Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) is sending his “January 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 under-funded 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 pre-qualify 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 pre-qualifying 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=94657

State Grants

New York State Education Department, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Title II and Welfare Education Program Funding

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to provide adult education and literacy services to assist out-of-school youth and adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and economic self-sufficiency and assist these individuals in the completion of a secondary school education. There are four types of competition: 1) Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services, 2) Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE), 3) Corrections Education and Other Institutionalized Education Programs and 4) Literacy zones.

• Eligibility: local educational agencies, community-based organizations or faith based organizations, volunteer literacy programs, institutes of higher education, public or private nonprofit agencies, libraries, public housing authorities, and coalitions of the above organizations
• Deadline: March 30, 2021
• Funding: Nearly $47 million
• Contact: Marisa Boomhower Email: WIOARFP@nysed.gov website: www.acces.nysed.gov/aepp/workforce-innovation-and-opportunity-act-title-iiand-welfare-education-program-funding

New York State Office of Mental Health, Peer Workforce Education and Support

NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) is issuing this Request for Proposal (RFP) to invite interested bidders to submit proposals to serve as a contractor to educate and support the Peer Workforce. This program will enhance peer-run organizations’ operational capacity and organizational health. The support strategies provided will also directly assist non-peer run organizations in their transformation to hire certified peer specialists in their programs. The selected contractor will employ a variety of mechanisms, including, but not limited to: the development of curricula, use of online learning systems and learning communities.

• Eligibility: Refer to the RFP for details on the eligibility requirements
• Deadline: Feb. 16, 2021
• Funding: $17.5 million
• Contact: Brittany Shovah Email: Brittany.Shovah@omh.ny.gov Website: https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/rfp/2020/ teach/project-teach-rfp.pdf

NYS Education Department, Family and Community Engagement Program (FCEP), 20121-2025, A New York State Brother’s Keeper Initiative

The purpose of this initiative is to increase the academic achievement and college and career readiness of boys and young men of color. No meaningful family engagement to increase student success can be established until relationships of trust and respect are established between home, community and school. The development of a coherent implementation model is critical for success. For the basis of the Family and Community Engagement Program (FCEP), the Dual-Capacity Building Framework as outlined by the U.S. Department of Education (https://www.dualcapacity.org/) will serve as the model for implementation. The Dual Capacity-Building Framework components create a focus on the building of the capacity of staff and families to engage in partnerships.

• Eligibility: New York State public school districts must meet specific criteria regarding Free & Reduced-Price Lunch eligibility rates, English Language Learner enrollment rates and August graduation rates as found in the below website. Those meeting the criteria may also choose to apply as a consortium of up to four school districts and submit a single application with their member BOCES.
• Deadline: Feb. 1, 2021
• Funding: $6 million
• Contact: Kimberly Arrington-Hardaway Email: FACE@nysed.gov Website: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/funding/2021- 2025-mbk-fcep/home.html

Federal Grants

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Mood Disorders in People Living with HIV: Mechanisms and Pathways

The purpose of this initiative is to support studies to better understand the underlying mechanisms and interplay of biological, psychosocial and structural factors contributing to mood disorders in people living with HIV. Applications testing a fully conceptualized and hypothesis-based solid premise founded with adequate preliminary data are appropriate for this funding opportunity announcement. Basic and preclinical research in domestic and international settings are of interest. Multidisciplinary research teams and collaborative alliances are encouraged but not required.

• Eligibility: state, city, township and county governments, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, private and public institutions of higher education, tribal governments and organizations and public housing authorities
• Deadline: March 10, 2021
• Funding: $2 million
• Contact: Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov Phone: 301-945-7573 Website: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfafiles/RFA-MH-21-116.htm

Private Grants

The Impact Fund

The Impact Fund (Social Justice) awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys and/or small law firms who seek to advance justice in the areas of civil and human rights, environmental justice, and/or poverty law. Since being founded in 1992, the Impact Fund has granted more than $7 million in recoverable grants. Grants are awarded four times per year.

• Eligibility: Applicants must be a lawyer, work for a law firm or a nonprofit legal organization, be seeking funding for a specific case, be targeting a social, economic or environmental injustice, have a class action case or a case that will have a systemic impact, be seeking funding for out-of pocket litigation expenses and willing to repay the grant if the fees/costs at the end of the case are recovered.
• Deadline: Feb. 4, 2021 with a Letter of Intent (LOI) due Jan. 12, 2021
• Funding: $10,000 to $50,000
• Contact: Phone: 510-845-3473 Email: grants@impactfund.org Website: www.impactfund.org/about-legal-casegrants

PeopleForBikes, Community Grant Program

This program provides funding in support of bicycle infrastructure projects and targeted advocacy initiatives that make it easier and safer for people of all ages and abilities to ride. To that end, grants will be awarded in support of infrastructure and advocacy projects such as bike paths, lanes, trails, and bridges, mountain bike facilities, bike parks and pump tracks, BMX facilities, and end-of-trip facilities such as bike racks, bike parking, bike repair stations and bike storage; programs that transform city streets, such as Ciclovías or Open Streets Days; and campaigns to increase the investment in bicycle infrastructure.

• Eligibility: non-profit organizations with a focus on bicycling, active transportation, or community development, from city or county agencies or departments, tribal agencies and tribal governments and from state or federal agencies working locally. PeopleForBikes only funds projects in the United States. Requests must support a specific project or program. They do not grant funds for general operating costs.
• Deadline: various. Check the website for their schedule.
• Funding: up to $10,000
• Contact: Zoe Kircos, Director of Grants and Partnerships Phone: 720-726-3335 Email: zoe@peopleforbikes.org Website: https://peopleforbikes.org/grantguidelines

Patient-Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI), Broad PCORI Funding Announcements (PFAs)

PCORI seeks investigator-initiated applications for patient-centered competitive clinical effectiveness research (CER) projects aligned with their priority areas for research. This PFA covers the following four priority areas outlined in PCORI’s National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda: Addressing Disparities; Assessment of Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options; Communication and Dissemination Research, and Improving Healthcare Systems. Of particular interest in 2021 are areas of national priority which include increasing access to and continuity of patient-centered maternal care, improving care for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities growing into adulthood and comparative effectiveness of strategies to lessen the impact of longer-term sequelae, improve access to vaccines, and mitigate the impact on those disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional criteria can be found on the below website.

• Eligibility: nonprofit research centers, for-profit research organizations, universities and colleges, hospitals and healthcare systems, laboratories and manufacturers and units of state, local or federal government. Must be recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
• Funding: at least $30 million
• Deadline: A Letter of Intent (LOI) is due February 2, 2021, and the application is due May 4, 2021.
• Contact: Email: pfa@PCORI.ORG Phone: 202-827-7700 Website: www.pcori.org/funding-opportunities/ announcement/broad-pcori-fundingannouncements-cycle-1-2021

The Spencer Foundation, Research Grants on Education: Large

The Spencer Foundation is inviting applications for its Research Grants on Education program, which provides support to education research projects with the potential to contribute to the improvement of education, broadly conceived. This program is “field-initiated” in that proposal submissions are not in response to a specific request for a particular research topic, discipline, design, method, or location. The goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education. The foundation supports work that fosters creative and open-minded scholarship, engages in deep inquiry, and examines robust questions related to education. The program supports proposals with multiple disciplinary and methodological perspectives, both domestically and internationally, and from scholars at various stages in their career.

• Eligibility: Principal investigators (PI) and co-PIs must have a doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field or have obtained appropriate experience in an education research related profession. Applicants should be affiliated with a college, university, school district, nonprofit research facility, or nonprofit cultural institution.
• Deadline: Letters of Intent to apply are due January 15, 2021. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by February 5, 2021.
• Funding: Projects with budgets ranging from $125,000 to $500,000 over one to five years will be considered.
• Contact: Maricelle Garcia Phone: 312-337-7000 Email: largegrants@spencer.org Website: www.spencer.org/grant_types/largeresearch-grant