The Alaska Mental Health Trust A

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority

February 1, 2006

Welcome to this List Serv sponsored by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Rural Funding Coordination Project. These messages provide information about current government and private grants, conference and training opportunities, publications, and potential funding sources, with an emphasis on rural Alaska.

The State Department of Health and Social Services is accepting letters of interest for Integrated Services for Children and Families in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Services provided through this project will support the ongoing efforts to bring children (custody and non-custody) who are currently receiving Residential Psychiatric Treatment (RPT) services in out-of-state placement back to Alaska. The deadline is February 10. There is a pre-proposal teleconference on February 1. For more information, contact Chris Carson at 907-465-3469 or visit

http://notes4.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/PNByDeptActive?OpenView&Start=1&Count=30&Expand=10.2#10.2.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will no longer accept paper applications for its grants. To receive a grant, you must register at grants.gov. The registration process can take up to one month. For more information, visit www.grants.gov or call 800-518-4726. You can also email the help desk at support@grants.gov.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is soliciting proposals for its Family Centered Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents and their Families program. The grants are designed to address gaps in substance abuse services and/or to increase the ability of States, local government, and tribal and community organizations to help specific populations or geographic areas with serious, emerging substance abuse problems. Approximately $5.2 million will be available to fund about 17 awards. The deadline is March 29. For more information, contact Randolph Muck at 240-276-1576 or visit www.samhsa.gov.

The National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression is accepting applications for its 2006 Independent Investigator Awards. The awards support research into the causes, cures, treatments, and prevention of severe psychiatric brain disorders. Awards of up to $100,000 over two years are available. The deadline is March 6. For more information, call 516-829-5576 or visit www.narsad.org.

William Randolph Hearst Foundations support nonprofit organizations that provide programs that increase access to quality health care for underserved urban and rural populations. They fund direct medical services that promote wellness, prevention and rehabilitation. Areas of interest include healthcare for the elderly, women's health issues, and the disabled. The Foundations also support programs that address the interrelated problems of homelessness, drug addiction and mental illness. There is no deadline. For more information, contact Paul Dinovitz at 415-543-0400 or visit www.hearstfdn.org

Marathon Oil Company Foundation provides support for nonprofit organizations that focus on health and human services, civic and community, environmental and social needs. There is no deadline. For more information, contact Jennifer Evans at 713-296-4105 or visit http://www.marathon.com/Our_Values/Philanthropy/

Guide to Winning Proposals II is a collection of 31 grant applications that have elicited praise and money from foundations and other grantmakers. The guide includes proposals that request support to strengthen the management and operations of a nonprofit organization. In addition, it also discusses financing for individual projects, new buildings and renovations, equipment, evaluation, general needs, and start-up costs. The examples were culled from a diverse group of nonprofit organizations and include sample letters of inquiry, cover letters, and budgets. Feedback from grantmakers is included with each proposal. The cost is $34.95. For more information, call 800-424-9836 or visit http://fdncenter.org.

The Foraker Group is dedicated to assisting nonprofits strengthen their organizations in a variety of ways, including board and staff trainings. Below is a list of the upcoming trainings:

February 1 - 9:00 to 11:00, Board Financial Oversight, Anchorage

February 6 - 11:00 to 1:00, High Performing Boards, Anchorage

February 6 - 9:00 to 11:00, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Valdez

February 6 - 12:00 to 2:00, High Performing Boards, Valdez

February 6 - 9:00 to 11:00, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Fairbanks

February 9 - 11:00 to 1:00, Building Relationships, Anchorage

February 14 - 8:30 to 5:00, Proposal Writing, Anchorage

February 15 - 9:00 to 5:00, Board Roles and Responsibilities/Budgeting and Financial Statements for Nonprofits, Soldotna

February 16 - 5:00 to 7:00, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Barrow

February 17 - 8:30 to 12:30, Business Planning for Nonprofits, Barrow

February 17 - 8:30 to 5:00, Proposal Writing, Fairbanks

February 20 - 9:00 to 5:00, Evaluations and Outcomes, Juneau

February 20 - 9:00 to 5:00, Evaluations and Outcomes, Anchorage

February 22 - 9:00 to 5:00, Evaluations and Outcomes, Fairbanks

February 22 - 9:00 to 11:00, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Homer

February 22 - 12:00 to 2:00, High Performing Boards, Homer

February 22 - 3:00 to 5:00, Effective Board Leadership, Homer

February 27 - 8:00 to 12:00, Writing a Fund Development Plan, Fairbanks

February 27 - 3:00 to 5:00, Employee Manuals, Anchorage

February 28 - 11:00 to 1:00, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Wrangell

In addition to community trainings, Foraker offers specialized trainings to organizations. For more information, contact Laurie Wolf at 907-743-1206 or visit www.forakergroup.org.

The beneficiaries of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority include those Alaskans experiencing mental illness; developmental disabilities; chronic alcoholism; Alzheimer's disease or related disorders. You can learn more about the Trust at www.mhtrust.org.

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority is accepting proposals for its Small Projects Funding program. The program is designed to create new services of direct benefit to Trust beneficiaries. These services are not normally funded by another part of government. They can be innovative, new program ideas, or substantially improve and supplement existing activities. They can also significantly increase the quality of ongoing projects. Each small project is limited to a maximum of $10,000. The intent is to spend one-half of the Small Projects Fund ($250,000 yearly) on projects that serve beneficiaries in rural areas. The deadlines are June 1, October 1, and February 1. For more information, call 907-269-7960 or visit www.mhtrust.org.

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority funds The Foraker Group to offer free technical assistance to those organizations that provide services for Trust beneficiaries in rural areas. For more information, contact Thea Agnew thea@agnewbeck.com or Beth McLaughlin at beth@agnewbeck.com. They can both be reached at 907-222-5424.