GrantStation Insider - November 2, 2017

National | Regional | Federal | PathFinder | Online Education

National Funding
Opportunities Throughout the U.S.

Support to Address Social Isolation in the U.S. Through International Models
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Developing Solutions for Social Isolation in the United States: Learning From the World
Through the Developing Solutions for Social Isolation in the United States: Learning From the World initiative, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is collaborating with people and organizations around the world to uncover insights that can inspire us all to imagine new possibilities and to surface practical solutions that can be adapted here in the United States. With this call for proposals (CFP), the Foundation is looking for the best ideas from around the world that address social isolation and promote positive, healthy social connections and well-being. Preference will be given to projects focused on children, adolescents, young adults, mothers, and families at risk. The Foundation is looking for applicants who represent organizations from a wide range of fields and disciplines, both within and outside the health sector. Proposals are accepted from both U.S.-based applicants to adapt an overseas idea, and from international applicants with ideas that could work in the United States. Submissions from teams that include both U.S. and international members are encouraged. The application deadline is December 21, 2017. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the CFP.

Forest Service Conservation and Recreational Efforts Funded
National Forest Foundation: Matching Awards Program
The National Forest Foundation was established by Congress to support the Forest Service in its management of America’s National Forests and Grasslands. The Foundation’s Matching Awards Program (MAP) provides grants to nonprofit organizations, universities, and Native American tribes throughout the U.S. to engage in on-the-ground conservation and restoration projects that have an immediate, quantifiable impact on the National Forest System. Funded projects must address one of the following focus areas: The Outdoor Experiences category supports projects that improve the quality, condition, and care of outdoor experiences in National Forests. The Forest Health category supports citizen-involved projects that maintain or restore ecosystem resiliency in National Forests. The Foundation also encourages projects that cohesively integrate the Outdoor Experiences and Forest Health program areas. All grants require at least a one-to-one cash match through non-federal donations. MAP also requires projects to show a strong commitment to civic engagement and community involvement through the direct involvement of the public. The proposal deadlines for 2018 are January 23 and June 13. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about each MAP focus area and to submit the required eligibility questionnaire.

Matching Grants Provide Musical Instruments for Youth
Classics for Kids Foundation
The mission of the Classics for Kids Foundation is to empower young people to shape positive futures through music, build sustainable stringed instrument music programs, and provide grants for high quality instruments. The Foundation is offering matching grants to K-12 schools and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States to help purchase stringed instruments. Grants will not exceed 50% of total instrument cost. Requests are reviewed quarterly; the upcoming application deadline is December 31, 2017. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the grant program.

Programs for People with Disabilities Supported
The Milbank Foundation
The primary mission of the Milbank Foundation is to integrate people with disabilities into all aspects of American life. The Foundation's current priorities include consumer-oriented projects that enable people with disabilities to lead fulfilling, independent lives; innovative policy research and education on market-based approaches to healthcare and rehabilitation; improving and expanding quality health services, especially palliative care; and education and training of health and rehabilitation professionals. Nonprofit organizations may submit letters of inquiry throughout the year. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the grant guidelines and application procedures.

Regional Funding
Opportunities for Specific Areas

Funds Enhance Outdoor Experiences for Coloradans
Colorado Health Foundation: Activating Places and Spaces Together
The Colorado Health Foundation is dedicated to making Colorado the healthiest state in the nation. The Foundation’s Activating Places and Spaces Together grant program supports locally-defined, place-specific efforts to get people outdoors and actively engaged in their neighborhoods – together. The goal of this funding opportunity is to help activate existing infrastructure in public places that contributes to a community’s overall health through residential usage and positive experiences. Grant funds will support costs associated with project planning and/or implementation for up to one year. The application deadlines for 2018 are February 15, June 15, and October 15. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the funding guidelines.

Grants Promote Anti-Racist Movement Building in New England
Haymarket People's Fund
The Haymarket People's Fund is committed to strengthening the movement for social justice throughout the six states of New England. The Fund envisions a world free of racism and other oppressions where peace and cooperation flourish, where people are valued for their gifts and able to bring their whole selves to humanity, where vibrant communities thrive and different cultures are celebrated, and where opportunities are equally shared while honoring the earth and all within it. The Fund provides Sustaining Grants, ranging up to $10,000, for grassroots social change organizations that are committed to strengthening anti-racist movement building in the New England region. Groups that have not been funded by Haymarket during the past three years must speak with a staff person prior to submitting a request. Requests for applications will be considered until November 27, 2017; the application deadline is November 29, 2017. Visit the Fund’s website to review the Grant Information Packet.

Support for Initiatives That Benefit Texans
The Meadows Foundation
The Meadows Foundation is dedicated to helping the people and institutions of Texas improve the quality and circumstances of life for themselves and future generations. The Foundation provides grants throughout the state of Texas, but generally allocates between one-third and one-half of its grants to organizations helping those in the Dallas area. The Foundation currently gives priority to three initiatives: improving public education, increasing access to mental health services, and protecting the natural environment. The Foundation also seeks to strengthen the capacity of the nonprofit sector, support efforts to reduce crime and recidivism, and fund projects that improve animal welfare and address the importance of the human-animal connection. Applications may be submitted throughout the year. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the grant strategy and application guidelines.

Environmental Education Programs in Oregon Funded
Gray Family Foundation: Environmental Education Program
The Gray Family Foundation is founded on the belief that fostering an understanding and appreciation of our natural world is a crucial part of a child’s education. The Foundation’s Environmental Education Program supports nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in Oregon that promote the teaching of environmental education in K-12 environments and increase outdoor experiences for youth. In 2018, two types of grants will be offered: Planning Grants will support organizations and educational institutions that aim to examine, challenge, and change assumptions and practices so that the field of environmental education may better reflect the diverse populations of Oregon. Programmatic Grants will support programs providing student field experiences for third through eighth grade students and/or educator professional development. Applications for both grant types are due December 1, 2017. Visit the Foundation’s website to download the Environmental Education Program RFP.

Federal Funding
Opportunities from the U.S. Government

Humanities Research Supported
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Collaborative Research Grants program funds groups of scholars engaging in significant and sustained research in the humanities. Supported outcomes include books, digital publications, themed issues of peer-reviewed journals, and open-access digital resources (for example, websites, databases, or tools). The application deadline is December 6, 2017. 

Funds Available to Improve Rural Healthcare 
Department of Health and Human Services
The Rural Healthcare Services Outreach Program seeks to enhance healthcare delivery in rural communities through outreach projects focused on the improvement of access to services, strategies for adapting to changes in the healthcare environment, and overall enrichment of community health. The application deadline is December 6, 2017.

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

How America Gives
If you work to raise funds for a U.S. nonprofit, and are looking to revamp your strategy for the coming year, it may be time to step back and get a big picture perspective on charitable giving in the United States. How America Gives, by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, examines giving trends across the U.S. through exclusive analysis of Internal Revenue Service data. It provides charitable donation figures from every state, metropolitan area, and county. The information is presented as a series of articles which analyze this data by focusing on specific topics.

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.

Cultivate Your Individual Donors
You can propel your grant request to the top of the pile by demonstrating strong local and regional support of your work. One of the best ways to do that is to show a successful individual donors program. In this webinar, Judi Margolin will help you create or enhance that essential relationship between nonprofit organizations and their donors. Aspects of the donor/recipient bond will be examined as they relate to various categories of the individual donors; your prospects, casual givers, major supporters, board members, and lapsed donors. The full range of donor relations will be explored, with highly practical advice on establishing, retaining, and enhancing individual contributions to your organization.

FREE: Mapping the Course: A Practical Approach to Grant Writing
To write a strong grant application, you need to begin by mapping the course--identifying all the application components and weaving them together for a coherent and consistent story. This free 45-minute webinar will preview The Grant Advantage's new manual, *Mapping the Course: A Practical Approach to Grant Writing,* and demonstrate how to use the Program Planning Framework to address and connect the standard sections of a grant application.

The Anatomy of a Business Plan for Social Enterprise
If your nonprofit's traditional funding sources are not as reliable as in the past, it might be time to invest in social enterprise to protect your vital programs and services. Many savvy nonprofits have successfully launched an earned income venture and are generating sustainable funds as a result. Is your organization ready to learn more? In this fast-paced webinar, Jean Block, a nonprofit trainer who has guided nearly 100 nonprofits from idea to business plan, will explain what social enterprise is - and isn't - and explore the critical steps required to develop a business plan for social enterprise. Writing a business plan for a social enterprise isn't difficult when it is based on thorough market research and feasibility studies. It's not brain surgery and it's not rocket science! Follow the necessary steps and your organization, too, can find sustainable funding.

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