Alaska Children s Trust Community Investment Guidelines Tier 1 Parenting & Child Development Educational Programs Application Deadline Friday, 16 November 2018 Alaska Children s Trust 3201 C Street, Ste 110 Anchorage, AK 99503 (907) 248-7676 www.alaskachildrenstrust.org
ABOUT THE ALASKA CHILDREN S TRUST Mission The mission of Alaska Children s Trust (ACT) is to improve the status of children in Alaska by generating funds and committing resources to eliminate child abuse and neglect. History ACT is a statewide organization empowering individuals and communities to be leaders in the prevention of child abuse and neglect. For three decades, ACT has provided organizations and communities with the support to build safe, stable and nurturing environments for Alaska s children. ACT fulfills three key roles: (1) advocate, (2) convener, and (3) catalyst. As an advocate, ACT strives to actively influence public policy within political, economic and social systems and institutions that help us build a state dedicated to ensuring the safety of Alaskan children. Large scale social change requires a broad cross section of a community working collectively. No one organization or program will reverse the rising trend alone. As a convener, ACT helps to foster these relationships across the state and within specific communities that result in forward momentum. Finally, as a catalyst, ACT invests resources into organizations and communities determined to help children and families thrive. For further information, go to www.alaskachildrenstrust.org. PARENTING & CHILD DEVELOPMENT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS The Alaska Children s Trust (ACT) supports a two-generation methodology in our work to ensure children grow up in safe, stable and nurturing environments. ACT recognizes parents are their children s first and most important teachers, and that investment in strong parenting is a critical strategy for ensuring that all children grow up thriving. In partnership with the State of Alaska, Alaska Children s Trust (ACT) is soliciting proposals to provide access to high-quality parenting and child development educational programs (i.e. parenting classes) in 13 identified communities. The goal of the funding is to help equip parents with the knowledge, skills and tools they need to be successful. Grantees are expected to utilize evidence based or informed and culturally responsive parent education, with a focus on measurable gains. A family centered approach recognizes the usefulness of a range of subject, in addition to parenting classes; including financial literacy, leadership skills, goal setting, stress reduction, systems navigation, traditional and cultural practices, and other skillbuilders provided to parents that will promote resilience. Total Award Available: $5,000 to $25,000 (per year) 2
Grant Cycle: Three years (1 January 2019 through 31 December 2021). Yearly funding is dependent on availability of funding. Deadline: Friday, 16 November 2018 (5 p.m.) GRANT PROGRAM INFORMATION All applications must be submitted through The Alaska Community Foundation s online system by 5 p.m. Alaska-time. Only completed applications that meet the basic eligibility criteria will be considered. The online application system can be accessed at http://alaskacf.org/grants-overview. Grant awards will be announced no later than by 31 January 2019. General Requirements Be family-centered, Culturally competent, Utilize evidence based or informed curriculum and practices that aim to create and demonstrate measurable change in parenting skills, (use Friends Matrix of Evidence-Based Practices to explore programs - https://friendsnrc.org/evidence-based-practice-incbcap/evidence-based-practice-directory) Include the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework, Include a parent satisfaction survey (provided by ACT). No matching funds are required but encouraged. Who is eligible to apply? Applications are accepted from qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, or equivalent organizations located in the state of Alaska. Equivalent organizations may include tribes, local or state governments, schools, or Regional Educational Attendance Areas. Organizations that have received past awards and are in good standing are eligible to apply. Applicants with open ACT grants must be current on all grant reporting. Applications from organizations with outstanding grant reports will not be accepted. Organizations who receive funding through other ACT grant opportunities are eligible to apply for this funding. 3
Applicants must serve one of the thirteen communities listed below: Barrow Bethel Delta Junction Homer Juneau Kenai Ketchikan King Salmon Kodiak Kotzebue Nome Sitka Soldotna Only one grant will be awarded per community. If there are no successful eligible applicants from one of the 13 listed communities, a second applicant in another listed community above may receive an award. If an organization wants to serve more than one community, they must submit a separate application for each community. Who cannot apply? Individuals, for-profit, 501(c)(4) or (c)(6) organizations, non-alaska based organizations, and federal government agencies are not eligible for competitive grants. Applicants with open ACT grants that are past due on any grant reports will not be considered for funding. Proposals that promote discrimination based on race, gender, marital status, sexual preference, age, disability, creed or ethnicity. Funds cannot be used for expenses incurred prior to the grant award. PROPOSAL CONTENTS Geographic Area(s) Served by Proposed Project Select one of the 13 communities where the project will serve: Barrow King Salmon Bethel Kodiak Delta Junction Kotzebue Homer Nome Juneau Sitka Kenai Soldotna Ketchikan 4
Target Population Overall target are parents that include but not limited to: Families with children ages 0-12 Expectant teen parents and young mothers and/or fathers Families experiencing homelessness Families with either caregivers or children experiencing a disability. Organization Description and Background Briefly describe your organization including its mission, founding date, and general history. Project Description Include the following in the project description: Name and description of the selected parenting curriculum(s) Outline if the curriculum is evidence based. If not, outline how it is evidence informed. Number of sessions, how many classes per session and the timeframe of each class Location of the classes How strengthening families protective factor framework will be included in the program. Project Impact Explain how the targeted population will be better off as a result participating in the selected curriculum. Please be specific about the expected benefits. Organization Experience Outline your experience and/or demonstrate potential ability to implement program described above. Project Outcomes Provide up to four measurable outcomes that will be reported on at the end of each session. Remember, goals are general, broad, and often abstract statements of desired result. Whereas, outcomes are more specific, narrow and measurable. For example: Non-measurable Outcome: Will increase reading scores. Measurable Outcome: Improvement of reading scores by one grade level as seen on standardized test given after six months of participation. Budget Provide a project budget for the first year of funding using the spreadsheet attached to the online application. Indirect costs are limited to 10% of the total budget. Matching funds are encouraged but not required. Ensure to include any additional funding for the project. If no other source of funding 5
is connected to the proposed project, indicate it by checking the box next to No Other Source of Funding. Budget Narrative Explain the costs and revenue sources described in the budget, and how they were derived. If the funds needed to fully fund the project, including a potential Alaska Children s Trust grant, is not secured, please describe how the remaining funds will be raised by identifying pending and planned sources of funding and when decisions will be made. Matching funds are encouraged but not required. Grant Reporting Grantees will be required to provide a quarterly report that includes: Number of parenting classes offered Demographics of parents receiving classes Number of parents who attend the classes who report an increase in knowledge or skills, as determined by report, observation, survey or other strategy. Outcomes from parent satisfaction survey. Amount of grant expended. Preparing your Proposal All applications must be completed through The Alaska Community Foundation s (ACF) online application system. Applicants are welcome to contact ACT staff prior to applying to discuss proposed projects. If a proposal is declined, organizations may call ACT staff for feedback. The application portal can be found through the ACF website: http://alaskacf.org/grants-overview. Click Apply now under the Alaska Children s Trust Grant Cycle to begin the application process. Please refer to the Online Application Tutorial for more in-depth information about using the online application system. Grant Application Review and Action Evaluation criteria include but are not limited to the completeness of the application, overall merit of the project, the ability and past reputation of the agency for successful completion of projects, the clarity and measurability of the projects goals, the feasibility of the time frame given for completion of the project, the benefit to the target population, whether the costs are commensurate with benefits, the potential of the project to become a long-term solution for an existing or emerging problem, other sources of support, and the overall sustainability of the project. Preference will be given to applications which empower the disadvantaged or underserved, are collaborative or cooperative in nature, and do not duplicate existing programs and services. In 6
addition, preference will be given to applications which demonstrate measurable results, accountability, cultural sensitivity, and unify communities. Notification of Application status and Grant Award and Agreement ACT will notify applicants by letter no more than 90 days after applications are due. Contact Information: For questions related to the request for proposals, please contact: Trevor Storrs Alaska Children s Trust 3201 C Street, Ste 110 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 tstorrs@alaskachildrenstrust.org 907-248-7676 For questions related to the on-line application system, please contact: Stefanie O Brien The Alaska Community Foundation 3201 C Street, Ste 110 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 sobrien@alaskacf.org 907-274-6710 7