Tips & Tools

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has a nice article explaining how the U.S. Federal Government shutdown could affect non-profit organizations, including those receiving federal grant funds. 

The American Hiking Society has a grant program called the National Trails Fund.  The program provides $500-$5,000 support to grassroots nonprofit organizations throughout the country working toward establishing, protecting, and maintaining foot trails in America. 

The National Gardening Association (NGA) awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations throughout the U.S. with child-centered garden programs. 

USArtists International, administered by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, is committed to ensuring that the impressive range of the performing arts in the United States is represented abroad, and that American artists can enhance their creative and professional development through participation at important international festivals. Support is available to American dance, music, and theater ensembles and solo artists that have been invited to perform at significant international festivals anywhere in the world outside of the United States and its territories. Grants, which generally range from $1,000 to $10,000, will seldom cover the applicant's total expenses. The upcoming application deadlines are December 6, 2013, and April 18, 2014. Eligibility details and application guidelines are available on the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation website - http://www.midatlanticarts.org/funding/pat_presentation/us_artists/index.html

One of the major advantages to our company is shared resources.  Rather than a small non-profit or association having to lease/purchase a phone system, copier, fax, folder, mail machine, computer, server, and so forth, these items are essentially shared by our clients.  In addition to shared products are shared systems. For example, data security is a major issue for small organizations that may currently have files either scattered among volunteers or on one individual's home computer!  At Prime Management, our data is stored securely and backed up every night.  

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) today announced a $5 million investment to identify and cultivate innovations in the growing field of family engagement that support children’s educational success from birth to 8 years old. Organizations that have developed effective family engagement models that address obstacles faced by low-income families are encouraged to send initial submissions for possible funding of up to $500,000 for one to three years.

Read more details at the organization's web site.

The Georgia-Pacific Foundation primarily invests resources in four key areas that are essential to creating and sustaining strong communities: Education, Environment, Community Enrichment, and Entrepreneurship. Georgia-Pacific leverages these four key areas ("The Four Es") to impact communities.

Requests for support will be accepted between January 1st and October 31st. No requests will be accepted after the annual deadline. Requests should be postmarked by October 31st for current year consideration.

See http://www.gp.com/gpfoundation/ for additional details.

Grants made by MVAT are for military and veterans groups who support or provide services to promote and enrich the lives of active and retired military and their families. Included are educational and research programs that directly benefit veterans or who educate the public about veterans.  Organizations must be IRS tax exempt public charities, 501(c)(3).

See additional details at http://www.mvat.org/grants/

The Genographic Legacy Fund, a program of the National Geographic Society, awards grants for community-driven projects directly preserving or revitalizing indigenous or traditional culture.

Funded projects have included documenting a traditional language, oral history, or ceremony; creating culturally specific educational materials and programs; establishing a local museum or archive; intergenerational knowledge sharing; and preserving significant sites and artifacts.

Projects must show a strong level of local community involvement in their planning, governance, and implementation. It is strongly preferred that the project manager be a member of the indigenous community. If the project manager is from outside the indigenous community, he or she must show that they have a strong and well-documented relationship with the indigenous group.

Awards will typically not exceed $25,000. Applications are due September 15, 2013.

https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/legacy-fund/legacy-fund-grants/

The MAP (Multi-Arts Production) Fund, administered by Creative Capital, supports original new work in all disciplines and traditions of the live performing arts. MAP assists artists, ensembles, producers, and presenters of a high artistic standard, whose work in the disciplines of contemporary performance embodies a spirit of exploration and deep inquiry. MAP is particularly interested in work that examines notions of cultural difference or "the other," be that in class, gender, generation, race, religion, sexual orientation or other aspects of diversity. Grants range from $10,000 to $45,000, with an average of $25,000. Applications for MAP grants must come from U.S. nonprofit organizations. (Artists or ensembles may apply through a fiscal sponsor.) Applying organizations and artists must demonstrate at least two years of professional experience. The online letter of inquiry process opens September 9, 2013, with a due date of October 4, 2013. Invited proposals must be submitted by December 9, 2013. Visit the MAP website for eligibility information and application guidelines.