August 1, 2006

Grant Alert Plus and other nonprofit resources are also posted on United Way of the Capital Area's website, http://www.uwcact.org/agencies/grant_alert_plus.shtml. Comments and suggestions concerning Grant Alert Plus may be forwarded to Susan Shackway, Community Investment Manager, at sshackway@uwcact.org.

** Back to School  ** 

United Way's Gift Match, a service through Volunteer Solutions, is the ideal way for your organization to seek items needed by your organization and/or those you serve. Whether you are looking to supply back-to-school items for clients or need to upgrade your own office equipment, Gift Match is just the place to post those needs. United Way encourages companies and individuals who have items to donate to local non-profits to search the site for posted needs of local agencies.

New Funding Opportunities
(By deadline date)

Women's Sports Foundation
RYKA Women's Fitness Grant Program
(Deadline: September 8, 2006; http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org)
The purpose of the RYKÄ Women's Fitness Grant is to provide financial assistance to programs that utilize fitness activity participation to empower women, enhance their self-esteem and self-sufficiency, and positively impact their lives. Programs may be new or existing.

Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
National Grant Competition
(Deadline: September 8, 2006; www.barbarabushfoundation.com)
The 2007 national grant competition seeks to develop or expand projects that are designed to support the development of literacy skills for adult primary caregivers and their children. In order to be considered eligible the organization must operate an instructional literacy program that includes one or more of the following components: literacy for adults, parent education, pre-literacy or literacy instruction for children pre-K to grade 3, and/or intergenerational literacy activities.

Graffiti Hurts
National Award Program
(Deadline: September 15, 2006; graffitihurts.org)
Graffiti Hurts provides resources to help community leaders assess the graffiti problem, initiate graffiti prevention activities, and educate youth and adults about the impact of graffiti vandalism on neighborhoods. The National Award program recognizes and honors programs that are bringing innovation and best practices to erase graffiti vandalism. The contest is open to all anti-graffiti projects that have taken place in the last twelve months.

Center for Community Innovation
Terner Prize in Affordable Housing
(Deadline: September 18, 2006; Terner Prize Info)
The Terner Prize is designed to recognize successful and innovative affordable housing projects and their leadership teams. Applications will be judged on the following criteria: design and construction quality (e.g., sustainability, durability); number of affordable housing units produced; income-levels and social needs served by the projects; positive impact on the lives of residents and the community; and innovation (e.g., creative financing techniques, partnership arrangements, mix of income levels).

Mary Byron Foundation
Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence
(Deadline: September 22, 2006; www.marybyronfoundation.org)
The Mary Byron Foundation is accepting nominations for its Celebrating Solutions Awards program from institutions that demonstrate an innovative approach to confronting and solving domestic violence. The awards are open to nonprofit or government-based programs that have been operating for a minimum of three years and specifically address the issue of domestic violence.

Best Buy Offers
Te@ch Program
(Deadline: September 30, 2006; bestbuyteach.scholarshipamerica.org)
The purpose of Te@ch is to reward schools (K-12) for successful interactive programs they have launched using available technology. Eligible schools must be located within fifty miles of a Best Buy store. Accredited K-12 public, private, parochial, and nonprofit charter schools are eligible. Applications must be completed by educators who have been at the school for a minimum of one full academic year.

Repeat Funding Information

Visit United Way's website www.uwcact.org/agencies/grant_alert_plus.shtml for information on funding opportunities previously listed in Grant Alert Plus. The following are highlights from recent editions:

Community Capacity Development Office
Weed and Seed
(Deadline: January 31, 2007; www.grants.gov)

Public Welfare Foundation
Youth Empowerment
(Deadline: Ongoing; www.publicwelfare.org)

Scholarships, Fellowships and Individual Awards
(By deadline date)

The Hartford Courant Foundation
Secondary School Scholarship Program
(Deadline: September 15, 2006; www.hcfdn.org)
The Foundation funds a program of secondary school scholarship aid at Watkinson, Kingswood-Oxford, East Catholic and Northwest Catholic High Schools for Hispanic students of limited financial means who live in Hartford. Interested students are invited to call the schools or the Foundation for more information. Applications are accepted at any time, but must reach The Hartford Courant Foundation by the quarterly deadline to be considered at the next quarterly meeting. 

 Conferences, Meetings and Trainings

Hartford Public Library
100 Hours of Free Computer Training
Beginning Monday, August 7 computer training sessions will be held at the Central Library Learning Lab at 500 Main Street. A calendar of August classes is available on line at www.hplct.org/calendar or at any of the neighborhood branches of the library. The classes will prepare people to use their home computers or the public access computers at the library and will include basic use, email, internet searching, and applying for jobs online. For more information call (860) 695-6360.

CT Association of Nonprofits (CAN)
Visit www.ctnonprofits.org for CAN's training catalog as well as fundraising and grant writing resources for nonprofits. July and August classes include a series on improving Clinical Supervision.

Foundation Center
Proposal Writing: The Project Description
The project description is one of the most important components of a successful proposal for project support. This online course provides an in-depth look into each element, including key information on content and writing. Participants will have six months of unlimited access which includes exercises, case studies, a final exam, and a printable certificate of completion. Cost of this online course is $59.95, to sign up visit http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10003320/pw/project.

Other Information 

The Nonprofit Times
"How To Spice Up Your Golf Fundraiser"
http://www.nptimes.com/Jul06/news-071706_1.html
With the deluge of annual fundraising golf events, it's easy to think your golf event is getting stuck in the proverbial divot. One organization might have a big celebrity name while another has partnered with a prestigious course. More than a few nonprofits have decided to take a step off the beaten path and offer twists on the ever-present golf fundraiser.

Community Health Network of Connecticut, Inc.
Healthy Minds Healthy Bodies Day
Saturday, September 30, 2006, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm at The Learning Corridor, 43 Vernon Street, Hartford. This day of free family fun will include storytelling, games, robotics demos, health & nutrition tips, golf lessons, dance lessons, music, basketball contests and much more.

United Way of the Capital Area
United Way of the Capital Area (UWCA) offers a variety of tools to all nonprofit organizations including books, video tapes and online resources to assist in development efforts. Additional United Way resources on board development, legal issues, management, governance and training are available at the following locations: University of Connecticut School of Public Policy, contact Valerie Rogers at (860) 570-9343; Central Connecticut State University's Department of Social Work, contact Catherine Barrata at (860) 832-3016; and Eastern Connecticut State University's Nonprofit Leadership & Philanthropy Initiative, contact Eric Martin at (860) 465-0245.

UWCA also offers web-based services such as Volunteer Solutions, which allows agencies to post volunteer opportunities. More than 265 agencies have registered! Hundreds of volunteer opportunities are posted, and over ten thousand volunteers have responded to the call. There are also two additional features of Volunteer Solutions that continue to grow:  Board Connections, which can help agencies target interested and skilled volunteers for Board positions and GiftMatch, to help organizations secure donations of hard goods (ie: food, clothing, furniture, etc.) posted by corporations and individuals. Board Connections and GiftMatch links are both available on the agency's home page after logging in to Volunteer Solutions.

When you give through United Way, you invest in what matters: successful children, strong families and thriving communities. Please consider sponsoring a United Way Community Campaign at your workplace. Contact Rachel Houseman, Director of Donor Relations, at (860) 493-6854 or rhouseman@uwcact.org for more information.