Volunteer Opportunities

Altera Circular Systems is a fiscally sponsored project of Embolden WI, a 501(c)(3). Our approved Wisconsin-based research explores transforming discarded textiles into sustainable building products such as furniture and housing finishes.

We seek a volunteer experienced in nonprofit grant research to help build a 6–12-month institutional grant strategy. Our focus is foundations, government grant programs, and corporate grantmakers—not individual donors or fundraising campaigns.

Funding priorities include textile-materials research, environmental innovation, eligible program leadership compensation, general operating support, and organizational capacity building.

We have an initial grant tracker, mission materials, academic research documentation, and an existing grant landscape from Embolden WI, but need help identifying qualified opportunities, screening eligibility, and prioritizing next steps.

This is an internal research and planning project. All grant applications, agreements, and external commitments require Embolden WI's approval.

The volunteer will:

1. Identify 10–15 well-qualified national or Wisconsin-eligible institutional grant opportunities.
2. Screen each prospect for geographic and fiscal sponsorship eligibility, funding restrictions, permitted personnel/administrative costs, deadlines, and application requirements.
3. Update our grant tracker with prioritized prospects, eligibility findings, contacts/public links, deadlines, and recommended next steps.
4. Prepare a 6–12-month grant calendar with realistic preparation milestones.
5. Identify grant-readiness gaps and recommend specific improvements to research documentation, budgets, and application materials.
6. Deliver a concise grant strategy and tracker for review by Altera and Embolden WI.

We can provide our existing tracker, mission materials, public research documentation, and Embolden WI's grant landscape (including NSF STTR, EPA SWIFR, WEDC, and foundation leads).

Boundaries: Institutional grant research and planning only—no individual donor strategy or campaign planning. The volunteer may not contact funders, submit inquiries or applications, or represent Altera or Embolden WI. We will not share confidential financial records, donor information, or banking details. Any agreements must be reviewed by Embolden WI first.

Organization Mission

Altera Circular Systems is advancing research into how post-consumer textiles and other underused resources could become practical building materials—with the long-term possibility of supporting more resilient housing, disaster recovery, and community infrastructure.