GrantStation Insider - March 23, 2017

National | Regional | Federal

National Funding
Opportunities Throughout the U.S.

Support for Initiatives Promoting Healthy Living
Aetna Foundation: Cultivating Healthy Communities
The Aetna Foundation is dedicated to promoting wellness, health, and access to high-quality healthcare for everyone. The Foundation's Cultivating Healthy Communities grant program is intended to help local communities in the continental U. S. to become healthier places to live, with emphasis on projects that benefit underserved, low-income, and minority communities. Grants are provided to nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and federally recognized Indian tribes committed to improving the health of their participants by focusing on activities that align to one or two of the following five domains: Healthy Behaviors, Community Safety, Built Environment, Social/Economic Factors, and Environmental Exposures. Applicants can request between $50,000 and $100,000 for projects lasting between 18 and 24 months. Organizations with annual operating budgets below $250,000 are not eligible to apply. The Stage 1 application deadline is April 14, 2017; Stage 2 applications are due June 16, 2017. Visit the Foundation’s website to download the request for proposals.

Grassroots Environmental Efforts in the U.S. and Canada Funded
Patagonia Environmental Grants Program
The Patagonia Environmental Grants Program provides support to small, grassroots organizations with provocative direct-action agendas that are working on multi-pronged campaigns to protect the environment. Patagonia funds activist groups that are dedicated to protecting local habitats in the United States and Canada, as well as in targeted countries around the world. The company is most interested in supporting organizations that work on the root causes of problems and that approach issues with a commitment to long-term change. Grants typically range from $2,500 to $15,000. The application deadlines are April 30 and August 31, 2017. (Applications are accepted year-round at local retail Patagonia stores.) Visit the website listed above to review the program’s grant guidelines.

Grants Enhance the Delivery of Pro Bono Financial Planning Services
Foundation for Financial Planning
The mission of the Foundation for Financial Planning is to help people take control of their financial lives by connecting the financial planning community with people in need. The Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations nationwide to support the delivery of pro bono financial planning to populations who could not otherwise afford or access financial planning services. Grants are provided to organizations that utilize financial planning professionals as volunteers, include one-on-one engagements between financial planners and pro bono clients, deliver programs to specific target audiences who are underserved by the market, and provide opportunities to those of diverse socioeconomic levels to obtain unbiased financial planning advice and counsel. Online applications must be submitted by April 30, 2017. Grant guidelines and application information are available on the Foundation’s website.

Social Change Organizations Supported
Singing for Change Charitable Foundation
The Singing for Change Charitable Foundation is dedicated to supporting nonprofit organizations that inspire personal growth, community integration, and the enhanced awareness that collectively people can bring about positive social change. The Foundation provides grants to progressive, community-based nonprofit organizations nationwide that address the root causes of social or environmental problems. The Foundation primarily provides grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 for projects that serve children and families, the environment, and disenfranchised groups. Priority is given to inclusive, grassroots organizations that rely strongly on volunteer efforts, where Foundation support makes a significant difference. The deadline for letters of interest is May 1, 2017. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the funding guidelines and to submit an online letter of interest.

Regional Funding
Opportunities for Specific Areas

Funds for Technology Skills Programs Serving Teens in Company Communities
Best Buy Community Grants Program
The Best Buy Community Grants Program provides support to community-based organizations that are located within 50 miles of a Best Buy facility. Grants promote programs that offer hands-on learning opportunities for underserved teens to engage in learning, experimenting, and interacting with the latest technologies to build 21st century skills. Eligible programs must deliver community-based youth programs for teens, ages 13-18, during out of school time, and serve a diverse population. Examples of program activities include computer programming, digital imaging, music 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 April 1 and May 19, 2017. Visit the Best Buy website to review the program guidelines.

Grants Target Wilderness Protection in Six Western States
Maki Foundation
The Maki Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that promote environmental protection in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. In particular, the Foundation is concerned with the preservation of the Rocky Mountain West’s remaining wild lands, rivers, and wilderness, as well as the wildlife that depends on these lands. Grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 are generally provided to small local and regional grassroots organizations working to protect public lands and rivers from threats such as mineral development, unconstrained off-road vehicle use, and poorly planned water projects. The application deadline is May 1, 2017. (Organizations that have not previously received Foundation support should contact the Foundation by phone, email, or letter prior to applying.) Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the Foundation’s priorities.

Support for Health and Economic Justice Initiatives in the DC Region
Consumer Health Foundation
The mission of the Consumer Health Foundation is to advocate for racial justice and racial equity through programs and investments that advance health and economic justice in low-income communities and communities of color in the District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, and northern Virginia. The Foundation's grantmaking program focuses on the following two categories: Health Reform and Economic Justice. The Foundation supports the organizing of low-income patients and clients, workers, community members, and immigrants and their engagement in advocacy. The application deadline for the Health Reform category is April 21, 2017; the deadline for the Economic Justice category is July 14, 2017. Visit the Foundation’s website to download the 2017 Request for Proposals.

Nebraska Organizations Addressing Quality of Life Issues Funded
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska Charitable Contributions Program
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska Charitable Contributions Program is dedicated to supporting nonprofit organizations that improve the quality of life for the residents of Nebraska. Through the Fearless Grants category, the company provides substantial program and general operating support to organizations that address health and wellness, human services, and education. The final application cycle for 2017 will close on April 24. (Smaller grant requests are reviewed quarterly.) Visit the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska website to take the eligibility quiz and submit an online request.

Federal Funding
Opportunities from the U.S. Government

Water Conservation Efforts Supported
Department of the Interior
The WaterSMART Grants: Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects program supports efforts in the western U.S. that seek to conserve and use water more efficiently. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through April 27, 2017. 

Funds Available for Small Cultural Organizations
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions program helps small and mid-sized institutions (such as libraries, museums, historical societies, cultural organizations, and town and county records offices) improve their ability to preserve and care for their humanities collections. The application deadline is May 2, 2017. 

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