#######################
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003

- FREE HHS/ACF GRANT WORKSHOPS IN MARCH:

"The Administration for Children and Families' Office of Community Services
(OCS) is hosting three free one-day conferences next month intended to
showcase OCS programs.  The conferences will provide participants with
important information about OCS programs, priorities for 2003 including
family strengthening, and the federal grants process.  The conferences will
be held in Baltimore on March 17, in Chicago on March 20, and in San
Francisco on March 26.  OCS expects to make available more than $100 million
available in FY 2003 for programs intended to build the capacity of
low-income Americans and to build healthy communities.  To find out more
information about the conferences and to register online, please visit the
following web site:  www.ocsconference.net   Space is limited so sign up
today."

(Note: These are totally different than the free grant writing workshops
provided by the Institute for Youth Development that I sent to the list
Tuesday -http://archives.his.com/smartmarriages/msg02266.html.  Go to either
- or, if you're lucky enough to be able to,
attend both. - diane)

########################

##############################

subject: URGENT - Get thee to a FREE Grant Writing Workshop -5/03

from: Smart Marriages®

- FREE GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS - HIGHLY RATED!

Urgent - get yourselves ready!  When it comes to applying for the healthy
marriage initiative money, knowing how to write the grant can be as
important as knowing how to provide the services.  Some of you missed the
last round of these FREE Grant Writing workshops, so I'm sending the new
schedule. Even if you've sent one person from your initiative, send another.
Strength in numbers! Depth on the bench.  I'll follow the schedule with a
repeat of the notice I sent in Feb to announce the first round of workshops.
- diane

> Conferences are planned to assist faith-based and community
> organizations in producing high-quality, competitive applications for
> federal grants. Here's the schedule for May - Sept, 2003:
>
>
> Seattle, WA     May 15-16
> Oklahoma City, OK     May 29-30
> Austin, TX     June 9-10
> Houston, TX     June 12-13
> Sioux Falls, SD     June 19-20
> Anchorage, AK     July 2-3
> Atlanta, GA     July 17-18
> Tampa, FL     July 21-22
> Milwaukee, WI     July 31-August 1
> Columbus, OH     August 14-15
> Raleigh, NC     August 28-29
> Lynchburg, VA     September 11-12
> Madison, WI     September 25-16
>
> http://www.youthdevelopment.org/register.asp

- - - - - - -  --  - - -
> - GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS
>
> Here's a schedule of free opportunities to learn more about the grant
> application process from those in the know.  You're going to wish you'd
> attended these when the time comes to apply for the govt grant money! Even if
> you think you might not be interested, take the time.  You might change your
> mind, or you might end up as part of a community coalition. It can't hurt to
> be prepared.  Julie Baumgardner of First Things First Chattanooga attended one
> of the sessions and said "It was top-notch, wonderful, practical,
> easy-to-understand and helpful."  She encourages all of you to get to one of
> these training sessions.
> - diane
>
> Here's some of the info from the site.
> http://www.youthdevelopment.org/programs.htm
>
> For a complete schedule of cities and dates click:
> http://www.youthdevelopment.org/articles/pr120202.htm
>
> CCF Federal Grants Educational Conferences
>
> The Institute for Youth Development (IYD) will host 24 one and one-half day
> seminars on federal grants. The conferences are part of a new initiative
> launched under the Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) award IYD received in
> October from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
>
> Conferences are planned to assist faith-based and community organizations in
> producing high-quality, competitive applications for federal grants.
> Sessions will include general information on the federal funding process,
> guidance on researching grants, grant writing tips, as well as an
> introduction to program evaluation. Conferences will include general
> sessions as well as one-on-one technical assistance sessions.
>
> Registration for all conferences will be on a first-come, first-served basis
> with pre-registration required.
>
> If you have questions, please contact Betty Barrett at IYD (phone (703)
> 471-8750 ext 132; fax (703) 471-8409; e-mail bbarrett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx).
>
> Also note that these experts will present at the Smart Marriages Reno
> conference on Grant Writing in a 90-minute workshop #616 - but that's only 90
> minutes, a good place to ask follow-up questions.

####################################

subject: Cleveland's Pilot Program/HHS Grants/Government Role-1/03

from: Smart Marriages®

- HHS GRANTS PROMOTE SUPPORT OF CHILDREN, HEALTHY MARRIAGES
- CLEVELAND PILOT PROJECT
- GOVERNMENT HAS A ROLE IN STRENGTHENING MARRIAGE
###################
- HHS GRANTS PROMOTE SUPPORT OF CHILDREN, HEALTHY MARRIAGES

Cheryl Wetzstein
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
January 4, 2003

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson this week said
his agency is giving out more than $2.2 million in grants to improve
child-support enforcement and, in some cases, promote healthy marriages.

The biggest single grant ? $414,574 ? is going to South Carolina to
improve a data-sharing computer system that 14 states use to track people
who owe child support.

However, a quarter of the funds are going to three groups that will
stress the importance of a healthy marriage as part of their services to
families.

"It is extremely important for us to reach out to those who need help
in acquiring the skills necessary to build relationships and be effective
parents," said Wade F. Horn, assistant secretary for children and families
at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The three groups getting money to discuss marriage are the Marriage
Coalition in Cleveland Heights, Ohio; Community Services for Children Inc.,
in Allentown, Pa., and the Alabama Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board.

The Ohio group is faith-based and run by psychologist and author Sandra
G. Bender. It will be using its nearly $200,000 grant to test a curriculum
on the importance of marriage, paternity establishment and financial support
with low-income couples, according to HHS materials.

The Pennsylvania group is receiving more than $177,000 to work with
faith-based groups to provide marriage education, job training and other
services to unwed couples enrolled in Early Head Start and Head Start.

The Alabama agency won $200,000 to offer services to improve marriage
and relationship skills and employment skills among low-income unwed
parents.

"We're just thrilled" with the award, Alicia Luckie, deputy director of
the abuse and neglect prevention board, said yesterday.

The Alabama agency plans to fund four pilot projects that will teach a
curriculum called "Caring for My Family" to low-income or troubled couples,
she said.

 The curriculum, she added, was developed around findings from studies
of "fragile families," or new parents who are romantically involved but
haven't married.

Locally, the Maryland Child Support Enforcement program won $200,000 to
test a program to assist parolees and ex-offenders who owe child support to
find and keep jobs.

In all, 12 programs received these "special improvement grants," Mr.
Thompson said.

 The grants are intended to fund "new ways to augment child-support
enforcement services" by improving collections, responsible fatherhood,
healthy marriages and parenting skills, he said.

At least four of the grants are likely to involve faith-based groups,
an approach that has been championed by President Bush. On Dec. 12, Mr. Bush
issued an executive order requiring federal agencies to cease any
discriminatory policies against faith-based organizations.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has denounced these
actions as an "unprecedented merger" of religion and government. Last month,
the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of the advocacy group, promised
"to explore every opportunity to challenge this in the courts."

###############
- CLEVELAND PILOT PROJECT

The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Coalition's pilot project seeks to help unmarried couples with children

01/06/03

Fran Henry Plain Dealer Reporter

Can a 12-hour class nudge low-income parents in the direction of the altar?
Can it persuade fathers to establish paternity and pay child support?

The Marriage Coalition hopes to have an answer around June 2004, upon
completion of an 18-month pilot project, which received nearly $200,000
Thursday from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It will
teach relationship skills and what social science research cites as the
benefits of marriage to poor, unmarried, cohabiting Greater Cleveland
couples with infants.

The Marriage Coalition, founded in Cleveland Heights in August 2000, is a
nonprofit, faith-neutral organization of clergy, mental health professionals
and others seeking to lower the divorce rate through marriage education and
media campaigns.

The project's target population is sizable in Cleveland, where the 66
percent birth rate to unmarried couples is the fourth-highest among 50 large
American cities. At the time of a child's birth, half of unmarried poor
American couples are living together, according to the national Fragile
Families and Child Well-being Study.

"Research has shown that this group has a high level of commitment to each
other and raising their baby," said coalition Executive Director Sandra
Bender, "but because of the high stresses in their lives, they have a high
level of breakup."

According to a large body of research, Bender said, the benefits of marriage
include less child and spousal abuse, less juvenile delinquency, better
school performance among children and improved physical and psychological
health for parents and children alike.

"But we will be learning from the participants as they are learning from
us," she said. "They're going to learn how to strengthen their
relationships, and we're going to be learning what they're struggling with
to survive economically."

Despite the high number of potential candidates, Bender expects that finding
participants will be a challenge. Recruitment will begin in April.

"We're told 12 hours is a lot of time to expect this population to attend a
class," she said. "We're riding a fine line between what is possible and
what's effective, and this is a test pilot to find out if it can be done."

The coalition hopes to lure as many as 72 couples with free meals before the
classes, transportation vouchers, child care, and gifts of household
products and diapers. Couples who complete the six-week program and return
for a four-month evaluation will be rewarded with a crib, a stroller or a
vacuum cleaner. The coalition hopes 45 couples will complete the program.

"It may not be hard to get people to begin with, but the challenge may be to
get them to complete it," said Judy Charlick, head of the coalition's
multicultural curriculum advisory team, "Our plan is that it will be
wonderfully valuable to them."

Cleveland's project will be based on a course called "Survival Skills for
Healthy Families," which was designed for educated middle-class couples. The
six-week course, which meets two hours once a week, will be adapted for
unmarried couples living well below the poverty level.  (**NOTE: "SURVIVAL
SKILLS FOR HEALTHY FAMLIES" - ALSO KNOWN AS THE FAMILY WELLNESS PROGRAM -
WAS NOT DESIGNED FOR EDUCATED MIDDLE-CLASS COUPLES!  IT IS A HIGHLY
INTERACTIVE CLASS, IS NOT READING-BASED, AND WAS DESIGNED FOR THE POOR. THIS
WAS A REPORTER'S MISTAKE. THE PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED BY GEORGE DOUB AND IS
TAUGHT AT THE SMART MARRIAGES CONFERENCE WHERE YOU CAN BECOME TRAINED AND
CERTIFIED AS INSTRUCTORS. IT IS ALSO THE PROGRAM USED IN THE GRAND RAPIDS
HEALTHY MARRIAGE INITIATIVE.
- DIANE)

"The program's methods of presentation will be more interactive, not just
reading," Bender said.

A black cohabiting couple with an infant is being sought to advise the
curriculum development team, Charlick said.

"We'll be counting on them a lot to help us make the curriculum relevant and
real," she said. "It's got to speak to them."

The coalition also will promise prospective participants that their living
situations will remain private, in light of the widespread belief that the
welfare system discriminates against unmarried cohabiting couples.

"We're not going to report them to anybody," Bender said.

University Settlement, 4800 Broadway, Cleveland, has agreed to host classes,
which includes recruiting participants and providing an evening meal and
child care. Two other neighborhood centers also will be invited to host.
Classes will be taught by male and female teams from the Family Life
Education Department of the Cleveland Public Schools and the Dasi-Ziyad
Family Institute, an East Cleveland psychological practice.

The coalition's $199,994 grant is part of a $2.2 million package of 12
programs the government is paying for to advance the performance of the
nation's child-support enforcement system. This is one of three programs
that will focus on the importance of a healthy marriage to a child's
well-being.

Of the other nine programs, three will help low-income fathers become
employable, four will improve child support collection operations, and two
will focus on tribal child support and health insurance coverage issues.

Couples who wish to volunteer for the Cleveland project may call the
Marriage Coalition at 216-321-5274.

© 2003 The Plain Dealer.

#################
Tallahassee Democrat

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/4869300.htm

Op Ed
Mon, Jan. 06, 2003

Government has a role in strengthening marriages
By Mark Merrill
MY VIEW

Florida is starting the new year as a welfare reform success. Florida's
welfare caseload has declined significantly - a whopping 74 percent,
according to a recent Workforce Florida report. This achievement makes
Florida the leader in caseload declines among the nation's eight largest
states.

Since implementation of the welfare reform measure called TANF (Temporary
Aid to Needy Families) in 1996, the emphasis has been on placing poor people
into new jobs, thereby enabling them to become economically self-sufficient.
But that is only half the battle. An important focus in the "unfinished
business" of welfare reform must be "to encourage the formation and
maintenance of two-parent families" - one of the main family formation goals
of TANF.

Why should government get involved in something as personal as marriage?
While we need to ensure that government's role is properly harnessed in this
area, we also need to recognize that there is abundant research proving that
children raised in homes headed by continuously married parents fare, on
average, better educationally and economically than children growing up in
any other family structure.

And besides, the government is already involved. Its most common role is
stepping in after a crisis or when a family is already suffering from less
than favorable circumstances. Government is present in divorce proceedings,
child support collections, food stamp allocations, and foster care. Wouldn't
it be more beneficial to prevent family crises rather than mopping up the
mess afterward?

In 2001, there were 153,298 marriages and 85,259 divorces in Florida.
Currently, one in every three adults has been divorced at some point.
Nationally, 25 percent of adults indicate they either are now or have been
divorced. George Gallup Jr. says, "If divorce were a physical disease, we'd
declare a national emergency."

The goal is not to penalize the couple that chooses divorce or encourage
people to remain in abusive or unhealthy relationships. The goal is to
establish positive ways for government to support healthy marriages. Right
now, however, state efforts to promote two-parent families are lacking. Just
1 percent of total TANF expenditures are made to promote healthy marriages.

The limited attention paid to marriage by states is due in part to the lack
of knowledge about how to establish and implement successful family
formation programs. One resource for ideas is the Oklahoma Marriage
Initiative, started with an extensive survey of its citizens on marriage and
divorce. Once needs were identified, Oklahoma trained hundreds of volunteers
to provide free marriage and relationship education workshops.

Because Florida is such a culturally diverse state, we need to begin by
conducting a solid research survey as well. This survey will give us a firm
foundation to establish measurable goals for a Florida marriage initiative.
We also need to identify reliable, research-based educational materials for
teaching couples the kinds of skills, attitudes and actions that make for
marital success.

PREP (Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program) is considered by many
as one of the most comprehensive and well-respected programs of its kind for
couples. Additionally, since about 75 percent of marriages are conducted in
a church, synagogue or other religious institutions, these entities need to
be involved in any marriage initiative. A number of clergy in cities across
the nation have united to create what some call "community marriage
covenants," which establish minimum standards if a couple wants to be
married in a church or synagogue in that city.

Florida's 9,000 plus congregations offer a wealth of human and financial
resources that can be mobilized to help couples considering marriage or
struggling in marriage. Specifically, faith groups are strategically
positioned to provide premarital and marital counseling, and training of
mentoring couples to assist young couples during the crucial first years of
marriage. Gov. Jeb Bush is willing to tackle this sensitive and important
issue facing Florida's families. We should welcome and support his efforts
to build strong marriages in our state.
 

Mark W. Merrill serves as co-chairman of Gov. Jeb Bush's Building Florida's
Families Transition Team and is president of Family First
(www.familyfirst.net), an independent, nonprofit research and communications
organization.

#####################
 
 

######################

Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2003

- COMMUNITY COALITIONS:

> Hi Diane,
> My wife and I attended the Smart Marriages conference in Reno. Our first time.
> Great! Thanks for spearheading this excellent and much-needed movement.
>
> I was very intrigued by what's happening as groups are forming community
> coalitions to sponsor Marriage and Family Initiatives and receiving federal
> grant money to do it.
>
> I remember that a few initiatives are already successfully underway. Could you
> e-mail me some contact numbers so I could speak with organizers to see how the
> programs started and are proceeding?
>
> Pastor Bruce Latshaw
> Vineyard Christian Fellowship
> Landenberg, PA
Blatshaw@xxxxxxx

Your FIRST step for getting information and assistance on starting a healthy
marriage initiative in your community should be to visit the HHS/ACF website
at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/key.html.  Click on Healthy Marriage and follow
the directions for asking a question...and then simply ask them for
Technical Assistance.  You MUST ask for their help - they aren't going to
contact you until you do this. (This help is free - you paid on April 15th.
;))

Second, go to the web site http://www.smartmarriages.com and click on
Directory of Programs. Then click on State and Community Initiatives.
If any of you have an initiative and would like to be listed on this page,
send me your listing.

And, Third, I'm sure some of you on the list will contact Pastor Latshaw.

-  diane

########################
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000

LEADERSHIP GRANTS:

>> Leadership for a Changing World
>>
>> During the next three years the Ford Foundation, working with the Advocacy
>> Institute, will make 60 grants of $130,000 each to support the work of
>> leaders who are attacking tough social problems in their communities. Because
>> one goal is to identify and support leaders who are not widely known outside
>> the communities within which they work, the program is built around a
>> nominations process open to anyone who knows such a leader. Nominations must
>> be submitted by mail and the deadline for the consideration in the first year
>> is January 5, 2001.
>>
>> Full information including detailed answers to many questions about the
>> program and the nomination packet is online at http://leadershipforchange.org
>>
>> The nomination packet and other information may also be obtained by writing
>>
>> Leadership for a Changing World Advocacy Institute 1629 K Street, NW, Suite
>> 200 Washington, DC 20006-1629
>>
######################

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003

- ACF GRANT REVIEW POSITIONS:

Diane,
Know you're busy but the acf web site is a labyrinth. Any advice how to find
the info on the marriage education grant reviewer position.
Ed

When you get to the website: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/programreview
click on "Before you begin" under call for grant reviewers.  That walks you
through the application process.  Indicate marriage and family specialty and
also indicate the parenting education specialty.  There are two child
welfare and marriage proposed grants:

2003C.4 Training for Healthy Marriage and Family Formation and

2003D.4 Projects to Develop Programs to Strengthen Marriages

There is also a proposal to schools of Social Work - can get up to $200,000
to develop a marriage education curriculum.  Contact Bill Coffin to get help
in locating this info.  bcoffin@xxxxxxxxxxx

- diane
#######################

subject: Does Your Town Have a Healthy Marriage Initiative? - 4/17/03

from: Smart Marriages®

Ethics & Religion
April 16, 2003 Column #1,129

Does Your Town Have a Healthy Marriage Initiative?
By Michael J. McManus

The Senate is considering two major bills proposed by President Bush that
would strengthen marriage - both of which have been passed by the House.
They deserve support.

"Instead of lowering taxes little by little, the Congress should do it all
at once and give our economy the boost it needs," the President said
Wednesday. "Instead of gradually reducing the marriage penalty, we should do
it now." The Rose Garden crowd applauded. "Instead of slowly raising the
child credit from $600 to $1,000, we should do it now."   More applause.

"A family of four with an income of $40,000 would receive a 96 percent
reduction in federal income taxes. Instead of paying $1,178 per year, the
family would pay $45 a year. That means extra money in the family budget
year after year. That money can cover a lot of bills."

Beyond the economic reasons are moral ones.

Each year, more and more married couples have to pay a "marriage penalty" -
extra federal income taxes they would not pay as single adults.  Compared to
cohabiting couples with the same income, 25 million married couples pay an
extra $1,400 just because they are married.

Tom McClusky of the Family Research Council comes from a large Irish family,
which he decided to research. Of 13 couples among brothers, sisters, and
cousins, ten are married and had 24 children. They are teachers, lawyers,
factory workers, cashiers, book editors and even a professional wind surfer.

They were paying an average tax penalty of $1,493, "simply for saying "I
do."  However, two unmarried, cohabiting couples save 29 percent. "If the
couple expecting a baby this summer were to save that money for the first 18
years of their child's life, they could save enough to pay for his college,"
McClusky wrote in a column.

"Two McClusky couples who decided living together was cheaper than getting
married save hundreds of dollars a year.  Is this the `congratulations' that
the President and Congress want to send to my cousin about to be wed?  `Get
married, we will penalize you...but if you break tradition and simply live
together, you'll be living large.'"

No wonder marriage rates have plummeted 39 percent since 1970 and
cohabitation has soared ten-fold. There are now twice as many couples living
outside of marriage today - as get married in an entire year.

I predict that if the president's marriage friendly tax legislation passes,
that the number of cohabiting couples will stop growing and actually shrink,
and the marriage rate will increase.

The second major bill that would strengthen marriage is welfare reform.
When passed in 1996, Sen. Pat Moynihan said it was "the most brutal act of
social policy since Reconstruction." Actually, it pushed the poverty rate of
black children and single mothers to an historic low.

However, the number of babies born out-of-wedlock has continued to rise.
Therefore, the President's new welfare reform includes $300 million to
promote marriage. It can be spent on teaching relationship skills to high
schoolers, premarital education and marriage skills training, divorce
reduction programs and even "marriage mentoring programs which use married
couples as role models and mentors in at-risk communities."

"The ultimate antidote to chronic welfare is marriage," says Wendy Wright of
Concerned Women for America. "Children fare better under marriage than
welfare. Married women are healthier and happier. Marriage strengthens men
and lifts women out of poverty."

However, it is important to note that the $300 million can be spent to
promote marriage of all couples, not just among the poor. My wife and I have
worked with the clergy of more than 100 cities to create Community Marriage
Policies in which churches require much more rigorous marriage preparation,
and train mentor couples to meet with both those preparing for marriage and
those whose marriages are in crisis.

The result is that divorce rates have been slashed in half in such cities as
Austin, Kansas City, KS, El Paso and Modesto, CA. However, some cities saw
an increase in their divorce rate. A key variable is whether there was staff
to train mentors and get more churches involved.

Federal funds could pay for such staff   but only if a city develops a
comprehensive "Healthy Marriage Initiative" that will help the poor as well
as the middle class. Religious leaders will have to form a coalition with
government and non-profit agencies serving the poor to do so.

To learn more, click on www.acf.hhs.gov/key.html.

The President's welfare reform with a marriage initiative is likely to pass
in June. The funds could be available within months.  But is your community
even investigating how to apply?

Copyright   2003 Michael J. McManus

Michael J. McManus
Ethics & Religion column
Founder & President
Marriage Savers
301 469-5873
Website: marriagesavers.org

#####################
So many of you have asked exactly how to make your first contact with the
Administration for Children and Families at Health and Human Services
(HHS/ACF) to request guidance on building and funding a community marriage
initiative, and I anticipate that this article will generate lots of
interest, so I want to repeat that information:

As Mike says above, go to:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/key.html

Scroll down the page and click on 'Healthy Marriage'

Then click on the 'Ask a Question tab'.

Select 'Healthy Marriage Initiative' as your category.

For your question, ask something like:

"How can I receive technical assistance and support in creating a healthy
marriage community initiative?"

In the comments box be sure to include your name, phone number and address
and give ACF a brief idea of who you are and what you're up to.  Tell them
about any community sectors (faith-based, education, welfare, fatherhood,
minority, business, courts, etc) might be interested in working with you to
strengthen marriage. Tell them if you've already attended one or more Smart
Marriages conferences, or if you plan to attend this year (note that several
keynotes, institutes and workshops at Reno Smart Marriages will focus on
community building/capacity creating workshops and there will also be
opportunities to meet with ACF staff.)  Tell them if you are trained in
certain marriage/family education programs. Tell them if you have already
attended one of the free grant-writing workshops (see below).

If you're working alone, or just getting started, that's fine, contact them
anyway. They are interested in identifying people in communities across the
country that have a passion for working on strengthening marriages and
families.

Asking for technical assistance is is the first step in the process. This is
free help - you paid on April 15th.

You should also definitely be planning to attend one of the FREE Grant
Writing workshops.  I'll paste here messages I've sent to the list about
these grant writing workshops:
 

> subject: FREE GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS BY HHS - 11/6/02
> from: Smart Marriages®
>
> This is just what lots of you are looking for - a grant writing workshop
> presented by the Department of Health and Human Services. And it's FREE. And,
> it's being offered at locations across the country. This is presented by the
> Dept of Substance Abuse and Mental Health but don't let that deter you - the
> info will be useful for any grant application.
>
> I'm pasting the press release below, or for a nicely formatted copy, go to
> their web site:
> http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/021104ma_faithbased.htm
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> November 4, 2002
> CONTACT: Shelly Burgess
> Phone: 301-443-8956
>
> SAMHSA Hosts Grant-Writing and Technical Assistance For Grassroots
> Faith
> and Community Groups
>
> Faith-based and community organizations have a long history of providing
> essential services to people in need in the United States.  In recognition
> of the unique ability that these organizations have to meet the special
> needs of their communities, the Bush Administration has made it a priority
> to improve funding opportunities for faith-based and community
> organizations. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
> (SAMHSA) will hold a series of workshops to help remove unnecessary barriers
> that may prevent these organizations from receiving federal funding.
>
> These grant-writing workshops are being held for small, faith-based and
> community groups in communities throughout the U.S. Participants will
> receive hands-on training in:
>
> *       Writing an application and understanding the grant process
> *       Matching project ideas to funding sources
> *       Developing a budget
> *       Establishing an evaluation plan
>
> Participants will also receive the manual, "Developing Successful SAMHSA
> Grant Applications," on which the training is based.
>
> Workshop conference locations, dates and registration contacts:
>
> Los Angeles, CA April , 2003    James Hernandez, 916-443-5473
>
> Tucson, AZ      May  2003       Dave Vallo, 916-920-0731
>
> Austin, TX      May 1-3 Trish Merrill, 512-476-2896
>
> San Francisco, CA    May 21-23       David Yomemoto, 415-541-9404
>

And, here is a testimonial from a newslist subscriber describing the
experience of attending:

> Diane, I thought I'd give the list a perspective on the Free Grant Writing
> Workshop that I attended in New Haven, CT.
>
> The workshop was well run and had a lot of great information on how to
> write grants, how you should be organized (from business and tax points of
> view), examples of good grant applications and not so good applications,
> grant language, where to find other than Federal monies, how to collaborate
> with other organizations and a lot more.  The focus was on Substance Abuse
> and Mental Health.  Marriage, per se, was not a topic of this forum.
> However, I asked a lot of marriage questions and got a lot of good
> information as well as networking contacts.  The meeting had about 150
> participants of which about 8 of us were marriage centric in focus.  So, if
> one wants to learn about grants and grant writing, this is an excellent
> class.  If one wants to hear mostly about marriage efforts this may not be
> for you.  If one is interested in grants and the applicability to marriage
> and is willing to ask questions, it could be very useful.  For me the
> networking within the state was well worth the experience!
> Jerry Serfass
> Forever One Marriage Learning Center

Also, here is a post from a past newsletter about Community Marriage
Initiative Capacity Building at the Smart Marriages Conference:

> CAPACITY BUILDING AT SMART MARRIAGES:
> We will offer special HHS/ACF workshops on capacity building - and on what
> HHS/ACF means by that and how to do it.  In a nutshell, they mean developing
> working networks/relationships/coalitions/collaborations in your community
> across and between sectors (faith-based, community and welfare agencies,
> courts, schools, civic groups, businesses, elected officials, extension,
> etc.)  You don't have to have ALL of these sectors involved - but the more
> the "marrier".
>
> Wade Horn, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, and his Deputy for
> Marriage, Chris Gersten, will present keynote sessions on the President's
> Marriage Initiative and on capacity building.  We'll also feature workshops
> that will demonstrate exemplary models and programs and we will feature, for
> the first time, a one-day training institute by Julie Baumgardner and Rosario
> Slack on their Chattanooga First Things First Community Collaboration model.
> You'll leave this Monday, June 30th session, as a trained "community marriage
> organizer" with all kinds of materials to help get your community networked.
>
> TAPES FOR BUILDING CAPACITY:
> I also encourage you to listen to as many audio tapes from past conferences on
> capacity-building and community organizing as you have time for - the more
> knowledge you have the better positioned you will be.  Get the "Movers and
> Shakers: Community Organizers" tape set  or order individual tapes for $11
> each - to order, go to: http://archives.his.com/smartmarriages/msg02012.html
or call 800-241-7785.

- diane

######################
Subject: GRANT reminder/Call for Couples/Inspiration/Joke  - 7/7/03

from: Smart Marriages®

- FREE, HIGHLY-RATED GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS - DON'T MISS!
- COST OF DIVORCE STUDY
- AND, IF YOU CAN'T WRITE A GRANT
- MARRIAGE EDUCATION CLASSES AS GIFTS??
- INFIDELITY SERIES:
- MARRIAGE SURVIVAL DOCUMENTARY
- MARRIAGE RESOURCE CENTERS
- 20th  ANNIVERSARY INSPIRATION:
- LOS ANGELES: LOW SEX COUPLES?
- DO YOU KNOW YOUR SPOUSE?

#################

Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003

- FREE, HIGHLY-RATED GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS - DON'T MISS!

This is to REMIND you of the remaining dates for the grant writing seminars.

These seminars, presented by The Institute for Youth Development (IYD) and
funded by U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, are intended to help
you (faith-based and community organizations) write high-quality,
successful applications for federal grants. The training includes general
information on the federal funding process, guidance on researching grants,
writing tips and an introduction to program evaluation.  If you attend the
seminars, the presenters will help you as you work on the grant - give you
feedback, guidance.  If you don't attend one of the seminars, they will not
be able to help you!

And, as Chris Gersten pointed out in the closing Marriage Initiative Rally
at the Reno Smart Marriages conference, when it comes to applying for the
healthy marriage initiative money, knowing how to write the grant can be as
important as knowing how to provide the services. Even if you've sent one
person from your team, send another. Strength in numbers!

> Atlanta, GA     July 17-18
> Tampa, FL     July 21-22
> Milwaukee, WI     July 31-August 1
> Columbus, OH     August 14-15
> Raleigh, NC     August 28-29
> Lynchburg, VA     September 11-12
> Madison, WI     September 25-16
>
> http://www.youthdevelopment.org/register.asp

I strongly advise you to attend, even if you think you might not be
interested.  You might be invited to be part of a community coalition and/or
after you attend, to develop one.

Julie Baumgardner of First Things First Chattanooga attended one of the
sessions and said "It was top-notch, wonderful, practical,
easy-to-understand and helpful."  She encourages all of you to get to one of
these training sessions.

> Registration for all conferences will be on a first-come, first-served basis
> with pre-registration required.
>
> If you have questions, contact Betty Barrett at IYD (phone (703)
> 471-8750 ext 132; fax (703) 471-8409.

I also strongly encourage you to get the Community Healthy Marriage
Initiative tapes from Smart Marriages Reno conference that would include the
following:

316
Building Capacity
Julie Baumgardner, MS, Rozario Slack, MDiv, Sandra Bender, PhD, Mark
Eastburg, PhD
Learn strategies used in Chattanooga, Cleveland, and Grand Rapids to build
coalitions across sectors to create readiness for implementing the
President*s Healthy Marriage Initiative.

410
Research & Evaluation: The Basics
Rita DeMaria, PhD, Scott Gardner, PhD
Anyone doing marriage education should be tracking results and measuring
outcome. Learn the basic tools and concepts you need to get started.

414
Reviving Marriage in the Black Community
Nisa Muhammad, Rozario Slack, MDiv
African Americans are the most unpartnered group in world. Learn what works
- and doesn*t - to turn things around.

416
Oklahoma: Leading the Way
Howard Hendrick, JD, Scott Stanley, PhD, George Young, DMin, Mary Myrick
Lessons from this multi-sector initiative that uses TANF funds to strengthen
marriage and reduce divorce. Training models, evaluation, faith-based and
school programs.

508
The Marriage Scholar Wars: The Effects of Family Structure
Norval Glenn, PhD, Tom Sylvester
Research indicates that marriage benefits adults and children, but the
skeptics are not convinced. Understand the disagreements and be better
equipped to talk with journalists, policymakers and funders.

516
Partner With Cooperative Extension: Create Capacity
Barbara Petty, MS, Francesca Adler-Baeder, PhD, Millie Ferrer, PhD, Anna Mae
Kobbe, PhD
This vast network of educators and researchers offers exciting programs and
obvious partners for your community, marriage-strengthening,
coalition-building efforts.

608
The Refugee Family: From Surviving to Thriving
George Doub, MDiv, Ana Morante, MA
Learn how to work with the tragedy, isolation and cultural challenges facing
these families by helping them identify their strengths, maintain their
identity, renegotiate roles and connect with community supports.

609
TLC For African American Couples
Pat Dixon, PhD, MBA, Khalil Osiris, MA
TLC-Talking & Listening With Care - is a culturally specific 3-step program
to help African American couples resolve conflicts and communicate
effectively. For faith, community & academic settings.

613
Marriage & Relationship Skills: Doing Time
Ron Grant, MDiv, Jo Anne Eason,
Explore the use of the PREP program with a prison population that combines
classes inside and faith-based partnerships and follow-up after release.

616
Grant Writing and Evaluation
Shepherd Smith, Aaron Larson, Mike Fishman, Francesca Adler-Bader, PhD
Understand the fine points of grant writing and program evaluation in order
to qualify for government Community Healthy Marriage Initiative grants.

707
Caring for My Family: To Marry, or Not to Marry?
Karen Shirer, PhD, Jody Spicer, Dawn Contreras, PhD
This structured, skill-based program was designed to help never-married,
welfare couples set goals and assess what*s best for them and their child
regarding marriage or ongoing father involvement.

716
Community Healthy Marriage Initiatives
Bill Coffin, MA, Aaron Larson, Mike Fishman
Ask your questions and get guidance to help you develop and refine your
strategic plan and grant application.

816
Marriage Week USA
Brent Barlow, PhD, Julie Baumgardner, MA, Jason Krafsky
Now is the time to begin planning for Marriage Week 2004. Learn how to turn
this Valentine*s week celebration into an event that will mobilize your
community. Come prepared to share.
 

To e-newslist ARCHIVE. Search for "grant"  "ACF" "Community Marriage Initiative" or for specifics "Cleveland" "Orange County" "Grand Rapids" etc.

Back to Grants info page

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