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Today I woke up and read about how FBI offices are setting up food banks to help other staff who aren’t getting paid.  When times are bad, we depend on each other and nonprofit organizations for a safety net – food pantries, clothing closets, rent and utility assistance, medication assistance, nonprofit hospital emergency rooms, and the list goes on. But the reality is, most truly sustainable nonprofits have some form of government funding. Why is that? Because like individuals with retirement accounts, nonprofits have been advised to have balanced income streams so if one income stream fails, they aren’t completely wiped out. But this means that while the government is down, not only do nonprofits have more people coming to their door, they are being affected by the shutdown with one of their revenue streams minimized or eliminated.

reStart, Inc. recently received a grant for $137,300 from the Kansas City Consolidated Plan Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to move homeless and chronically homeless persons off the streets and into emergency shelter or permanent housing and to provide assistance and support to prevent future homelessness.

reStart, Inc. recently received a grant for $125,876 from the Kansas City Emergency Solutions Grant to provide ESGP funded Rapid Rehousing assistance and financial aid to a minimum of 14 families coming from the Family Emergency Shelter and the streets.  reStart will also serve six youth coming from the Youth Emergency Shelter and the streets. ESGP money will provide $60,200 in direct client assistance for our Family Shelter in the form of rent payments, application fees, moving costs, and security and utility deposits. ESGP money will also support 50% of salary costs for reStart’s Rapid Rehousing Coordinator.  Funds will allow these vulnerable families to exit the program or get off the streets into permanent housing within 30 days or less.

The YMCA of Greater Kansas City was recently awarded a $123,096 grant from the United Way of Greater Kansas City, Quality Matters to support financial subsidies for families who struggle to afford for their children to participate in Y-Club. The Y is enrolling more youth in Y Club from families struggling to pay for childcare.  United Way funding allows us to add more children at the lower, subsidized rates.

You can’t watch, listen to, or read any major news outlet without hearing about the federal government shutdown. There are many things being talked about already in the news like which federal offices are closed or affected. These include the departments of AgricultureCommerceJusticeHomeland SecurityHousing and Urban Development, the InteriorState, the Treasury. But other less-known offices like the National Science Foundation are also closed. Two vital pieces of information on what this means today:
  1. If grant opportunities (RFPs) have already been posted with a due date, the due dates stand. gov is still open.  You still have to turn in your grant on time.
  2. If you are waiting to hear about the result of a grant, you will need to keep waiting. There is no one there. Even offices which remained open for a couple of weeks with contingency funds from user fees, leftover funds, and other revenue have closed. New grant opportunities are not being released.

KidsTLC, Inc. recently received a grant for $100,000 from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City (now the Health Forward Foundation), Mental Health Grant to support the implementation of a new electronic medical records (EMR) program which will improve data analysis and care coordination. Funding will support contract work to Netsmart for the creation of the system tailored to KidsTLC’s programs.

Metro Lutheran Ministry was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from the Hancock Family Foundation to expand its Learning to Earning program to incorporate the research and evidence-based Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) model. MLM’s expanded services offered through the FOC model will help families address risk factors and community challenges through comprehensive case management, financial counseling/coaching, employment services, and income supports. These services will help families develop essential skills to lift themselves out of poverty and provide a secure and stable environment for themselves and their children.

Metro Lutheran Ministry (MLM) recently received a grant for $100,000 from the Sunderland Foundation to the renovation of MLM’s Midtown Community Assistance Center. Phase I of the project includes relocating the food pantry from its current location (the southwest corner of the facility) to the north side of the building adjacent to the warehouse.  A new intake office will be built connecting the waiting room to the new pantry location; providing confidentiality for the pantry clients. A new ADA compliant ramp will be built allowing for safe access to the office.  Phase II includes enlarging three offices allowing case managers enough room to meet with clients while providing room for the children who accompany their parents. The offices will also be adjacent to the computer lab making it more convenient for parents to perform job searches and submit applications while visiting with the case manager.  Phase III includes enlarging the front desk area to create a more welcoming and useful environment for clients. Clients will be able to see out the window to wait for transportation, and an ADA compliant ramp will be installed to improve access. Picture 3 (left) shows the only window by which clients can wait for their ride, cab, or ShareFare. Many are too short to see out of the door’s window. Seating will be added to aid elderly and disabled clients who currently must stand.

Chances are your organization conducts comprehensive grant research to prepare for the upcoming year’s grant calendar. If your organization is like most others, then you now have a long list of potential funders ranked by how likely they are to fund your group or program. From...