The Alaska Mental Health Trust A

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority

September 15, 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 State Department of Health and Social Services is requesting proposals for its Independent Case Management and Flexible Supports program. The purpose of the program is to bring independent case management to adults with serious mental illness. The deadline is October 7. For more information, contact Linda Hulse at 907-465-8657 or visit http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/PNByDeptActive?OpenView&Start=1&Count=30&Expand=8.2#8.2.

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 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is accepting proposals for its Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention program. The goal is to improve and ensure the implementation of statewide newborn hearing screening and intervention programs. Approximately $860,000 is available for about 7 awards. The deadline is October 3. For more information, contact Irene Forsman at 301-443-9023 or visit https://grants.hrsa.gov/webexternal/FundingOpp.asp.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is soliciting applications for its Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers. The goal of the Centers is to support new and existing activities and projects in geriatrics research and training. The deadline is October 25. For more information, contact Susan Nayfield at 301-496-6761 or visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AG-06-001.html.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is accepting proposals for its 2005-2006 Health and Society Scholars Program. The program is designed to train scholars in the field of "population health." Scholars will investigate the broad range of influences on health, which include behavioral, biological, economic, environmental, and social factors, and the connections among those influences. Up to 18 scholars will be selected for the two-year program. Each scholar will receive a total stipend of $151,000. The deadline is October 15. For more information, contact Gerard Lebeda at 800-734-7635 or visit www.healthandsocietyscholars.org.

The Fannie Mae Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations that create affordable homeownership and housing opportunities in cities, towns, and rural areas across the United States. There is no deadline. For more information, contact Ellen Lazar at 202-274-8057 or visit www.fanniemaefoundation.org.

BP Exploration (Alaska) funds nonprofit organizations in the areas of education, entrepreneurship, and civil society. They fund projects that focus on the development of nonprofit capacity and address community-identified priority needs and issues. There is no deadline. For more information, contact Carla Shelton at 907-743-4280 or visit http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9002394&contentId=3072092.

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 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.

Advocacy Funding: The Philanthropy of Changing Minds discusses why foundations support efforts to influence public policy and provides advice for determining whether financing advocacy work is right for an organization. The guide also examines the legal limits on advocacy work. To download the publication for free, visit http://www.grantcraft.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:

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

October 4 - 4:00 to 6:00, Effective Board Communication, Anchorage

October 6 - 1:00 to 5:00, The Rules of Advocacy, Anchorage

October 7 - 9:00 to 11:00, Budgeting for Nonprofits, Fairbanks

October 7 - 12:00 to 2:00, Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements, Fairbanks

October 7 - 4:00 to 6:00, Nonprofit Board Financial Oversight, Fairbanks

October 12 - 10:00 to 2:00, Nonprofit Business Planning, Cordova

October 12 - 2:30 to 4:30, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Cordova

October 14 - 8:30 to 5:00, Proposal Writing, Ketchikan

October 17 - 12:00 to 2:00, Building Relationships for Sustainable Income, 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 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.