The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority

February 15, 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 U.S. Department of Justice is soliciting proposals for its Tribal Youth Program.  The goal of the program is to support and enhance tribal efforts to prevent and control delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system for American Indian and Alaska Native youth.  Funding is for federally recognized tribes only.  The deadline for registration is March 1.  The application is due March 15.  For more information, call 202-307-5911 or visit http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/funding/FundingDetail.asp?fi=44

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is accepting applications for its Strengthening Treatment Access and Retention - State Implementation Cooperative Agreements (STAR-SI) program.  This is an infrastructure cooperative agreement program that promotes State level implementation of process improvement methods to improve access to and retention in outpatient treatment.  Approximately $2.2 million is available for about 7 awards.  Annual awards are expected to be $325,000.  The deadline is March 24.  For more information, contact Suzanne Cable at 240-276-1568 or visit http://www.samhsa.gov.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is accepting proposals for its Healthy Eating Research Program.  The goal of the program is to combat childhood obesity by focusing on food policies and eating habits in schools.  Grants will range from $75,000 to $400,000.  The deadline is March 7.  For more information, contact Tim Crowley at 888-635-7433 or visit www.healthyeatingresearch.org.

 Cable Positive's Tony Cox Community Fund is providing $5,000 grants to nonprofit organizations that develop collaborative projects with their local cable companies to provide outreach efforts and public service announcement related to HIV/AIDS.  The deadline is March 10.  For more information, contact Thomas Henning at 212-459-1606 or visit www.cablepositive.org.

Paul G. Allen Family Foundations provides grants to nonprofit organizations, government entities and IRS-recognized tribes.  The mission of the Foundation is to transform individual lives and strengthen communities by fostering innovation, creating knowledge, and promoting social progress. The Foundation's focus areas include arts and culture, community development and social change, innovations in science and technology, and youth engagement.  The community development and social change program improves the long-term social, health and economic outcomes for individuals and families by increasing access to critical resources such as healthcare, housing, employment, nutrition, and other basic needs.  The deadline is March 15.  For more information, call 206-342-2030 or visit www.pgafamilyfoundation.org.

The Annenberg Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that focus in the areas of education, arts and culture, citizenship, and medical education.  The foundation accepts letters of inquiry year-round.  For more information, contact Gillian Norris-Szanto at 610-341-9066 or visit www.annenbergfoundation.org.

Northrim Bank provides grants to nonprofit organizations that provide support to higher education, programs that strengthen families, and community and economic development projects. There is no deadline.  For more information, contact Blythe Campbell at 907-261-3372 or visit www.northrim.com.

Branding for Success: A Roadmap for Raising the Visibility and Value of Your Nonprofit Organization outlines how nonprofit organizations can increase their visibility by crafting and promoting their "brands."  The book suggests that organizations should access their strengths and weaknesses to determine what image they want to present to the public.  Using their self-analysis, groups can develop a tagline, a logo, and a mission statement that conveys their message.  They can promote their brands through word of mouth, community involvement, and the news media.  The cost is $20.  For more information, call 301-384-6007 or visit www.checcocomm.net.

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 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 - 10:00 to 2:00, Writing a Fund Development Plan, Fairbanks

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

February 28 - 10:00 to 12:00, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Wrangell

February 28 - 1:00 to 3:00, High Performing Boards, Wrangell

March 2 - 8:00 to 1:00, Are You Ready for a Capital Campaign?, Anchorage

March 3 - 9:00 to 11:00, Alaska's Wage and Hour Law, Fairbanks

March 3 - 1:00 to 3:00, Performance Evaluation for Nonprofit Staff, Fairbanks

March 6 - 9:00 to 11:00, Performance Evaluation for Nonprofit Staff, Anchorage

March 7 - 10:00 to 12:00, Volunteer Recruitment, Anchorage

March 7 - 8:30 to 10:30, Making the "Ask" and Stewardship, Anchorage

March 8 - 1:00 to 3:00, High Performing Boards, Fairbanks

March 9 - 11:00 to 1:00, Preparing Employee Manuals, Homer

March 9 - 2:00 to 4:00, Performance Evaluation for Nonprofit Staff, Homer

March 9 - 12:00 to 2:00, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Wasilla

March 9 - 3:00 to 5:00, High Performing Boards, Wasilla

March 10 - 1:00 to 5:00, Rules of Advocacy, Anchorage

March 13 - 11:00 to 1:00, Are You Ready for a Capital Campaign?, Homer

March 14 - 3:00 to 5:00, Understanding Financial Statements, Anchorage

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.