Funding Opportunities

National Telecommunications and Information Administration Is your state agency working to improve and expand local broadband infrastructure? The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently opened applications for its Broadband Infrastructure Program. This program awards grants to eligible covered partnerships (see below) on a competitive basis, with the overall goal to deploy fixed broadband service in eligible areas in which broadband is not available to all households or businesses.

National Endowment for the Arts Is your community looking for project-based funding to support activities that further the arts? The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently opened applications for its Our Town grant program. Our Town is NEA’s “creative placemaking” grant program, through which arts, cultural, and design activities strengthen and advance local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes. Ultimately, Our Town projects pave the way for systems-level changes that promote the sustainable integration of arts, culture, and design into the fabric of community life.

Department of Housing and Urban Development Attention Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), local or tribal governments, and nonprofits! The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is now accepting proposals to its Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants program. This program supports the local development of strategies to address severely distressed public housing through a collaborative and comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation. Choice Neighborhoods programs result in the development and implementation of a “Transformation Plan” that guides the revitalization of public and/or HUD-assisted housing units, transformation of the surrounding neighborhoods, and realization of positive outcomes for local families. Proposals to this program are due July 13, 2021.

Department of Health and Human Services – Health Resources and Services Administration Does your organization use telehealth technologies to serve rural, underserved populations? The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently opened its Telehealth Technology-Enabled Learning Program (TTELP), which aims to facilitate evidence-based training, professional education, and support of primary care providers (PCPs) who serve rural, frontier, and underserved areas. This program emphasizes collaborative relationships between specialists at academic medical centers and PCPs to implement learning community models and provide training in best-practice specialty care to PCPs and their teams. Proposals are due June 25, 2021.

National Science Foundation (NSF) Attention educators, researchers, institutions of higher education, and associated organizations! NSF is now accepting proposals to its Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Education & Human Resources (IUSE: EHR) Program. As part of NSF’s broader IUSE education initiative, this program promotes better understanding of novel, creative, and transformative approaches to fully engaging all undergraduate students in STEM education. IUSE: EHR accomplishes this through engaged student learning (development, testing, and the use of innovative teaching/curricular practices) and institutional and community transformation (implementing and sustaining effective STEM education). Proposals to this program are due July 21, 2021.

National Science Foundation (NSF) Does your organization work to address systemic racism in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields? NSF is now accepting proposals to its Racial Equity in STEM program. This program is designed to advance racial equity in STEM education and workforce development through fundamental and applied research and practice. NSF encourages prospective applicants to send a one-page concept paper in advance of the full proposal. The full proposal deadline is July 13, 2021.

U.S. Department of Justice – Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Is your law enforcement agency or school district seeking funding for security- and safety-related capacity improvements? The Department of Justice (DOJ) – Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office has several funding opportunities opening soon that will support officer hiring and training, including school resource officers, as well as a variety of smaller-scale initiatives for law enforcement agencies. COPS funds a variety of grant programs that advance community policing through efforts such as hiring personnel; collaborating with school districts and other community partners to improve safety and security; training officers and key partners; and more. In last week’s Funding Friday post, we looked at three COPS programs that are currently accepting proposals. This week, we are highlighting three upcoming opportunities. Below is a brief breakdown of each of these programs.

U.S. Department of Justice – Community Oriented Policing Services Attention law enforcement agencies! The Department of Justice (DOJ) – Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office has several funding opportunities currently available and multiple programs that will open soon. COPS funds a variety of grant programs that advance community policing through hiring personnel; developing and testing policing strategies; and training community members, leaders, and law enforcement officers. Included below are brief breakdowns of the open COPS solicitations, which support officer mental health and wellness and investigating the unlawful distribution of opioids and methamphetamines. In next week’s Funding Friday blog post, we will take a closer look at some of the upcoming COPS opportunities.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Attention community mental health centers! Does your organization serve individuals with serious emotional disturbance (SED), serious mental illness (SMI), and/or co-occurring disorder (COD) of SMI or SED and substance use disorders? And were your clients, staff, and services impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? SAMHSA is now accepting applications for its 2021 Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) grant program. During the pandemic, the needs of many individuals with behavioral health conditions – including minority populations and economically disadvantaged communities – have not been effectively met. The CMHC program aims to support CMHC staff and other caregivers and to restore the delivery of clinical services impacted by the pandemic. Proposals for this program are due May 21, 2021, with an anticipated project start date of September 30, 2021.

United States Department of Agriculture – Rural Development, Rural Utilities Service Does your organization provide education or health care services in rural areas? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting proposals for its 2021 Distance Learning & Telemedicine (DLT) grants program. The goal of the DLT program is to enable and improve rural access to education, training, and health care through modern telecommunications technology. This 27-year-old program has helped to establish hundreds of distance learning and telemedicine systems in rural areas throughout the United States. Proposals for this year’s solicitation are due June 4, 2021.