Featured Grant Opportunity: AstraZeneca Connections for Cardiovascular Health
The AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation is offering grant funding through their Connections for Cardiovascular Health Program. This exciting program was first offered in 2010.
We’re including some basic information on the grant below. For complete details be sure to visit the AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation program website.
Program Overview: Grant funding will be awarded to US-based, nonprofit organizations working to improve cardiovascular health in their communities.
Schools are eligible applicants, and a school-based project could be competitive, although we caution schools that they will be competing with all kinds of projects for cardiovascular wellness. While a project involving Physical Education (PE) program improvement one piece of a multi-component project, we aren’t confident a project that is aiming solely at PE improvement would be very competitive.
Award: The minimum annual request amount is $150,000. Awards typically range from $150,000 to $250,000 per year. In 2014, applicants may request funding for one- or two-year projects, although the funder indicates that only exceptional projects will be considered for multi-year awards and that even those applicants will have to complete an application process for the second year of funding–funding for both years is not guaranteed by an award made for the first year.
Who Can Apply: Applicants must be US-based, nonprofit organizations with a 501(c) designation or public schools, government entities or municipal institutions that are eligible to accept tax-deductable, charitable contributions. Both individual schools and school districts are eligible to apply! Organizations that have a 509(a)(3)designation are ineligible for funding unless the organization is renewing previously awarded CCH program funding.
When is the Deadline? 2/27/2014
How Much Work is Involved in the Application? This application requires quite a bit of effort. As would be expected with a large award size, the funded is requiring a thorough plan that is well-thought out and justified, and applicants need to present a substantial amount of detail on all aspects of their projects. The funder notes that in 2013, they received 500 applications and made 19 awards. This means 1 in about 26 applicants–3.8%–received awards, making this program extremely competitive. We include these statistics not to discourage you from applying but to underscore the necessity of a very detailed and well-articulated project plan in line with the funder’s rules, requirements, and overall aims.
Something Cool or Unique About this Opportunity: The application must be submitted online, but the funder includes a full PDF of all of the questions and notes to consider as you generate your responses. Even better, the Foundation provides a sample application for potential applicants to help them better understand the types of responses the Foundation is looking for! Make use of this great tool!
More Information/How to Apply: Visit the AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation website for complete program information and click the “how to apply” tab.
We’ll continue to add more featured grant opportunities to the Insight Blog. If you would like more information on Insight’s grant writing, editing, or research services, please contact us by phone at 716-474-0981, email info@insightgrants.com, or fill out our online contact form.
Featured Grant Opportunity: BCBS of Alabama Be Healthy School Grant
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama is offering a Be Healthy School Grant for schools in Alabama.
We’re including basic information on the grant below. Be sure to visit the BCBS Alabama Grant press release for more details.
Program Overview: The grant program is designed to help prevent childhood obesity. Grant funding is for the implementation of school-based health and wellness programs that emphasize increased exercise, nutrition education and parental involvement during the school year.
Award: $250,000 total is available. 25 schools will receive awards of up to $10,000 each.
Who Can Apply: Schools in Alabama that enroll students in kindergarten through sixth grades are eligible to apply.
When is the Deadline: March 7th, 2014
More Information/How to Apply: Check out the BCBS of Alabama Grant press release and request an application by emailing CommunityRelations@bcbsal.org.
We’ll continue to add more featured grant opportunities to the Insight Blog. If you would like more information on Insight’s grant writing, editing, or research services, please contact us by phone at 716-474-0981, email info@insightgrants.com, or fill out our online contact form.
Featured Grant Opportunity: BCBS South Carolina Foundation
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of South Carolina is making grants to 501c3 non-profits and government agencies located in and serving target populations in South Carolina.
We’re including basic information on the grant below. Be sure to visit the BCBS South Carolina Foundation grants page for full details and access to the required Letter of Intent form.
Program Overview: The BCBS of South Carolina is making grants for the following topic areas in 2014: Prevention of Obesity, Child/Adolescent Health, Community Health, Health Care and Free Medical Clinics, Mental Health, Nursing Issues, and Research/Special Topics. Details on the focuses of each topic area can be found at the BCBS South Carolina Grants Page.
Award: The funder site indicates there is no specific request limit or range, and that all requests should be justified and reasonable. We contacted the funder to try to obtain a bit more detail here, and the contact responding reiterated the Foundation does not have a specific award range and the importance of providing clear justification for all grant requests.
Who Can Apply: 501c3 non-profits and government agencies located in and serving target populations in South Carolina.
When is the Deadline: There are two grant cycles in 2014. One cycle is in the Spring, and one is in the Fall. For the first cycle, those interested in applying must submit a Letter of Intent using the foundation’s two-page form to be received by 5pm next Wednesday, 2/19/2014. The Letter of Intent may be emailed, mailed, or hand-delivered but must be received by 5pm on the deadline day. The funder notes that overnight deliveries are discouraged since all packages received by the Foundation are first delivered to the corporate mail room. Actual receipt by the Foundation of items sent overnight may take up to three days. Therefore, overnighting your Letter the day before the deadline will most likely mean your letter will be received by the Foundation AFTER the deadline and not be considered.
After reviewing your letter, if the Foundation is interested in your proposed project, the Foundation will request a full grant proposal and indicate the deadline for that proposal.
How Much Work is Involved in the Application? The required Letter of Intent form is brief and allows you to provide a very quick overview of the key components of your project and the population you’ll serve. Due to the short length of this form, and the funder’s requirement responses be limited to the two-page form, completing and submitting it should not require much time at all. We anticipate that most potential applicants with clear ideas in mind about who they will serve, what they will do, and how much that will cost should be able to complete the form in a week or less. The Foundation indicates that cover letters, letters of support, commitment, or recommendations should NOT be included in the submission.
The amount of work required to complete a full application, if requested, is unknown, but we anticipate it would be a typically significant amount of time. Applicants who are asked to complete full grant proposals should be prepared to provide full details on all aspects of their proposed projects and should allow themselves several weeks to prepare their proposals.
We’ll continue to add more featured grant opportunities to the Insight Blog. If you would like more information on Insight’s grant writing, editing, or research services, please contact us by phone at 716-474-0981, email info@insightgrants.com, or fill out our online contact form.
Featured Grant Opportunity: Erie Community Foundation Shaping Tomorrow Grant
The Erie Community Foundation is offering the Shaping Tomorrow grant to support collaborative and multi-year efforts to address critical community needs. This is a great opportunity for non-profits located in Erie County, PA!
We’re including basic information on the grant below. Be sure to visit the Erie Community Foundation Shaping Tomorrow Grant page for full details and access to the grant application.
Program Overview: Grants may be awarded for efforts that address any of the eight Erie Vital Signs topic areas including: Cultural Vitality, Community & Civic Engagement, The Economy, Regional Cooperation, Health, Environment, Education and Brain Gain. It is important to note, however, that the three priority areas for funding in 2014 are Health, Education and The Economy. Applicants are likely to be most competitive by applying for funding for a project that is responsive to one of the identified priority areas.
The focus areas under the Health topic area are Adult Health, Child Health, and Diabetes. The focus of Child Health is K-6 overweight and obesity. Based on the Vital Sign indicators, the Foundation may have some interest in overweight and obesity outcomes for 7-12 as well. Under Adult Health, physical activity and overweight/obesity are among many indicators the Foundation intends to follow.
The focus areas under the Education topic area are: Educational Attainment, PSSA Results, Graduation Rates, Educational Spending, Early Childhood Education Program Participation, and Early Childhood Education Risk Factor Surveillance.
The focus areas under the Economy topic area are: Business Community, Employment, Wages, Median Household Income, Homeownership, Per Capita Income, Poverty, Self-Sufficiency, Visitor and Tourism Impact, and Cost of Living.
Award: Total grant awards are up to $300,000 each.
Who Can Apply: Non-profits located in Erie County, PA who service a target population with the majority of the population located in Erie County, PA.
When is the Deadline?: There are two grant deadlines this year, 2/14/2014 and 8/27/2014.
How much work is involved in the application?: Quite a bit. As can be expected when a funder is offering a grant that will potentially fund a large award, this is a thorough grant application that requires fully detailed explanations of all aspects of your project. The upcoming February deadline is very close and may not be realistic for potential applicants who haven’t started working on an application yet, but the August deadline allows for plenty of time to put together a competitive proposal.
Project plans should be collaborative and may be multi-year. Consider Erie County, PA-based organizations with which you might partner on your application. Think about how they can contribute to your project or how your project might build on their existing efforts to serve Erie County residents within your chosen topic area.
We’ll continue to add more great featured grant opportunities to the Insight Blog. If you would like more information on Insight’s grant writing, editing, or research services, please contact us by phone at 716-474-0981, email info@insightgrants.com, or fill out our online contact form.
Communication with Foundations
Grant writing consultants with experience mostly in government grants, or those who have worked for a grant firm or within an organization, often have questions when they begin to communicate with foundations.
While there aren’t necessarily “rules” for the following situations, here is how Insight generally handles them:
When contacting a grant-making foundation, do you e-mail from your own e-mail address or use an applicant organization member’s address? Do you identify yourself as helping to write the grant, or as a member of the organization, or simply wait to see if you are asked to identify yourself when you contact the foundation?
This depends on the reason for contacting the grant-making foundation. If we are just looking for information to determine whether our client is eligible – what the rules are for applying, where priorities currently lie, etc., we just use our own email addresses, and then pass on what we learn to the client as the information is relevant. If the grant-making foundation needs to be contacted to build a relationship, we usually encourage the applicant to make contact with the foundation because we are consultants and may very well not be in the picture in the future to continue the relationship (though we may advise our client of text to include in the email or phone conversation, to help them obtain all of the information necessary). Whenever possible, applicant organizations should build their own relationships with their existing and potential funders. That said, in the occasional case the client is not able to do that at the time contact needs to begin, we send emails to the grant-making foundations from our accounts with our client contacts included, so the two entities can be connected and begin building a relationship moving forward.
Can you ask a foundation for examples of Letter of Intent/Grant Applications from previous successful applicants?
You can, but I’m not sure whether you’d get them. It probably depends on the foundation. A better bet may be to obtain a list of some awardees and try to reach out to them directly. Always bear in mind that one organization’s winning application can be another organization’s losing application. Applications must be specific to the applicant in order to be effective. This sometimes means significant presentation differences.
Should the Letter of Intent/Grant be submitted as work of a member of the applicant organization?
I’m not sure it matters. We submit things for our clients all the time and we never say either way who did the work. If you are a consultant rather than a member of the organization and you submit something via email for your client, just be sure you make it clear in your email who at the applicant organization can be contacted with questions, and how (email, phone number). The foundation won’t care who did the writing on the Letter of Intent or application. They just want to receive a well-developed, applicant-specific application and to know who to get in touch with, should they need to.
Sunflower Trails Grants
If you live in Kansas and have been looking for funding for a new or existing walking trail, you’ll want to be aware of the Sunflower Foundation’s Sunflower Trails Grants (http://www.sunflowerfoundation.org/applying_for_a_grant-downloads_forms.php). The Foundation’s aim is to “serve as a catalyst for improving health in Kansas.” To that end, the Foundation offers the Sunflower Trails Grants annually most years to provide Kansas communities with increased opportunities for physical activity. Applications are now open and are due September 10, 2009. Awards are anticipated by October 31, 2009.
Grants may be for up to $25,000, but within that amount there are limits on how the money can be spent: up to $15,000 for building materials, up to $5,000 for enhancements such as security items and signage, and up to $5,000 for tree-scaping. (Note that the $5,000 for tree-scaping can only be used for trees. General landscaping is not covered.)
Applicants are required to have a cash match of $1 for every $1 received from the foundation. Operating, overhead, and staff costs may not be funded with matching dollars. If you are in the process of seeking matching funds for a larger trail project to be funded by the state or federal government, the Foundation requests you contact them to discuss your situation prior to applying.
501(c)(3) organizations or state or local government organizations (such as schools) are eligible to apply provided they can meet the matching requirement and do not already have active Sunflower Trails Grants. Organizations that have not received Sunflower Trails Grants in the past will receive preference in the selection process.
Requirements for funded trails are as follows:
· Trails are generally expected to be at least ¼ mile in length.
· The width of the trail will depend on the scope of the project, though a minimum of 5’– 6’ is expected, with 8’– 10’ preferred.
· Public access to the walking trail is required.
· Trails must be more than sidewalks.
The application is fairly straightforward but does require a detailed plan for your trail, evidence of all matching funds, and quite a bit of supporting documentation such as organization financials, evidence of land ownership, and copies of bids for the work and materials. Hence, while the deadline seems like it’s far off, now is definitely the time to begin working on developing your project plan, securing matching funds, and gathering documentation. Good luck!
If you’ve had experience with this grant or funder in the past, or if you choose to apply this year, let us know about your experience.
The Impact of the Economy on Grants: Part 1—Cancellations
In previous years, cancellation of an announced grant competition was rare. Not so anymore. As the economy has continued to sink in the last year, cancellations have begun to surface. While they still certainly aren’t common, they’ve strayed far from unheard of.
Here are a few examples we’ve come across in our work in the last year. South Carolina Department of Health’s Prevention Partnerships Grant, designed to leverage community partnerships for health prevention efforts (including obesity and obesity-related chronic disease prevention and reduction) was cancelled just a few days prior to the deadline. The reason cited was that the money simply wasn’t there to make awards as expected due to the economic challenges facing the state. Goody’s Good Deeds for Schools, a grant created through a partnership between Goody’s Family Clothing stores and Ashley Judd, was cancelled at some point after the grant deadline had past, again due to an unexpected lack of funds. It seems now, unfortunately, this grant aimed at funding a wide range of needed school projects, has been ended permanently since the website (www.goodysgooddeeds.com) is no longer active.
We’ve heard stories of other programs—both state and private—that have been unexpectedly cancelled after a competition announcement was made, as well. Since funding available for foundations is often linked directly to the profit margin of a corporation, many more foundations have continued to make awards but have been forced to make fewer than they’d like or than they’ve made in the past. These trends are almost certain to continue until the economy becomes stronger. That said, even though the risk of program cancellation and competition for grants that do move forward have increased, I do not advise shying away from applying for anything (and nearly everything) that feels like a strong fit for your organization’s needs, goals, and resources. You’ll never see a check if you don’t apply! :o) Plus, while cancellations have become more of an issue in the past year, they are still relatively rare. Most organizations know prior to RFP release that at least some funds will be available for grant awards, so your risk of investing time and effort into a grant competition that is ultimately cancelled is still reasonably low.
What has your experience been this year with this issue? Please share!!
Local Health Foundations as Organizers in the Battle Against Childhood Obesity: Part 1–The Greater Rochester Health Foundation
Last week was an exciting week for The Greater Rochester Health Foundation (http://www.thegrhf.org/) located here in Rochester, NY. Wednesday they held their annual Grantee Showcase, and Friday was the deadline for the 2009 Community Mini-Grants. (Watch for these in 2010!) As Insight was a 2008 Round 1 Community Mini-Grant awardee, I read the current Request for Proposals (RFP—the grant application guidance) and noted the key changes prior to heading over to participate in the Showcase. I was really impressed with what I found at the event and really disappointed to see there wasn’t a higher turn out by community members. I was pleasantly surprised to learn what a great opportunity the Showcase is for networking, learning about the wide range of currently active health initiatives in our community, further connecting with Foundation staff, and increasing my understanding of how this Foundation operates and what it views as important. I realize I have a hometown bias here, but I truly believe GRHF is a national model for health foundations as community leaders—particularly regarding childhood obesity reduction and prevention.
The goal of GRHF’s Community Mini-Grant Program is “To increase physical activity and improve nutrition for Monroe County children and youth from age 2 years through high school.” In 2009, Mini-Grants of $500-$7,500 (depending on the number of children to be served) were open to nonprofit organizations serving Monroe County children ages 2-18. Grassroots nonprofits who do not yet have 501(c)(3) status were even eligible provided an established bank account in the organization’s name existed. This is a prime example of one of my favorite things about this Foundation: accessibility. GRHF makes sincere and ongoing efforts to ensure that any organization with good ideas and commitment to increasing activity and/or improving nutrition can access Mini-Grant funds—even if the organization doesn’t have any grants experience and isn’t large. This is further reflected in the RFP layout. Every RFP this program has released to date has been easy to understand, but what amazes me is that they continue to get clearer. (Anyone who’s spent any amount of time applying for grants knows RFP clarity is a rare and wonderful thing.) Deb Tschappat is the manager for this program. An experienced grant writer herself, Deb does a terrific job of listing succinct, direct questions that keep the focus of the grant proposal scoring on the content and not necessarily the writing. As a proponent of physical activity programs—and particularly those that are locally-based—and a writer who has seen a lot of vague RFPs, I really appreciate this approach. I’m certain it was helpful to me when Insight applied to GRHF last year, and I have a very significant amount of experience with grant funding on this topic.
So… What did we do with our money? Insight created the Maplewood Kids Get Moving project. Maplewood Kids Get Moving is simply aimed: offer more opportunities for Maplewood Neighborhood children to be physically active. We did this by offering two different activity programs: MKGM Summer Program and Healthy Activity Preschool PlaY Times (HAPPY Times). Both programs have been entirely free to participants. The Summer Program ran three mornings a week for three weeks last summer in a local park and was open to children ages 2-10. HAPPY Times is meeting every Tuesday morning (October to June) at our neighborhood library and is open to children ages 2-6 and their parents or caretakers. For both programs, we utilized the research-based, proven-effective Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH; http://www.catchinfo.org/) Physical Education (PE) program to give us a wide range of fun activities we knew would work. We also offer healthy snacks at every session. Most of the staffing is volunteer. Our grant from GRHF paid for liability insurance, CATCH training (which we opened to many other organizations in the neighborhood), a CATCH PE equipment set, Polar E40 heart rate monitors (www.polarusa.com/education), pedometers, obstacle course materials, jogging trampolines, etc.
At the Showcase I learned the many ways other grantees have used Mini-Grant funds. Here are just a few examples:
· Creating new opportunities for physical activity through afterschool fitness programs for adolescents and teens
· Parent and child cooking classes focused on healthy eating
· Expanded dance programs
· School-based skating programs operated by outside organizations
· Improved indoor and outdoor play spaces and playgrounds at child care centers and schools
· More physical activity equipment for afterschool programs, churches, and PE classes
You may be thinking, “This is all great, but does it really constitute a national model?” On its own, it’s just a great grant program, but combined with GRHF’s comprehensive approach, it does. The Mini-Grants are one piece of a larger effort that includes:
· a full strategic plan complete with measurable goals
· local research on trends, parent views, activity levels, and BMIs
· larger physical activity and healthy eating grants for area schools
· educating physicians and other primary care providers in obesity prevention and reduction practices
· Healthy Hero awards that honor individuals in the community that are working to reduce childhood obesity
· a 5-2-1-0 ad campaign that leverages stickers, magnets, flyers, mailings, billboards, TV and radio commercials, and parent education events (5-2-1-0 is a nationally-recognized model program. It reminds students and their caretakers that students should strive for: five fruits and vegetables per day, two hours or less of computer and TV time, one hour of active play, and zero sugary drinks.)
· partnering with other organizations and initiatives to go after major national funding streams in order to make policy and environmental changes
· support for other health projects (childhood obesity is a major initiative of the Foundation but not the only initiative) including neighborhood health improvement projects that include policy and environmental assessment and changes aimed at increasing physical activity and healthy eating.
GRHF is outstanding because it has recognized that the issue of childhood obesity is not one that is solved quickly or by one or two types of action. It takes efforts at all levels of the community and the engagement of many people and organizations to turn the tide. GRHF has adopted and invested in a wide range of efforts that will decrease childhood obesity in the Rochester Region by empowering each child to be active and make healthy eating choices every day!
Do you know a funder we should feature? If so, email us at info@insightgrants.com. I’d definitely like to talk about the Highmark Foundation, including but not limited to the Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge grants, so anyone who is willing to share their experience with that funder, please email!
