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NEWS FROM WASHINGTON
Shelley Rood
AJFCA Washington Director |
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Wednesday, August 24, 2011
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WASHINGTON ADVOCACY MISSION/GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS INSTITUTE
It's not too late to sign up for the AJFCA Washington Advocacy Mission/Government Affairs Institute (GAI). This conference will begin at 12:00pm on Monday, September 12th and conclude on Wednesday, September 14th at 2:00pm. Sessions will be held in Washington, D.C., at the Historic 6th & I Synagogue and on Capitol Hill. This annual conference brings together the Jewish community's top government and public policy professionals from communities across the United States to discuss our domestic agenda, to become more skilled with advocacy techniques, and to become better acquainted with trends in public policy.
We will be joined by the following speakers:
- Bill Novelli, Former CEO, AARP
- Stuart Butler, Ph.D., Distinguished Fellow and Director, Center for Policy Innovation, The Heritage Foundation
- Ellen Nissenbaum, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, Center on Budget & Policy Priorities
- Ron Kampeas, Washington Bureau Chief, JTA
- Nathan Guttman, Washington correspondent, The Forward
- Paul Teller, Executive Director, The Republican Study Committee
- Lynn Sweet, columnist and the Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun Times (newly confirmed)
- Members of Congress
On the morning of September 13th, we will break-out into small groups for Administration Agency's visits on various topics. When you register, you will be asked to rank your issues of interest. To make sure we have your input, please register as soon as possible.
If you have any questions about the program, please contact Shelley Rood, AJFCA Washington Director at 202-736-5880. For questions about registration, please contact Ann Zeller at 561-968-8927.
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BUDGET CONTROL ACT
Earlier this month President Obama and Congress agreed on legislation to raise the U.S. debt ceiling and cut federal spending, an effort that avoided a U.S. government default. The Budget Control Act includes an immediate statutory cap on discretionary spending of $935 billion over the next 10 years with approximately $550 billion taken from domestic accounts.The initial reduction in spending will be achieved through annual statutory caps on discretionary appropriations for fiscal years 2012 through 2021. In addition, the Budget Control Act provides for a new Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to recommend an additional $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction. The so-called Super Committee, equally comprised of six Democrats and six Republicans (Senators Baucus (D-MT, Kerry (D-MA), Kyl (R-AZ), Murray (D-WA, Co-Chair), Portman (R-OH) and Toomey (R-PA) and Representatives Becerra (D-CA), Camp (R-MI), Clyburn (D-SC), Hensarling (R-TX, Co-Chair), Upton (R-MI) and Van Hollen (D-MD)), if it is able, will make recommendations to the full Congress by November 23, 2011. A simple majority of votes of these 12 members are required for the recommendations. If these recommendations are not approved by year's end (or if the Super Committee is unable to make recommendations), additional automatic cuts will go into effect for discretionary programs and some entitlements between FY 2013-2021.
The Super Committee is likely to look closely at entitlement spending to achieve its deficit reduction goals, but Medicare cuts would be restricted to no more than two percent of the program's outlays and would only affect payments to providers, not beneficiaries. Revenue options are also expected to be high on the Committee's agenda, although it is unclear whether the Super Committee will be able to agree to any new forms of revenue. The potential impact that these potential cuts will have on the economy and the Federation Movement cannot be overstated as every part of the public private partnership that fuels Jewish social services is at risk of cuts. Accordingly, our central advocacy message is clear:
As Congress returns our fiscal house to order, we believe that the most vulnerable populations should not absorb the bulk of our nation's fiscal pain. We urge Congress to maintain crucial discretionary safety net programs, safeguard the charitable deduction, and reform Medicaid but preserve its structure.
Now is the time for you to use your key contacts and reach out to the Members of the Super Committee, Leadership of Congress, and their senior staff to present the Federation Movement's advocacy message. Talking points on each of these issues appears in this link.For questions, please contact Shelley Rood.
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JEWISH GROUPS AWARDED NONPROFIT SECURITY GRANTS
Grants will increase security of nonprofits vulnerable to terrorism
WASHINGTON - Federal funds awarded today will help bolster the physical security of nonprofit institutions deemed by the Department of Homeland Security to be vulnerable to terrorist attacks, including many Jewish organizations and institutions. The Jewish Federations of North America has historically led the effort to fund these programs and today the organization hailed the allocation of $19 million to numerous nonprofits through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NPSG) - more than 80 percent of the awards to Jewish groups.
The funding announced today is the sixth installment of the program. Since 2005, a total of $118 million has been distributed across the country to help non-profits acquire and install physical security enhancements intended to deter and detect terrorists and extremists, such as: blast proof windows; reinforced doors, locks, gates, and fences; video surveillance; and other equipment and enhancements. The grants were also available to promote security-related preparedness planning and training.
"The Department of Homeland Security has demonstrated a great commitment to protecting the Jewish American community," said Cheryl Fishbein, chair of The Jewish Federations of North America Domestic Affairs Cabinet. "These effective security grants and the recent targeted extension of the 'If You See Something, Say Something' campaign to deserving Jewish institutions are vital to our ongoing protection that enables us to work, worship, gather and learn without fear."
Congress established the Nonprofit Security Grant Program in 2005, at the behest of The Jewish Federations, the Orthodox Union and other leading nonprofit organizations, in recognition that certain segments of the nonprofit sector (including community centers, hospitals, schools, places of worship, and other health, humanitarian, cultural, and civic places of communal life) are considered high value civilian targets by terrorists and radical extremists.
"Since September 11th, nonprofits generally, and Jewish communal institutions specifically, have been the victim of an alarming number of threats and attacks," said William C. Daroff, vice president for public policy and director of Jewish Federations of North America's Washington Office. "As the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy approaches and we reflect, I'm grateful that the Nonprofit Security Grant Program has emerged to supplement the work of local and federal law enforcement to help keep us safe. As the threat continues and morphs into new and emerging security challenges the Jewish Federations calls on Congress and the Administration to continue to support the Nonprofit Security Grant Program in FY2012 and onward until nonprofit institutions are secure from such threats."
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WASHINGTON GRANTS BULLETIN
Grants Bulletin Website
Kids in Need Foundation
Program: Kids in Need Teacher Grants
Deadline: September 30, 2011
Funding: Up to 300 awards ranging from $100 to $500 each
Eligibility: Certified K-12 certified teachers working in the U.S. at a public, private, charter or parochial school. Kids In Need does not fund pre-school projects.
Purpose: The Kids in Need Foundation's mission is to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need. Kids in Need Teacher Grants provide K-12 educators with funding to provide innovative learning opportunities for their students. The grants are funded by retail and education credit union sponsors. Projects may qualify for funding if they make creative use of common teaching aids, approach the curriculum from an imaginative angle or tie non-traditional concepts together for the purpose of illustrating commonalities. The applications are judged according to a rubric which emphasizes innovativeness and merit, clarity of objectives, replication feasibility, suitability of evaluation methods and cost effectiveness.
Click here for guidelines and suggestions.
For examples of past grantees, please click here.
Contact Information: Kids in Need
May be of interest to: Jewish Day Schools
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BJ's Charitable Foundation
Programs: Hunger Prevention, Self-Sufficiency, Healthcare, Education
Deadline: October 7, 2011 or January 6, 2012
Eligibility: Organizations that are tax-exempt under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and recognized as "public charities" by the IRS, that provide basic needs services and that positively impact communities where BJ's Clubs are located.
Description: Established with the goal of creating a positive, long-lasting impact on the communities BJ's serves, the mission of BJ's Charitable Foundation is to enhance and enrich community programs that primarily benefit children and families. Since its first grant in 2005, BJ's Charitable Foundation has allocated funds on a quarterly basis, giving more than $10 million to over 1,000 community organizations in the 15 states where BJ's Clubs are located. BJ's Charitable Foundation contributes the bulk of its funding to organizations that provide services to those in need. Specifically:
- Hunger Prevention: Support will be given to nonprofits that work to alleviate hunger through the purchase of food, supplies and additional resources necessary to feed those in need. Funding will be disbursed to agencies, including shelters, food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries. They will support the purchase of food as well as food programs.
- Self-Sufficiency: Support will be given to nonprofits that work toward the self-sufficiency of their clients. Grants will fund enhancement of shelter programs, purchase of supplies and clothing for residents, as well as programming that offers safety to families.
- Healthcare: Support will be given to nonprofits that work on providing healthcare to those who would not normally have access. Funding will be disbursed to agencies providing supplies to free medical clinics, health prevention services, as well as supplies for vision, dental and hearing screenings.
- Education: Support will be given to nonprofits that provide academic and vocational opportunities for the disadvantaged. These programs include the purchase of supplies for literacy skills, mentoring, tutoring and career development.
Note: BJ's Charitable Foundation does not provide funding for religious organizations unless they serve the general public in a significant non-denominational way.
May be of interest to: Jewish Family Service agencies providing food services or food pantries in areas where BJ's stores are located
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Coca-Cola Foundation
Program: Community Grants
Deadline: Rolling
Funding: In the most recent giving quarter, Coca Cola awarded $1.9 million through its Healthy and Active Lifestyles initiative and $1.5 million for Education programs.
Eligibility: 501 (c)(3) nonprofits and schools. The Coca-Cola Foundation has an eligibility questionnaire for prospective applicants.
Description: Through the global Coca-Cola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Company concentrates community support in several priority areas, including initiatives focused on:
- Water Stewardship: To support access to clean water and sanitation, watershed protection in water-stressed regions, utilization of water for production and or multiple use systems that do more than provide clean drinking water, education and awareness programs that promote water conservation within communities and industry.
- Healthy and Active Lifestyles: To support access to exercise, physical activity and nutritional education programs, programs that motivate behavior modification, and programs that encourage lifestyle/behavioral changes.
- Community Recycling: To increase litter abatement efforts, advance recovery and reuse, increase community recycling awareness and support research and innovation.
- Education: To support scholarships, school drop-out prevention, access to education programs, and other education initiatives, per local business unit priorities.
All requests for community support in the form of grants or sponsorships must be submitted through Coca-Cola's online application system.
Click here for answers to frequently asked questions.
For a list of recent grantees, please click here.
Contact Information: Coca-Cola Community Requests
May be of interest to: Jewish Community Centers
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Conveying The "ROI" To Foundations
Author: Esther Wiesner
Source: eJewish Philanthropy
Date: July 12, 2011
Esther Wiesner's recent article in eJewish Philanthropy includes suggestions for direct service agencies and nonprofits that are applying for grants. "Approximately 14% all of giving comes from foundations and the marketplace is increasingly competitive. As you consider going in that direction, here are a few critical points to consider approaching foundations."
Click here to continue reading.
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