2013 National Medal for Museum and Library Service

The National Medal for Museum and Library Service honors outstanding institutions that make exceptional contributions to their communities. Selected institutions demonstrate extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service and inclusiveness, exceeding the expected levels of community outreach, and may also include libraries and museums advancing global cultural understanding.

Nominations are due by October 15, 2012 for the 2013 award.

Winners are honored at a National Medal award ceremony held in Washington, D.C.

For more information and to access the nomination form, please go to the program web site.

Free Webinar: Got Grants? Finding Funding with the Foundation Center

See the program site to register for this free webinar will outline best practices for diversifying your organization’s funding mix through foundation grants. The Foundation Center will provide an introduction to Foundation Directory Online Professional, their comprehensive database of U.S. grantmakers and their grants, as well as free online tools offered through their site.

Date:     Thursday, September 6, 2012 : 2:00 PM EST : 1 hour

Presenter George Ford has been with the Foundation Center since March 2004. As product manager for online subscription services including Foundation Directory Online, he is responsible for day-to-day oversight and the development of new product enhancements.

Ambrose Monell Foundation

The Ambrose Monell Foundation provides grants for projects related to religious, charitable, scientific, medical, literary, and educational uses and purposes. The AMF gave away approximately $9M last year to nfp's as diverse as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Jewish Guild for the Blind, and the Admiral Nimitz Foundation.

The process begins by submitting a letter of inquiry (LOI). LOIs may be submitted at any time during the year and are reviewed on a continuous basis (there are no deadlines for LOIs). LOIs should not be more than three pages long and should include the following:

• The name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number for the organization, and for the primary contact person for the request;
• The mission and a brief background statement about the organization;
• The use to which the funds will be put;
• The amount to be requested.

The review process for LOIs takes approximately 4-6 weeks. Applicants will be contacted by the Foundation only if the LOI receives a favorable response. At that time, the Foundation will request a detailed proposal and, if helpful, schedule a meeting with the prospective grantee. Proposals are to be submitted only upon invitation – unsolicited proposals will not be reviewed.

George Rowe, Jr., President
The Ambrose Monell Foundation
c/o Fulton, Rowe & Hart
One Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 301
New York, NY 10020-2002

Alternatively, they may be sent by electronic mail to: info@monellvetlesen.org

Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved $3K

The Association for Library Services to Children and Candlewick Press offer the "Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved" grant consists of a $3,000 grant to assist a library in conducting exemplary outreach to  underserved populations through a new program or an expansion of work already being done.

Special population children may include those who have learning or physical differences, those who are speaking English as a second language, those who are in a non-traditional school environment, those who are in non-traditional family settings (such as teen parents, foster children, children in the juvenile justice system, and children in gay and lesbian families), and those who need accommodation service to meet their needs.  

Deadline11/15/2012

Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian recruitment program

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is accepting applications for the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. The program invests in the nation's information infrastructure by funding projects designed to address the education and training needs of the professionals who help build, maintain, and provide public access to information systems and sources.

In 2013, the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program will support projects to develop faculty and library leaders, to recruit and educate the next generation of librarians and archivists, to build institutional capacity in graduate schools of library and information science, and to assist in the professional development of librarians and archivists. Grants will be awarded in the categories of doctoral programs, master's programs, early career development, programs to build institutional capacity, and continuing education.


Deadline: September 24, 2012

Visit the IMLS website for complete program guidelines, eligibility requirements and application procedures.

Deadline extended: ALA/NEH: Muslim Journeys, a Bridging Cultures Bookshelf Grant Program

Help your patrons understand the people, places, history, faith, and culture of Muslims in the U.S. and around the world. 1,000 recipients will receive a collection of 25 books that highlight pluralism of cultural forms and traditions within the Muslim world; three documentary films; a subscription to Oxford Islamic Studies Online; additional resources such as essays, discussion questions and podcasts; and materials to support program promotion, including bookmarks, posters, and bookplates. These grants are provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities in collaboration with the ALA Public Programs Office.

In return for receiving a Bookshelf, libraries are required to organize programs that introduce the books and the Muslim Journeys themes to the library’s patrons and the broader community.

For more information, visit the website to review the grant guidelines, plan programs, and apply online for the collection. Deadline: October 25, 2012.

 

Medicare.gov site redesigned

This might prove helpful;  the Medicare site has been redesigned.
The official blah blah reads:
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The new design makes it faster and easier for users to answer Medicare questions and includes features not available before, like:

• Many ways for you to do the most common tasks, like finding out about costs, coverage, and plans, through several paths — right from the homepage
• Action-oriented labels to help you get the information you want faster
•  Design that works on mobile devices, like tablets and smartphones, so you can get information anytime, anywhere, and in the most convenient format for you

We know Medicare.gov is your trusted source of online Medicare information. That’s why we worked more than 2 years improving the things you use most. We did interviews and focus groups with people like you and the people who help you with your Medicare questions to help us find out what matters most to you.

The new Medicare.gov is just one of our efforts over the past year to make it easier for you to understand your Medicare. Whether it’s putting our information in simple, straightforward language so you can understand it the first time you read it or improving the design of the “Medicare Summary Notice ” so you can better understand your Medicare claims,  we’re committed to making Medicare information clearer and simpler.

Free Recorded Webinar: How to Make Your Grant Proposal Stand Out from the Pack

Free 51 minute webinar. 

The blah blah blah is: 

With more than $40 billion in grant money given away each year in the U.S. by private foundations alone, you know that there’s competition for those dollars. But how can you make YOUR organization stand out from the crowd and make that grant funder want to fund YOU?
What can you do to find favor with grant funders and how do you even make them notice you – much less fund you? Your proposal is normally the first impression a grant funder has of your organization. Learn how to make the best impression you can so that funders will sit up and take notice.  

The following questions will be answered during this free webinar recording:

• What are the ten things grant funders always look for?
• What words should be avoided in proposals?
• What should be included in a stand-out cover letter?
• How can a proposal be formatted for maximum chance of funding?
• What steps can be taken to ensure grant continuation? 

Presented by Betsy Baker, MPA Betsy Baker is President of YourGrantAuthority.com. She is an author, trainer/coach, public speaker and grant writing consultant having raised $10 million in grant funding for her clients. Betsy has spent her entire career in the nonprofit world and understands both the rewards and the challenges that grant writing presents. She is dedicated to demystifying the process and encouraging fund raisers to write winning grant applications. She also coaches fellow grant writers in becoming grant writing consultants. Betsy is a regular presenter for the The Foundation Center, the Grant Professionals Association, Centers for Nonprofits and United Way agencies and is a regular contributor to Opportunity Knocks! and CharityChannel. She also hosts webinars, workshops and other educational opportunities concentrating on grant writing and consulting.

NEA's Learning & Leadership Grants

Sponsored by the National Education Association Foundation, Learning & Leadership grants support public school teachers, public education support professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education to fund participation in high-quality professional development experiences, such as summer institutes or action research. All professional development must improve practice, curriculum, and student achievement.

Award amounts are $2,000 for individual applicants and $5,000 for groups. Public school teachers, public school education support professionals, and faculty and staff at public higher education institutions are eligible to apply. Site is here.

Deadline: October 15, 2012

Standard Charitable Foundation

The SCF supports community development, education, disability and health organizations with a special emphasis on helping individuals and families who have experienced a major disability or the loss of a loved one. See the guidelines page.

The Foundation invites organizations to apply after approving an online LOI. Applications must be received by May 1 and October 1 to be considered for funding.

Community Development
They support organizations and programs that build healthy communities and help maintain their vitality, and programs that address major human services issues affecting children and families. The Foundation will also consider requests that focus on disadvantaged populations and develop young people's abilities, knowledge and aptitude for successful futures. They are interested in organizations and programs that increase employment opportunities, strengthen job skills and opportunities, develop the workforce, increase entrepreneur financial training and access to capital, and develop financial literacy.

Education Effectiveness
They support organizations and programs that strengthen the quality of education and develop systems to improve its overall effectiveness, with particular emphasis on K-12 grade levels. They fund programs that promote access and opportunity to schooling and help low-income and at-risk students succeed in school and prepare for post-secondary education. They are interested in bolstering literacy in the early years and focusing on diversity and inclusion. They will also consider requests to develop after-school programs, improve education leadership skills and help students achieve high results.

Disability and Health
They are committed to using The Standard's expertise in disability and return-to-work programs in tandem with corporate giving to support organizations and programs that help people with disabilities lead independent and fulfilling lives. The Foundation will also fund programs that promote and educate about health and wellness and help people make informed decisions about their health.

Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant

The Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant is an annual $3,000 award open to U.S. libraries of all types.

Libraries seeking to share their stories and raise public awareness are encouraged to apply; the library that develops the best public awareness campaign using the National Library Week theme will be awarded $3,000 to promote its library and library services.

Proposals must:

·         Incorporate the 2013 National Library Week theme, “Communities matter @ your library®.”

·         Uses the @ your library® brand according to registered trademark guidelines on all related promotional materials.

·         Involve at least one other community organization.

Additionally, proposals will be judged on the basis of how well they meet other criteria, including: creativity, originality, clarity of planning and potential for generating widespread public visibility and support for libraries. Commitment to ongoing public awareness activities and allocation of resources (staff, materials, time) also are considered.

The grant is sponsored by Scholastic Library Publishing, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, and is administered by the Public Awareness Committee of the American Library Association (ALA). National Library Week is April 14-20, 2013.

Application forms and guidelines are available on the Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant website.

Last year’s winning application from Sacramento (Calif.) Public Library is available on the grant here.

2012 Subaru Healthy Sprouts Award

The National Gardening Association and Subaru present the Healthy Sprouts Award to support schools / organizations who plan to garden in 2012 with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18.

The program goal is to teach youth the skills necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle compatible with environmental stewardship and gain an understanding of how their actions can positively impact the well-being of their community.

More here, including the application.

A total of 50 awards will be made, including a Plantcam to document the growth and changes of your garden, $400 gift certificate to the Gardening with Kids catalog and online store for basic youth gardening supplies and supporting educational materials; National Gardening Association's Eat a Rainbow Kit which includes nutrition lessons and education; and a literature package from the National Gardening Association.

The deadline to apply is October 31, 2012.

American Honda: STEM, Literacy, Job Training

The American Honda Foundation supports youth education, specifically in the areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, the environment, job training and literacy.

Deadlines are four times a year (February, May, August, November) and grants range from $20,000 to $75,000 over a one-year period. 

Proposals are submitted online in a process that begins with applicants taking an Eligibility Quiz to ensure the program meets certain qualifications.

Women and Girls' Fund of Main Street for Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott

The Women and Girls' Fund of the Main Street Community Foundation is now accepting grant applications. Grants will be made to local non-profit organizations with programs serving women and girls in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott, CT.

After reviewing the grant guidelines and application, interested organizations are asked to contact Jarre Betts, Director of Programs & Community Relations before submitting a proposal.

Deadline: October 1, 2012

Field Trip Grants sponsored by Target Corporation

Target Corporation is offering to fund school field trips that connect school curriculum to out-of-school experiences to K-12 schools nationwide. Information.

Each Target store will award three Target Field Trip Grants (each valued at up to $700) to K—12 schools nationwide. Education professionals who are at least 18 years old and employed by an accredited K-12 public, private or charter school in the United States that maintains a tax-exempt status are eligible to apply.



Deadline: October 1, 2012 
  

Three related to older adults: 1.) AARP Drive to End Hunger; 2.) Senior Corps; 3.) MetLife MindAlert

AARP Foundation InnoCentive: Drive to End Hunger - Elimination of Food Deserts

AARP Foundation will award up to $10,000 for ideas related to the reduction and prevention of food deserts - areas where low cost healthy food is not easily obtained without traveling long distances. Ideas should be long term, self-sustaining solutions. Deadline: September 20, 2012.

At least one award being no smaller than $5,000 and no award being smaller than $1,000.

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Senior Corps Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)

 

Sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, this opportunity will fund Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) projects that support volunteers 55 years and older serving in a diverse range of activities that meet specific local and community needs.

Deadline: Letter of Intent (Required): Sep 1, 2012; Application: October 11, 2012.

Programs should focus on one of the following six areas: Education, Healthy Futures, Veteran and Military Families, Economic Opportunity, Environmental Stewardship, Disaster Services. Applicants must serve the entire geographic area for which they are applying for funding.Amounts of funding will vary based on the geographic location. 

Organizations who intend to apply should submit a notice of intent to apply by September 10, 2012 via email to 2013RSVPIntent@cns.gov. Applicants should apply through https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp.

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ASA-MetLife Foundation MindAlert Awards

The MetLife Foundation's MindAlert Award program recognizes innovative mental fitness programs for older adults developed by nonprofit organizations. MindAlert Awards are available in the following three categories: Lifelong Learning/Third Age educational programs; Mental Fitness Programs for the general population of older adults; Mental Fitness Programs for early stage cognitively-impaired older adults.

Deadline: October 15, 2012

Applicants must submit a program, product or tool promoting cognitive function in later life that have been in operation or distributed for at least one year; this is not designated for starting or researching programs.
 

Each Award winner will receive: A cash award of $1,500; One complimentary Aging in America conference registration; A one-year complimentary membership in ASA, and the opportunity to present a program at the National Forum on Brain Health, held in conjunction with the 2012 AiA Conference.

Kiwanis - Dedicated to Civic Service

As near as I can tell, Connecticut has about twenty (?) Kiwanis clubs. Kiwanis are civic volunteers who organize locally and are dedicated to the principle of service to others. 

"Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time."

It’s worth your while to be in touch, maybe even to join www.kiwanis.org.

Find your local chapter using this tool http://sites.kiwanis.org/Kiwanis/en/MembershipInterest/FindAClub.aspx

 

Best practices for grant writers from CT Philanthropy

These are two good resources for grant writers from the CT Council for Philantrhopy.

Grantseeking from Foundations a good 2-page guide on grant writing, and includes 

• You can't make up in writing what you missed in planning
•  Find the match
• When preparing the proposal be very clear; funders often comment that even after thoroughly reading a proposal, they cannot discern exactly what the applicants want!

The site also offers a 9-page document called Writing a Successful Grant Proposal. Author Barbara Davis notes that funders tend to want the “substantially the same information, even if they use different words or ask questions in a different order.” She goes on to enumerate the most common are: Summary, Organizational Information, Problem/Need/Situation Description, Work Plan/Specific Activities, Impact of Activities, Evaluation and more. 

Project Learning Tree GreenWorks grants - $1K - $3K

Do you have an idea for a school/community native plant garden, a forest improvement project, a streamside restoration plan, a recycling program, or energy conservation project for your students?  Need funds to implement it?  Apply for a Project Learning Tree GreenWorks! grant.

Grants are available in two award levels:

1.) The popular and traditional GreenWorks grants up to a maximum of $1,000; 

2) GreenWorks! grants up to $3,000 for registered PLT GreenSchools (free online registration)

Download the GreenWorks! Grant Application

1. Traditional GreenWorks! Grants: Deadline: September 30, 2012
•  The maximum grant award for this level is $1,000
•  Grants must be completed in one year
•  Applicants must have attended a PLT workshop
•  The proposed project must involve service-learning
•  The proposed project must exemplify student voice
•  The proposed project must involve at least one community partner
•  The proposed project must secure at least 50% matched funds (in-kind acceptable)

2. GreenWorks! Grants for Registered PLT GreenSchools!: Deadline: September 30, 2012

• The maximum grant award for this level is $3,000
• Applicants must meet all the parameters for traditional GreenWorks! grant funding
• Applicants must be a school (public or private)
• Applicants must be registered on the PLT GreenSchools! website (It’s free)
• Applicants must have established a Green Team
• Applicants must have completed one of more of the PLT GreenSchools! Investigations
• The proposed project must be based on the findings of the PLT GreenSchools! Investigations

Submit completed applications online; no hard copy applications will be accepted.

Have a look at PLT’s GreenWorks! Guidebook which offers practical ideas and pointers for getting a GreenWorks! project off and running. You can also, check out PLT’s Branch newsletter for some examples of past PLT GreenWorks! projects and teacher tips, and our news releases that announce some of the grants awarded over the past several years.

Share our GreenWorks! grants promotional flyer with your colleagues and friends!

Check out the Frequently Asked Questions.  

Books for All Kids program ('free' books)

This opportunity is from Roads to Reading and is called the Books for All Kids Program.
 
This program is not a competitive grant donation program. It provides free books to nonprofits, after-school programs, and child care centers. All book donations are announced through email alerts and are made on a first come, first served basis.

Free webinar 8/23: Telling the Library Story

Telling the Library Story

August 23, 2012

As a blogger and chair of the committee that created The Big Hairy Audacious Goal advocacy project, Jamie LaRue (director, Douglas County Libraries, CO) knows how to tell a succinct, powerful story about the value of libraries. Based on OCLC’s “From Awareness to Funding” and on the latest findings of brain research, this session focuses on turning the evidence of our daily patron encounters into short, compelling, and memorable messages that build support.

More information and registration »

http://wc4.net/t?ctl=42D4EA8:140D55B171C3FBF720DDF63EEB9DCA2E73B57ADCC42EF300&