Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation is restricted to making grants to charitable, tax exempt, 501 (c)(3) organizations and government entities. The Foundation does not make grants or loans to small business and does not make grants to individuals for any purpose.

With rare exception, the Foundation also does not make grants for activities in the following areas:

Academia

• Academic research
• Conferences, seminars, or symposiums
• Curriculum development
• Documentaries and films

Capital

• Building projects or renovations (including construction materials and labor costs)
• Computer hardware or software purchase (where it is the principal purpose of the grant)
• Endowment funds
• Equipment or furniture purchases
• Fundraising events
• Land purchases
• Payments of debts
• Private business ventures

Civics

• Athletic events or teams
• Civic clubs
• K-12 civic education
• Fraternal organizations or groups
• Traditional leadership development programs (unless they are aimed at underrepresented populations)
• Volunteer fire departments
• Voter registration* (The Foundation is legally prohibited from funding voter registration)

Culture

• Arts
• Documentaries and films
• Initiatives promoting religious education or doctrine
• Preservation of historic properties

Environmental

• Animal or plant species preservation or rehabilitation
• Environmental education centers
• Environmental education programs for children
• Greenways

Health and Medicine

• Health care
• Medical research
• Emergency medical service organizations

Social and Human Direct Services

• Child abuse treatment or prevention programs
• Crisis intervention
• Homeless shelters or transitional housing
• Local affiliates of statewide organizations (e.g. Habitat for Humanity)
• Local court alternatives programs
• Local prisoner re-entry programs
• Mediation services 
• Ongoing operating expenses of local domestic violence or sexual assault centers
• Ongoing operating expenses of local LGBTQ centers
• Refugee or asylee support organizations
• Senior citizen services
• Services for the mentally or physically disabled
• Substance abuse treatment or rehabilitation
• Workforce development
• **Other local organizations that focus exclusively on direct services

Youth

• Adoption and foster care
• After-school or out-of school time programs
• Athletic events or teams
• Drop-out prevention programs
• Daycare centers
• Environmental education programs for children
• K-12 civic education
• Local parent-teacher organizations or similar groups
• Local affiliates of statewide organizations (e.g, Boys and Girls Clubs, Communities in Schools, etc.)
• Ongoing operating expenses for schools
• Private or charter K-12 schools
• Youth vocational or character development
• Scholarships
• Summer camps
• **Other local organizations that focus exclusively on youth direct services