Below are several grant opportunities. Please read the specific requirements to determine if your organization qualifies.Should you need assistance establishing your non-profit entity, or with preparing and managing your grants, Alive Inc. does offer this service. Please contact us directly at coach@aliveincorporated.com for service process and rates.Youth GardensDeadline: November 1, 2008.The National Gardening Association is delighted to announce that The Home Depot will return as our Youth Garden Grants sponsor for 2009. During its long history, the Youth Garden Grants program has helped more than 1.3 million youngsters reap rewards and vital life lessons from working in gardens and habitats. Thanks to the generosity of The Home Depot, we can reach many more eager young learners. NGA awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs. In evaluating grant applications, priority will be given to programs that emphasize one or more of these elements:• educational focus or curricular/program integration• nutrition or plant-to-food connections• environmental awareness/education• entrepreneurship• social aspects of gardening such as leadership development, team building, community support, or service-learning.Schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, and intergenerational groups throughout the United States are eligible. Applicants must plan to garden with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18 years. Previous Youth Garden Grant winners who wish to reapply may do so, but must wait one year (e.g., if you won in 2008, you can apply again in 2010) and have significantly expanded their garden programs. See the website below for details.http://assoc.garden.org/grantsFunds for Skateboard Parks in Low-Income CommunitiesDeadline: October 1, 2008, and March 2, 2009.The mission of the Tony Hawk Foundation is to foster lasting improvements in society, with an emphasis on supporting and empowering youth. The principal focus of the Foundation's grant program is to facilitate the design, development, construction, and operation of new, quality skateboard parks located in low-income communities throughout the United States . The Foundation looks for projects that can demonstrate a strong grassroots commitment, particularly in the form of fundraising by local skateboarders and other community groups. Priority is given to projects that are designed and built by qualified and experienced skateboard park contractors and include local skaters in the design process. Visit the website listed below to access the online application information.http://www.tonyhawkfoundation.org/grant_application.aspSeed Money for Innovative ProjectsDeadline October 31, 2008The Sparkplug Foundation primarily supports nonprofit organizations that are proposing start-up projects in the fields of music, education, and grassroots organizing. In the Music category, the Foundation supports emerging professional musicians or music-development programs. In Education and Teaching, the Foundation funds projects that deal with "the whole student" and with learning as a community activity. Through Grassroots Organizing, the Foundation encourages activist strategies for addressing institutional injustices and for building a reasoned, just society. In addition to these three categories, the Foundation is currently interested in supporting communities working on sustainable energy and Gulf Coast reconstruction democracy. The Foundation also provides limited support for projects in Israel that involve Palestinian communities. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. A telephone conversation to determine eligibility must be scheduled in order to initiate the application process. Prospective applicants are strongly urged to read the Foundation's website carefully before requesting a telephone interview. http://sparkplugfoundation.org/Support for Progressive ArtistsProposals for 2009 grants will be accepted from September 1 until December 30, 2008.The Puffin Foundation seeks to open the doors of artistic expression by providing grants to art organizations and artists who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy. The Foundation makes grants averaging $1,000 to $2,500 to encourage emerging artists in the fields of fine arts, film and video, music, photography, theater, and public interest. The Foundation is particularly interested in supporting creative and innovative initiatives that will advance progressive social change. Visit the website listed above for application instructions.http://www.puffinfoundation.org/ELA Foundation Offers Grant Support for Adult Disability Programs in Arts and AdvocacyDeadline: September 15, 2008 (Online Grant Application Form), November 1, 2008 (Final Application Deadline)The ELA Foundation ( http://www.ela.org ) offers grants to fund established programs in the areas of arts and advocacy to non-profit organizations led by or supporting adults with disabilities who are at least 22 years old. The foundation encourages applications from distinctive, cutting-edge programs that impact the lives of people with disabilities by "changing the face of disability" in a community.In the arts, the foundation funds programs that support professional artists with disabilities or encourage a professional environment while enhancing creativity among people with disabilities who are not professional artists themselves.In the field of advocacy, the foundation supports programs that promote change in legislation, or provide education that will enhance knowledge and action to create laws and policies that will result in better lives for people with disabilities.The ELA Foundation funds program grants only. The foundation will not fund building or equipment funds; capital campaigns; endowment funds; fundraising activities; or general support, Applicant organizations must have 501(c)(3) status and have been in existence for two years or longer.Program grants range from $1,000 to $5,000 each. Visit the foundation's Web site for complete program information.Community Development Financial Institutions Program (CDFI)Deadline: October 1, 2008 CDFI Certification, October 29, 2008 Technical AssistanceThrough the CDFI Program, the Fund provides Financial Assistance awards to CDFIs that have Comprehensive Business Plans for creating demonstrable community development impact through the deployment of credit, capital, and financial services within their respective Target Markets or the expansion into new Investment Areas, Low-Income Targeted Populations, or Other Targeted Populations, and Technical Assistance grants to CDFIs and entities proposing to become CDFIs in order to build their capacity to better address the community development and capital access needs of their existing or proposed Target Markets and/or to become certified CDFIs. For more information visit http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-18960.htmGrassroots Local Projects FundedDeadline: OpenThe Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation is dedicated to improving the communities the company serves through support of public education, community improvement projects, and home safety initiatives. Support is provided to grassroots projects located in communities where Lowe's operates stores and distribution centers. Priority is given to projects that can utilize Lowe's volunteers. Grants generally range from $5,000 to $25,000. Visit the website listed below to take the eligibility test and submit an online application.http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=frameSet&url=apps.bridgetree.com/funding/default.aspCommunity Leaders Invited to Apply for Preserve America Community DesignationDeadline: Quarterly—Next Deadline is December 1, 2008Community leaders across the United States are invited to apply for the Preserve America community designation, which recognizes a community's efforts to care for and share its cultural and natural heritage. The designation also makes the community eligible for special federal funding. Preserve America is a White House initiative conducted in cooperation with the Institute of Museum and Library Services ( http://www.imls.gov/ ) and other federal agencies.Through participation in Preserve America, communities share knowledge about the nation's past, strengthen local identities and local pride, increase neighborhood participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and sup- port economic vitality.Once a community receives the Preserve America designation, it is eligible to apply for Preserve America grants, which may be used for research and documentation, education and interpretation, planning, marketing, or training. These grants, which must be matched by the community, cannot be used for construction or repair projects. In 2008, $7.5 million has been made available for the grants, which range from $20,000 to $150,000 each.To win the designation, applicants must submit an application with written support from community leaders and evidence of cultural or historic preservation activities.Applicants must be municipalities or counties with an elected governing official, or unincorporated communities within their jurisdiction; distinct neighborhoods within large cities or city-counties with a population of 200,000 or greater; or tribal communities (federally recognized) with an elected governing official or subdivisions of such tribes. Further information is available at the program's Web site.Grants Target Root Causes of PovertyThe Pre-application Eligibility Quiz, available on the CCHD website, may be submitted between September 1 and November 1, 2008. Online applications for new applicants are due December 15, 2008.The mission of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is to address the root causes of poverty in the United States through the support of community-controlled, self-help organizations and through transformative education. CCHD's Community Organizing Grants support projects in which poor and marginalized people join together to seek solutions to local problems and find ways to improve their lives and neighborhoods. Applying organizations must demonstrate a change from traditional approaches to poverty by attacking the basic causes of poverty and by effecting institutional change. Eligible projects should directly benefit a poverty group who, in turn, should have the dominant voice in the project. The Pre-application Eligibility Quiz, available on the CCHD website, may be submitted between September 1 and November 1, 2008. Online applications for new applicants are due December 15, 2008. Visit the CCHD website below for details on the Community Organizing Grants program.http://www.usccb.org/cchd/grants/criteria.shtmlGrants Available for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service ProjectsDeadline: September 23, 2008The Corps Network ( http://www.corpsnetwork.org/ ), through the support of the Corporation for National and Community Service (http://www.nationalservice.org/ ), will make funding available to organizations that undertake service projects for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ( http://www.mlkday.gov ) on January 19, 2009.The network will fund organizations that plan and implement service projects that mobilize a diverse group of volunteers to address conditions of poverty in their community. The net- work will disseminate a total of $80,000 to approximately twenty-five sub-grantees. In accordance with CNCS requirements, at least 30 percent of these funds will be available to organizations outside of the network.Award amounts will range from $1,000 to $10,000 each. Preference is given to organizations mobilizing the greatest numbers of volunteers. Applicants must enlist at least two hundred volunteers for every $1,000 requested.Visit the Corps Network Web site for the complete Request for Proposals.The Gideon Project – To Increase Fairness in the Criminal Justice SystemDeadline: OpenThe Open Society Institute and Soros Foundations ANNOUNCE THE Gideon Project. The mission of the Gideon Project is to improve the fair administration of criminal justice in the United States . The project awards grants in three areas affecting youth and adults in the criminal justice system: 1) Improving Public Defense Services, 2) Death PenaltyReform, 3) Racial Profiling. See the website below for more information.http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/focus_areas/gideon/guidelinesNew Prisoner Reentry Initiative Grants AnnouncedLimited Competition in 19 CitiesDeadline: November 4, 2008Background: The President's Prisoner Re-entry Initiative (PRI) seeks to strengthen urban communities characterized by large numbers of returning prisoners through an employment-centered program that incorporates mentoring, job training, and other comprehensive transitional services. This program is a joint effort of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Labor (DOL) designed to reduce recidivism by helping inmates find work when they return to their communities.DOJ recently awarded PRI grants to 19 State correctional agencies to provide pre-release services to prisoners returning to one targeted county within the state.Eligibility: Under this new solicitation, DOL will be awarding grants to faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) to provide post-release services to ex-prisoners in urban communities within the target counties. This competition is limited to FBCOs operating within the target county(ies) identified in each DOJ grant. They include:1. Jefferson County , AL2. Maricopa County , AZ3. Los Angeles County , CA4. Denver County , CO5. Fairfield County , CT6. New Castle County , DE7. Cook County , IL8. Allen County , IN9. Caddo and Bossier Parishes, LA10. Baltimore County , MD11. Genesee County , MI12. Greene County , MO13. Clarke County , NV14. Mercer County , NJ15. Erie County , NY16. Tulsa County, OK17. Philadelphia County , PA18. Davidson County , TN19. Milwaukee County , WIVisit the website below for details.http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-20570.pdfMiscellaneous OpportunitiesSeed Grants Promote Services for Surrogate ParentsDeadline: December 4, 2008.The Brookdale Foundation's Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) is designed to encourage the creation or expansion of services for grandparents and other relatives who have taken on the responsibility of surrogate parenting. The RAPP Local Initiative awards seed grants to local agencies in order to: provide support groups and at least two other supportive services to relative caregivers and their families; encourage cooperation among various service delivery systems (i.e., child care, family services, and healthcare); ensure the development and future continuity of local services; and create replicable models of service. The RAPP Regional Initiative provides grants to organizations that: serve a broad geographic area, support the development of a variety of local or regional group activities, and establish a Regional Advisory Committee to bring together representatives from various fields and communities. Application guidelines and forms are available on the Foundation's website below.http://www.brookdalefoundation.org/relativesasparents.htmAdvertising Funds for Environmental OrganizationsDeadline: November 8, 2008.The Temper of the Times Foundation promotes the use of standard marketing concepts to increase environmental awareness. Recognizing that organizations working to protect the environment often have limited access to paid media, the Foundation provides funds to underwrite advertising designed to promote the conservation and restoration of native wildlife, plants, and ecosystems in the United States. Projects which are likely to have measurable effects on wildland ecosystem conservation will be prioritized over those that are purely educational in nature. Grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 may be used to fund the production of print, radio, or television ads; to pay for advertising space or airtime; or to produce or distribute pamphlets, books, videos, or press packets. Funding guidelines are available on the Foundation's website listed.http://www.temperfund.org/AAUW Educational Foundation Accepting Applications for Community Action GrantsDeadline: January 15, 2009The American Association of University Women ( http://www.aauw.org/ ) Educational Foundation annually provides Community Action Grants to individuals, AAUW branches, and AAUW state organizations as well as local community-based nonprofit organizations for innovative programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equity for women and girls.The program provides one-year grants of $2,000 to $7,000 each as seed money for new projects, and two-year grants of $5,000 to $10,000 each as start-up funds for longer-term programs. Special consideration is given to projects focused on K-12 and community college girls' and women's achievements in science, technology, engineering, or math.Applicants must be women who are U.S. citizens or permanent resi- dents. Nonprofit organizations must be based in the United States , and grant projects must take place within the U.S. or its territories.See the AAUW Web site for complete program information.White House 2008 Conferences on Faith-Based and Community InitiativesOctober 3rd – Dallas , TXThis event is part of a series of regional conferences designed to connect effective social service organizations with resources that can strengthen and expand the services they offer to the people they serve. The purpose is to provide an understanding of the President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative, information about the Federal grants process and funding opportunities, and the basic legal responsibilities that come with Federal funding. Special emphasis will be placed on opportunities for partnership at the state and local level. They will also offer practical information on the grant-writing process, share successful practices from other organizations, and facilitate opportunities to network with government officials.This conference is free, but pre-registration is required.For more information, visit the conference section of www.fbci.gov or send an email to fbci@dtihq.com“Sustaining Grassroots Community-based Programs: A Toolkit forCommunity and Faith-based Service Providers.”The toolkit is designed to help community organizations plan for sustainability, so that they will have sufficient resources to help people with substance abuse and mental health disorders. However, the toolkit contains useful information for all community and faith-based service providers, regardless of the population they serve. The toolkit contains planning templates, worksheets, and best practices for strategic planning, organizational assessment and readiness, fund development, fundraising, and results-oriented evaluations. The kit is free and available online, and we encourage all of you to download a copy and share it with your organization, coalition, and volunteer groups. To access and download the online version of the kit, go to http://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/productDetails.aspx?ProductID=17868
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