January 2005
In This Issue
Federal Funding Opportunities
- FY 2005 Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program
http://www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/DOJ/HQ/OJP/DOJ-GRANTS-120104-001/listing.html
Deadline: January 11, 2005 for online registration; January 25, 2005 application deadline
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the availability of funds for Legal Assistance for
Victims (LAV) of domestic violence, through its Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The LAV
Program awards grants to law school legal clinics, legal services programs, domestic violence victims’
shelters, bar associations, sexual assault programs, private nonprofit entities, including faith-based
and community-based organizations, and Indian tribal governments. These grants are for providing
direct legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in matters
arising from the abuse or violence, and for providing enhanced training for lawyers representing
these victims.
The goal of the LAV Program is to develop innovative, collaborative projects that provide quality
representation to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Legal services
programs are required to consult and coordinate with victim services programs. One of the guiding
principles of the program is promoting victim safety, so be careful about proposing projects the
DOJ says may compromise safety (a list of activities to avoid is available in the Solicitation,
see below).
Those eligible to apply for FY 2005 funds are grantees from FY 2003, previously unsuccessful
applicants and new applicants. Recipients of FY 2000 and 2002 funding who did not receive a FY 2004
continuation award are eligible to apply for new FY 2005 funding. LAV grantees receiving FY 2004
funds and their project partners are not eligible to apply, even if they propose service in another
geographic area.
The award period will be for 24 months, with grant amounts varying based upon the size of the area to
be served. Applications for continuation funding will be considered based on their current funding
level, but may include an increase based on the cost of living in their budget request. A very modest
expansion of services may also be considered.
Legal services organizations may be considered "first among equals" in applying for these grants, but
there is a wide range of organizations eligible to receive funding, and the competition for LAV
funding has grown dramatically in recent years, while the amount available has remained relatively
stagnant. Continuation of funding to those who received FY 2003 LAV grants is far from guaranteed.
Recently, even well established legal services programs that have submitted solid applications for
continued LAV funding have not received successive awards. The full 45-page Solicitation of
applications can be found at
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/docs/fy05lavgrant.pdf.
- FY 2005 Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program
http://www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/DOJ/HQ/OJP/DOJ-GRANTS-120804-001/listing.html
Deadline: January 21, 2005 for online registration; February 3, 2005 application deadline.
The primary purpose of the Rural Program is to enhance the safety of victims of domestic violence,
dating violence, and child victimization by supporting projects uniquely designed to address and
prevent these crimes in rural jurisdictions. OVW welcomes applications that propose innovative
solutions for achieving this goal.
As with LAV grants, the award period for these grants will be 24 months. State and local governments,
Indian tribes, and nonprofits, including faith-based and community-based organizations, serving rural
communities are eligible to apply for grants to address domestic violence, dating violence and child
victimization under the Rural Program. Applicants not serving rural communities will not be considered
for funding. Current grantees that received an award in FY 2004 are not eligible to apply.
In the past, funds have been divided about equally among states, Indian tribes and nonprofit domestic
violence victim services programs, although very few legal services programs have received this source
of funding directly. Legal services programs should also consider speaking with their state's contact person
about how these funds are distributed locally, in order to explore the possibility of receiving a subgrant.
The contact information for states' Office of Violence Against Women can be found at
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/state.htm.
The Rural Domestic Violence Program also has an emphasis on developing partnerships that tie victim services in with
transitional housing, welfare assistance, educational aid, job training and similar services. The full
Solicitation can be found at
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/docs/fy05ruralgrant.pdf.
- FY 2005 S*T*O*P* Violence Against Indian Women Discretionary Grant Program
http://www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/DOJ/HQ/OJP/DOJ-GRANTS-120104-002/listing.html
The Department of Justice has announced the availability of funds to help tribal governments
improve their judicial system’s response to such violence, including strengthening services
available to victims of violence, sexual assault and stalking. Only federally recognized tribal
governments or consortiums of tribal governments may apply, but applicants must demonstrate that
they will collaborate with private, nonprofit victim services providers, so there may be
opportunities arising from these grants to work with tribal judicial systems to provide legal services
to victims of domestic violence. The full Solicitation can be found at
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/docs/fy05stopvaiwgrant.pdf.
- FY 2005 S*T*O*P Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/docs/fy05vawgrant.pdf.
This program is designed to support communities in their efforts to develop and
strengthen effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies to combat violent crimes against
women, as well as provide support services in cases involving violent crimes against women.
Only states and territories are eligible to apply for these funds, but again,
local subgrants may be available for legal services programs.
Private Foundation Funding
- The Initiative for Public Interest Law at Yale
http://www.yale.edu/initiative
Deadline: January 24, 2005
The Initiative for Public Interest Law at Yale is accepting applications for one-year grants
of up to $25,000 to be awarded in the summer of 2005. The Initiative is a nonprofit organization
that provides start-up money for projects that protect the legal rights or interests of inadequately
represented groups. It seeks to fund individuals who are launching new projects, not to provide
funding for existing organizations.
The Initiative funds innovative projects that may have difficulty obtaining money from other sources
due to the subject matter of the project or the approach taken by the project. The Initiative will
not fund any project that focuses on conducting academic research or serving the needs of an
individual client. It funds cutting-edge projects whose successful execution might be a model for
other organizations seeking new and better ways to represent clients.
- Wells Fargo Housing Foundation
http://www.wellsfargo.com/about/wfhf_oview.jhtml
Deadline: February 1, 2005
The mission of the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation is to provide resources to nonprofit
organizations and to Wells Fargo team members to meet the homeownership needs of low- to
moderate-income people. Through the Homeownership Grant Program, the foundation provides support
for nonprofit housing organizations in communities nationwide where Wells Fargo provides products
and services. Funding is provided for organizations working to increase low- to moderate-income
homeownership through homebuyer education and counseling, affordable homeownership development,
post-purchase counseling, foreclosure prevention and necessary repairs and upgrades. Visit the
above website for more information.
- U.S. Bancorp Foundation
http://www.usbank.com/about/community_relations/charit_giving.html
Deadline: See
State Contacts and Deadlines
on the foundation’s website. Contact information
is ordered alphabetically by state; deadlines have been announced for 2005 for many states.
The U.S. Bancorp Foundation provides contributions to nonprofit organizations in the priority areas
of affordable housing and economic opportunity, education and artistic and cultural enrichment. The
foundation supports organizations and programs that advance these funding priorities and that are
located in a community with a U.S. Bank office.
Under the funding priority of economic opportunity, they offer grants to organizations that provide
affordable housing, encourage self-sufficiency, and assist economic development. They give priority
to requests from programs that are highly effective or innovative and do not duplicate other
programs or services. Go to their
website
to review their in-depth grant guidelines and application.
- Partnerships in Law and Aging Program
http://www.abanet.org/aging
Deadline: March 1, 2005
Legal services and other organizations struggle to meet the law-related needs of elders in their
communities, particularly those whose legal problems are compounded by incapacity or communication,
cultural, linguistic or physical barriers, or failure to recognize the existence of a legal issue.
To assist in this effort, the
American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging
and the
Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging
created the Partnerships in Law and Aging Program. Now in its seventh year, the program in years past
has awarded up to ten grants of $7,500 each for the development of new, collaborative, community-based
projects that enhance the legal awareness of older persons, improve elder access to the justice system,
and serve as a catalyst for the development of permanent resources.
In 2005, the Partnerships in Law and Aging Program will offer two funding opportunities:
- Original Awards: Community Identified Need
Eight (8) 12-month grants (July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006) of $7,500 to projects that meet the program
objectives and address an issue identified by applicant.
- Special Initiative: Legal Assistance to Elder Abuse Victims
Two (2) 18-month grants (July 1, 2005 – December 31, 2006) of $15,000 to projects that meet the
overall program objectives and that focus on the representation of victims of elder abuse.
Applicants may apply under either or both categories, but must submit separate applications,
including separate cover sheets and letters of commitment. Applications must be postmarked (or
shipped) on or before March 1, 2005.
For more information and applications, visit the American Bar Association Commission on Law
and Aging
website
.
- Funders’ Collaborative for Racial Justice Innovation, Massachusetts-Rhode Island Fund
http://www.racialjusticecollaborative.org
Deadline: Letters of Intent are due March 1, 2005
The Funders' Collaborative for Racial Justice Innovation (Racial Justice Collaborative) is a
partnership of private and corporate foundations, family foundations and individual donors that
share a commitment to support and learn from communities seeking racial justice. Grants are currently
available for Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with the following geographic limitations in Massachusetts:
statewide policy projects and neighborhood/citywide/regional projects serving Greater Boston and/or
Lowell.
The Racial Justice Collaborative will provide grants to partnerships involving lawyers and community
organizations that are using legal and non-legal tools (such as organizing, advocacy, public policy,
etc.) to achieve equity and fairer policies for communities marginalized by race, ethnicity, and
immigrant or citizenship status. The Massachusetts-Rhode Island Fund primarily focuses on housing,
quality education and/or criminal justice issues, but may also support other areas. Grants ranging
from $25,000 – $75,000 per year for up to two years will be awarded to between 6 and 8 organizations.
The Massachusetts – Rhode Island Fund’s intent is to provide multi-year, flexible funding that will
enable organizations to strengthen partnerships around racial justice community work.
Support is intended to build organizational experience with creative legal approaches and permit
the creation of collaborative networks, and sophisticated problem-solving and communication
strategies. To this end, the Fund will support activities that are integral to an innovative approach
to racial justice but for which funding is often difficult to secure in areas such as training,
knowledge development, infrastructure development and relationship building — especially relationship
building between community activists and lawyers.
- Fannie Mae Foundation
http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org/grants/grants_for_organizations.shtml
Deadline: The 2005 competitive grant application will be available on the website on
March 1, 2005. All applications for competitive grants must be submitted online and are due by
March 31, 2005.
The Fannie Mae Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations that create affordable
homeownership and housing opportunities in cities, towns, and rural areas across the United States.
The foundation supports the development and preservation of affordable homes and the delivery of
homeownership counseling to working families.
The foundation will award most of its 2005 grants by directly soliciting proposals from organizations
with the demonstrated capacity to engage in strong partnerships with the foundation. However, in
order to identify potential future partners or to respond to unique community needs, the foundation
has set aside a limited amount of grant funding for nonprofit organizations, available through a
competitive application process. Most of these competitive grants will provide general operating
support to nonprofit organizations to help build their capacity, increase their impact, and make
their operations more efficient and effective. Applications requesting support for specific programs
or projects are not encouraged.
For more information about the foundation’s eligibility criteria, funding priorities, and
application process for competitive grants, visit the website given above.
- JEHT Foundation
http://www.jehtfoundation.org
Deadline: grant requests are reviewed on an ongoing basis, and funding decisions are made three
times a year.
The JEHT Foundation’s name stands for the core values that underlie the foundation's mission:
Justice, Equality, Human dignity and Tolerance. The foundation's programs reflect these interests
and values. Its areas of interest include: transforming U.S. criminal justice policies and practices;
expanding the role of international justice and the rule of law both at home and abroad; and
democratizing the electoral process in this country.
As part of its criminal justice program, the foundation considers proposals that promote alternatives
to incarceration for non-violent drug offenders, people with mental illness, youth, and immigrants
subject to detention and deportation; effective reentry planning and programs at the federal, state,
and local levels; and removal of social and legal barriers to the successful re-integration back
into society of formerly incarcerated people.
The foundation has no restrictions on the type of support it will consider so long as an organization's
work is consistent with the foundation's program interests and permissible under applicable U.S.
charities law. It requires letters of inquiry from all organizations seeking grants from the foundation
for the first time, or from current grantees seeking funding for projects or programs it has not
previously funded. Staff will carefully review all letters of inquiry. If a request fits within its
program guidelines and the foundation is interested in considering it further, you will be asked to
submit a full proposal with supporting materials.
Collaboration Corner
LAV Funding Expanded Domestic Violence Program in Delaware
In FY 2003, the Department of Justice’s Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Program funded a
new collaborative project spearheaded by Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (CLASI), to expand
the provision of civil legal services to victims of domestic violence living in rural communities
in Delaware. This project is designed to fill gaps in services to ensure coordination of legal
assistance and case management services to victims seeking protection.
The collaboration consists of two legal service providers, CLASI and Legal Services Corporation
of Delaware, Inc. (LSCD), and two domestic violence service providers, Peoples Place II and
Abriendo Puertas. CLASI and LSCD provide legal representation to victims of domestic violence
in both family law and non-family law matters. The domestic service agencies provide
case management services to victims receiving legal assistance through CLASI and LSCD. People's
Place II and Abriendo Puertas operate 24-hour domestic violence hotlines and callers are referred
to CLASI and LSCD for legal representation. Clients served by the legal service providers are
referred to the partner agencies when case management needs are identified. The project partners
have worked closely within the community for years, but the establishment of a network of domestic
violence providers gives victims the benefit of every available resource to stop the cycle of abuse.
A community outreach component of the project includes development of educational materials in
English and Spanish on various issues, including protection from abuse, custody and visitation
matters. All four project partners have participated in conducting trainings to educate Delaware
attorneys, paralegals, advocates and community members about the sensitive and unique legal and
social issues affecting victims of domestic violence. The providers also work closely together to
identify and address systemic issues that compromise the rights of victims in Delaware.
Further questions about this collaboration should be sent to Chris White, CLASI's Deputy Director,
at cwhite@declasi.org.
Successful Proposals
NLADA maintains for its members a resource list of
successful federal grant applications. Recently added to the resource list are
FY 2004 applications for Legal Assistance for Victims Grants to DOJ from Legal Services
of New Jersey and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. Contact Kate Lang
for more information about these applications.
We also invite and encourage you to share your successful grant applications with the legal aid
community. If you have a grant application you would like to share, contact Kate Lang at
k.lang@nlada.org.
Funding Tip
Don Griesmann has developed a Glossary of Terms in the Grant World, to assist with deciphering the
jargon associated with grants. Griesmann explains, "In the world of grants, writing proposals,
securing a grant and operating under grants, there are special words, numbers and acronyms.
Some of us sling them about as though everyone is bilingual on the subject. This mumbo jumbo is
well known in the nonprofit sector, but many numbers, words and phrases are arcane and technical."
The Glossary is hosted on the Charity Channel website, where you can also find Griesmann’s
Grant Opportunities newsletter.
Terms A - C
Terms D - F
Terms G - N
Terms O - P
Terms R - 509(a)
Click here to view other recent issues of Advocacy Funding Fact$.
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