GrantStation Insider - February 15, 2018

National | Regional | Federal | PathFinder | Online Education

National Funding
Opportunities Throughout the U.S.

Support for Renewable Energy Initiatives
The Solutions Project: Fighter Fund
The Solutions Project unites science, business, culture, and community to accelerate the transition towards 100% clean, renewable energy for all people and purposes. The Solutions Project's Fighter Fund is a rapid response grantmaking program that provides support to pivotal frontline leaders accelerating the transition to clean energy in the United States. The Fund’s interest areas include the following: state policy campaigns supporting 100% clean energy for 100% of the people; fossil fuel infrastructure resistance; indigenous organizing and indigenous led movements; supporting transparent, cleaner, and democratically controlled rural electric cooperatives; and community-owned clean energy demonstration projects in need of seed capital. Nonprofit organizations throughout the United States are eligible to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $25,000. Requests will be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout 2018. Visit The Solutions Project website to learn more about the Fighter Fund.

Mediation Services Programs for the Homeless Funded
JAMS Foundation/NAFCM Mini-Grant Program
The JAMS Foundation/NAFCM Mini-Grant Program supports the development of innovative and effective programs that can be replicated by community mediation centers nationwide and serve as a pathway to their sustainability and growth. The 2018 Mini-Grant Program will focus on community mediation services for individuals and families who are currently homeless or facing eviction. Mini-Grants of $12,000 for up to two years will be awarded to five organizations throughout the country. Nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and public agencies are eligible to apply. The deadline for Solicitation of Interest responses is March 29, 2018; invited full proposals will be due June 25, 2018. Visit the NAFCM website to learn more about the program.

Gift Cards for Volunteer-Driven Community Projects
The Home Depot Foundation: Community Impact Grants Program
The Home Depot Foundation’s Community Impact Grants Program provides support to nonprofit organizations and public service agencies in the U.S. that are using the power of volunteers to improve the physical health of their communities. Proposals for the following community improvement activities will be considered: repairs, refurbishments, and modifications to low-income or transitional housing or community facilities (schools, community centers, senior centers, etc.); weatherizing or increasing energy efficiency of low-income or transitional housing or community facilities; and engaging volunteers to help veterans in their community through service projects focusing on the renovation, repair, and improvement of homes and other properties. Grants of up to $5,000 are made in the form of The Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of tools, materials, or services. Requests will be accepted on a rolling basis through December 31, 2018. Visit the Foundation’s website to submit an online application.

Grants Promote Pet Welfare Nationwide
Banfield Foundation
The Banfield Foundation is committed to improving the well-being of pets and communities nationwide through five different grant programs. These programs include Veterinary Medical Equipment Grants, Veterinary Assistance Grants, Pet Advocacy Grants, and Disaster Relief Grants, as well as a grant for Flea & Tick medications. Applications can be submitted at any time for all of the programs, except Pet Advocacy Grants, which have deadlines for submission of April 30 and October 31, annually. Visit the Programs page of the Foundation’s website to apply. For additional information about any of these programs, please email info@banfieldfoundation.org.

Regional Funding
Opportunities for Specific Areas

Professional Development Support for East Coast Organizations
TD Charitable Foundation: Non-Profit Training Resource Fund
The Non-Profit Training Resource Fund, an initiative of the TD Charitable Foundation, provides grants to charitable organizations for employees to attend approved classes and courses that will enhance job performance. Grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded to organizations within the TD Bank market area on the East Coast that focus on affordable housing, economic development, financial literacy, or after-school and extracurricular programming. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis in 2018 and will be reviewed monthly. Visit the TD Bank’s website to review the application guidelines.

Funds for Colorado Organizations Promoting Western Values
Adolph Coors Foundation
The Adolph Coors Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations throughout the state of Colorado that promote the western values of self-reliance, personal responsibility, and integrity. Special consideration is given to organizations serving rural areas of the state. The Foundation places a high priority on programs that help youth to prosper, encourage economic opportunities for adults, and advance public policies that reflect the nation's founding principles. Specifically, the Foundation’s areas of support include one-on-one mentoring programs, job training, and a variety of self-help initiatives. The Foundation also has an interest in bringing integrative medicine into the medical mainstream. The application deadlines are March 1, July 1, and November 1, annually. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the online application process.

Grants Promote Services for Disadvantaged Mainers
John T. Gorman Foundation
The John T. Gorman Foundation is dedicated to advancing ideas and opportunities that can improve the lives of disadvantaged people in Maine. The Foundation's Direct Services Grant Program supports nonprofit organizations throughout the state that work to address the basic needs of low-income Mainers (food, shelter, clothing, physical and mental health, transportation, etc.). Grants of up to $25,000 are provided for programmatic work and general operating support for existing programs. The application deadline is March 30, 2018. Visit the Foundation’s website after February 15 to submit an online application.

Regional Environmental Organizations in Oregon Supported
Jubitz Family Foundation: Environment Program
The Jubitz Family Foundation believes in supporting grassroots nonprofit organizations that work to protect and restore natural forest and freshwater habitats throughout Oregon. The Foundation’s Environment Program is offering an anchor opportunity that will fund a network of up to ten regional environmental grassroots organizations in Oregon to protect and recover habitats. Each selected anchor organization will receive a base grant of up to $10,000 and will also be invited to a fall retreat to discuss top environmental issues with the other anchor organizations and the Trustees, consultants, and staff of the Jubitz Family Foundation. The application deadline is March 15, 2018. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the application process.

Federal Funding
Opportunities from the U.S. Government

Program Supports Women and Minorities in STEM
Department of Agriculture
The Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Program supports research and extension projects to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas in fields that are relevant to USDA priorities. The application deadline is March 28, 2018. 

Funds Available to Reduce Drug Use
Department of Health and Human Services
The Drug-Free Communities Support Program provides grants to community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth, which will ultimately reduce substance abuse among adults. The application deadline is March 29, 2018.

PathFinder: Featured Resource
A library of quality resources designed to help you develop your career path as a grants professional.
 

Grant Professionals Association Annual Conference
“The early bird catches the worm.” It’s only February, which makes this a perfect time to plan out your 2018 conference agenda. The Grant Professionals Association (GPA) Annual Conference, which sold out last year due to popular demand, should definitely be part of those plans. This educational and professional growth event is designed for those committed to excellence in the practice of grantsmanship, including grantwriters, grant managers, nonprofit administrators, consultants, and more. The 2018 conference will be held in Chicago, IL, from November 7th to November 10th. Sign up now through the end of July to take advantage of the early-bird registration rate.

Upcoming Online Education Trainings
Live Webinars

Unless otherwise noted, all Online Education Trainings are webinars,
are 90 minutes in duration, and are scheduled to begin at 2 PM Eastern Time.

Grantwriting 101
If you are new to grantwriting, this webinar is for you! During this 90-minute webinar, Alice Ruhnke, founder and owner of the Grant Advantage, will teach you how to use a Program Planning Framework to plan your grant applications so they tell a strong, consistent story. As we go through the Framework, each section of a typical grant application will be highlighted with information on what funders are looking for and tips on how to write that section. By the time the webinar is over, you will (1) understand what funders are looking for in grant applications; (2) be able to decipher confusing grant-related terminology; (3) have a usable system to connect all the pieces of an application together; and (4) have strategies to infuse your organization's strengths in your proposal to make it strong and competitive. This webinar will be held on Thursday, February 22, 2018.

How to Craft a Proposal to a Foundation
Proposal writing is the skill most sought after by savvy nonprofit staff members. On the one hand, writing a grant proposal is quite simple and follows a basic formula. However, submitting a proposal may be your only chance to put the case for funding your organization in front of a foundation, so you want to be sure to do it right. In this webinar, Judith Margolin provides invaluable tips on developing a compelling proposal narrative, what your proposal package should include, how to let your funder take the lead, and advice on writing and submission techniques that get your proposal noticed by foundation decision makers. This webinar is intended for the novice proposal writer. The webinar will be held on Thursday, March 1, 2018.

Online Workshop: Simple Spreadsheets - Your Hairiest Nonprofit Spreadsheets Made Simple
Ever feel like you're swimming upstream in data? Need to make sense of spreadsheets, but not sure where to start? Have a gut feeling that you're not getting the most out of spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets? Then this webinar is for you! In this session, Ann K. Emery will focus on little-known spreadsheet secrets that can save you time. We'll cover beginner, intermediate, and advanced number-crunching skills from lookup to pivot tables. By the end of this hands-on-webinar, you'll be armed and ready to merge data from multiple sheets and files into a single master spreadsheet; organize your spreadsheets by adding filters and freezing panes; clean and recode messy data to get it ready for analysis; run basic descriptive statistics and frequencies; and explore your data more fully through pivot tables. We'll look at several different types of datasets together. This webinar will be held on Thursday, March 8, 2018. View a sample video at www.annkemery.com/excel to see Ann's teaching style in action.

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Editor: Julie Kaufman
Contributing Writer: Kevin Peters
Contributing Writer: Ashlyn Simmons