AACE Micro-Grants – Request for Proposals

The Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI), a part of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, is soliciting micro-grant applications from eligible organizations to improve capacity, sustainability, and infrastructure of organizations that provide health and wellness programs and social support services to the County’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Micro-grants are being awarded for purchase of equipment, professional development, and consultants.

As a part of AAHI’s evolving efforts in capacity building, AAHI has formed the Asian American Center of Excellence (AACE). The goal of the AACE is to support Asian American-serving community-organizations in developing and increasing their capacity to successfully provide health, wellness, and social support programs and services. One of the ways that the AACE seeks to build capacity is through micro-grants.

AAPI community-based organizations, faith institutions, and other nonprofits play a vital role in responding to the health, wellness, and social support needs of AAPIs in Montgomery County. Such organizations provide essential and supportive services to the most vulnerable AAPI community members. By working with and supporting community organizations, AAHI has had significant success in reaching and serving the diverse AAPI community. Thus, to improve the health status of AAPIs, it is critical to invest in these grassroots, community organizations.

The AACE micro-grants will provide qualified applicants with funding to purchase equipment, enable staff professional development, and hire professional consultants and contractors.

FUNDING CATEGORIES

AACE micro-grants will be provided for activities that build organizational capacity under the following categories.

Purchase of Equipment

DESCRIPTION:

Purchase of equipment that will support the organization’s growth, enable better data collection, and/or allow for improved operations.

EXAMPLES:

Tablets to collect demographic data
Laptops for key staff to compile reports, review applications, and conduct organization business
Purchase of software or services

Professional Development

DESCRIPTION:

Enrollment in professional development courses or activities for staff or volunteer personnel to improve or expand the delivery of health and wellness services.

EXAMPLES:

Enrollment in project management certificate programs and exam fees
Enrollment in health and wellness trainings and certificate
Attendance at conferences, learning cohorts, or other professional development opportunities

Consultants

DESCRIPTION:

Hire consultant(s) or contractor(s) for specialized services to improve organization’s ability to provide services, elevate business practices, and/or increase collaborations.

EXAMPLES:

Contractor to build a website or a special application
Consultant to help with strategic planning
Consultant to create multilingual health education materials

The following types of services/projects will NOT BE FUNDED through AACE micro-grants:

Projects or costs that are covered by current contracts with the County or other funding
Reimbursement for previous projects or costs
Organizations that have an outstanding contractual obligation with the County or PCC
Partial or full salary costs for staff
Operating costs for direct services to clients (see question #8 in FAQs for more information on this)
Cultural, religious, political, or community events or celebrations
Purchase of food

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for a grant award under this program the applicant organization must:

Be a nonprofit corporation with either 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status;
Have an annual budget of less than $3,500,000; AND
Have been continuously delivering health and wellness programs or social support services to diverse AAPI communities in Montgomery County, MD since July 1, 2021.

AWARDS

AACE micro-grants are one-time competitive awards and will be awarded up to $5,000 per category. No organization will receive more than $15,000 collectively across all three funding categories. Awards will be determined after a competitive review of all completed proposals. Community organizations of all sizes are encouraged to apply as there is no minimum award amount to apply. This opportunity is meant to boost the capacity of smaller, underfunded organizations.

The total funding available is $70,000. The funding is allocated as following:

$25,000 available for purchase of equipment
$25,000 available for professional development
$20,000 available for consultants

BASIS FOR AWARDS

Applications will undergo a primary technical review to ensure all required information has been provided and that the application meets all eligibility criteria including annual budget size. Following that, applications will be reviewed by a panel of representatives from PCC, AAHI, Montgomery County Government, and/or community leaders. Panelists will review, evaluate, and rank applications according to the scoring criteria. Final awardees and award amounts will be decided by AAHI and PCC.

All awards will be subject to PCC Terms and Conditions as PCC is the contractor to distribute funds.

HOW TO APPLY

All applicants should visit AAHI’s Community Grants Online Portal to access the application. New applicants to AAHI’s Community Grants Online Portal should click the link to create their profile and access the applications. Applicants that have created a profile for the Healthy Communities Fund should login with their existing credentials and click on the “Apply” tab to access the application.

All applicants must complete the online application by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 12, 2023.

Organizations may reach out to AAHI@montgomerycountymd.gov for assistance in the application process.

PROGRAM TIMELINE

The grant period for the AACE micro-grants will start on March 6, 2023 and end on June 30, 2023.

Key Dates:

RFP publication date: Friday, January 13, 2023
Applications open: Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Informational Workshop: Monday, January 23, 2023 from 6pm to 7:30pm EST (Register HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pJKqv6rdQTK9vJNfk2ZccQ)
Proposal due date: 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, February 12, 2023
Announcement of Awards: Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Program start: Monday, March 6, 2023
Program end: Friday, June 30, 2023
Final report due date: Monday, July 10, 2023
Grantee close-out interviews: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 to Friday. July 21, 2023