawing or public vote.

R-FF will make the final eligibility and selection decisions, subject to applicable law.

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6. Winner Notification and Grant Awards

Selected organizations will be contacted by R-FF using the contact information or Instagram account associated with their entry. Recipients must respond within the timeframe communicated by R-FF and provide any documentation reasonably requested to verify eligibility and arrange the grant award.

R-FF reserves the right to select an alternate recipient if a selected organization cannot be reached, does not respond within the specified timeframe, is found to be ineligible, or declines the grant.

Three selected organizations will each receive a $10,000 grant, for a total of $30,000 in grant awards.

Grant funds must be used for the specific project or program described in the recipient's entry and approved by R-FF. Recipients may be required to sign a grant agreement outlining the approved use of funds, payment arrangements, reporting obligations, and any other applicable conditions.

For projects operating under a fiscal sponsor, R-FF will communicate the grant payment and accountability requirements directly with the selected project and its fiscal sponsor.

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7. Content Permission and Publicity

By submitting an entry, the organization represents that it has the necessary rights and permissions to publish its video and all content included in it, including music, images, footage, logos, and statements from individuals featured.

By entering, the organization grants R-FF permission to repost, share, display, reproduce, and use the submitted video and associated entry content in connection with the Long Shot Grants, R-FF's Giving Tuesday campaign, and related R-FF communications, with credit where practicable.

Organizations are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions and releases from individuals appearing in their videos, including parental or guardian consent for minors where required.

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8. General Conditions

R-FF reserves the right to verify eligibility, request additional information, disqualify entries that do not comply with these rules, and modify, suspend, or cancel the initiative if circumstances beyond its reasonable control make it necessary, subject to applicable law.

R-FF is not responsible for late, inaccessible, incomplete, or otherwise unreviewable entries, or for technical issues, Instagram outages, or other circumstances that interfere with participation.

This initiative is administered by the Robinson Family Foundation and is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram. By participating, entrants release Instagram from all responsibility for this initiative to the extent permitted by applicable law.

By submitting an entry, the organization acknowledges that it has read and agrees to these Official Rules.

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9. Questions

For questions about eligibility, the entry process, or the Long Shot Grants, please visit r-ff.org. 

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Let's lift up Detroit and beyond, together.

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