Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) is sending his “May Grants Action News Update” to residents, organizations and local governments about a series of grants available from the state, federal government and private entities. Each month, the Assembly provides an updated list of grants for a variety of categories.

“During a time of economic recovery, grants can play an integral part in helping our local communities complete needed infrastructure repairs or support underfunded projects,” said Palmesano. “Many people don’t realize the scope of available opportunities because they aren’t sure where to look. The ‘Grants Action News’ bulletin makes finding these grants much easier by consolidating the information and making it available to everyone. I hope residents, organizations and local governments throughout the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions will be able to use this resource to find much-needed support to strengthen communities in our rural area.”

All not-for-profit applicants must now prequalify on the NYS Grants Reform website at grantsreform.ny.gov/grantees in order to apply for certain New York state grant solicitations. Potential not-for-profit applicants are strongly encouraged to begin the process of registering and prequalifying immediately as this is a lengthy process.

The Grants Action News bulletin is updated at the beginning of each month with newly-available grants and information on how to apply.

The update can be accessed here:

https://nyassembly.gov/gan/?sec=story&story=101761

State Grants

Office of Mental Health, Student Mental Health Support Grants

In conjunction with the New York State Department of Education, the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) has announced the availability of Student Mental Health Support Grants to School Districts. The grants aim to improve student access to mental health resources and assist students who have experienced trauma that negatively affects their educational experience. The purpose of these grants is to improve student access to mental health resources; support students who have experienced stress, anxiety and/or trauma; and to support the adults that surround them as they continue to process the pandemic and its subsequent impacts. Funding should be utilized to address inequities and expand availability and access to strategies and supports that address the mental health of students.

■ Eligibility: Eligible applicants are New York State pre-K-12 public school districts. To be eligible, districts must have a 2019-20 economically disadvantaged student rate above the state average of 55.6%, which is measured at the district level. Charter schools are not eligible.

■ Funding: Awards shall not exceed $500,000 per applicant annually. A total of up to $10 million each year over five years will be available and distributed to eligible school districts.

■ Deadline: Letter of Intent due May 18, 2022, application due May 25, 2022 3 p.m. ET

■ Contact: Carol Swiderski

■ Email: carol.swiderski@omh.ny.gov

■ Website: https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/rfp/2022/support-grants-school-district/index.html

Office of Mental Health, Youth ACT Statewide

The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) announces the availability of funds for the expansion of Youth Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams throughout New York State. The Youth ACT team serve children and youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) who are returning home from inpatient settings or residential services, at risk of entering such settings or have not adequately engaged or responded to treatment in more traditional community-based services. Youth ACT ensures the child and their family have the level of support services and access to clinical professionals that they require to sustain progress and gains made in crisis response or high-end services. Youth ACT teams deliver intensive, highly coordinated, individualized services and skilled therapeutic interventions through an integrated, multi-disciplinary team approach to better achieve success and maintain the child in the home, school and community. To address the needs of children and adolescents eligible for this comprehensive service, the Youth ACT team is multi-disciplinary with professional staff including mental health clinicians and psychiatric prescribers. Other members of the team include a peer advocate for family and youth, clinical staff and a program assistant. Five awards are available in three of the five OMH regions – Hudson River, Central and Western, applied for by county.

■ Eligibility: Eligible applicants are not-for-profit agencies with 501(c)(3) incorporation that have experience providing mental health services to persons with serious emotional disturbance. Agencies with OMH Licensed Residential Treatment Facilities, in good standing, may be given preference by receiving additional points in the evaluation process. \

■ Funding: Funds will be allocated as a lump sum at beginning of contract for Start-Up ($100,000) and transition/ramp up costs ($325,000) for a total of $425,000

■ Deadline: June 2, 2022 3 p.m. ET

■ Contact: Carol Swiderski

■ Email: carol.swiderski@omh.ny.gov

■ Website: https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/rfp/2022/ youth-act/index.html

Federal Grants

Department of Agriculture, Local Food Promotion Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)’s Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) funds projects that develop, coordinate and expand local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing to help increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products. The program focuses on: supporting the processing, aggregation, distribution and storage of local and regional food products that are marketed locally or regionally; encouraging the development of value added agricultural products; assisting with business development plans and feasibility studies; developing marketing strategies for producers in new and existing markets; facilitating regional food chain coordination and mid-tier value chain development; promoting new business opportunities and marketing strategies to reduce on-farm food waste; responding to changing technology needs in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing; and covering expenses related to cost incurred in obtaining food safety certification and improvements to food safety practices and equipment.

■ Eligibility: All applicants must be domestic entities owned, operated and located within the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or tribal governments. Eligible applicants include: agricultural businesses or cooperatives; producer group- or member-owned organizations or businesses that provide, offer, or sell agricultural products or services; CSA networks and associations; food policy councils and food and farm system networks that represent multiple organizations involved in the production, processing and consumption of food; city, township, county, borough and municipal governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; special districts, school districts, intrastate districts, councils of governments, whether or not incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under state law and any other agency or instrumentality of a multi-state, regional or intra-state or local government; nonprofit organizations and institutions, including institutions of higher education; public benefit corporations, economic development corporations and regional farmers market authorities.

■ Funding: $25,000-$500,000 per award with $43.5 million in total program funding.

■ Deadline: May 16, 2022 11:59 p.m. ET

■ Contact: FMLFPPGrants@usda.gov

■ Website: https://www.grantsolutions.gov/gs/ preaward/previewPublicAnnouncement.do?id=96569

U.S. Department of Justice, Second Chance Act Community-based Reentry Program

The Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)’s Second Chance Act grant program is designed to help communities develop and implement comprehensive and collaborative strategies to facilitate reentry and reduce recidivism. The Second Chance Act (SCA) of 2007, reauthorized by the First Step Act of 2018, provides a comprehensive response to assist in the transition individuals make from prison, jail or juvenile residential facilities to their communities so that the transition is more successful and promotes public safety. Reentry is not a specific program, but rather an ongoing process that continues throughout the transition from incarceration to reintegration into the community. Grants may be used for a wide variety of initiatives, including mentorship; educational and vocational programs; substance use disorder treatment and services; family services; and mental health services, among others.

■ Eligibility: Native American tribal governments and nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

■ Funding: Up to $750,000 per award, total program funding approximately $13.5 million.

■ Deadline: Grants.gov deadline: May 19, 2022 9 p.m. ET; JustGrants deadline: May 23, 2022 9 p.m. ET

■ Contact: grants@ncjrs.gov

■ Website: https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/obja-2022-171031

Private Grants

Citi Foundation, Community Finance Innovation Fund

The Citi Foundation’s Community Finance Innovation Fund is designed to support nonprofit organizations that provide technical assistance and capacity-building innovations to multiple Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) working on a national or regional basis. Through this national request for ideas (RFI), the foundation aims to solicit breakthrough innovations that will advance the field of community development finance in four key areas: human capital and talent development, financial and risk-sharing models, technology and operational efficiencies, and thought leadership and research. Applicant organizations must be able to demonstrate a successful track record of advancing the field of community development finance, specifically in conjunction with CDFIs and be able to demonstrate that their idea has the ability and/or intent to achieve regional or national scale, impacting low- and moderate-income and underserved communities.

■ Eligibility: Applicant organizations or their fiscal sponsors must be tax-exempt public charities as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Priority will be given to ideas that address an identified and measurable gap in the field of community development finance that directly affects CDFIs and to organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and intentionality to apply a racial equity lens to community development finance. In addition to ideas that have the ability and/or intent to achieve regional or national scale, the foundation has a strong interest in ideas that impact low- and moderate-income and underserved communities within Citi Foundation’s strategic U.S. markets of California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, South Dakota, Virginia and Washington D.C.

■ Funding: $50 million in total funding; amount of individual grants will vary depending on the scope and scale of the ideas submitted.

■ Deadline: May 24, 2022 4 p.m. ET for initial ideas

■ Contact: Through foundation website form

■ Contact Link: https://www.citigroup.com/citi/ foundation/about/form.htm

■ Website: https://www.citigroup.com/citi/foundation/ programs/community-finance.html

AccessLex Institute, Bar Success Intervention Grant Program

The AccessLex Institute aims to expand access to quality legal education for talented, purpose-driven students while maximizing the value and affordability of a law degree through policy advocacy, research and student-focused initiatives. To combat inequities in access to legal education, AccessLex is inviting applications for its Bar Success Intervention grant program, which awards grants to support programs and interventions aimed at helping increase bar exam passage rates. These programs and interventions should focus on students and/or graduates most at risk of not passing the bar exam. The program’s central goal is to increase knowledge about effective bar exam success programming that can be replicated to help more students and graduates succeed. Programs that encompass the following optional elements will be given preference in the selection process: differential treatment of participants for program evaluation, relevant long-term support for participants and collaboration with other institutions and organizations.

■ Eligibility: To be fundable, programs must:

■ Have a duration of 12-24 months and seek funding in the amount of $150,000-$300,000;

■ Focus on law students and/or graduates most at risk of not passing the bar exam or institutions with ultimate bar examination passage rates that fall below 70%;

■ Include clear statements of program goals and tangible and measurable objectives; and

■ Include an evaluation plan.

■ Funding: Between $150,000 and $300,000 per grant up to two years.

■ Deadline: May 18, 2022 for letters of inquiry

■ Contact: grants@accesslex.org

■ Website: https://www.accesslex.org/grants/barsuccess-intervention-grant-program

Scholars Awards

Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, FFAR-OCP Disruptive Technology Fellowship Program

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) forms public-private partnerships to further scientific innovations that can expand access to affordable, nutritious food grown on thriving farms. FFAR partnered with the OCP North America, a subsidiary of the global plant nutrition company OCP Group, to launch a fellowship opportunity supporting fertilizer efficiency research and technology development. FFAR and OCP North America are inviting applications for its FFAR-OCP Disruptive Technology Fellows program. The program makes investments to improve fertilizer use efficiency and in turn decrease costs, reduce environmental impacts and improve crop nutrient uptake. Improvements are needed in fertilizer technologies, precision fertilizer application methods, nutrient recommendation methods and application of animal waste and aims to support the development of technologies for customized and enhanced efficiency fertilizers. The purpose of this fellowship is to spur and foster disruptive innovation in the next generation of fertilizer research and development. Through the program, emerging young scientists in agriculture research will be given funding to support their fertilizer efficiency research and technology development efforts. The technologies and research generated through this project should address the need for increasing plant uptake of essential macronutrients and limit the loss of inputs – which contribute largely to water and marine ecosystem damage – while boosting productivity. The fellowship program will support research in organic fertilizers, intelligent fertilizers, enhanced efficiency fertilizers, biofertilizers, biostimulants and specialty products, such as highly soluble fertilizers, highly efficient fertilizers for drip irrigation applications, foliar spray and specialty crops.

■ Eligibility: Early career scientists within ten years of receiving Ph.D. are eligible to apply.

■ Funding: $75,000 over 12 to 24 months.

■ Deadline: June 1, 2022

 ■ Contact: grants@foundationfar.org

■ Website: https://foundationfar.org/grants-funding/ opportunities/ffar-ocp-disruptive-technologyfellowship/

Simons Foundation, Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Marine Microbial Ecology

The Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Marine Microbial Ecology provide three-year fellowships with an annual stipend of $65,000 and an annual allowance of up to $25,000 in support of basic research on fundamental problems in marine microbial ecology, emphasizing the role of microorganisms in shaping ocean processes and vice versa. The allowance may be spent on health insurance for the fellow and family, other benefits required by

the institution, research supplies, small equipment (including computers), attendance at scientific meetings and other research-related travel. Up to $2,000 of the allowance may be used for the fellow and family's relocation to the host institution. Relocation costs must be per the policies of the host institution. The foundation is interested in applicants with training in different disciplines, including modeling and theory development, and those already involved in ocean research. The foundation anticipates awarding eight fellowships in 2022.

■ Eligibility: Applicants should have received their Ph.D. or equivalent degree within three years of the fellowship’s start date. Preference will be given to applicants with no more than one year of postdoctoral experience, and United States citizens may choose a postdoctoral research sponsor in either the U.S. or Canada. Foreign applicants may choose a sponsor in the U.S. Awards may only be issued to nonprofit research universities or research institutions in the U.S. or Canada (on-campus within these countries).

■ Funding: Annual stipend of $65,000 and annual allowance of up to $25,000

■ Deadline: May 13, 2022

■ Contact: Program inquiries: lifesciences@simonsfoundation.org, Administrative inquiries: lifegrants@simonsfoundation.org

■ Website: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/ simons-postdoctoral-fellowships-in-marine-microbialecology/