GrantStation Insider - December 7, 2017

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National Funding
Opportunities Throughout the U.S.

Support for Financial Education and Empowerment Programs
Investopedia
The mission of Investopedia, a financial education website, is to educate people to make smarter financial decisions. Investopedia.org, an initiative of Investopedia, supports programs that enhance financial empowerment among low-income individuals and communities. Investopedia.org defines “financial empowerment” as providing the information, tools, and coaching needed to achieve financial sustainability in the short- and long-term. One-year grants in the range of $10,000 to $25,000 are being offered to nonprofit organizations that are working to help low-income individuals and communities reduce bad debt, make the most of their financial resources, and build assets. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations based in the United States. The application deadline is January 31, 2018. Visit the Investopedia website to review the funding guidelines and submit an online application.

Conflict Resolution Initiatives for Youth Funded
JAMS Foundation/ACR Initiative for Students and Youth
The JAMS Foundation/ACR Initiative for Students and Youth provides grants for conflict prevention and dispute resolution programs for K-12 students and for adults working with youth populations in ways that directly transfer Conflict Resolution Education (CRE) skills from adults to youth. The emphasis for 2018 is on programs that advance the development, implementation, or assessment of conflict prevention and resolution strategies to serve youth in families whose integrity is jeopardized by changes in social environment that can lead to gang involvement. The possible contexts for projects include community organizations, alternative education, online education, charter schools, after-school programs, juvenile justice facilities, etc. (Traditional K-12 schools may be considered; however, they are not a priority.) Initial project idea descriptions must be submitted by February 14, 2018; invited full proposals will be due June 26, 2018. Visit the ACR website to download the application information.

Grants Strengthen Equity, Justice, and Human Rights
Arca Foundation
The Arca Foundation is dedicated to advancing equity, justice, and human rights. The Foundation believes that the pursuit of economic and racial justice, an inclusive democracy, human rights, and a clean environment requires an engaged citizenry that has access to information and free expression. In the Domestic focus area, the Foundation supports nonprofit organizations working to advance greater economic and racial equity, specifically by addressing the impacts of financialization on an inclusive economy, democracy, and the environment. (The Foundation’s work is national; in order to receive funding, local and state-based efforts must be part of a national campaign or project.) In the International focus area, the Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that advance a more just U.S. foreign policy that prioritizes human rights and peace and security over militarization. The upcoming application deadline is February 1, 2018; application links will be posted in early January 2018. Visit the Foundation’s website for more information on the Foundation’s grant guidelines.

Programs Promoting Education and Equity for Women and Girls Supported
American Association of University Women: Community Action Grants
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) works to advance educational and professional opportunities for women in the United States. The AAUW Community Action Grants program provides funds to individuals, AAUW organizations, and local community-based nonprofit organizations (including universities) throughout the country for innovative programs that promote education and equality for women and girls. Special consideration is given to projects focused on K-14 women and girls’ achievements in science, technology, or math. One-year grants of $2,000 to $7,000 provide funds for community-based projects. Two-year grants of $5,000 to $10,000 provide start-up funds for new projects that address the particular needs of the community and develop girls' sense of efficacy through leadership or advocacy opportunities. The application deadline for both types of grants is January 15, 2018. Visit the AAUW website to submit an online application.

Regional Funding
Opportunities for Specific Areas

Funds to Address Immigrant and Refugee Concerns in Oregon
Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative
The purpose of the Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative, a joint initiative of the Collins Foundation, MRG Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and the Oregon Community Foundation, is to create a coordinated funding approach to address urgent and emerging issues impacting immigrants and refugees in Oregon, and to support local organizations responding to federal policy changes. Grants support projects that provide legal information, services, and representation for immigrants and refugees; outreach and education about policies, programs, services, and preparedness; information gathering, research, and analysis on immigration and refugee issues; basic human needs for immigrants and refugees; and/or community organizing, civic engagement, and advocacy. Most awards through the Collaborative are under $50,000 and decisions are generally made within four weeks; small requests of up to $4,000 with a one-week turnaround are also considered. Visit any of the participating funders' websites to learn more about the Collaborative and to download the application form.

Grants Increase Healthcare Access for Massachusetts Residents
Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable Foundation
The Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable Foundation is dedicated to addressing issues that affect the health, benefit, and welfare of communities throughout Massachusetts. The Foundation’s Care for the Medically Uninsured/Underinsured theme supports physician-led volunteer initiatives to provide free care to uninsured patients and increased access to care for the medically underserved. The Community Action theme funds nonprofit organizations that provide direct care services or that target public health issues which impact the healthcare system and the health and well-being of the community. Requests for new projects are preferred over repeat requests. (A repeat application for funding should specifically document how the new project differs, if it does, from past requests.) Multi-year grants are possible for start-up programs. Letters of intent must be submitted by January 15, 2018. Selected organizations will be invited to submit full proposals, which will be due March 1, 2018. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the application guidelines and forms.

Support for Social Justice Initiatives in Alaska
Alaska Community Foundation: Social Justice Fund
The Alaska Community Foundation works to connect people, organizations, and causes to strengthen Alaska’s communities. The goal for the Foundation’s Social Justice Fund is to support strategic collaborations that prioritize leadership development and allow Alaskans to address the root causes of challenging social justice issues within their communities and across the state. Nonprofit organizations, tribes, schools, faith-based organizations, local government agencies, programs, and grassroots organizations may apply for programmatic and general operating support. Grants will range from $5,000 to $15,000. (The Foundation also offers the Alaska Native Social Justice Fund, which will support Alaska Native-led organizations and communities in using their own voices to address the most important social justice issues within their communities. Grants for this program will range from $5,000 to $20,000.) The letter of intent deadline for both grant programs is January 5, 2018. Visit the Alaska Community Foundation website for more information.

Programs Strengthening Maine Communities Funded
Elmina B. Sewall Foundation
The Elmina B. Sewall Foundation supports work in Maine to improve the well-being of people, animals, and the environment while fostering relationships that strive for social equity and community resilience. The Foundation’s Healthy People Healthy Places program is making revisions to its Integration of Environment and Human Well-being Grants category in 2018. For the coming year, this program will provide support to organizations using a deliberate, unified approach to enhancing well-being, prosperity and resiliency of people, communities, and nature. The application deadline is January 16, 2018. The Foundation’s Animal Welfare program focuses on organizational capacity building and reducing the unwanted cat population. The next application deadline for this program is June 15, 2018. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the available grant programs and the application process.

Federal Funding
Opportunities from the U.S. Government

Veteran Businesses Supported
Small Business Administration
The Veterans Business Outreach Center Program offers support to provide quality training and counseling to veteran small business owners and entrepreneurs. The application deadline is January 8, 2018.

Program Funds Humanities in the Media
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Media Projects program supports film, television, and radio projects that engage public audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. Development and production grants are available. The application deadline is January 10, 2018.

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

The Wise Guide to Winning Grants
Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for your favorite grantwriting professional? Look no further. The Wise Guide to Winning Grants by Waddy Thompson provides invaluable information on how to research grantmakers and write winning proposals to foundations, corporations, and government agencies, as well as how to secure major gifts from individuals. The grantwriting process is broken down into easy to follow steps, complete with real-world examples. For those who are short on time, Mr. Thompson has recently released a concise version of this book, entitled The Quick Wise Guide to Winning Grant Proposals: How to Write a Persuasive Proposal.

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.

How to Track Restricted Grants in QuickBooks
Wouldn't it be great if at any point during a grant's life cycle you could simply push a button and see exactly how much and to which categories the grant dollars have been spent? Considered the country's foremost expert in using QuickBooks for nonprofits, Gregg S. Bossen, CPA, will demonstrate how to easily and accurately track restricted grants in QuickBooks. Participants will learn how to set up a restricted grant, enter the grant budget, mark checks and bills as being paid out of the grant, point payroll to the grant, and finally create a memorized report to see how the dollars have been spent and compare the results to the grant budget. Gregg will be working in QuickBooks throughout the webinar. No power point slides here! There will also be plenty of time for questions. And one more thing: Gregg is really entertaining! This webinar will be held on Thursday, December 14, 2017.

Tracking In-Kind Contributions & Volunteers in QuickBooks (NEW)
Want to learn the ins and outs of in-kind contributions? Not sure what counts as in-kind and what doesn't? Join Gregg Bossen and David Webb for a QuickBooks Made Easy training on how to enter and track in-kind contributions and volunteer hours in QuickBooks. Topics covered include:

• What is an in-kind contribution
• Why in-kind contributions are important
• Which in-kind contributions should be included in your financial statements and tax returns
• How to value in-kind contributions
• What your responsibilities are for donor reporting
• How to customize fields for tracking your volunteers in QuickBooks
• How to enter time for your volunteers based on type of work.

There will be plenty of time for questions. This webinar will be held on Wednesday, January 17, 2018.

Is Your Organization Grant Ready? (NEW)
Almost all nonprofit organizations answer that question with a resounding, "Yes—we are ready to get grant money to support the important work of our organization!" However, while most organizations are ready to reap the benefits of grant awards, many have not developed the infrastructure necessary to be competitive in the application process.

During this 90-minute webinar, Alice Ruhnke, founder and owner of The Grant Advantage, will guide you through a process so you will be able to:

• assess your organization's grant readiness through a comprehensive assessment tool that includes organizational structure, programs, finances, partnerships, evaluation, leadership, and more;
• develop strategies to enhance areas of weakness; and,
• use your enhanced capacity to write competitive grants.

There will be plenty of time for questions. This webinar will be held on Thursday, January 25, 2018.

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