Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) is sending his “July 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=97835

State Grants

NYS Domestic & Sexual Violence Hotline 2021 – 2024

The New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) is accepting proposals to manage, operate and promote the NYS Domestic & Sexual Violence Hotline. OPDV will fund one grant of up to $1.86 million for the contract period October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2024. The statewide, toll-free, confidential hotline operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. It provides trained counselors who respond to a variety of service needs including crisis intervention, supportive counseling, and information and referral services. The hotline can be contacted via phone, text or chat. Individuals contacting the hotline include victims of domestic and sexual violence; concerned individuals such as family members, friends and co-workers; and professionals from fields including human services, health care and criminal justice. The hotline provides multi-language accessibility as well as 711 Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) for persons with a hearing or speech disability.

Additionally, the hotline connects callers to their local domestic violence service providers by actively listening, responding to caller needs and directly connecting the caller to their local provider in order to establish potential long-term connections to domestic violence services in their communities.

■ Eligibility: Applicants should fall into one of the following categories: NYS domestic violence providers/programs that are licensed and/or approved by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS); NYS rape crisis programs approved by the NYS Department of Health (DOH); NYS victim assistance programs currently funded by the Office of Victim Services (OVS); other organizations as designated by the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) provider directory; or other organizations as designated by the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NYSCASA) provider directory. Applicants may apply as individual organizations. Joint applications are allowable so long as all parties meet the eligibility requirements outlined above. The primary applicant should include a letter of intent from the partnering organization demonstrating the plan for providing joint services as the hotline. Partnering organizations must also meet the eligibility criteria outlined above. Letters of intent from entities that do not meet the eligibility requirements outlined above will not be allowed and the application will be disqualified.

■ Funding: up to $1.86 million

■ Deadline: July 9, 2021

■ Contact: Maire Cunningham, Email: opdvrfpinfo@opdv.ny.gov

New York State Department of Labor Apprenticeship Expansion Grant

The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) is making funding available under the Apprenticeship Expansion Grant. This funding aims to expand Registered Apprenticeship (RA) training by increasing employment opportunities for approximately 800 apprentices, with a particular focus on underrepresented populations. Apprentices will be trained to enter into trades in high-demand occupations and emerging fields such as advanced manufacturing, health care and information technology.

■ Eligibility: Eligible applicants must be a sponsor of, lead applicant designated by a sponsor, or signatory employer to an active or probationary NYS RA program or be an applicant for a NYS RA program whose application has been received by NYSDOL and posted on the NYSDOL website for public comment. Signatory and NYS RA group program awardees cannot serve the same apprentices. Sponsors include individual employers, groups of employers or partnerships between an employer(s) and a labor union(s). Grant applicants must be legal entities able to fulfill all requirements associated with state and federal grant obligations, be headquartered or have at least one site located in New York State at the time of application and be in good standing with regard to the laws, rules and regulations for: Unemployment Insurance (UI), the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), Public Work, Labor Standards, Safety and Health, NYS Department of State Division of Corporations, Workers Compensation Insurance and Disability Insurance. Consultants and other third-party entities are not eligible to apply for funds on behalf of other organizations. RAs in the field of construction are not eligible unless the funding is to be used for the upkeep and maintenance of a facility owned by the entity employing the apprentice, such as plant maintenance trades. State agencies are ineligible.

■ Funding: $527,245

■ Deadline: Aug. 13, 2021

■ Contact: Alan Gallagher, Email: alan.gallagher@labor.ny.gov, Website: https://dol.ny.gov/funding-opportunities-0

Federal Grants

U.S. Department of Agriculture Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) Pilot Project

USDA is offering up to $2 million for local governments to host Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) pilot projects for fiscal year 2021. The cooperative agreements support projects that develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans and they are part of USDA’s broader efforts to support urban agriculture to encourage composting and combat food waste in communities across the country. Projects should span two years with a start date of September 25, 2021, and completion date of September 25, 2023.

■ Eligibility: City or township governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, special district governments and county governments are eligible to apply. Applicants are required to share 25% of total project costs – applications that do not include the required level of cost-sharing will be ineligible for award. Costsharing may be achieved with contributions of cash, services, materials, equipment or third-party in-kind contributions.

■ Funding: The estimated funding floor is $45,000 and the estimated funding ceiling is $90,000 ■ Deadline: July 16, 2021

■ Contact: Melanie Krizmanich, Email: Melanie.Krizmanich@usda.gov with a copy to FPAC.BC.GAD@USDA.GOV Phone: 202-572-5805 Website: http://www.farmers.gov/urban

Private Grants

AstraZeneca ACT on Health Equity Community Solutions Challenge

The ACT on Health Equity Community Solutions Challenge is designed to support nonprofits positively impacting the health of underserved populations through regional and local community-based programming. Grants will be awarded in support of programming within two categories: community health and well-being and youth STEM education and career readiness. Community health and well-being projects should be community-based programs aimed at improving conditions that affect health and overall welfare, including housing, education, environmental/ neighborhood safety, nutrition and access to care, as well as programs that prioritize the social, cultural and linguistic needs of underserved patients, caregivers and families. Youth STEM education and career readiness projects should be programs that build knowledge and skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math among K-12 or undergraduate students.

■ Eligibility: To be eligible, applicants must be tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and deliver regional and local community-based programming.

■ Funding: Up to $25,000 per award

■ Deadline: July 16, 2021

■ Contact: Email: UScontributions@astrazeneca.com, Website: https://www.astrazeneca-us.com/ sustainability/health-and-science-innovation.html

Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts 2021 Opioid Crisis Innovation Challenge

The Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) is dedicated to advancing innovative solutions for individuals experiencing opioid use disorder (OUD), as well as their families and communities. The foundation aims to bring partners and stakeholders together and support their efforts to this end. Through the Opioid Crisis Innovation Challenge 2021, FORE has made grants of up to $300,000 per year for as many as two years available to support inventive and pioneering projects that address the longstanding and complex issues factoring into the national opioid crisis. FORE encourages projects that explore and/or evaluate new ideas, combine and build upon approaches from diverse fields and engage multidisciplinary, cross sector teams to tackle the most difficult problems associated with OUD. The opportunity will initially focus on professional education and training, timely and actionable data and supporting the transition from treatment to recovery. FORE prioritizes work that incorporates a focus on patient-centered solutions and health equity and reaching diverse high-risk populations.

■ Eligibility: FORE will consider grant requests for specific projects from U.S.-based public charities that are tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, including nonprofit, tax exempt universities. In addition, the foundation will consider grant requests from state, local and Native American tribal government units or agencies for specific charitable projects.

■ Funding: Up to $300,000 per year for up to two years.

■ Deadline: Concept notes are due by July 19, 2021. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by July 30, 2021.

■ Contact: Email: info@ForeFdn.org, Website: https://forefdn.org/grants-and-funding/

Scholars Awards

NYS Child Welfare Worker Incentive Scholarship Program

The NYS Child Welfare Worker Incentive Scholarship Program provides scholarship awards to individuals who are currently employed at a New York State licensed child welfare agency and who pursue an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree that will improve their ability to work as a child welfare worker and expand upon their existing skills.

■ Eligibility: Applicants must reside in New York State for at least 12 continuous months prior to the beginning of the term; be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen; be currently employed at a voluntary not-for-profit child welfare agency in New York State licensed by the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) with at least two years of full-time or part-time experience providing either direct-care services to children and families or non-direct care services, such as administrative and operational support services; and be enrolled full time or part time in an undergraduate or graduate degree program in criminal justice, human services, mental health counseling, psychology, public health, social services, social work or sociology at a college or university located in New York. Further, applicants must be in a non-default status on a student loan made under any NYS or federal education loan program or on the repayment of any NYS award, be in compliance with the terms of the service condition(s) imposed by any previously received NYS award and execute a service contract agreeing to work full-time as a child welfare worker providing direct care services in a NYS OCFS-licensed voluntary not-for-profit child welfare agency, and reside in New York State, for five years.

■ Funding: Full-time undergraduate students attending either a public or private college will receive awards equal to the average cost of attendance charged to NYS resident undergraduate students at the State University of New York or actual cost of attendance, whichever is less. Full-time graduate students attending a public college will receive awards equal to the average cost of attendance charged to NYS resident graduate students at the State University of New York or actual cost of attendance, whichever is less. Full-time graduate students attending a private college will receive up to $20,000 for tuition, plus the average mandatory fees charged at the private institution, plus the average non-tuition cost of attendance at the institution or actual tuition, fees and non-tuition costs, whichever is less. All awards will be reduced by the amount of other financial aid received that would duplicate the purposes of the Child Welfare Worker Scholarship program.

■ Deadline: July 30, 2021

■ Contact: Email: scholarships@hesc.ny.gov, Website: https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/ financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/nys-grantsscholarships-awards/nys-child-welfare-workerincentive-scholarship-program.html

BrightFocus Foundation Macular Degeneration Research Program Fellowships

The BrightFocus Foundation provides research funding for domestic as well as international researchers pursuing pioneering research to further the understanding, prevention and treatment of age-related macular degeneration. The fellowship program provides salary support for young researchers to conduct postdoctoral studies in an established laboratory focused on research into the biological causes and/or new clinical treatment of macular degeneration.

■ Eligibility: Applicants to the fellowship program should be young postdoctoral researchers in the final stages of mentored training. The award should serve as the basis for the applicant’s independent research career.

■ Funding: $100,000 per year (total value $200,000) for two years

■ Deadline: Letter of Intent due July 29, 2021 5 p.m. ET. Full proposal – by invitation only – due December 3, 2021 at 5 p.m. ET.

■ Contact: Phone: 800-437-2423, Email: researchgrants@brightfocus.org, Website: www.brightfocus.org/research/apply/main.html