GrantStation Insider - April 5, 2018

National | Regional | Federal | PathFinder | Online Education

National Funding
Opportunities Throughout the U.S.

Support for Services Assisting People with Dementia
Brookdale National Group Respite Program
The Brookdale Foundation Group works to advance the fields of geriatrics and gerontology and to improve the lives of senior citizens. The Brookdale National Group Respite Program awards seed grants to service providers that plan to offer new, dementia-specific Group Respite or specialized Early Memory Loss (EML) programming to participants, along with support to caregivers, in order to help individuals remain in their communities. All funded programs must provide a day program for people affected by Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, which is limited to those who are cognitively impaired. Grants of $10,000 will be provided in year one, renewable for $5,000 for the second year, based on evaluation of first year’s activities and potential for future continuity of the program. The application deadline is June 27, 2018. Visit the Brookdale Foundation Group’s website to download the guidelines and application form.

Awards for Innovative Justice Programs
Foundation for Improvement of Justice
The Foundation for Improvement of Justice works to enhance local, state, and federal systems of justice by rewarding the accomplishments of innovative programs throughout the United States. Each year, awards of $10,000 are provided to up to seven nominees for justice-related programs that have proven to be effective and can serve as models for others. The award categories include the following: legal reform, crime prevention, child protection, speeding the process, effecting restitution, crime victims' rights, alternative sentencing, reducing recidivism, lowering the cost, and other significant efforts. The program is open to all individuals, programs, and organizations within the United States. The nomination deadline is May 15, 2018. Visit the Foundation’s website for nomination guidelines.

Mentoring Programs for Women with Gynecologic Cancer Funded
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance: Woman to Woman
Woman to Woman, a program of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance (OCRFA), seeks to improve the quality of care for gynecologic cancer patients by strengthening coping capacities through a patient-to-patient support model. Woman to Woman trains mentors, themselves survivors of gynecologic cancers, to provide emotional support and mentoring through all phases of treatment, recurrence, and recovery. Another key component of Woman to Woman is a patient fund, which offers modest financial assistance to women undergoing treatment and their families. Each grant recipient will receive a one-year grant of either $60,000 for a hospital-based program or $30,000 for a community-based organization. The grant is intended to cover the cost of a part-time Program Coordinator’s salary, program costs, and the patient fund. Hospitals and community-based, nonprofit organizations that serve women with gynecologic cancers are eligible to apply. The application deadline is May 18, 2018. Visit the OCRFA website to download the application guidelines.

Grants Promote Organic Agriculture Projects in K-8 Schools
California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom: Look at Agriculture... Organically! Grants
The Look at Agriculture... Organically! Grants, offered by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, are designed to creatively enhance the understanding of organic agriculture for kindergarten through eighth grade students throughout the United States. Grants of up to $1,000 are provided to educators nationwide to support the integration of organic agriculture into regular classroom instruction. A significant percentage of grant funding will go to teachers in school districts with 50 percent or more students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program. The application deadline is May 15, 2018. Visit the Foundation’s website to submit an online application.

Regional Funding
Opportunities for Specific Areas

Technology Education Programs for Teens in Company Communities Supported
Best Buy Community Grants Program
The Best Buy Community Grants Program provides support to community-based organizations that are located within 25 miles of a Best Buy facility. Grants focus on out-of-school time programs that create access to technology education and tools that teens will need to be successful in their future schooling and careers. Programs should include hands-on learning opportunities and engage the youth, ages 13-18, in experimenting and interacting with the latest technologies to build 21st century skills. Examples of program activities include computer programming, website design, audio production, robotics, and gaming and mobile app development. The average grant amount is $5,000; grants will not exceed $10,000. Public and nonprofit community-based organizations (e.g., community centers, schools, and libraries) are eligible to apply. Online proposals may be submitted between May 1 and May 31, 2018. Visit the Best Buy website to review the program guidelines and take the eligibility quiz.

General Operating Funds for Organizations in the Upper Midwest
Bush Foundation: Ecosystem Grants
The Bush Foundation invests in great ideas and the people who power them in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and 23 Native Nations. The Foundation’s Ecosystem Grants provide general operating support to help sustain organizations that create unique and significant value for the Foundation’s grantees, Fellows, and other organizations. The focus is on organizations that provide critical data and analysis, spread great ideas and build capacity, advance public awareness and policy, and build and support leadership networks. Eligible organizations should advance the goal of a Foundation program or strategic initiative. Organizations may apply to receive as much as $200,000 over two years in general operating support. Nonprofit organizations and government agencies are eligible to apply. There will be a few Ecosystem Grants available to new applicants in 2018. Organizations that meet the selection criteria and eligibility may apply between April 24 and May 24, 2018.Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the Ecosystem Grants opportunity.

Grants Enhance Quality of Life for Oklahomans
Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation’s grant program primarily provides support to nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions in Oklahoma. The focus is on organizations that cultivate good health, support education, and build stronger communities. Before a formal grant application will be sent to the requesting organization, the organization must submit a letter of inquiry. The Foundation will accept letters of inquiry through June 1, 2018. Visit the Foundation’s website for more information.

Efforts to Build Strong Illinois Communities Supported
Grand Victoria Foundation: Core Grants Program
The Grand Victoria Foundation invests in building strong communities in Illinois by strengthening early education opportunities for young children, protecting natural lands and waterways, and promoting economic vitality through robust employment development. The Foundation’s Core Grants Program provides support to nonprofit organizations that address the following categories: Employment, Land and Water Conservation, and Early Childhood Education. Statewide organizations, regional organizations that focus on the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as organizations that focus on suburban Chicago counties are eligible to apply. The 2018 deadlines for letters of inquiry are May 4 and October 5. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the Core Grants Program.

Federal Funding
Opportunities from the U.S. Government

Local Food Initiatives Funded
Department of Agriculture
The Local Food Promotion Program provides support to increase consumption of and access to locally and regionally produced agricultural products, and to develop new market opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local markets. The application deadline is May 7, 2018.

Support Available to Protect Tribal Heritage
National Park Service
The Tribal Heritage Grants program assists Indian tribes, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiian organizations in protecting and promoting their unique cultural heritage and traditions. The application deadline is May 11, 2018.

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

Monitoring and Evaluation 101: A Webinar for Nonprofit Professionals
So, you managed to get the grant for your new program or project. Now, how do you measure its success? If you are a non-expert looking to understand the fundamentals of programmatic monitoring and evaluation, Elevate is offering a webinar entitled “Monitoring and Evaluation 101: A Webinar for Nonprofit Professionals." By focusing on practical tips and case studies, this webinar will make monitoring and evaluation easy to understand.

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.

Now Is the Time - Mobilize Your Board to Raise Funds
In today's highly competitive grantseeking economy, nonprofit organizations that fail to attract outside funding most often are those with boards who are unable or unwilling to engage in efforts aimed at contributing to their agency's financial security. Stated quite simply, nonprofit board members no longer have the option of saying "I don't raise funds." In this webinar, Judith Margolin addresses the change in perspective necessary to turn weak boards into powerful fundraising entities, beginning with a new and much broader definition of "fundraising". Topics covered include: who should and should not be on your board, how to address your board member's reluctance to raise funds, and what specific roles board members can and should play vis a vis your prospects and funders. The webinar concludes with advice on developing an action plan to more fully engage your board in fundraising. This presentation will be held on Thursday, April 12, 2018.

Re-Imagine Your Proposals
For beginners and those with a fair bit of experience, this webinar provides a fresh new approach to grantwriting. The rule for grantwriting is simple: 80% of your time on preparation work and 20% of your time on writing. Does your grantwriting process follow this rule? What does that 80% include? How do you build organizational credibility into your request?  What should you be doing to strengthen everything from your statement of need to your explanation of the impact the grant award will engender? Learn to re-imagine how you present basic documents such as your budget, organizational description, and board and staff bios so they add significant credibility to your request. These are the topics that GrantStation's CEO, Cynthia Adams, will discuss in this fast-paced, content rich session. This presentation will be held on Wednesday, April 18, 2018.

Building a Stellar Grantseeking Team
One of the most time consuming tasks for an Executive Director of a nonprofit organization is the research, writing, and submission of grant requests. And, unfortunately, it is often a task that is both daunting and isolating. This webinar taught by GrantStation's CEO, Cynthia Adams, takes you through a step-by-step process to develop a grantseeking team, all working toward a common vision: to strengthen and build your grants program. This online training focuses on a step-by-step process to craft the perfect committee, develop a process to energize your team, and discover ways to create a sustainable program. Ms. Adams' unique approach will help you develop a team that will generate stellar results. This presentation will be held on Wednesday, April 25, 2018.

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