Department of Health & Human Services

Grant Announcements

The Strenthening Communities Fund’s (SCF) Nonprofit Capacity Building Program (Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2009-ACF-OCS-SI-0091) will award an expected number of 34 grants of up to $1 million each to “lead organizations” that are nonprofits for the purpose of building the capacity of nonprofit organizations “to address the broad economic recovery issues present in their communities, including helping low-income individuals secure and retain employment, earn higher wages, obtain better-quality jobs, and gain greater access to state and Federal benefits and tax credits.” The lead organization will be an experienced training and technical assistance organization in a well-defined geographic community where the lead organization is physically located and which area they propose to serve. The lead organization will work with nonprofit organizations or project partners, and must alone or through partnerships demonstrate the ability to provide capacity building in five areas: organizational development, program development, collaboration and community engagement, leadership development, and evaluation of effectiveness. The funds will be distributed under cooperative agreements under which substantial federal involvement is anticipated. The grantee must provide at least 20 percent of the total approved cost of the project in cash or through in-kind contributions.

  

The SCF’s State, Local, and Tribal Government Capacity Building Program (Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2009-ACF-OCS-SN-0092) anticipates making 48 grants with an average projected amount of $250,000. Note: There may be an opportunity for a state association to compete for these funds. An applicant must be a State, city, county or Indian/Native American Tribal government office “or a designated private nonprofit organization authorized by such an office; and – whether a government office or a nonprofit – must be authorized by the applicable government unit through statute, resolution or executive order.” These funds are to be used to 1) conduct outreach and education aimed at increasing the involvement of nonprofit organizations in the economic recovery, 2) provide training and technical assistance aimed at building the capacity of nonprofit organizations to address the broad economic recovery issues present in their communities, and 3) build the capacity of their own organization to better involve nonprofits in the economic recovery. The grantee must provide at least 20 percent of the total approved cost of the project in cash or through in-kind contributions. Given how financially strapped governments are, perhaps a state association with a match from a community foundation could be a strong competitor at the state level for these funds.

The application deadline for both is July 7. If you want to participate in the second program you may need to mobilize quickly to get authorization to do so through your state, local, or tribal government partners.