The Alaska Mental Health Trust A

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority

September 1, 2005

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 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 next deadline is October 1. For more information, call 907-269-7960 or visit www.mhtrust.org.

The State of Alaska has openings for positions on several of its boards and commissions:

The Alaska Commission on Aging - Public/Restricted

Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education - Provider/Infants or toddlers with developmental disabilities, consumer secondary

For more information, call 907-465-3500 or visit www.gov.state.ak.us/boards.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is accepting applications for several programs:

The Housing for Individuals with Disabilities program provides funding to acquire, rehabilitate and/or construct affordable housing for low-income individuals with disabilities.

The Supportive Housing for the Elderly program provides funding to acquire, rehabilitate and/or construct affordable housing for low-income senior citizens.

Both of the programs above have been reopened and the new deadline is September 6. For more information, visit http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/fundsavail.cfm.

Women Helping Others Foundation is accepting applications for programs that help women and children. Grants typically range from $1,000 to $30,000. Organizations must have annual budgets of less than $2 million. Small and grassroots organizations are encouraged to apply. The deadline is September 13. For more information, call 800-946-4663 or visit www.whofoundation.org.

The RadioShack Corporation is seeking applications for its Street-Sentz Community Grant program. The program supports organizations that work to prevent child abduction and family violence and abuse. The deadline is September 15. For more information, call 817-415-3699 or visit www.radioshackcorporation.com/cc/contributions.html.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is accepting letters of intent for its Community Health Leadership Program. The program honors 10 people annually for their efforts to create or improve health care programs that serve communities with ignored or unmet needs. Each person chosen receives a $15,000 personal stipend and $105,000 over three years for program support. The deadline is September 22. For more information, contact Edward Chu at 617-426-9772 or visit www.communityhealthleaders.org.

The Best Buy Community Donations Program provides in-kind donations to nonprofit organizations that provide educational opportunities for youth. There is no deadline. For more information, contact Tiffany Conger at 907-344-4409 or visit www.bestbuy.com.

The Rasmuson Foundation is accepting applications for its 2006 Sabbatical Program. The program is designed to provide time away from the office for professional growth and personal renewal for Executive Directors and Chief Executive Officers of health and human service agencies in Alaska. Grants of up to $30,000 each will be awarded. The sabbatical may run from two to six continuous months. The deadline is October 1. For more information, call 877-366-2700 or visit http://www.rasmuson.org/index.php?switch=viewpage&pageid=112.

The Breast Cancer Detection Center Alaska, in conjunction with University of Alaska Fairbanks is hosting a five-day Grantsmanship Training Program in Fairbanks from October 24-28. Designed for both the novice and the experienced grantseeker, this intensive workshop combines expert instruction with practical exercises that focuses on planning programs, locating funding sources, and writing grant proposals. Graduates will receive a one-year membership to the Grantsmanship Center, which includes proposal review and access to a comprehensive grants database. The cost is $825. Some partial scholarships are available to qualified agencies. Pre-registration required. For more information, call 213-482-9860 or visit www.tgci.com.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is offering a Grant Writing Workshop on September 27 and 28 in Anchorage. The workshop will cover the steps for a successful grant application. It will show you how to become more competitive for federal grants, and will also discuss corporate and foundation funding sources. The workshop is free. For more information or to register, contact Gail West at 907-677-9831 or toll-free at 877-302-9800.

Communication Toolkit: A Guide to Navigating Communications for the Nonprofit World describes how nonprofits can test their messages and materials, and measure communication programs. It also provides tips on developing slogans, logos and "brand" identities. It outlines how to draft a communications budget, and when to form partnerships with other organizations. The publication is free on the publisher's website at http://www.causecommunications.org/CC/CC_news06_1.html.

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:

September 6 - 12:00 to 2:00, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Fairbanks

September 7 - 12:00 to 2:00, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Anchorage

September 8 - 6:00 to 8:00, Recruiting Nonprofit Executives, Anchorage

September 9 - 10:00 to12:00, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Homer

September 9 - 12:30 to 2:30, High Performing Boards, Homer

September 9 - 3:00 to 5:00, Effective Board Leadership, Homer

September 12 - 9:00 to1:00, Nonprofit Business Planning, Anchorage

September 12 - 2:30 to 4:30, High Performing Boards, Anchorage

September 13 - 11:00 to1:00, Basics of Raising Money, Anchorage

September 16 - 8:30 to 5:00, Proposal Writing, Anchorage

September 19 - 12:00 to 2:00, High Performing Boards, Fairbanks

September 20 - 8:30 to 5:00, Proposal Writing, Fairbanks

September 21 - 12:00 to 2:00, Effective Board Leadership, Fairbanks

September 27 - 12:00 to 2:00, Effective Board Leadership, Anchorage

September 28 - 10:30 to 12:30, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Juneau

September 28 - 1:30 to 3:30, High Performing Boards, Juneau

September 28 - 4:00 to 6:00, Effective Board Leadership, Juneau

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 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 at 907-222-5424 or thea@agnewbeck.com.