GrantStation Insider: December 3, 2020

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COVID-19 Related Funding
Opportunities related to the COVID-19 pandemic

Projects in Minnesota and the Dakotas Addressing COVID-19 Receive Priority
Bush Foundation: Community Innovation Grants
The Bush Foundation has adapted its Community Innovation Grants program to be responsive to needs and opportunities related to COVID-19. Grants are provided for projects located in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota or the 23 Native nations that share the same geography. Applications that address the COVID-19 pandemic are given expedited consideration. This includes immediate response efforts and longer-term rebuilding efforts. Applications may be submitted at any time.

Support for Efforts to Aid Mainers Impacted by the Pandemic
Maine Community Foundation: Community Building Grants
The Maine Community Foundation's Community Building Grants program invests in local projects and organizations that work to build strong communities throughout the state. For the 2021 grant cycle, the focus will be on building community resilience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Priority will be given to projects and organizations that serve people at higher risk to be negatively impacted by COVID-19. The application deadline is February 15, 2021.

Grants Respond to COVID-19's Effect on Food System Issues in the Chicago Area
Chicago Region Food System Fund
The Chicago Region Food System Fund addresses hunger and business disruption by bolstering the Chicago, IL, region's communities and local food system in response to COVID-19 and other systemic shocks. The current round of funding centers on long-term food system resilience—without losing sight of the pandemic—and is rooted in racial and economic justice. The Fund encourages participation from diverse communities, including urban neighborhoods and rural communities, tribal nations, LGBTQIA+ organizations, veterans, food chain workers, food system businesses, investors, and more. Priority is given to BIPOC-led organizations promoting food system resilience in BIPOC communities. The application deadline is January 13, 2021.

For more grant opportunities, visit our COVID-19 Related Funding page.

National Funding
Opportunities throughout the U.S.

Support for Pre-K-12 Library Collections Nationwide
The Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries
The Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries provides funds to the country's neediest schools so that they can extend, update, and diversify the book and print collections in their libraries with the goal of encouraging students to develop a love of reading and learning. The focus is on schools serving pre-K through 12th grade in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, all U.S. territories, and Department of Defense schools. Public, public charter, private, parochial, city, state, county, and reservation schools are eligible to apply. This includes special schools, social services schools, and juvenile detention center schools that serve any combination of pre-kindergarten through high school students. These grants may be used only for books, periodicals, eBooks, reference materials, and magazine/newspaper subscriptions. The application deadline is January 29, 2021. Visit the Foundation's website to review the application guidelines.

Bicycle Infrastructure and Advocacy Projects Funded
PeopleForBikes Community Grant Program
The PeopleForBikes Community Grant Program offers funding for important and influential projects that build momentum for bicycling in communities across the United States. Grants of up to $10,000 are provided for bicycle infrastructure projects and targeted advocacy initiatives that make it easier and safer for people of all ages and abilities to ride. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with a focus on bicycling, active transportation, or community development; city or county agencies or departments; and state or federal agencies working locally. Letters of interest for the Spring 2021 grant cycle will be accepted from December 14, 2020, to January 22, 2021; full applications will be due April 9, 2021. Visit the PeopleForBikes website to review the grant guidelines for the Spring 2021 cycle.

Grants Promote Social Justice through Impact Litigation
The Impact Fund
The Impact Fund is dedicated to assisting nonprofit organizations, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to advance social justice using impact litigation in the areas of civil and human rights, environmental justice, or poverty law. The Fund offers support in the following sectors: The Social Justice sector provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases in the United States. The Economic Justice sector focuses on cases fighting for economic justice in the United States, from workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations. The Environmental Justice sector funds impact litigation for environmental justice, with a focus on marginalized communities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The first letter of inquiry deadline for 2021 is January 12. Visit the Fund's website to learn more about the grant guidelines and application process.

Programs for At-Risk Youth Supported
Sky Ranch Foundation
The Sky Ranch Foundation supports nonprofit organizations throughout the United States and its territories that work with at-risk youth. Preference is given to organizations that 1) serve troubled youth between the ages of 11 to 18, with priority given to programs that focus on youth between the ages of 11 to 15; 2) focus on preventing youth involvement in the criminal justice system, or provide long-term rehabilitation in a residential or alternative setting; and 3) provide comprehensive support services to youth that may include education, job training, enrichment activities, counseling, and case management. Letters of inquiry must be submitted by January 31, 2021. Visit the Foundation's website for detailed funding guidelines.

Regional Funding
Opportunities for specific geographic areas

Funds for Arts and Education Initiatives Throughout Oregon
James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation
The mission of the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation is to enhance the quality of life of Oregonians through the support of classroom education and the performing, visual, and literary arts. In response to the ongoing pandemic and the added impacts of wildfires in Oregon, the Foundation has created two temporary, simplified grant application processes to support the arts and education sectors throughout the state. In the Arts category, the Foundation will support organizations which have historically delivered visual, performing, media, literary, or interdisciplinary artistic programming, performances, or exhibits, including arts education programming for K-12 students. In the Education category, the Foundation will support efforts that address immediate and pressing needs for K-12 students, teachers, and their families. Project, capacity building, and general operating support will be provided. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through June 30, 2021. Visit the Foundation's website to learn more about the funding guidelines and application information.

Grants Foster Healthy Aging in Four New England States
Tufts Health Plan Foundation
The Tufts Health Plan Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that focus on healthy aging and older people in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. The Foundation invests in communities that promote healthy living across the life span, with an emphasis on older people. The Foundation strives to move communities toward achieving age-friendly policies and practices that are relevant, focus on under-represented communities, and include older people in the process. The Foundation is currently accepting requests for the following two grant programs: The Systems and Best Practices category supports nonprofit organizations working to eliminate barriers adversely affecting older people. The Collaboration and Community Engagement category supports multiple community stakeholders that lead to age-friendly communities and address barriers in the most vulnerable communities. The deadline for letters of intent for both programs is January 22, 2021. Visit the Foundation's website to learn more about the funding guidelines for each grant program.

Support for Direct Services Benefiting Hawaiian Communities
Friends of Hawaii Charities
Friends of Hawaii Charities provides support to nonprofit organizations and public agencies that benefit women, children, youth, the elderly, and the needy in Hawaii. Grants focus on the following areas: arts and education, healthcare and basic needs, and social services, such as family abuse programs, drug and job rehabilitation, elderly services, and programs for the terminally ill. Priority is given to direct services that make a significant difference in Hawaiian communities. Grant applications must be submitted by December 28, 2020. Visit the Friends of Hawaii Charities website to download the 2021 application materials.

Programs Serving Children in Minnesota Funded
The Sheltering Arms Foundation
The Sheltering Arms Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations in Minnesota that benefit children and families who have the least access to resources. The Foundation supports high quality direct service programs for children, ages 0-12, in the areas of early childhood and youth development. In addition, the Foundation supports advocacy efforts that increase access to high quality, culturally appropriate early childhood care as well as out-of-school time opportunities for education and youth development. Grants generally range from $5,000 to $20,000 with an average grant of $10,000. Applying organizations must be based in Minnesota and provide services to residents of the state. The application deadline is January 21, 2021. (Prior to submission of a funding request, organizations are required to contact Foundation staff to talk about how a project fits with the Foundation's guidelines.) Visit the Foundation's website to learn more about the funding guidelines and online application process.

Federal Funding
Opportunities from the U.S. government

Program Supports AmeriCorps Community Efforts
AmeriCorps
The AmeriCorps State and National Grants program supports organizations proposing to engage AmeriCorps members in evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions to strengthen communities. Interests include COVID-19 recovery efforts, racial equity and equality, economic opportunity, education, reducing or preventing prescription drug and opioid abuse, veterans and military families, rural affairs, faith-based organizations, reducing child poverty, environmental stewardship, and Community Development Financial Institutions. The application deadline is January 6, 2021.

Preservation of Humanities Collections Funded
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions program helps institutions such as libraries, museums, historical societies, archival repositories, cultural organizations, town and county records offices, and colleges and universities improve their ability to preserve and care for their significant humanities collections, including special collections of books and journals, archives and manuscripts, prints and photographs, moving images, sound recordings, architectural and cartographic records, decorative and fine art objects, textiles, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, furniture, historical objects, and digital materials. The application deadline is January 14, 2021.

Tracks to Success
Feature articles focused on a particular grantmaker or philanthropic trend.

Madam C. J. Walker's Generous Philanthropy
The Gospel of Giving of America's First Female Self-Made Millionaire
by Sid Davis
Coming from humble beginnings often prefaces the stories of highly successful people, but few rags to riches tales begin in more meager circumstances than those of Sarah Breedlove. She was born just after the end of the U.S. Civil War, in 1867, in the federally partitioned U.S. south, in the Fifth Military District encompassing Louisiana. It was a time of soaring hopes for African Americans, but southerners soon began fighting back against Black emancipation, principally by erecting the apartheid regime known as Jim Crow, slowly expanding racist laws until nearly every avenue toward equality was blocked. It was in this reality that Breedlove came of age.

Partner Depot

Grantseeking in 2021: Tips & Trends
Complimentary Education Webinar
COVID-19 and all that 2020 has brought us has transformed the landscape of funding, both on the private and public sides of funding. What should we keep doing? What should we approach in a new way?

We asked a panel of experienced grantseekers representing a variety of nonprofit sectors and government agencies to share their plans, tips, and advice for grantseeking in 2021.

Panelists represent the following sectors:

• human services;
• health;
• local government;
• education; and,
• arts and culture.

Grantseekers, grant consultants, nonprofit leaders, board members, and program managers of all experience levels can benefit from this session.

Join us for this complimentary 90-minute webinar on Thursday, December 17, at 9am PT and 12pm ET. Register here.

Are You an Experienced Grant Professional?
Become a GPC! As the only nationally recognized accredited grant professional credential, the GPC (Grant Professional Certified) credential shows you are an experienced grant professional who adheres to ethical standards and demonstrates a commitment to making a difference for good.

Visit the Grant Professionals Certification Institute website to learn:

• GPC competencies and skills;
• eligibility requirements; and,
• the benefits of getting your GPC!

While there, sign up for our newsletter and be entered into our drawing for a FREE one-year Grant Professionals Association (GPA) membership—a $220 value!

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

Savvy Ways to Land DAF Gifts in 2021
Has trying to navigate the world of donor-advised funds (DAFs) left you scratching your head? If so, you may want to attend The Chronicle of Philanthropy's webinar "Savvy Ways to Land DAF Gifts in 2021." This webinar teaches participants how some nonprofits are connecting with those who give through DAFs. It provides tips for encouraging these donations in marketing messages and fundraising appeals, and ways to inspire these supporters to give more over time. The webinar will be held on January 28, 2021. Sign up now to get the early-bird discount.

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.

LIVE Workshop: Tracking Restricted Grants in QuickBooks (DESKTOP and ONLINE Versions)
Do you receive grants that are restricted in some way? Do you struggle to complete grant spending reports at the end of a grant? Do you spend hours going through transactions and payroll reports trying to figure out which expenses were paid for from a grant? And what about grants with a budget by account that must be adhered to? By simply setting up a few things, you can easily get a P&L for each of your restricted grants (compared to budget if you'd like). See reports for your grants all on one screen and in real time. All of this and more can be easily tracked right in your QuickBooks software. We are very excited to have Gregg Bossen, a CPA specializing in nonprofits and president of QuickBooks Made Easy for Nonprofits, deliver one of his most popular webinars exclusively for us! During this webinar, you will learn how and where to set up your grantors, how to enter grant revenue, how to point expenses to a grant, how to enter grant budgets, how to generate and memorize reports on your grants, and how to deal with future year grants received this year that make it look like you made much more money than you did. Don't miss this opportunity. You will be VERY glad you came! The webinar for the DESKTOP version of Quickbooks will be held on Wednesday, December 9, 2020. The webinar for the ONLINE version of Quickbooks will be held on Thursday, December 10, 2020.

The Power of 3—Jump-Start Your Grants Success With Maryn Boess (NEW)
Are you ready to jump-start your grants success in 2021 with fresh perspectives, brand-new tools, and powerful new ways of approaching familiar tasks and challenges? Ready to bust a few big myths and misunderstandings that may be sabotaging your success without your even knowing it? Join long-time grants professional and grantmaking program officer Maryn Boess for a Power of 3 series designed to get your new year of grantseeking off to a high-energy, practical, and inspiring start! In Power Writing for Grants...and More!, you'll fill your writing toolkit with a host of simple, powerful techniques that will have you writing more clearly, quickly, and confidently, right away—so you can get the results you want! In Building the "Total-Value" Proposal Budget, you'll learn step-by-step how to end the 'Nonprofit Starvation Cycle' and build budgets that clearly and compellingly show the total value of everything it takes to do your work successfully (with plenty of opportunity for hands-on practice). And in our ground-breaking final session, Inside the Grantmaker's Black Box, you'll travel with Maryn through a real-life grant review process, from start to finish, tracking proposals through the eight key "qualifying rounds" and busting some big myths about what really happens in the finals! Come with an open mind, and be ready for inspiration as well as great takeaways you and your team can put to work right away! Join us for all three workshops in the Power of 3 series or as stand-alone learning opportunities. The deadline to register for all three is Thursday, January 14, 2021.

Transformational Leadership: A Coached Seminar Experience (NEW)
As the current or future executive director or senior leadership team member of a nonprofit organization, the pressures you deal with are enormous. Every day you are called upon to create and sustain an environment that enables your staff to renew their commitment and refine their skills. But where do you, the executive director or senior management team member, go to renew your commitment and refine your skills? Transformational Leadership: A Coached Seminar Experience, presented by Dr. Anthony Silard, CEO of The Global Leadership Institute and the President of The Center for Social Leadership, is a ten-part seminar series in transformational nonprofit leadership. In this interactive course you will learn 'transactional' skills such as how to manage your staff, how to cultivate donors, how to build your board of directors, and how to create a strategic plan—all through the lens of the transformational leader. There has been a recent surge in complex emotions such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression, which can easily destabilize nonprofit organizations. Transformational Leadership: A Coached Seminar Experience will cultivate nonprofit leaders with enhanced abilities in emotion management so they can transform these challenging emotions—within both themselves and their staff, board members, and donors—into empathy, passion, and a renewed commitment toward organizational goals. Both individuals and groups can participate in Transformational Leadership: A Coached Seminar Experience, either as a complete series to methodically build their leadership knowledge and skills, or as stand-alone (single session) learning opportunities. All participants who take the entire course will receive a certificate from The Center for Social Leadership. The deadline to register for the entire series is January 21, 2021; registration for individual seminars in the series will be open monthly through October 2021.

GrantStation Announcements
The latest updates from GrantStation

Funding Alerts
Don't forget to check out the additional Funding Alerts on our homepage—you don't want to miss them!

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