August 2013
Vol. 27, #8
Information
on available
state, federal
and private
grants


NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
SPEAKER SHELDON SILVER


Look
inside for:

  • Grants for public library construction
  • Funding to support the implementation of back-up power sources at gas stations
  • Grants to implement comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans
  • Grant awards to support the preservation of American heritage music and to study how music impacts the human condition
  • Grant awards for national tours of new dance works
  • Residential fellowships for outstanding and award winning scholars and practitioners to study key policy issues
  • Fellowships for students to learn more about the Smithsonian and their academic fields
  • Grant writing classes

Questions?

Contact:
Grants Action News
New York State Assembly
Alfred E. Smith Building
80 S. Swan St.
Suite 1710
Albany, NY 12248
grants@assembly.state.ny.us

On the state level...

New York State Education Department

The New York State Education Department is now accepting applications for the Public Library Construction Grant Program. An appropriation of $14 million in capital funds for public library construction has been included in the 2013 state budget. Libraries may apply for a construction grant that could fund up to 75 percent of a project. The minimum grant award is $2,500 for a minimum total project cost of $5,000. No award will be made for any project with a total cost of less than $5,000. There is no maximum award, but the amount of the awards will depend on the number of project applications received and the total funding available to the library system. Local libraries must work with their library system and submit all application materials to the system. The deadline for receipt of applications is set by each library system. The State Library encourages libraries to contact their system as soon as possible to let the system know if the library plans to apply for a construction grant.

  • Eligibility: Any public library or public library system chartered by the Regents of the state of New York or established by an act of the New York State Legislature is eligible to apply. Eligible project activities and expenditures include acquisition, construction, and renovation or rehabilitation of a facility. Routine maintenance is not fundable.

  • Funding: $14 million

  • Deadline: The deadline for submission of applications from the systems to the State Library is October 10, 2013. However, each public library system will set their own deadlines for member libraries to submit applications to allow sufficient time for system review and system board approval. Please contact your public library system to find out their due date.

  • Contact: Linda Todd
    Email: mtodd@mail.nysed.gov
    Website: www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/construc/



New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is seeking applications for the Gas Station Back-Up Power Program. Eligible applicants can apply for a project grant to help offset the implementation costs associated with the installation of a transfer switch and associated electrical modifications needed to accept a portable emergency generator or the electrical modifications and installation of a permanent emergency generator as required to comply with Section 192-h of the New York State Agriculture and Markets Law, entitled “Alternate Generated Power Source at Retail Gasoline Outlets.” Many gas stations in the downstate area lost electric power as a result of damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. This loss of power contributed to widespread disruptions in the gasoline supply that impacted public safety and well-being as well as economic activity in the downstate region. In response to this problem, legislation was passed requiring certain gas stations in the downstate region to install wiring and a transfer switch to enable the use of backup generators and to develop a plan to secure an emergency generator within a set period of time following an emergency declaration. In addition to establishing requirements for affected gas stations, the legislation also authorized NYSERDA to assist gas station owners with implementing these requirements.


On the federal level...

Department of Housing and Urban Development

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced the availability of funding for Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants to support the implementation of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans. Proposals should expect to achieve the following three core goals:

Implementation grants support those communities that have undergone a comprehensive local planning process and are ready to implement their “Transformation Plan” to redevelop the neighborhood. This Transformation Plan is the guiding document for the revitalization of the public and/or assisted housing units, while simultaneously directing the transformation of the surrounding neighborhood and positive outcomes for families. To successfully implement the Transformation Plan, applicants will need to work with public and private agencies, organizations (including philanthropic organizations), and individuals to gather and leverage resources needed to support the financial sustainability of the plan.


On the private level...

The GRAMMY Foundation

The GRAMMY Foundation® Grant Program is seeking applications to help facilitate the support of preservation and research projects. With funding generously provided by The Recording Academy®, the Grant Program awards grants each year to organizations and individuals to support efforts that advance the archiving and preservation of music and the recorded sound heritage of the Americas for future generations, and research projects related to the impact of music on the human condition. Grant funds have been utilized to preserve private collections as well as materials at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian and numerous colleges and universities. Research projects have studied the links between music and early childhood education, treatments for illnesses and injuries common to musicians, and the impact of music therapy on populations from infants to the elderly. More than $6 million in grants has been awarded to more than 300 recipients.


New England Foundation for the Arts

The New England Foundation for the Arts, beginning in early September, will accept applications for the National Dance Project (NDP) Touring Awards which supports the national tours of new dance works. Awards are distributed as NDP Presentation Grants to nonprofit organizations in the U.S. presenting the works and are designated to support artist fees and travel. Touring Awards are automatically given to all NDP Production Grant recipients. In addition, up to ten works created independently from the production grant process will receive Touring Awards through a competitive application process each fall. Eligible projects will be in an advanced stage of development and be ready for touring at the beginning of the NDP touring season (between June 1 and August 31 of the following year); involve presentations of dance works of genuine imagination and originality by artists of recognized skill and accomplishment; and demonstrate that at least three U.S. presenters from at least two states will present the work on tour.


Scholar Awards…

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars welcomes outstanding and award winning scholars, practitioners, journalists and public intellectuals to take part in its non-partisan dialogue. Each year, the Center hosts around 160 scholars who conduct independent research on national and/or international issues addressing key public policy challenges. Through its scholars, the Center enriches crucial policy debates and provides a platform for scholars in the tradition of President Wilson to bring the worlds of policy and ideas together. Through an international competition, the Center offers 9-month residential fellowships. Fellows conduct research and write in their areas of expertise, while interacting with policymakers in Washington and Wilson Center staff. The Center accepts non-advocacy, policy-relevant, fellowship proposals that address key policy challenges facing the United States and the world.


Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution Office of Fellowships and Internships offers internships and visiting student awards to increase participation of U.S. minority groups (U.S. Citizens and U.S. permanent residents) who are underrepresented in Smithsonian scholarly programs, in the disciplines of research conducted at the Institution, and in the museum field. The Minority Awards fellowship is designed to provide undergraduate and beginning graduate students the opportunity to learn more about the Smithsonian and their academic fields through direct experience in research or museum-related internship projects under the supervision of research and professional staff members at the Institution’s many museums, research institutes and offices. Internships and visiting student appointments are full-time (40 hours per week), for ten weeks during the summer, fall, or spring. Fields of research include: animal behavior, ecology, and environmental science, including an emphasis on the tropics; anthropology, including archaeology; astrophysics and astronomy; earth sciences and paleobiology; evolutionary and systematic biology; history of science and technology; history of art, especially American, contemporary, African, and Asian art, twentieth-century American crafts, and decorative arts; social and cultural history of the United States; and folklife.


The Foundation Center
The Foundation Center has scheduled the following free training classes in New York City during September 2013.
Grant writing

Grant-seeking Basics: September 10
Attendees will learn how the Center’s resources 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.

Introduction to Finding Funders: September 10
This class provides a hands-on introduction on how to use the center’s comprehensive online database – The Foundation Directory Online – to research and identify potential funders. The Foundation Directory Online contains over 100,000 profiles of grant-making institutions.

Proposal Writing Basics: September 4
Attendees will learn about the basics of writing a proposal for their nonprofit organization.

Proposal Budgeting Basics:September 4
Attendees will learn how to prepare and present a budget in a grant proposal. This session is geared toward novice grantseekers.

In addition:

Classes are held at The Foundation Center, located at:

New York Library
79 Fifth Ave. 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10003

Space is limited, so register as soon as possible.

For additional training opportunities, to register, or for more information, call 212-620-4230 or visit www.foundationcenter.org.


If you receive Grants Action News by mail...

Please help us save costs and ensure more timely delivery of Grants Action News (up to 10 days quicker!) by signing up to receive this publication via e-mail. Simply print and mail this form to: Grants Action News, New York State Assembly, Alfred E. Smith Building, 80 S. Swan Street, Suite 1710, Albany, NY 12248, and we will update your information. Thank you.

box Please send future Grants Action News to (e-mail address/es):

If you prefer to receive the newsletter by mail, please help us prevent waste by letting us know if you’re getting duplicate copies or if your address has changed. To correct mailing list problems, please send an e-mail to grants@assembly.state.ny.us or write to us at the above address. To request an address change, please include the old and new addresses.

Thank you!

PLEASE NOTE: Grants Action News will not release, sell or give away a subscriber’s email address, name or any other information provided without express permission from the subscriber.


Back