Western Union will sponsor 'community and grassroots giving' events

This is cool, perhaps a bitt iffy for libraries but when we partner with other agencies this is, essentially, what we do. See the Western Union site for complete details. 

To qualify for community and grassroots giving from Western Union your organization or event needs to support empowerment, with an emphasis on the following:

• Job-Creation
• Small Business or Entrepreneurship
• Education or Financial Literacy
• Immigrant Integration & Social, Language or Financial Inclusion

How to Apply:

Please submit a written proposal including:

• Description of the organization and sponsorship
• Contact name and organization's address, phone, fax, and email
• Date and time of the event
• Levels of sponsorship
• Sponsorship benefits
• IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter
• IRS form W-9

all submissions must be addressed to:

 

Western Union Community Relations
12500 East Belford Ave., M1G
Englewood, Colorado, 80112

Fax: +1 720-332-4761

Fire Safety grants from the Department of Homeland Security

Do you have a relationship with your local fire department? Take this to them for a conversation. If you don’t … there’s no time like the present to start one. Take this to them for a conversation.

Maximum Grant:  $1,000,000   Deadline:  January 18, 2013           

Use this link to go directly to guidelines and application. 

Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, Fire Prevention and Safety; funding opportunity #: DHS-12-GPD-044-000-98.

Fire Prevention and Safety Activity (FP&S): Eligible applicants for this activity include fire departments, national, regional, state, local, Native American tribal organizations, and/or community organizations that are recognized for their experience and expertise in fire prevention and safety programs and activities. Both private and public non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for funding in this activity.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate is responsible for the implementation and administration of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The purpose of the AFG Program is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. The Grant Programs Directorate administers the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grants as part of the AFG Program.

FP&S Grants are offered to support projects in two activities:
1. Activities designed to reach high-risk target groups and mitigate the incidence of death and injuries caused by fire and fire-related hazards ("Fire Prevention and Safety Activity")

2. Projects aimed at improving firefighter safety, health and wellness through research and development that reduces firefighter fatalities and injuries ("Firefighter Safety Research and Development Activity")

$43M from federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Did you know that the state of Connecticut receives approximately $2M in LSTA funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services each year?

Compare that to the $43M the state received from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Details are here. To be sure, much of that funding goes to the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, but many programs are funded at the local level and are worth looking into if they are in or near your library.

Such as Advocacy Unlimited in Wethersfield, recipient of $70,000. And Middletown's Connection Inc, which received $400,000 to "address the needs of individuals who are chronically homeless or at risk for homelessness by providing an integrated system of supportive housing, case management, peer recovery supports and clinical care."

What institution received funding near you? How can you partner? These agencies are probably tasked with outreach. Worth a phone call? You bet.

Let's Move! Museums & Gardens

Be sure to refer your local museum or garden to Let's Move!, First Lady Michelle Obama's highly visible national initiative that has the capacity to change children's lives.

Connecticut participants so far include:

Bruce Museum of Art & Science, Greenwich

Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, Mystic 

New Canaan Nature Center, New Canaan

Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut, Niantic 

Blue Slope Country Museum, North Franklin

Stepping Stones Museum for Children, Norwalk

Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme

Use it as a conversation starter, then bring up mutual programming like the CT Humanities Council's book discussions or Family Read.