OneStar Foundation “Renewing Our Communities Account”

The Texas OneStar Foundation (OSF) has issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) for the Renewing Our Communities Account (ROCA). Application deadline is February 19, 2010.

The RFP will be used to build capacity of small- to mid-size faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) and their partners. Applicants must describe who among the organizational and community partners will work to support the capacity building process…what activities they want to implement to address capacity building needs…the proposal must demonstrate an openness and willingness to change. Proposals must include both organizational and community partner capacity building activities and describe how this grant opportunity will help their organization and collaborative partners build capacity. The proposals must describe how the collaboration intends to apply what they will learn to improve their social service delivery system.
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Affordable Housing Program – Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program – February 15 – April 15, 2010

The Affordable Housing Program (AHP) is a great opportunity for organizations – like Habitat for Humanity…NeighborWorks…affordable housing entities… to receive gap assistance for low to moderate income homebuyers. The program provides direct grants and subsidized loans to assist in meeting the community’s affordable housing needs.

The AHP Funds must be used to benefit households with incomes at or below 80 percent of the median income for the area…and can be used to pay closing costs or down payments…buy down principal amounts or interest rates…refinance an existing loan (provided that the equity proceeds are used for the development of AHP-eligible housing)…assist with rehabilitation or construction costs…homebuyer education and counseling costs also qualify…the funds are intended for gap financing,
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Help the Outreach to Artists with Disabilities in Texas

Please let any artist with a disability know about this contest. There is no entry fee, but the artist who is chosen for the poster must agree to donate the original art to the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities…

The Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities, each year during National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October sponsors the Texas NDEA Poster, which is distributed to more than 2000 businesses throughout the state.

If you know of local artists in your community who might be interested in a submission contact, Jo. Virgil for the submission guidelines and entry form.

You can see the 2009 NDEAM poster and read about Andrea La Vigne, the artist, on their website.

Featured Non-Profit – Waco Missions Club

History never looks like history when you are living through it.
~John W. Gardner

The Waco Missions Club was chartered as a non-profit organization in 1957; originally, there were 15 paid members who first met and by the end of the year, they had managed to increase to 50. After many meetings, they all came together on their purpose; to provide decent entertainment for its members, and the community, to donate money to Catholic Churches and non-profit organizations and charities, to promote the educational endeavors of youth, and to combat juvenile delinquency. They had decided their motto would be, Unity and Charity.

This story is based on an interview with Vincent Lopez, my father, one of the founding members of the Waco Missions Club.

The Waco Missions Club, started with a need, a very talented group of guys needing a consistent sponsor for semi-pro baseball. A Priest from St. Francis Church personally sponsored the team and they called themselves the Saint Francis Missions. The sponsorship included the cost of the uniforms. At first they played at whatever park they could use, and with whatever money was made from admission fees and concessions, they purchased equipment. The Priest soon was transferred and with that transfer went their sponsorship.
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Department of Justice 2nd Chance Act Mentoring Grants

DOJ seeks applications under the FY 2010 Second Chance Act Mentoring Grants to Nonprofit Organizations. Funding Opportunity: BJA-2010-2482, CFDA Number: 16.812.

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) helps ensure the transition individuals make from prison or jail to the community is safe and successful. Section 211 of the Act authorizes grants to nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Indian tribes that may be used for mentoring projects to promote such reintegration.

Each proposal must include the following program components:
• Mentoring offenders during incarceration, through transition back to the community, and post-release
• Transitional services to assist in the reintegration of offenders into the community
• Training on offender and victims issues

DOJ Mentoring Grant

The MetLife Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) are partnering for the ninth year to recognize, sustain, and share the work of innovative partnerships between community groups and police to promote neighborhood safety and revitalization. Awardees will receive grants ranging from $15,000 to $25,000. Cash grants will be awarded in the following two categories:

Neighborhood Revitalization Awards (six awards ranging between $15,000 and 25,000 each): These awards celebrate exemplary collaboration between community groups and police that yields crime reduction as well as economic development outcomes such as real estate development, business attraction, and job growth.

Special Strategy Awards (five awards of $15,000 each): This award recognizes community and police partners who have achieved significant accomplishments in applied technology, aesthetics and greenspace improvement, diversity inclusion and integration, drug market disruption, gang prevention and youth safety, and/or seniors and safety. Eligible applicants must be member organizations of partnerships that include, but need not be limited to, community organizations and police.

MetLife Foundation