Long
more workshops
United Way of Bradley County Inc. today launched its first of three workshops intended to assist organizations planning to apply for grants through the Bradley Memorial Health Endowment Fund.
The grants are made possible from the 2005 sale of Bradley Memorial Hospital. This is the fifth year Endowment Fund grants have been awarded to area nonprofit organizations that qualify, and that have originated a community program, initiative or service that helps to meet an unmet need in the three specific areas of health care, wellness or quality of life.
Although the first seminar was completed this morning in the Community Room at the Cleveland Bradley Public Library, the same informational material will be presented in hourlong workshops on Thursday, June 28, at 11 a.m., and on Friday, June 29, at 2 p.m.
The final two workshops also will be held at the downtown library.
Organizations planning to apply for an Endowment Fund grant are required to send a representative to one of the three sessions. It is not necessary to attend all of the sessions because the same material is covered in each one, according to Patrick Long, United Way vice president of Community Impact. Also, organizations may limit their representation to one person.
In past years, United Way has hosted the grant workshops at the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce and the Star Center. This year’s events are being held at the library because of its central location, its convenience to most organizations and the crowd capacity of the Community Room.
“A representative from any organization planning to apply for a grant is required to attend one of these sessions,” Long said in a previous news release to the Cleveland Daily Banner. “We are anticipating changes to the application process so it is imperative that any organization with plans to apply have someone in attendance.”
The workshops are open to any applicant, whether or not the organization has been a past recipient of an Endowment Fund grant.
As in past years, and as was the case in today’s opening seminar, the remaining two workshops will include a review of the application in detail; plus, based on time availability, a question-and-answer session will be included in each workshop.
The trio of areas, and a definition of each, for which organizations may apply for program financial support, include:
• Health Care: Programs or projects that serve unmet health care needs in Bradley County regardless of ability to pay.
• Wellness: Programs or projects that educate the Bradley County community about the physical and mental aspects of maitaining and improving personal health.
• Quality of Life: Programs or services that enhance or improve the physical or mental health of the citizens of Bradley County.
The workshops are considered critical by United Way not only because of the informational instruction on how to complete the application process, but also because they will help organizations to understand if their innovative initiative is eligible for funding consideration.
In the past four years, Bradley Memorial Health Endowment Fund grants have provided assistance to 24 separate programs with benefits totaling more than $1.6 million.
This year’s applications will be reviewed in July and August. An announcement identifying grant recipients for 2013 funding will be made in September.
Questions about the grant application process may be directed to Long by calling 423-479-2020, or by sending an e-mail to him at patricklong@unitedwaybc.com.
