2009 Family Strengthening Opportunity Award - Application Materials

National Council of La Raza (NCLR)/Annie E. Casey Foundation 2009 Family Strengthening Awards Program

Opportunity Award Application Overview Please review all of the following information before completing the application.

FAMILY STRENGTHENING AWARDS PROGRAM OVERVIEW The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) believe that in order for children to have the opportunities necessary to achieve and grow up in a healthy environment, their families must have access to services and social networks that strengthen their ability to provide for and nurture them. The factors necessary to strengthen families include opportunities to work, earn a decent living, and build assets; social networks that help isolated families link with friends and neighbors as well as social, civic, and religious institutions; and accessible and responsive public services, such as good health care, decent schools, and fair and effective law enforcement. NCLR s network of Affiliate organizations plays a key role in providing Latino families with the tools and resources they need to take advantage of the opportunities that this nation has to offer them. To recognize these efforts, NCLR and AECF have partnered to reward those community-based organizations that help improve outcomes for families by connecting them to the trustworthy and responsive resources they need to succeed.

Through its Family Strengthening Awards Program, NCLR has selected three Affiliates which have demonstrated how their holistic programs make an impact on Latino families in their communities. The award-winning Affiliates will work with NCLR to document and disseminate their best practices and, to this end, offer NCLR Affiliates the opportunity to participate in onsite training sessions as well as access to a one-time opportunity award to further their learning about family strengthening and/or initiate the replication of the family strengthening program for which they attended the training session.

OPPORTUNITY AWARD NCLR will offer one Family Strengthening Opportunity Award of $5,000 to NCLR Affiliates that participate in the 2009 Family Strengthening Awards workshop at the NCLR Annual Conference in Chicago or Affiliates that participate in the peer-to-peer training sessions.

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Selection Process A separate panel of up to three judges, selected by senior NCLR management and composed of NCLR staff, will review and recommend applications. Judges will be looking for evidence that the Affiliate has embraced family strengthening concepts and approaches and has a concrete plan for how to proceed in implementing or expanding its family strengthening commitment.

Eligibility Criteria Eligible nominees must have been affiliated with NCLR for a minimum of one year, have participated in at least one 2009 Family Strengthening Awards peer-to-peer training session or in the 2009 Family Strengthening Awards workshop at the NCLR Annual Conference in Chicago, and be up-to-date in their dues payments and recertification documents (including the signed General Member Memorandum of Understanding, board of directors list, and audited financial statements). Please contact Mauricio Hernandez (mhernandez@nclr.org) at NCLR to ensure that the Affiliate organization is in good standing before submitting the application materials.

Application Process Complete applications will be due no later than Friday, November 20, 2009. Eligible Affiliates may apply for the award by submitting the following information: 1. A completed Family Strengthening Action Plan that demonstrates concrete plans for implementing at least one of seven family strengthening strategies described below. A maximum of 60 points will be awarded for the action plan portion of the application (see ATTACHMENT A).

Family Strengthening Strategies i. Asset Development: Assistance with asset development options by the NCLR Affiliate, including saving plans, individual development accounts (IDAs), credit counseling and credit repair, access to subsidized transportation options and car ownership, access to affordable rental housing and homeownership, education about money-wise shopping alternatives for goods and services, and education about community resources that assist families in avoiding payment-related disruptions such as utility shut-offs, repossessions, evictions, and foreclosures ii. Community Resource Connections: A commitment by the Affiliate to actively engage in its local community by learning about and forming working relationships with other local NCLR Affiliates, community-based organizations, and other social, human, recreational, and financial organizations that can contribute to families economic, health, educational, recreational, and social success iii. Financial Education: A contribution by the NCLR Affiliate to the financial education and asset-building capacity of families by offering one or more of the following: providing financial education classes, or incorporating financial education into life skills or employability skills training; participating in local coalitions that promote the Earned Income Tax Credit, other favorable tax provisions, and the use of free tax preparation sites available to families; hosting free tax preparation services at one or more of its facilities, or encouraging staff to volunteer at free tax preparation 2

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sites in other community locations; taking steps to educate families about the advantages of opening checking and savings bank accounts versus using check cashing offices; urging families to use free tax preparation sites and electronic tax filing versus using Refund Anticipation Loans (RAL); and providing other financial education and information to families Financial Commitment: A financial commitment to family strengthening as exhibited by the dedication of Affiliate or other financial resources to support family strengthening activities, including the development of outreach materials, assessment instruments, resource guides, and specific program activities; the hosting of familycentered programs or offices; and the hosting of family strengthening events such as community development initiatives Health and Well-Being: A commitment by the Affiliate to help increase access to and quality of health care; improve disease prevention and health education in the Affiliate s local community; improve health workforce development and retention and improve public and private local health infrastructure; combine support through technical collaboration of local and regional health promotion and disease prevention activities, with efforts to increase the understanding of, and appreciation for, effective and culturally competent strategies through broad dissemination Workforce Development: A commitment to offer short-, mid-, and long-term followup, retention, and advancement support for individuals and their families, including mentoring and peer support activities; continuing training and education opportunities; career and career ladder counseling; and assistance with advanced job searches for those seeking expanded opportunities Youth Development: A commitment to provide direct services to youth, and in most cases, to assist both the youth and their family members with educational, financial and social well-being, including through educational activities such as charter schools and tutoring, after-school educational and recreational activities, summer programs, mentoring, career guidance, job shadowing, career days, community service and volunteering, service learning, referrals to other community resources, college visits, occupational training, and job placements

2. A description of the Family Strengthening Team s composition, including names, titles, description of each individual s role within the NCLR Affiliate, and the rationale for being included as a team member. A maximum of 20 points will be awarded for this portion of the application. Judges will be evaluating team quality and effectiveness based on the presence of decision-makers, the presence of staff from different levels of the organization, and the presence of staff from different divisions and departments within the NCLR Affiliate (see ATTACHMENT B).

3. A letter of commitment from the Affiliate s President, CEO, or Executive Director indicating that the Affiliate s leadership has made a commitment to pursue and promote family strengthening strategies. Letters of commitment will be awarded a maximum of 10 points. Judges will be seeking evidence that the organization s leadership and board of directors support the staff s effort to implement and/or expand family strengthening approaches to service delivery.

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4. A budget that indicates how the requested Opportunity Award will be used to further the Affiliate s progress toward implementing a family strengthening program. Please use the provided budget form (see ATTACHMENT C). A maximum of 10 points will be awarded to the submitted budget.

In an effort to reduce environmental impact, all applications must be submitted via email only.

Please email all your application materials to Mauricio Hernandez at mhernandez@nclr.org

by November 20, 2009. Faxed, mailed, or hand-delivered applications will not be accepted.

Allowable Use of Funds Opportunity Award funds may be used for a variety of activities that the NCLR Affiliate believes can advance its commitment to family strengthening. These activities include: Participation in learning activities about family strengthening, including specific family strengthening approaches Education and training of the Affiliate staff about family strengthening in general and/or about specific family strengthening approaches or strategies Initiation of particular family strengthening activities for program participants, current Affiliate employees, and/or the general public Fundraising to obtain resources to implement one or more family strengthening activities Other activities that promote the integration of family strengthening into the workforce and other components of the organization Application Assistance A voluntary application assistance conference call will be held on October 13 at 3:00 p.m.

EDT. To participate in the call, please RSVP to Mauricio Hernandez at mhernandez@nclr.org.

Contact Mauricio Hernandez at mhernandez@nclr.org or 202-776-1716 with any questions or concerns.

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National Council of La Raza (NCLR)/Annie E. Casey Foundation 2009 Family Strengthening Awards Program

Opportunity Award (ATTACHMENT A) Family Strengthening Action Plan DEADLINE: November 20, 2009 Affiliate Organization: ___________________________________________________________ Family Strengthening Team Leader: ________________________________________________ Family Strengthening Team Members: ______________________________________________ Please complete the following questions for each of the three family strengthening strategies your Family Strengthening Team has selected for adoption and implementation.

1. Name of Family Strengthening Strategy _______________________________________ 2. How will the family strengthening strategy be integrated into your organization and its service delivery system? Provide an estimated date of implementation. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 3. What is the intended impact of the family strengthening strategy? For instance, will you have improved service delivery due to a more comprehensive approach to needs assessments and services? Will the organization have an elevated reputation in your community? Will you have more success attracting donors and grants due to your family strengthening approach? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 5

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

4. List the information that you have identified from literature, site visits, consultations with Family Strengthening Award winners, or NCLR resources that you are using/will use to implement the family strengthening strategy. For instance, cite the ideas that you learned from Family Strengthening Award winners that you can apply to your organization or indicate some of the ideas you read in the Family Strengthening literature that is relevant to your organization s needs and conditions.

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Information _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________

How it will be applied ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________

5. What resources, such as equipment, or staff, will be required for implementation of the program? Please provide a list of individuals within your organization who will provide support for implementation, such as the President/CEO, Vice President, or direct service frontline staff. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

6. What external resources or partners will be needed to implement the strategy? For instance, will you need additional funds to fully implement your strategy? Will you need the cooperation and support of external community partners? How will they be obtained?

Who will be responsible for obtaining them? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

7. What is the estimated cost of implementing this strategy? Specify the existing and new resources that will be needed. For example, will existing staff need to adjust some of their work processes or offer new options to clients, or will new staff be needed? Can you use existing facilities and equipment, or will additional resources be needed? Are there any in-kind costs included? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

8. How will you measure the impact of the family strengthening strategy on the organization and on the families that you serve? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

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NCLR/Annie E. Casey Foundation 2009 Family Strengthening Awards (FSA) Program Opportunity Award (ATTACHMENT B) Family Strengthening Team Composition Form DEADLINE: November 20, 2009 NAME

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TITLE DIVISION/DEPARTMENT

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________

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ROLE WITHIN AFFILIATE ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

REASON FOR TEAM MEMBERSHIP _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________

National Council of La Raza (NCLR)/Annie E. Casey Foundation 2009 Family Strengthening Awards Program

Opportunity Award (ATTACHMENT C) Family Strengthening Budget Form DEADLINE: November 20, 2009 ACTIVITY

AWARD FUNDS

PERSONNEL COSTS: ______________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

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FRINGE BENEFITS AND TAXES: ____________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

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TRAVEL: ________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

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SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS: _______________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

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CONSULTANTS: __________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

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OPERATING EXPENSES: ___________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _____________________ _________________________________________________________ * Please describe briefly each activity or cost.

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