Financial Assistance to Business Dry Cleaner Program Deadline Extended

New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation

The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (NYSEFC) has extended the application deadline for funding to the owners of certain eligible dry cleaning facilities to defray costs associated with environmental protection requirements. This funding will be made pursuant to the Dry Cleaner Program within the existing Financial Assistance to Business (FAB) program that was created by the Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act of 1996. The FAB Dry Cleaner Program is intended to help owners of dry cleaning facilities comply with state regulations, which will result in reduced perchloroethylene (PERC) emissions. This extension is designed to increase the duration of the program and thus the number of dry cleaners who will be eligible to receive funding under this program and to expand eligibility to include dry cleaners located in New York City. Previously, only dry cleaners outside New York City were eligible.
ELIGIBILITY: NYSEFC will provide financial assistance for the acquisition of certain new or upgraded eligible dry cleaning equipment that complies with state regulations. This program applies to: 1) dry cleaning facilities in existence prior to May 15, 1997; 2) dry cleaning facilities that are “small businesses,” defined as businesses that are independently owned and operated, not dominant in its field, and employing not more that one hundred people; and 3) eligible machines installed after August 1, 1996, purchased or leased no later than the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s enforcement deadline of June 26, 2003, and installed no later than 90 days later than the June 26 deadline.
FUNDING: From $1,000 to $5,000.
DEADLINE: March 31, 2004.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation, Financial Assistance to Business Program, Attention: Laurie A. Allen, Program Manager, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12207-2997; by toll-free phone at (800) 200-2200; or by fax at (518) 486-9248.

Snowmobile Trail Grant Program

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) administers the Snowmobile Trail Grant Program, which establishes a mechanism for allocating funds to local governmental sponsors that engage in the development and maintenance of snowmobile trails designated as part of the State Snowmobile Trail System. Permissible uses of the funds include, but are not limited to, trail development and the maintenance of existing trails/trail facilities, which includes grooming.
ELIGIBILITY: A municipal government agency (county, city, town, village) must agree to compile grant applications from within its jurisdiction and agree to develop one grant application. No trail will be eligible for funding unless it has been previously designated by OPRHP as being part of the State Snowmobile Trail System.
FUNDING: The annual funding is allocated to the local government sponsor on a pro-rated basis. The pro-rated amount is derived from the application and is paid out with a 70 percent "Grant-In-Aid" followed by a 30 percent reimbursement to the municipality upon documentation of 100 percent of the awarded total cost.
DEADLINE: September 1, 2003.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Debra Dukes, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Grants Management Bureau, 16th Floor, Agency Building 1, Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12238; phone (518) 474-3831; fax (518) 486-7377; or visit www.state.ny.us.

...On the Federal Level

Knowledge Dissemination Conference Grants

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services has announced the availability of Fiscal Year 2003 funds for SAMHSA Conference Grants for the purpose of disseminating knowledge about practices within the mental health services and substance abuse prevention and treatment fields and integrating that knowledge into real-world practice as effectively and efficiently as possible.
ELIGIBILITY: Public and domestic private nonprofit organizations, including State and local governments, professional associations, voluntary organizations, self-help groups, consumer and provider services-oriented constituency groups, community-based organizations, and faith-based organizations.
FUNDING: $825,000 for Fiscal Year 2003.
DEADLINE: September 10, 2003 and each January 10 and September 10 thereafter.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For questions concerning mental health topics, contact David Morrissette, (301) 443-3653, dmorriss@samhsa.gov; for questions regarding substance abuse treatment topics, contact Kim Plavsic, (301) 443-7916, kplavsic@samhsa.gov; for questions concerning substance abuse prevention topics, contact Rosa I. Merello, (301) 443-7462, rmerello@samhsa.gov; for questions on grants management issues, contact Steve Hudak, (301) 443-9666, shudak@samhsa.gov. You may also visit SAMSHA’s web site, www.samhsa.gov, for more information and to download the application forms.

 
...Foundations and Organizations

Mid-Hudson Valley Nonprofit Management Assistance Program

Dyson Foundation

The Dyson Foundation Mid-Hudson Valley Nonprofit Management Assistance Program (MAP) seeks to increase the organizational health of nonprofits in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York State by providing capacity-building management assistance services. As one of the program’s four key components, the foundation will offer mini-grants to help board, staff, or volunteer leaders acquire new skills by providing financial support for organizational and professional development. Funds may be used to hire consultants and to help defray the costs associated with attending conferences, workshops, seminars, and training opportunities. In addition to mini-grants, the program also offers cash-flow loans, management assistance, and technology consulting.
ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible for assistance, an organization must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the Mid-Hudson Valley (Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, and Ulster counties). Support from the MAP Mini-Grant program is not available for individuals, government entities, or public school systems. Financial support will be awarded on a competitive basis.
FUNDING: Grants will not exceed $10,000.
DEADLINE: Rolling.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact the Dyson Foundation at 25 Halcyon Road, Millbrook, NY 12545-9611; by phone at (845) 677-0644; by fax at (845) 677-0650.

Child and Family Safety

RadioShack Corporation

RadioShack Corporation is now accepting applications for its Neighborhood Answers Grant program. This program, which began this year, is designed to fund worthy causes that help families protect children from abduction, violence and abuse.
ELIGIBILITY: An organization must be a tax-exempt nonprofit designated as a 501(c)(3) by the United States Internal Revenue Service, offer solutions to help prevent family violence/abuse and/or child abduction, and directly impact or benefit, through programs or services, a RadioShack community.
FUNDING: Grant requests should be limited to $500 or less.
DEADLINE: Applications for the grants will be accepted year-round. This year, grants will be awarded in August and November. Next year, RadioShack will conduct four grant award cycles: February, May, August and November.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit RadioShack's web site. Applications are also available at RadioShack stores.

Equipment for Fire Departments

First Responder Institute

The First Responder Institute, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide assistance to emergency personnel to help them make their communities safer, is accepting grant applications from fire departments across the United States for the purchase of life-saving equipment. The national grant program was established in January 2003 by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare through the "Tums Helps Put Out More Fires Than You Think" campaign. The campaign donated $.10 to the First Responder Institute for each bottle of Tums brand antacid purchased, up to $200,000, to help fire departments in need of new equipment.
ELIGIBILITY: Fire departments in the United States are eligible to apply for grants.
FUNDING: Grants range from $2,500 to $10,000.
DEADLINE: Applications will be accepted and reviewed, and funding distributed, on a quarterly basis.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the First Responder Institute web site for more information and to access the online application. You may also contact the First Responder Institute at 15312 Spencerville Court, Suite 100, Burtonsville, Maryland 20866, or by phone at (301) 421-0096.

...Grant Writing

Council on Opportunities for Professional Excellence, Inc.

COPE has scheduled two Guerilla Grantsmanship seminars for August 2003: August 26, Holiday Inn Turf, Albany; and August 29, Holiday Inn, Poughkeepsie.

You will learn to write hard hitting grant proposals that work and then learn how to break down the obstacles that impede the funding process. You will also learn about the latest in grant writing software and grants management tools, as well as receive information on trend tracking, data and funding research, and much more. COPE offers three different training packages. For more information, call (914) 466-0797 or visit their web site.

Grantsmanship Training Program

The Grantsmanship Training Program is coming to New York: August 11-15, 2003, Staten Island, hosted by Wagner College; October 20-24, Rochester, hosted by Hillside Family of Agencies; and November 3-7, Binghamton, hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension.

The programs will be conducted by The Grantsmanship Center and classes are kept at a maximum of thirty participants. The cost of the program is $775, which include a 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 The Grantsmanship Center at (800) 421-9512 or visit their web site. For local information and arrangements: Staten Island – call Maureen Connolly at (718) 390-3221; Rochester – call Noreen Halpern (585) 256-7588; Binghamton – call Jinny Tauss (607) 772-8955, ext. 113.

Cazenovia College

From September 3 to October 15, Cazenovia College will provide an online Introduction to Grant Writing course designed as an introduction to the grant seeking process for directors, staff, and volunteers of not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions. How to identify, approach, and develop successful proposals will be covered by an outlined step-by-step presentation of environmental scanning, needs assessment, program design, evaluation and budgeting. For more information, please contact Jeanette Rees at Cazenovia College, Continuing Education, at (315) 655-7107. Registration deadline is August 29, 2003.