NOTE: Contact your local office to discuss your specific project. Applications for this program are accepted year round.

What does this program do?

This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

What is an eligible area?

Rural areas including cities, villages, townships and towns including Federally Recognized Tribal Lands with no more than 20,000 residents according to the latest U.S. Census Data are eligible for this program.

How may funds be used?

Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.

Examples of essential community facilities include:

• Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
• Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements.
• Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing.
• Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment.
• Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools.
• Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment.
• Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses.

Grant Approval

Applicant must be eligible for grant assistance, which is provided on a graduated scale with smaller communities with the lowest median household income being eligible for projects with a higher proportion of grant funds. Grant assistance is limited to the following percentages of eligible project costs:

Maximum of 75 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 5,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 60 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 55 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 12,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 70 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 35 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 80 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 15 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 90 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income. The proposed project must meet both percentage criteria. Grants are further limited.

Shelby County Community Health Foundation Grant

The Shelby County Community Health Foundation is committed to the development and support of programs that improve the health and well-being of people and communities in Shelby County Alabama. Our mission is also to encourage increased efficiency and quality of health services in the community.

Funding Priorities

The Shelby County Community Health Foundations funding priorities are as follows:

• Projects and programs that emphasize preventative health care and creative ways of solving long-standing health and wellness concerns;
• Health related education services and programs for children and youth;
• Substance abuse prevention – drugs and alcohol;
• Support for the existing Shelby County health care programs administered by the Shelby County Health Department , Chilton-Shelby Mental Health Board, Emergency Medical Service Units, inmate care and patient services at Shelby Baptist Medical Center, including individuals referred by the court system; and
• Organizations are encouraged to propose collaborations and partnerships with others and to demonstrate the coordination of services and cooperation of agencies.

Grants awarded from the Stringfellow Health Fund are designated for healthcare purposes and are restricted to 501(c)(3) qualified public charities operating in the nine-county area which includes: Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Randolph, St. Clair and Talladega counties. Projects must focus on: health, education, prevention & direct services. 

The Foundation welcomes grant applications which focus in the following areas:

• Preventable health issues, risks or diseases;
• Advocacy or education with a focus on health to the community or targeted populations;
• Serving clients with chronic or acute health conditions;
• Strengthening organizational capacity to provide or deliver healthcare services;
• Serving clients with mental or physical disabilities;
• Improvements to community health and well-being. 

About the Fund

Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama grants are made from a number of funds designated for specific purposes stated in their fund Guidelines. The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees is responsible for making the final decision on all grants awarded. The board makes every effort to assess and prioritize the needs of the community. This effort is accomplished through collaboration with the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) which identifies and/or compares 141 quality of life indicators for the region served by the Foundation, county and for individual cities. 

Snook Foundation Grant

Our mission is to provide funding for scholarships, promote health care, contribute to civic organizations for the general public, enhance school facilities and provide increased educational opportunities.

Over the last two decades, the foundation has provided funding for scholarships, promoted health care, contributed to civic organizations, enhanced school facilities and educational programs, and increased educational opportunities. We have expanded our goals and provided assistance in times of natural disasters, helped open the doors to numerous fitness, health, and medical centers, and provided a large umbrella of educational assistance with funding for libraries, historical organizations and local afterschool programs.

On the humanitarian side, the foundation has moved to help local nonprofit organizations that specialize in aide and assistance to our local residents. We have provided funding for local food banks, first responders, programs for veterans, and numerous other worthy agencies and organizations.

Our goal at The Snook Foundation is to continue to grow, support and provide to the numerous organizations that strive to open doors and lend assistance to the residents of Baldwin County. We will continue to evolve, much like our area, and our trustees will examine each grant request on a case-by-case basis. Our hope is to open new avenues and pave the way for current and future generations to succeed on all levels.

NOTE: To view the other grant priority areas for the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, please follow these links:

• Education & Youth Grants
• Community Needs Grants
• Arts, Culture and Community Asset Grants

Daniel Foundation of Alabama: Health Grants

Health

In a state ranked 49th in obesity and 48th in overall healthiness, preventive health measures are an important part of health promotion efforts. These efforts have been recognized as a cost-effective way to identify and treat preventable health problems like diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and heart disease before they develop or worsen. Innovative medical research grants are periodically considered, primarily initiated by the Foundation.

Our priorities:

• Efforts to promote healthy eating and active communities (these efforts go beyond simple access and focus more on in depth programming)
• Preventive health measures
• Programs that provide mental health and counseling services, especially to the underserved

Mission

The mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public's health by providing U.S. researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data.

Purpose

The Emergency Preparedness and Response Award supports projects that address natural disasters and local emergencies in the community, using the phases of preparedness, mitigation, recovery, and response. Natural disasters include weather-related emergencies, drought, flood, hurricanes, and earthquakes. Examples of local emergencies include hate crimes, intimate partner violence, and gun violence/shooting. Applicants are encouraged to design their projects using a community-centered model to promote awareness, preparedness, education, training, and safety coordination to improve responses to natural disasters and local emergencies.

Potential Project Ideas

Proposals directed at planning, mitigating, responding, and recovering from disaster and emergency events or reducing and preventing harm from hate, discrimination, and violence, such as:

• Integrating and promoting NLM’s disaster-related resources, services, and tools into educational program or continuity plans.
• Evaluating and improving preparedness plans, programs, or policies.
• Developing audits or evaluation process to determine readiness to respond to a disaster.
• Preparing organizations to effectively prepare for and/or respond to disasters.
• Hosting a summit to unite emergency planners and librarians to improve disaster preparedness and response capabilities.
• Training individuals, professionals, and communities to find disaster health, emergency preparedness and response information resources.
• Developing response tools that contribute to the continuity of health information-based services and operations.
• Providing education and professional development on disaster preparedness and response topics.
• Collaborating with external partner(s) such as the libraries, community, faith-based, and volunteer organizations, hospitals, and first responders to develop programs or engage in joint exercises that enhance coordination of resources in response, to develop community response in creative ways.
• Initiating a “blessing box” and/or community fridge program to support community members.

Mission

The mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public's health by providing U.S. researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data.

Purpose

The Exhibit Award provides funding to exhibit at local, regional, national meetings, summits and conferences for health professionals, information professionals and health consumers. Exhibiting provides an opportunity to promote NLM products, Region 2 programs and/or Region 2 membership.

Award funding covers registration and booth fees, travel and per diems, communication costs, equipment rental and associated costs for the exhibit. 

Potential Project Ideas

Collaborate with Region 2 Regional Medical Library, another Region 2 individual member, and/or a national NNLM office or center to co-exhibit at a:

• State library or public health association meeting
• State or regional public health association meeting
• State or local LGBTQIA+ health event
• Local health fair/expo
• State or local health professional meeting
• Tribal community event
• Remote Area Medical (RAM) event

Mission

The mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public's health by providing U.S. researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data.

Purpose

The Health Information Outreach Award provides funding for projects that seek to improve health information literacy by either increasing the public’s ability to find and use health information, or by improving health professionals’ access to, awareness of, and ability to locate high quality biomedical health information.  

Potential Project Ideas

• Training health professionals in the use of electronic health information resources, with an emphasis on NLM databases and NNLM resources.  
• Placing internet-accessible computers in locations where they can be used to research health information needs such as free clinics, community health centers, etc.  
• Improving access to health information and information technology for groups without adequate access to library and information services.  
• Evaluating health information and training needs of a target audience and implementing a training plan for that audience.  
• Creating programs on locating and evaluating consumer health information found on the Internet.  
• Incorporating NLM resources into new or existing health programs.   
• Developing educational materials using NLM resources for educators/teachers.  
• Starting train-the-Trainer projects that enhance the skills of library/organization staff to train a target population on locating and evaluating health information.

Mission

The mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public's health by providing U.S. researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data.

Purpose

The Innovation Impact Award supports new projects that involve creative program improvement and seek to enhance health information outreach. These innovative projects may not fit squarely into the other award categories for Region 2. However, projects awarded in this category will still align with our larger funding objectives of enhancing the community’s access to health information resources, improving defined health literacy skills, and building community members’ confidence to make informed decisions regarding their health. The approach to these projects may be unique but will have the potential to make a large impact from their distinctive project design.

Potential Project Ideas

• Purchase software or hardware to improve operations in community organizations, health service organizations, libraries, or academic institutions in order to serve their constituents better.
• Pilot a reading group using the materials from the NNLM Reading Club about a prevalent health topic.
• Develop a more accessible and/or culturally inclusive collection of materials (ex: Spanish language, books by diverse authors, graphic novels about health issues, large print books).
• Form a mentoring group and schedule a professional development week for young people related to health issue. This program could integrate an educational component. Recruit adult mentors to support the program.