GrantStation Insider - April 26, 2018

National | Regional | Federal | PathFinder | Online Education

National Funding
Opportunities Throughout the U.S.

Competition Strives to Improve the Lives of Young Men of Color
MBK Community Challenge
The MBK (My Brother's Keeper) Community Challenge is a national competition to identify several cities, towns, counties, and Tribal Nations that have the potential to substantially improve life outcomes for boys and young men of color, especially as it relates to reducing youth violence and growing the pipeline of mentors. The Challenge is seeking to work in partnership with communities that can identify and implement evidence-based programs and a specific goal over two years to reduce youth violence or leverage mentors to address milestone-specific challenges. Two categories of grants, ranging from $25,000 to $500,000, are being offered. Eligible grantees are high-performing U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with strong leadership and a track record of success in driving collective impact efforts locally, initiating program development, and expanding policies and practices that enhance equity and opportunity for boys and young men of color. The application deadline is May 24, 2018. Visit the MBK website to learn more about the Challenge.

Support for Programs to Enhance Homeownership Opportunities
Wells Fargo Housing Foundation: Homeownership Counseling Grant Program
The Wells Fargo Housing Foundation is committed to creating affordable and sustainable housing, and investing in neighborhood revitalization efforts to build stronger communities in the United States. The Foundation’s Homeownership Counseling Grant Program supports local nonprofit housing organizations nationwide that help create affordable and sustainable homeownership opportunities for low- to moderate-income families. The program focuses on homebuyer counseling, homebuyer education, and foreclosure prevention activities. Applying organizations must have been in operation at least two years. Requests may be submitted from June 1 through June 30, 2018. Visit the Wells Fargo website for more information about the program.

Skatepark Construction in Low-Income Communities Funded
Tony Hawk Foundation
The Tony Hawk Foundation is dedicated to promoting the construction of new, quality skateparks located in low-income communities throughout the United States. The Foundation primarily supports projects that can demonstrate a strong grassroots commitment, particularly in the form of planning and fundraising by local skateboarders and other community groups. Priority is given to projects that are designed and built from concrete by experienced skatepark contractors and include local skaters in the planning, fundraising, and design process. Grants of $1,000 to $25,000 are provided to nonprofit organizations and state or local agencies, including public school systems and public projects. Requests are reviewed two times per year. Applications for the upcoming grant cycle will be accepted from April 30 to June 13, 2018. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the grant criteria and submit an online application.

Grants for K-12 Educational Projects Promoting U.S.-Japan Understanding
United States-Japan Foundation: Pre-College Education Grants
The United States-Japan Foundation supports innovative education projects that help young Americans and Japanese learn about each other’s society, culture, and country as well as learn to work together on issues of common concern. The Foundation’s Pre-College Education Grants support K-12 teacher professional development projects that train U.S. educators to teach about Japan and Japanese educators to teach about the United States. In addition, the Foundation funds projects that work directly with students, develop top quality curriculum materials on America or Japan for educational audiences in the other country, connect schools and classrooms in the U.S. and Japan, and develop and improve instruction in the Japanese language. For the October 2018 funding cycle, letters of inquiry should be submitted by July 15; invited proposals are due August 31. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the funding guidelines and application process.

Regional Funding
Opportunities for Specific Areas

Initiatives to Address Racial Inequities in Wisconsin Supported
Forward Community Investments: Game Changer Grants
Forward Community Investments (FCI) envisions a socially equitable and inclusive Wisconsin built on cooperative social action. FCI is currently offering Game Changer Grants, which are intended for small or startup nonprofit organizations, programs, and initiatives that are working to reduce racial inequities in one or more Wisconsin communities. Applicant organizations can be involved in direct services, policy and advocacy, or community organizing. Grant funds may be used for expenses related to operations or capacity building. One monthly $3,000 grant will be provided from July through the end of 2018 based on requests submitted from April 30 to May 22, 2018. Visit the FCI website to learn more about Game Changer Grants.

Significant Funds for Georgia Nonprofit Impacting Women and Children
Ribbons of Hope - Invest in Women
Ribbons of Hope - Invest in Women is dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of women and children. Each year Ribbons of Hope awards one $100,000 grant to a nonprofit organization in Georgia that promotes education, health, economic independence, social well-being, or human rights for women and their children. The grant can be used for special projects or capital improvements that can be sustained by the organization after the grant allocation. Applying organizations must have been in operation at least three years and have an annual operating budget of $500,000 or more. Applications will be accepted through June 4, 2018. Visit the Ribbons of Hope website to download the 2018 application guidelines and form.

Grants Promote Exemplary Organizations in Louisiana and New Mexico
The Frost Foundation
The Frost Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations in the states of Louisiana and New Mexico. The Foundation's areas of grantmaking interest include education, human service needs, and the environment. The Foundation’s efforts are directed primarily to supporting exemplary organizations that can generate positive change beyond traditional boundaries, to encouraging creativity that recognizes emerging needs, and to assisting innovation that addresses current urgent problems. Priority is given to programs that have the potential for wider service or educational exposure than an individual community. The proposal summary deadlines are June 1 and December 1, annually. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the application instructions.

Support for Community Health Initiatives in New Hampshire
Endowment for Health: Opportunity Grants Program
The mission of the Endowment for Health is to improve the health and reduce the burden of illness for the people of New Hampshire, especially the vulnerable and underserved. Most of the Endowment’s resources are strategically granted in the Endowment's priority areas, including children's behavioral health, health equity, early childhood development, elder health, and health policy. The Endowment maintains a small pool of responsive funding allocated to the Opportunity Grants Program, which provides support for community initiatives. Proposed projects should address urgent needs and emerging opportunities, or build and disseminate knowledge to improve the health of New Hampshire’s people. Grants generally range between $1,000 and $20,000. Requests are reviewed two times per year; the upcoming application deadline is June 30, 2018. Visit the Endowment’s website to review the Opportunity Grant Program guidelines.

Federal Funding
Opportunities from the U.S. Government

Program Supports Service Dogs for Veterans
Department of Defense
The Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program provides support to establish and operate programs that provide assistance dogs to service members or veterans with disabilities. The application deadline is June 4, 2018. 

Telemedicine and Distance Learning Funded
Department of Agriculture
The Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program provides support to improve telemedicine and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of telecommunications, computer networks, and related advanced technologies that students, teachers, medical professionals, and rural residents can use. The application deadline is June 4, 2018.

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

Leading from Within: Conscious Social Change and Mindfulness for Social Innovation
By Gretchen Ki Steidle | MIT Press (2017)
Many people are incorporating mindfulness into their daily lives as a way to reduce stress and live more fully in the present moment. How can this practice help you advance your organization’s mission? The book entitled Leading from Within: Conscious Social Change and Mindfulness for Social Innovation presents a roadmap for integrating mindfulness into every aspect of social change. It discusses how to lead transformation with compassion for the needs and perspectives of all people.

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.

Building a Powerful Grants Strategy for 2018 - 2019
This webinar will take participants through the process of establishing a grants calendar for the next 12 to 18 months. Fast-paced, and filled with action steps, Cynthia Adams, CEO of GrantStation, will discuss how to design and adopt a Grant Decision Matrix before beginning the process of building a specific grants strategy for each project. All participants will also receive a set of worksheets that they can use to create their own approach to building an overall grantseeking strategy for their organization. This presentation is geared towards beginning and intermediate grantwriters. Advanced grantwriters may also find it useful as a refresher course. This webinar will be held Thursday, May 3, 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, May 10, 2018.

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