June 2007

In This Issue

• Federal Funding Opportunity
• Private Foundation Funding

Federal Funding Opportunity

• Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) Grants
  Deadline: July 6, 2007
  http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p3319.pdf
  

  The National Taxpayer Advocate of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced that the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) grant application process is now open for the 2008 grant cycle (January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008).

  Under the program, IRS awards matching grants of up to $100,000 a year to develop, expand or continue low income taxpayer clinics. For the 2007 grant cycle, the LITC Program Office awarded LITC grants to 154 organizations in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. View the list of 2007 clinics here .

  Nonprofit organizations providing free or nominal fee representation to people involved in tax disputes can apply for grants for the 2008 grant cycle. Grants are also available for organizations that inform taxpayers for whom English is a second language of their tax rights and responsibilities. Grant funds may be awarded for start-up expenditures incurred by new clinics during the 2007 grant cycle.

Private Foundation Funding

• Open Society Institute's After Prison Initiative
  Deadline: Letters of inquiry for new projects accepted May 1 – August 1, 2007
  http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/focus_areas/after_prison/guidelines
  

  The Open Society Institute's After Prison Initiative works to decrease U.S. over-reliance on mass incarceration and harsh punishment by advancing policies and practices that support the successful reentry of people after prison. The United States spends billions of dollars to disproportionately cycle poor people of color in and out of prison, while divesting from their neighborhoods infrastructure and civil society institutions. By targeting poor communities of color, the criminal justice system effectively excludes them from full participation in the political, economic, and civic life of mainstream society.

  The After Prison Initiative will consider proposals from advocacy groups, community groups, scholarly or research institutions, government agencies, associations of elected officials, and nonprofit business associations or initiatives. Go to the above Web site to read more about the Initiative's funding priorities. In all priority areas, The After Prison Initiative looks for projects that prioritize the participation and leadership of people with criminal records.

• Medical-Legal Partnership Funding Program
  Deadline: September 1, 2007 (application form available on July 1, 2007)
  http://www.mlpforchildren.org/partnershipfundingprogram.aspx
  

  The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children (MLPC) at Boston Medical Center has received major support from the W.K. Kellogg and Robert Wood Johnson Foundations to facilitate the national implementation of legal advocacy as a tool to augment traditional preventive pediatrics in order to address the root causes of low-income children’s health and developmental problems.

  The goal of the Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) Funding Program is to support the development and expansion of burgeoning partnerships of healthcare providers and lawyers in pediatric and family-based clinical sites across the country. In particular, the Partnership Funding Program will support the establishment of a sustainable network of medical-legal partnerships focused on promoting the health and well-being of vulnerable children and their families by ensuring that children’s basic needs for housing, nutrition, health care, education, and safety and stability are met. Applicants may apply for up to $25,000, to be combined with a required 2:1 matching grant ($50,000).

  Applications submitted for consideration will be assessed by the Advisory Board, a diverse group of professionals with expertise in medical-legal partnerships, legal services and child health, with input from MLPC staff. The review priorities will be focused on innovation and leadership in medical-legal partnership development, with a particular emphasis on the strength and involvement of the medical co-leadership. There will also be an attempt to balance recipients by geographic location, including rural vs. urban settings.

• Mary Byron Foundation, Celebrating Solutions Awards
  Deadline: Nominations accepted between July 8 and September 21, 2007
  http://www.marybyronfoundation.org/work_solutions.html
  

  The Mary Byron Foundation created the Celebrating Solutions Awards to showcase and applaud local innovations that demonstrate promise in breaking the cycle of domestic violence. They select programs that can serve as models for the nation and offer $10,000 cash awards in recognition of their pioneering efforts.

  Nominations will be accepted between July 8 and September 21. Winners will be announced the following Spring. The awards process includes submission of a nomination form, a program outline detailing innovative aspects of the program, and a release. Institutions advancing to the next round will be asked to answer additional questions, submit letters of support, and provide a program budget.