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Here are some NYSCAA news and updates that you may find of interest.
Report of Head Start Assessment Released. A diverse panel of experts has delivered a report containing several recommendations for the Head Start National Reporting System (NRS). The NRS assesses the progress of 4- and 5-year-old Head Start children, focusing on key school readiness skills including early literacy and math, as well as social and emotional adjustment. The secretary of HHS established the Advisory Committee on Head Start Accountability and Educational Performance Measures in April 2004 to assess the Head Start program’s progress in developing and implementing the NRS and to make recommendations for integrating the NRS into ongoing efforts to assess Head Start’s effectiveness. Full details and recommendations>>
New Report Examines "Credit Path" to Asset-Building and Financial Security. A report recently completed by Alternatives Federal Credit Union and the Aspen Institute sheds new light on how people move toward greater financial security. The report is based on a conceptual framework, known as the “Credit Path®,” that identifies four stages people may pass through on their way to asset accumulation and greater financial security: transactor (where individuals rely primarily on a cash economy), saver, borrower and owner. Download the report>> . Download the report>>
New Report Examines Impact of Asset-Building Policies. A report released this month by the Corporation for Enterprise Development found that 45% of the benefits from federal tax policies designed to facilitate asset-building accrued to the wealthiest 1% of American households in 2005, while the bottom 60% of income earners received less than 3% of the benefits. This disparity has grown since the study’s first iteration based on data from 2003, when the share of benefits was one-third for the top 1% and 5% for the bottom 60%. Though the total amount of asset- building subsidies increased 3.4% (adjusted for inflation), average benefits decreased for all income levels except the top 5%. The mortgage interest deduction is the largest federal subsidy for homeowners, totaling $72.6 billion in 2005. The federal government also subsidizes homeownership through the property tax deduction and the exclusion of capital gains taxes upon sale of primary residence. In 2005, the bottom half of the income distribution received 2.9% of the benefits of these subsidies while the wealthiest 10% received 59.4%. Of the $19.6 billion the government spent on property tax subsidies, the bottom half of income earners received only $534 million. Full report>>
Other Events
Conference Focuses on Nonprofit Earned Income Ventures
Social Enterprise Alliance Conference. The annual conference of the Social Enterprise Alliance is a gathering of nonprofit organizations, foundation and corporate representatives, and management assistance providers committed to pursuing financial sustainability through “social enterprise” – earned income ventures that advance charitable missions. The purpose of the event is to provide access to information and tools that help mission-based organizations improve their business practices. The agenda will include sessions on business planning, legal issues, marketing, capitalization strategies, and more. The conference will be held April 17-19 in
Grant Station Membership Discount Event
Due to the tremendous response to the GrantStation event held last July, TechSoup Stock and GrantStation are pleased to present a very special offer to the nonprofit community on February 28 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time. During this limited-time offer, specially discounted GrantStation Memberships will be available to eligible nonprofits for only $90. Once this special event is over, the TechSoup Stock admin fee for GrantStation Memberships will return to $399. (The regular retail price is $599.) Learn more about this special offer.
Council of Community Services of NYS, Inc. Training Opportunities. As many of you know, CCSNYS offers low-cost trainings for nonprofits of all types. While several upcoming trainings are listed below, to see a list of all CCSNYS upcoming trainings, go to http://www.ccsnys.org/events_conferences/index.asp.
Funding Your Vision...Big Visions Inspire Big Gifts. Presenter: Linda London, Nonprofit Advisor. Linda London will help you develop and communicate your vision with major prospects. With colorful examples and hands on activities, you'll learn how to identify, cultivate, solicit and retain top donors. Date: March 15, 2007. Time: 1:30pm - 4:30pm. Location: Three Rivers Development Foundation,
Busting the Myths on Profits & Taxes. Presenter: Michael West, Esq., Legal Advisor, CCSNYS, Inc. Perhaps, no topic is as misunderstood in the world of charities as the entrepreneurial opportunities that are available to tax-exempt, non-profit corporations to generate revenue from mission-based and non-mission-based activities. Yes, your non-profit can make money on mission-based activities. Yes, you can generate revenue that is unrelated to your mission as a tax-exemption corporation. And, yes, you might pay taxes on monies that your entrepreneurial ventures garner. Participants in this Workshop will have an opportunity to discuss the legal and tax implications associated with non-profit entrepreneurial ventures.
Date: March 15, 2007 Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm Location: Online Webinar*
Workshop Cost: $30 CCSNYS Member/$40 Nonmember
Who's on First? Simplifying Financial Governance. Presenter: Doug Sauer, CEO, CCSNYS, Inc. It seems these days that models come out every week about what financial committees and a board should have and what they should do. The general trend is to make things more complex and to pile more committee work on already burdened boards. Little is said about duplication of effort issues, how various committees should interact, and how all this affects the statutory functions of the Treasurer, and general role confusion. Join a proactive and practical conversation that seeks to cut through maze and fog of financial governance structures. Date: March 16, 2007. Time: 10:00am-11:30am Location: Online Webinar* Workshop Cost: $30 CCSNYS Member/$40 Nonmember
External Financial Reporting: The Big Three. Presenter: Kelly Mathews, Sr. VP, Financial Accountability & Compliance Services Participants will learn the basics of the 3 external financial reports most commonly required for nonprofit organizations: IRS Form 990, CHAR 500, and Reviewed or Audited Financial Statements. Learn what they report, who requires them, and when they're due to ensure that your nonprofit is meeting these critical external reporting requirements. Date: March 27, 2007. Time: 9:00am - 12:00pm. Location: CCSNYS Office, 272 Broadway,
Developing and Monitoring Internal Controls. Presenter: Kelly Mathews, Sr. VP, Financial Accountability & Compliance Services. Internal controls are critical to an organization's effectiveness, both financially and programmatically. In this session, learn how to document, monitor and evaluate internal controls for your nonprofit. Participants will also learn "who's on first," from the board's role to management and staff. Date: March 27, 2007. Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm. Location: CCSNYS Office, 272 Broadway,
Funding Opportunities
Bid Profile Name: Child Care Resource and Referral and Infant Toddler Regional Services
Application Due Date: 4/30/2007
Estimated Funds Available: $ 19,000,000
Objective: The
Eligible Applicants: Non Profit 501(c)(3) (Not Higher Ed.),Non profit (not 501(c)(3))
Announcement Notes: The submission deadline for questions from bidders on the Child Care Resource and Referral Services and Infant Toddler Regional Services RFP would be March 16, 2007. The posted date of answers will be March 30, 2007.
For More Information: To view the complete Bid Profile and the solicitation document for this Bid Solicitation, if you have Internet access, go to
https://ocfsws.ocfs.state.ny.us/obl/index.asp?menu=28&grantid=241 .
Department of Health and Human Services Offers Grants for Healthy Lifestyles Community Projects. (“Take Action: Healthy People, Places, and Practices in Communities Project,” osophs.dhhs.gov, February 2007). The Department of Health and Human Services is requesting proposals from small, community-based groups to evaluate healthy lifestyles activities in support of the President’s HealthierUS initiative. Faith-based groups, afterschool programs, coalitions and similar nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply. The agency offers grants ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 in support of health-oriented community projects, including those that focus on nutrition and healthy eating as well as school lunch programs that include locally grown and seasonal fruits and vegetables. The deadline for receipt of proposals is March 30, 2007.
Long Term Health Care Job Training Grant. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announced a grant competition for approximately $2.5 million to be invested in training for the healthcare industry’s long- term care. The High Growth Job Training Initiative Grant for Long-Term Care Sector of the Health Care Industry should be used to implement industry-driven training solutions that address the long-term care sector's critical workforce challenges. Public, private for-profit, and private non-profit organizations including faith-based and community organizations are invited to apply. Deadline: April 5, 2007. Details here>>
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Local Initiative Funding Partners Program. The Local Initiative Funding Partners Program (LIFP), a partnership program between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and local grantmakers, funds promising, original projects to significantly improve the health of vulnerable people in their communities. Through LIFP, a local grantmaker proposes a funding partnership with RWJF to support a community-based project that focuses on the health or health care problems of people who are not reached by traditional health and social services or for whom existing systems are fragmented and insufficient. The program provides grants of $200,000 to $500,000 per project, which must be matched dollar for dollar by local grantmakers such as community foundations, family foundations, corporate grantmakers, etc. The application deadline for brief proposals is July 10, 2007. Visit the website listed above for program details and application guidelines.
Grants Target Education for Disadvantaged Youth
Staples Foundation for Learning. The mission of the Staples Foundation for Learning is to fund programs that provide job skills and/or education for all people, with special emphasis on disadvantaged youth. Guided by this mission, the Foundation seeks to support causes that teach, train, and inspire people from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds. The goal is to help local groups with programs and services that will positively impact their communities every day. The application deadlines for 2007 are April 6, August 3, and December 7. Visit the website listed above for online application information.
Support for Social Justice Projects
A.J. Muste Memorial Institute. The A.J. Muste Memorial Institute supports projects that are concerned with one or more of the issues to which A.J. Muste dedicated his life: peace and disarmament, social and economic justice, racial and sexual equality, and the labor movement. Through the General Grant Program, grassroots activist projects in the
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Denise Harlow
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www.nyscaaonline.org
A Member of the Community Action Partnership-Helping People. Changing Lives
Check out http://hq.nyscaaonline.org/priweb/events.aspx for infomation on upcoming NYSCAA events such as the