Nordstrom – Community Grants Program (2027)

$5,000–$20,000 Unrestricted Grants Supporting Youth and Families in U.S. Communities

Nordstrom’s Community Grants Program provides more than $1 million in grants each year to grassroots nonprofit organizations addressing critical needs for youth and families in communities where Nordstrom operates.

The program focuses on two primary areas: helping families meet essential needs such as food, shelter, and clothing, and creating opportunities for youth and families to achieve greater economic mobility.

Applications for the next Community Grants cycle will be accepted January 1–31, 2027.

Organization: Nordstrom
Support Type: Unrestricted community grants
Funding Amount: $5,000–$20,000
Geographic Focus: U.S. communities where Nordstrom has physical store locations
Application Period: January 1–31, 2027

New to corporate grant fundraising?

Read our Corporate Grants for Nonprofits: Ultimate Guide to learn how corporate funding works.

About the Funder

Nordstrom is a national fashion retailer with a long-standing commitment to investing in the communities where its employees and customers live and work.

Through its Community Grants Program, Nordstrom awards more than $1 million annually to locally focused nonprofit organizations across the United States.

The program prioritizes smaller, hyper-local organizations that are directly addressing the needs of youth and families.

What This Program Supports

Nordstrom’s Community Grants Program focuses on two primary areas:

Basic Needs for Youth & Families

Funding supports organizations helping families access the essentials they need to thrive, particularly:

• Food
• Shelter
• Clothing
• Other critical basic needs

Organizations should demonstrate a direct connection between their work and improving stability and well-being for youth and families.

Economic Mobility

Nordstrom also supports organizations creating pathways for youth and families to achieve greater economic opportunity.

Examples may include:

• Workforce development and job training
• Mentorship
• Scholarships
• Educational and career opportunities
• Grants or financial assistance programs
• Other initiatives that help individuals and families build long-term economic stability

Unrestricted Funding

A particularly valuable feature of the Community Grants Program is that awards are unrestricted.

Rather than requiring grant funds to be used exclusively for one specific program, Nordstrom allows nonprofit partners to direct funding toward their organization’s greatest needs.

Organizations may use a grant across multiple programs when those activities align with the organization’s mission and Nordstrom’s community priorities.

Nordstrom does not provide in-kind donations, gift cards, merchandise, supplies, discounts, samples, or experiences through this program.

Funding Amounts

Community Grants range from:

$5,000 to $20,000

Awards are made in increments of $5,000:

• $5,000
• $10,000
• $15,000
• $20,000

Nordstrom awards more than $1 million through the program annually.

The program is highly competitive. Nordstrom reports typically receiving more than 3,000 applications each year while funding approximately 150–300 organizations.

Eligibility

Competitive applicants should:

• Be registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations
• Operate in the United States
• Serve a community where Nordstrom has a physical store location
• Have a strong local or hyper-local community presence
• Primarily support youth and families
• Align with Nordstrom’s basic needs or economic mobility priorities

Organizations should use Nordstrom’s store locator to determine whether they operate near a Nordstrom community.

Nordstrom prioritizes organizations serving communities where it maintains physical stores.

One Application Per Organization

Nordstrom will consider only one Community Grant application per organization.

Each applicant must have a unique EIN, and only one application associated with that EIN will be reviewed.

Submitting multiple applications may result in duplicate submissions being declined.

Organizations using a fiscal sponsor should also pay close attention to this requirement, because only one application per EIN will be considered.

Previous Grantees May Reapply

Nordstrom does not offer multi-year grant commitments.

However, an organization may receive a Community Grant for up to three consecutive years, provided it submits a new application and is selected each year.

After three consecutive years of funding, Nordstrom asks organizations to wait at least one year before applying again.

This approach allows the company to support a broader range of grassroots organizations over time.

Ineligible Requests

Nordstrom does not direct Community Grant funding to:

• Individuals, including crowdfunding and GoFundMe campaigns
• Political organizations
• Religious or religion-affiliated organizations
• Athletic teams, sporting events, booster clubs, or sponsorships
• Animal-related programs, including animal shelters
• Merchandise for fundraising events or auctions
• Symposiums, conferences, conventions, or professional association meetings
• Individual elementary or secondary schools
• PTOs or PTAs
• Development or production of books, films, videos, television programs, social media, or websites
• Parties, celebrations, parades, festivals, or raffles
• Awards, monuments, or memorials

Nordstrom also does not fund organizations with discriminatory policies based on sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.

Geographic Focus

The program is intended to be hyper-local.

Nordstrom prioritizes nonprofit organizations serving communities where the company has physical store locations in the United States.

Organizations primarily serving international communities are not currently eligible.

Applicants should review Nordstrom’s current store footprint before investing significant time in an application.

Employee Connections

Having a Nordstrom employee involved with an organization does not prevent that organization from applying.

Nonprofits with a Nordstrom employee serving as a volunteer or board member may still submit an application.

Applicants should disclose the relationship when requested in the grant application.

How Applications Are Evaluated

Community Grant applications move through multiple stages of review.

A committee of Nordstrom employees from different departments evaluates applications and recommends awards using the company’s grant review framework.

Final approval is provided by regional and executive leadership.

Competitive applicants should clearly communicate:

• Who the organization serves
• The specific needs facing youth and families in the community
• How the organization addresses those needs
• The organization’s local impact
• Alignment with basic needs or economic mobility
• Why unrestricted support will strengthen the organization’s work

Because Nordstrom emphasizes hyper-local grassroots organizations, applicants should demonstrate a strong connection to the specific community surrounding a Nordstrom location.

Reporting Requirements

Formal grant reporting is optional.

Nordstrom may send grantees an optional survey requesting information about their work, community impact, and experience with the application process.

The lack of a mandatory formal grant report can make this program particularly attractive for smaller organizations with limited administrative capacity.

Timeline & Review

📅 Applications Open: January 1, 2027
📅 Application Deadline: January 31, 2027
📅 Grant Size: $5,000–$20,000
📅 Funding Distribution: Awards are generally processed and distributed following Nordstrom’s annual review process

Applicants should begin preparing before January because the application window is only one month.

Application / Request Process

Applications are submitted online through Nordstrom’s grant management partner, Benevity.

No Benevity login is required to begin an application.

Applicants should prepare information describing:

• Organizational mission
• Population served
• Local community impact
• Alignment with Nordstrom’s funding priorities
• How unrestricted grant funding would support the organization
• Any existing relationships with Nordstrom employees

Nordstrom recommends drafting application responses separately before entering them into the online system.

Apply / Learn More

➡️ Community Grants Program:
https://www.nordstrom.com/browse/impact/people/our-communities/community-grants

The online application will be available through Nordstrom’s Community Grants page when the 2027 application period opens.

Why This Opportunity Is a Good Fit

This opportunity is a strong fit for nonprofits that:

• Support youth and families
• Provide food, shelter, clothing, or other essential needs
• Offer workforce development, mentoring, scholarships, or other economic mobility programs
• Have a strong grassroots or hyper-local presence
• Operate near a Nordstrom store
• Are seeking flexible unrestricted funding
• Can demonstrate meaningful direct impact within their local community

The combination of $5,000–$20,000 awards and unrestricted funding makes this an especially useful opportunity for smaller community-based nonprofits that align closely with Nordstrom’s youth and family priorities.

Corporate Grants Guide Notes

Review Type: Annual competitive grant cycle
Application Period: January 1–31, 2027
Funding Amount: $5,000–$20,000
Support Type: Unrestricted grants
Geographic Focus: U.S. communities with physical Nordstrom store locations
Primary Priorities: Basic needs and economic mobility for youth and families
Best Suited For: Hyper-local 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving youth and families near Nordstrom locations