The foundation famous for its “genius” awards is giving money to up and coming non-profits. “The Creative and Effective Institutions Awards range from $250,000 to $500,000. The winners all have annual budgets of $2.5 million or less, and, though small, they are considered comers in their fields. The awards are an extension, of sorts, of the foundation’s famous five-year, $500,000 grants for creative individuals, but those “genius” grants have no strings attached. The grants to the non-profits were sized to meet specific needs or purposes.”