The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today it is making $27.2 million available to state, local, tribal and territorial governments; national associations, non-profits, higher education institutions and the private sector as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Competitive Training Grant Program (CTGP). This program awards funds to competitively selected applicants to develop and deliver innovative training programs addressing high priority national homeland security training needs. http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=43578 [posted on the Medical Reserve Corps listserv]

The Lancet, Volume 371, Number 9627, 31 May 2008
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608607722/fulltext
“…..On Nov 8, 2008, The Lancet will publish a theme issue devoted to the social determinants of health. We invite submission of research papers, reviews, viewpoints, and comments with an emphasis on action—what the doctor, public-health worker, policy maker, and politician can do to reduce inequalities and tackle the broad interplay of economic and social forces affecting health. This theme issue will be produced in parallel with a conference being held in London (Nov 6–7,2008) called : Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity Through Action on the Social Determinants of Health [posted on PAHO/WHO Equity listserv]

Rite of Passage? Why Young Adults Become Uninsured and How New Policies Can Help, 2008 Update
Authors:Jennifer L. Kriss, Sara R
Young adults, ages 19 to 29, are one of the largest segments of the U.S. population without health insurance: 13.7 million lacked coverage in 2006. They often lose coverage at age 19 or upon high school or college graduation—almost two of five (38%) high school graduates who do not enroll in college and one-third of college graduates are uninsured for a time during the first year after graduation. http://tinyurl.com/55zc7l [posted on The Commonwealth Fund e-Alert]

NIH requires applicants to submit public health relevance statements in grant applications to ensure the description of the projects’ potential to improve public health is clearly articulated. The public health relevance statement should be written in plain language that can be understood by a general, lay audience, as well as your reviewers and colleagues. NIH uses these public health relevance statements for portfolio analyses, to identify research highlights to Congress and to make the importance of the research clear to the public. Statements of public health relevance are highlighted in a new field, separate from the project abstract, on the CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information Scientific Projects) http://report.nih.gov/crisp_report.html tool found on the new NIH Report Web site. http://report.nih.gov/ [posted in NIH Extramural Nexus: May Edition]

Staples Grants for Disadvantaged Youth
The Staples Foundation for Learning provides funding to programs that support or provide job skills and/or education for all people, with an emphasis on disadvantaged youth. Maximum Award: $25,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: June 16, 2008.
http://www.staplesfoundation.org/foundapplication.html

Mini-grants for Public Schools and Public Libraries
Ezra Jack Keats Mini-grant Program for Public Schools and Public Libraries supports educators, parents and children in their efforts to spread literacy and love of learning. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: public schools and libraries anywhere in the United States and its protectorates. Deadline: September 15, 2008. http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/programs/minigrant.html
[posted on American Indian Library Association Listserv]

The first-ever state-by-state health system “scorecard” to focus on children’s health care finds wide differences across the country in the quality of care delivered, as well as disparities in access to services, insurance costs, and health outcomes, among other areas.

According to The Commonwealth Fund report, U.S. Variations in Child Health System Performance: A State Scorecard, millions more children would have insurance and adequate health care, and would avoid developmental delays, if all states performed as well as the top states. Leading the state rankings are Iowa, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Read the report at http://tinyurl.com/5vdtf7

CDC has developed an Environmental Health Shelter Assessment Tool to assist environmental health practitioners in conducting a rapid assessment of shelter conditions during emergencies and disasters. The tool is an assessment form that covers 14 general areas of environmental health, ranging from basic food safety and water quality to pet (companion animal) wellness, and allows for the documentation of immediate needs in shelters. It can be easily modified to meet local needs. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/shelterassessment/ [posted on the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) email discussion group http://www.medicalreservecorps.gov/ListservRulesRegulations ]

The Verizon Foundation aims to help people increase their literacy and educational achievement; avoid being an abuser or a victim of domestic violence; and achieve and sustain their health and safety. http://foundation.verizon.com/grant/guidelines.shtml [posted on the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools http://tinyurl.com/4dkpfb]

People With Epilepsy Invited to Submit Artwork for National Expressions of Courage Art Contest
Deadline: July 16, 2008
The sixth annual Expressions of Courage national art contest provides people with epilepsy the opportunity to showcase their talents and perspectives of the world around them through art. http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15013185/expressionscourage

Vilcek Foundation Announces New Prizes Honoring Contributions of Young Immigrants
Deadline: July 11, 2008
The mission of the Vilcek Foundation ( http://www.vilcek.org/ ) is to heighten public awareness of the contributions of immigrants to the sciences and arts and culture in the U.S. As part of this mission, the foundation has announced the creation of two new annual prizes that will be awarded to young immigrants who have made outstanding contributions in the fields of biomedical research or the arts and humanities. A $25,000 cash award and a certificate of recognition designed by Stefan Sagmeister will be presented to each prize-winner during the foundation’s annual awards ceremony in New York City in the spring of 2009. http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15013186/vilcek

National Gardening Association and Home Depot Announce 2009 Youth Garden Grants Program
Deadline: November 1, 2008
The National Gardening Association ( http://www.garden.org/ ) has announced that Home Depot ( http://corporate.homedepot.com/wps/portal ) will return as the Youth Garden Grants sponsor for 2009. NGA awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs. http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15013187/kidsgardening

National Gardening Association Offers Hooked on Hydroponics Grants to Schools and Youth Organizations
Deadline: September 15, 2008
The Grow Store ( http://www.growstore.com/ ) has joined with the National Gardening Association ( http://assoc.garden.org/ ) to offer Hooked on Hydroponics grant packages to elementary, middle, and high schools and youth organizations in the United States. The grant program is designed to help young people learn how to grow plants hydroponically (without soil) and to explore related topics in botany and environmental science. http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15013220/hydroponic

Shade Structure Program Accepting Grant Applications from Organizations Serving Children and Youth
Deadline: April 10, 2009
The American Academy of Dermatology ( http://www.aad.org/ ) Shade Structure Program provides grant awards for the purchase of permanent shade structures designed to provide shade and ultraviolet ray protection for outdoor areas. http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15013188/aadpublicgrants

Entries Invited for Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation
Deadline: July 15, 2008
The Drucker Institute ( http://www.druckerinstitute.com/ ) has announced a call for applications for the 2008 Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation. The award, administered annually since 1991, is granted to a social sector organization that demonstrates Peter Drucker’s definition of innovation — “change that creates a new dimension of performance.” http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15013196/druckerinstitute

Copyright (c) 2000-2008, the Foundation Center. All rights reserved. Permission to use, copy, and/or distribute this document in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes without fee is hereby granted provided that this notice and appropriate credit to the Foundation Center is included in all copies. RFP Bulletin (May 23, 3008)

The Journal of Community Informatics http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej has just published its latest issue Vol. 4 No. 1 (2008) Special Issue: Wireless Networking for Communities, Citizens and the Public Interest at http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/issue/view/19 Articles include:

• Towards Place-peer community and civic bandwidth: a case study in community wireless networking by Hanna Hye-Na Cho
• Anytime? Anywhere?: Reframing Debates Around Community and Municipal Wireless Networking by Laura Forlano
• Setting Long Distance WiFi Records: Proofing Solutions for Rural Connectivity by Ermanno Pietrosemoli

[posted on JoCI]