Deadline: 11 May 2020
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is inviting applications for funding under the Ethnic Community Self Help (ECSH) Program.
The goal of this program is to support Ethnic Community-Based Organizations (ECBOs) in providing refugee populations with critical services to assist them in becoming integrated members of American society.
Objectives
The goal of the ECSH Program is to support ECBOs in providing refugee populations with critical services to assist them in becoming integrated members of American society. In promotion of this goal, ORR has identified the following three program objectives that must be carried out under the ECSH Program:
- Strengthen Provision of Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services: To strengthen ECBOs’ provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services to refugees within 5 years after their initial resettlement.
- Allowable Activities include, but are not limited to:
- Providing direct services and/or appropriate referrals to address refugee needs in the areas of housing, employment, education, health, and citizenship and naturalization preparation (e.g., employment training, nutrition, social services, English as a Second Language classes, after school and college preparatory programs, and application assistance for adjustment of legal permanent resident status and citizenship status);
- Providing orientation workshops focused on navigating different systems in the United States (e.g., the healthcare, education, and financial systems);
- Educating and informing refugee communities on specific issues that violate U.S. laws and/or impede integration (e.g., female genital cutting, domestic violence, sexual harassment, and child abuse and neglect);
- Promoting emotional and behavioral well-being through non-clinical interventions and psychosocial supports (e.g., suicide prevention, community adjustment groups, support groups, and wellness activities);
- Providing orientation and/or counseling focusing on social adjustment (e.g., conflict resolution, stress management, and family strengthening); and
- Disseminating information on access to community services (e.g., health and mental health services, including health insurance, the importance of preventive health, and available health care coverage).
- Allowable Activities include, but are not limited to:
- Support Organizational Development: To support ECBOs‘ organizational development and engagement in capacity building by encouraging their collaboration with established refugee service providers and mainstream organizations.
- Allowable Activities include, but are not limited to:
- Creating linkages with service providers in an effort to form a collaborative for developing service components in support of newly arrived refugee populations (e.g., providing bilingual staff assistance for women’s shelters);
- Establishing, improving, and strengthening relations with educational, social, and economic institutions, among others (e.g., school districts, local chambers of commerce, and law enforcement entities);
- Coordinating trainings focused on organizational development (e.g., non-profit management and accountability, roles and responsibilities of board members, leadership development, strategic planning, and data management); and
- Providing staff training on issues relevant to refugee service provision (e.g., cultural competency, case management, confidentiality, mandatory reporting, and ethics of interpretation).
- Allowable Activities include, but are not limited to:
- Promote Community Building and Civic Participation: To support ECBOs in promoting community building and civic participation by refugee individuals and refugee community members.
- Allowable Activities include, but are not limited to:
- Conducting outreach activities and providing education and training to refugees around civic engagement, leadership development, and rights awareness (e.g., holding community leadership workshops
- Organizing refugee self-help efforts with the purpose of promoting and achieving economic self-sufficiency and self-determination; and
- Organizing refugees to engage with members of the receiving community (e.g., participating in local service projects; educating key policy and decision makers about the backgrounds, strengths, and needs of refugees).
- Allowable Activities include, but are not limited to:
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $200,000;
- Award Floor: $100,000;
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $2,000,000;
- Length of Project Period: 36-month project period with three 12- month budget periods.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants for refugee programs under the INA section 412(c)(1)(A) are “public and private nonprofit agencies” such as:
- State governments;
- County governments;
- City or township governments;
- Special district governments;
- Independent school districts;
- Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education;
- Native American tribal governments (federally recognized);
- Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments);
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities;
- Non-profits with 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institutions of higher education);
- Non-profits without 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institutions of higher education); and
- Private institutions of higher education.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=321684