The Juneau Community Foundation and the City and Borough of Juneau recently formed a partnership to oversee allocation of the city’s Social Service Block Grants, formerly distributed by CBJ’s Social Services Advisory Board. The block grants, which provide funding for proposals that address significant social service needs in Juneau, will now be managed by the Foundation in coordination with its Juneau Hope Endowment Fund, which also targets local social service needs.
JCF executive director Amy Skilbred said the foundation’s partnership with the city is part of an ongoing dialogue with Juneau service providers about ensuring we in Juneau are efficient in allocating limited social service resources and effective in coordinating efforts organized around common goals.
“Social service agencies work day-in and day-out to provide services, alleviate suffering, and assist those in need. Combining these funds in one common application and process makes it easier for agencies to apply for funding. At the same time the Foundation is bringing organizations and people together in these areas to begin to define community priorities,” she said.
Block grants are allocated for general areas of focus, such as social services, that cover a wide range of community needs. The CBJ grants, funded in part through the city’s tobacco tax, are structured to respond to needs identified in community assessments conducted by the McDowell Group in 2005 and 2010 for the United Way: health, education, and income stability.
Letters of interest for the block grants and the Juneau Hope Endowment Fund will be accepted through Dec. 30. Letter of Interest Forms will be posted on the Foundation’s website by Wednesday, and Grant applications by mid-January. Applications are due by March 7. A public meeting is scheduled for Jan. 18 to address questions applicants may have about the block grants, the Hope Endowment Fund, and the application process.
Skilbred said approximately $820,000 in the block grant funding will be distributed in coordination with the Juneau Hope Endowment Fund, a $1,000,000 fund distributed annually. The Hope Endowment Fund, first distributed in April 2015, targets six areas of need in Juneau — suicide prevention, hospice, substance abuse, homelessness, mental health, and relief for victims of abuse – and is open to non-profit organizations, government entities, and schools.
For more about the Social Service Block Grants and the Hope Endowment Fund, visit www.juneaucf.org or call Amy Skilbred at the Juneau Community Foundation, 523-5450.
