Recently, I conducted a pre-submission peer review on several federal grant proposals from organizations located in rural Kansas. The first question each organization had to respond to was, “Describe your geographical/service area.” Each organization named the counties served in their respective service areas and then went on to describe just how ‘rural’ their area is. While each applicant organization had some aspects of serving rural areas of Kansas in common, they each approached the description differently. Some of the descriptions included the total square mileage contained within their service boundaries; others referenced the state’s definitions that place a county on a continuum of ‘frontier’ to ‘urban’; others pointed out the distance in hours to the nearest major city. Ultimately, each applicant described their geographical service area with the purpose of convincing federal reviewers that Organization XYZ was the only provider of important services for its region.

Wichita Children’s Home recently received a grant for $25,000 from the Kansas Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Fund to expand and enhance depth and breadth of WCH’s survivor aftercare services for victims of human trafficking. Wichita Children’s Home (WCH) Anti-Human Trafficking Initiative incudes outreach and prevention; and emergency shelter, transitional living, and aftercare services are outcome based, trauma-informed and victim-centered. Our primary goal is to empower these young women to heal and reclaim their lives.

Powell Gardens was recently awarded a $230,254 grant from IMLS MFA Museums Empowered Initiative to support the Supporting Professionally Relevant Opportunities for Understanding and Training (SPROUT) project. SPROUT will make critical investments in the Gardens’ operational infrastructure. These investments will improve the Gardens’ ability to provide visitors with meaningful encounters with plants within the Midwest ecosystem. Specifically, the project will address the Gardens’ staff needs through enhanced human resources support and expanded team and individual talent development opportunities for staff. Professional development offerings will include technical trainings and safety demonstrations for horticulture and administrative staff as well as leadership training for managers and directors.

Department of Health and Human Services Does your organization work to address health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations? The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health is accepting applications for its cooperative agreement program, Framework to Address Health Disparities through Collaborative Policy Efforts: Demonstration Projects. In conjunction with the office’s Coordinating Center cooperative agreements for the same program, Demonstration Projects develop and demonstrate the effectiveness of methodologies for addressing health disparities. This includes assessing and identifying policies that contribute to structural racism and perpetuate health disparities, as well as modifying, developing, and implementing policies that improve health outcomes. Proposals for this program are due August 23, 2022.

Integrated Behavioral Technologies, Inc. was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the Kansas Health Foundation to support improved capacity for IBT through critical, sustainable training, allowing IBT to fulfill its mission of training providers to implement evidence-based behavioral services for underserved Kansas families. IBT staff will attend Safety-Care Behavioral “Train-the-Trainer” Initial Training to reduce the likelihood and the intensity of behavioral crises for individuals with autism across 23 rural Kansas counties.

You want me to write about what? How can I write about progress when the right data wasn’t collected to measure progress? Grant professionals are frequently faced with the reality of gaps in data in pre-award, and post-award. We are asked to respond to sections which require a discussion of national, regional, and local data to justify need; as well as sections requesting data-supported rationale for the proposed intervention, and finally a proposed series of measurable objectives indicated by an improvement over baseline. Sometimes there is something to work with. Oftentimes we are asked to work magic!

National Science Foundation Attention researchers and practitioners in informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields! The National Science Foundation (NSF) is now accepting proposals to its Advancing Informal Stem Learning (AISL) program. The AISL program supports projects that advance new approaches and understanding, broaden access and engagement, advance research and assessment, and engage the public of all ages in informal STEM learning experiences and issues. Proposals for this program are due January 18, 2022.

Institute of Museum and Library Services Last week, we highlighted a grant program that funds capacity-building work for libraries. This week, we are looking at an opportunity that specifically supports workforce development and training for libraries and museums. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) recently opened applications for its Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian program. Projects may fall into one of five categories (described below) and should align with one of IMLS’s three goals for this program: 1) recruit, train, develop, and retain a diverse workforce of library and archives professionals; 2) develop faculty, library, and archives leaders through institutional capacity-building work; or 3) enhance the training and professional development of these professionals in accordance with community needs.

Institute of Museum and Library Services Is your library seeking funding for capacity-building work that has the potential to make a broad national impact? The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) recently opened applications for its National Leadership Grants for Libraries (NLG-L) program. NLG-L projects investigate and address critical issues that affect the library and archives fields, with the overall goal of advancing these professions and increasing the impact of their services for the American public. Projects may fall into one of four categories (described below) and should culminate in the development of new models, tools, research, services, practices, and/or alliances that can be disseminated, scaled, adapted, and/or applied among libraries across the country.