Happy May all!
This month kicks off a very active grant season. July and August are some of the busiest months
in the grant world and June is a big prep month. Get ready! It always helps to have things like
budgets and basic demographic information ready to go in advance.
The Sunflower Grant Writers team is skilled at researching and writing everything from
Foundation to Federal grants. Please reach out if we can assist in any way. We are always here
for a free consultation!
Special Days
Do you need a grant for any of these unique opportunities?
May 3: This day gives me the opportunity to feature two of Sunflower’s wonderful clients: World Press Freedom Day: NOISE Omaha
North Omaha Information Support Everyone is a community-led news organization developed
to address the information gap within North Omaha. NOISE is a multimedia platform prioritizing
web and social media while supporting coverage with radio, print, SMS alerts, and events to
make news more accessible. Drawing from current events, direct feedback from their
neighbors, and history, they work to provide content relevant to people’s everyday lives in an
effort to recapture and inform the narrative of North Omaha.
NOISE has three focus areas for news coverage: Civics, Community, and Culture.
Civic news is at the core because they recognize that there is no participatory democracy unless
the citizenry is informed of their rights, the actions of elected officials take in propagating
arrangements, and the impact of policy. Their in-depth coverage of municipal, state, and
federal government works to put civics back in the hands of the people. NOISE’s community
news considers subjects of interest that impact people on a daily basis such as health and well-
being, education, housing, and transportation, most of which connect back to civic awareness.
National Foster Care Day: Foster Love
Foster Love, established in June 2020, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Omaha, Nebraska.
Their mission is to provide basic needs and opportunities for children in foster care, so they feel
confident, empowered, and valued and foster families feel supported.
Amber Richardson, founder and Executive Director, and her husband have been foster and
adoptive parents for 13 years in the Omaha community. The first child they fostered arrived with
a single trash bag containing a few worn-out clothes and a handful of plastic easter eggs considered to be his toys. They were shocked, but they learned over the years that this story was
not unique. From firsthand experience, they have identified a critical need for quality clothing for
children in care— clothing without holes, stains, or damage. Thus, Foster Love was created.
Foster Love offers a unique boutique-like shopping experience where children can shop for
quality clothing, shoes, accessories, and comfort items free of charge.
On any given day there are nearly 438,000 children in foster care and the government invests
less than 50% of what it actually costs to raise a child. We know that clothing will not solve all
the challenges they face, but we believe that when a foster family’s needs are met, confidence
shines within and the children in foster care feel empowered. We want to ensure that every child
has access to the things they need, no matter the circumstance.
May 5: Password Day. It takes up a lot of my time every day to remember all of these.
May 18: International Museum Day
May 21: Armed Forces Day
Fact
If you want to bid on any government contracts, you will need to register with the System for
Award Management (SAM) and obtain a SAM number. SAM is a huge database that includes
every entity that is registered to do business with the federal government. You must first have
an account at Grants.gov to proceed. Your SAM number remains active for 365 days. There is
no cost to register for this number. It is important to start the process well in advance as it can
take several weeks to get your SAM number and complete the process.
Tip
Do Good Days through SHARE Omaha, May 17-19, 2022
Make sure you are a member of SHARE Omaha! www.shareomaha.org. They offer great
benefits all year round and in May, it’s an opportunity to allow the community to donate to
your organization, sign up to volunteer, or donate wish list items during Do Good Days.
Trick
Make sure that your budget makes sense and that the numbers all add up. You’d be surprised
at how many people make basic math errors in this area.
Grant Opportunity
The Building Healthy Futures grant program supports learning for school-age youth by
improving access to quality healthcare. The grant application is due on August 1. Your program
must provide services to students in the Omaha Public School System.
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