New matching grant available through DAR Foundation
America 250 Grant celebrates the nation’s birthday
9/25/2025
A new, limited-time grant is available through the Mary Chilton DAR Foundation. As a celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday, the America 250 Grant is a program that will award organizations up to $2,500 in matching funds for a patriotic project.
This grant is available for any South Dakota based non-profit or publicly-funded institution. Grant winners will be chosen based on their project’s potential to make a genuine, effective contribution to the celebration of the nation's 250th birthday.
“America's 250th birthday is a huge event, and it's a time when patriotic sentiment, such as that which the DAR seeks to foster and encourage, is more in people's minds and hearts than in regular years,” board member Aaron Levisay said. “It was decided that the Mary Chilton Chapter Foundation would make funds available for displays, commemorations, parades, and more on an expedited basis to coincide with the 250th birthday of America on July 4th, 2026.”
Some examples of patriotic projects which would be accepted include parades, statues, commemorations, concerts, patriotic events, reenactments, and more. Additional examples can be found on the DAR Foundation website.
The DAR Foundation has allocated a total of $50,000 towards the America 250 Grant. Grants will only be awarded until May 2026 or until the $50,000 allotment is depleted, whichever comes first.
Interested applicants can read more about the grant application process and apply at mcdarfoundation.org/america-250-grant.
As a special grant, the America 250 grant is intended to fund smaller projects and one-time patriotic events. Organizations are still encouraged to apply for DAR Foundation Mini-Grants and Regular Grants. These grants must go towards projects related to patriotism, historic preservation, or education and are available to nonprofit and governmental organizations throughout South Dakota. Organizations that are interested in applying for a DAR Foundation grant can do so at mcdarfoundation.org.
Grants may not be used towards capital campaigns, multi-year projects or renewals, general operating budgets, endowments, administrative costs, or lobbying or political campaigns. For more information on grant policies, visit mcdarfoundation.org/grant-policies.
Contact: info@mcdarfoundation.org
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About Mary Chilton, Dorothy Day Davenport, Mary Chilton Chapter NSDAR, and Mary Chilton DAR Foundation
The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) is a charitable organization established in 1890 to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism.
The Sioux Falls Chapter’s namesake, Mary Chilton, was a passenger aboard the Mayflower and is believed to have been the first European woman to step ashore at Plymouth Rock in 1620.
Dorothy Day Davenport was an original founding member of the Mary Chilton Chapter in 1915. Mrs. Davenport’s later bequest to the Chapter made possible the formation of its Foundation in 1987. The Foundation administers grants made possible by Mrs. Davenport’s gift. Members of the Mary Chilton Chapter have an ancestral connection to the men and women who had a patriotic role in the American Revolution.
Since 1987, the Mary Chilton DAR Foundation has made over 500 grant awards totaling more than $3 million. These awards have had a significant impact on local and statewide initiatives. They also have helped preserve South Dakota’s pioneer spirit and democratic past, honored veterans, and expanded educational horizons for students and others.