New York State Conservation Partnership Program

The Land Trust Alliance

The Land Trust Alliance, with support from Governor Eliot Spitzer and the New York State Legislature, is pleased to announce a sixth round of New York State Conservation Partnership Program (NYSCPP) grants. A total of $800,000 will be invested for matching grant awards in four (4) grant categories: Capacity & Excellence, Conservation Catalyst, Conservation Transaction, and Professional Development. This recently expanded land trust grants and technical assistance program is administered by the Land Trust Alliance in coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The overarching goals of the New York State Conservation Partnership Program is to dramatically increase the pace of land conservation in New York State and to guide land trusts toward implementation of the Land Trust Standards and Practices, the accepted ethical, legal, and operational standards for land trust excellence. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of the five regional roundtables scheduled between August 30 and October 11. In addition, the Land Trust Alliance will host conference calls for prospective applicants on October 17.
ELIGIBILITY:  Only Alliance member land trusts are eligible for NYSCPP grants, must be an area in NYS as well as being a 501(c)(3).
FUNDING:  NYSCPP grant awards have ranged from $1,000 to $50,000.
DEADLINE:  Letters of interest for professional development (pre-proposals) are due September 14th.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Contact Ethan Winter at: ewinter@lta.org.

Office of Planning and Professional Development

Education Department

Teacher Resource and Computer Training Centers (Teacher Centers) provide staff development programs for teachers and other members of the school community. There are currently 131 Teacher Centers operating across New York State.
ELIGIBILITY:  School districts, BOCES.
FUNDING:  $39.7 million is available to support existing Teacher Centers and $300,000 is available to fund new centers.
DEADLINE:  October 8.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Contact Michael Moon at: mmoon@mail.nysed.gov.

Hospital-Acquired Infection Prevention Project Funds

Department of Health

Proposals are being accepted for Hospital-Acquired Infection Prevention Project Grants from not-for-profit healthcare organizations. Acceptable proposals are those focusing on regional collaborative initiatives targeted to the reduction of specific types of hospital-acquired infections, microorganisms associated with hospital-acquired infections and specific hospital-acquired infections in select population groups. Infection rates must be monitored using the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), and participating facilities must grant DOH access to the data for monitoring and evaluation purposes. The infections, organisms, or population groups are not limited to those currently required to be reported in the implementation of Public Health Law 2819 (public reporting of select hospital-acquired infections). At least one outcome indicator must be a specific hospital-acquired infection, and the indicator cannot be solely limited to the acquisition of or colonization with a specific microorganism.
ELIGIBILITY:  Not-for-profit healthcare organizations.
FUNDING:  Up to $1 million total, to fund 5 to 10 projects; ranging from $100,000 to $200,000.
DEADLINE:  October 5, by 5pm.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Contact Cindi Coluccio at clk01@health.state.ny.us.

Public Housing Modernization Drug Elimination Program

Division of Housing and Community Renewal

To address the problems caused by the continuing presence of drugs and violent crimes in State-aided low-income public housing projects, the State has appropriated funding for the purpose of continuing the State’s Public Housing Modernization Drug Elimination Program. At this time, $400,000 is available to be awarded for capital items. Under the program, the Housing Trust Fund Board is authorized to make grants to public housing authorities for use in eliminating drug-related crime in low-income public housing projects. The application must include a resolution by the housing authority certifying that there are no funds available from any other source, except as indicated on the application, to carry out the proposed Public Housing Modernization Drug Elimination Program. All applications must be timely and complete, with all conditions fully documented. Late submissions will not be considered. Grants will be awarded pursuant to a contract between the Housing Trust Fund and the housing authority. Where applicable, the housing authority will enter into contracts with third parties for performance of the work. All contracts shall be subject to standard bidding requirements, including, if applicable, a requirement that minority and women owned firms be solicited for bids. DHCR will review all contracts and payment documentation. It is recognized that the available funds will provide for only a limited number of programs and that such funds are insufficient to fully address the broad range of needs dictated by the severity of the damage caused by illegal drugs and crime in State-aided low-income public housing projects. Therefore, after reviewing each application carefully, DHCR will award grants only to those projects whose applications fully meet the funding criteria established by DHCR and score highest in the rating process.
ELIGIBILITY:  Housing authorities.
FUNDING:  Grants will not exceed $100,000 per housing authority.
DEADLINE:  October 3rd, by 3pm.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Contact Ms. Alston-Payne at 212-480-7390.

Assistive Technology Centers

Office of Children and Family Services

Seven contracts will be awarded statewide to bidders whose proposals meet the stipulated criteria for programs that continue the Office of Children and Family Services’ Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped’s project goals of: 1) providing assessments of the assistive technological needs and abilities of legally blind consumers referred from the Commission and recommending assistive equipment configurations that meet their individual needs; and 2) providing comprehensive training to assist these consumers in achieving proficiency in the use of the recommended assistive equipment configuration to maximal benefit in the employment or educational setting. The Commission proposes to award contracts in response to this RFP in each of the following seven (7) geographic service delivery areas: Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, White Plains, New York City, and Hempstead. Approximately $1M per year is available for this program. Successful bidders will be expected to have the capacity to provide services at the level identified in the RFP, dependant upon referrals from the Commission. Bidders should keep in mind that the number of referrals from the Commission identified in the RFP for each of the delivery areas are projections based on historical referral levels, and that actual annual referrals from the Commission may be lower or higher. Reimbursement to the successful bidder will be based on attainment of assessment and training outcomes as a result of the provision of services to the consumers referred from the Commission. The contract term for these services will be January 1, 2008- December 31, 2010.
ELIGIBILITY:  Not-for-profit organizations and public agencies.
FUNDING:  Approximately $1M per year.
DEADLINE:  October 18, 2007, and only from bidders who submit a “Notice of Intent to Bid” by September 24, 2007.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Contact Kenneth Galarneau at 518-474-7812.

New Yorkers for Better Neighborhoods Awards

Citizens Committee for New York City

Citizens Committee wants to hear your ideas about how to improve your community, and help you turn those ideas into successful projects. Community groups are invited to apply for grants through the New Yorkers for Better Neighborhoods (NYBN) program. NYBN supports hundreds of established and new grassroots volunteer groups across NYC. The grants are given to groups to work on projects that creatively address community issues, as well as stimulate community involvement, community building, and community improvement.
ELIGIBILITY:  Small volunteer-based community groups.
FUNDING:  Between $500 and $3,000.
DEADLINE:  September 30.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Contact Arif Ullah at: grants@citizensnyc.org.

. . . Grant Writing

Grantsmanship Center

The Grantsmanship Training Program is coming to New York: Troy, September 17 to 21 hosted by the Commission on Economic Opportunity for the Greater Capital Region (CEO).

The classes will be conducted by The Grantsmanship Center and are kept at a maximum of 30 participants. The cost is $875, which includes one-year enrollment in the TGCI Membership Program. A limited number of half-tuition scholarships are available to agencies with annual budgets of less than $300,000.

To register, or to apply for a scholarship, contact TGCI at (800) 421-9512 or visit www.tgci.com.

For local information for the Troy, NY Event, contact: Tonya Milligan at 518-272-6012 or by e-mail: tmilligan@ceo-cap.org.

Foundation Center

The Foundation Center has scheduled the following free training opportunities during September 2007:

Grantseeking Basics:
September 8, 20 and 27.
Attendees will learn how the Center’s resources can help make them more effective grantseekers. For beginners, this introduction to the library provides instruction in foundation research and identification of potential funders. A tour of the library will follow.

Proposal Writing Basics and Workshops:
September 17.
Attendees will learn about the basics of writing a proposal for their non-profit organizations.

Introduction to the Foundation Directory Online:
September 8, 11, 20 and 27.
This session provides a hands-on introduction to the Center’s comprehensive Web subscription database.

How to Approach a Foundation:
September 19.
Attendees will learn how to initiate contact with potential funders; plan calls and meetings; and build partnerships with donors. This class is intended for fundraisers with some experience, though not necessarily with foundations.

Classes are held at The Foundation Center, New York Library, 79 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor in New York City. Space is limited and you can register on-line at www.fdncenter.org, in person, or by calling (212) 620-4230. You may also visit the Web site for information on other training opportunities available through the Center.