Brother, Help Thyself accepting new grant applications on June 15
Nonprofit support organization also notes changes in this year's application process
Brother, Help Thyself (BHT), the organization providing support for nonprofits dealing with the LGBT community and HIV/AIDS prevention, announced on Tuesday that it will start accepting applications for its 2015 grant cycle on Monday, June 15. That’s when the 2015 application will go live on BHT’s website, and all those interested in applying for a grant may do so at that time.
But there are some changes from last year’s application that prior recipients may not recognize. BHT’s grant committee previously proposed a number of changes to the application process, with the intent of making it more efficient. As such, applicants who have received grants in the past are advised to read the new directions and changes to the process carefully.
“The goal of these modifications is to maximize the community impact of our grant program, with a priority for assisting our grantees in developing quality programs, both in terms of their aims as well as in their execution,” BHT Grants Chair Brendan Raden said in a statement. “A secondary goal is to provide additional attention and assistance to new organizations, something we all know is critical to the success of new nonprofits, whether newly formed or new to us.”
BHT also held two town hall meetings in April of this year — one in Baltimore and another in D.C. — that were aimed at obtaining feedback from community members and grant applicants, in the hope of incorporating that feedback into the application process. That process typically involves extensive interviews with applicants that cover their needs, the details of any ongoing programs, and records of where grant money given in previous cycles was spent, as well as how much is left over. Since 1978, BHT has awarded 1,010 grant totaling $2.95 million to various D.C. and Baltimore-based nonprofits. At this year’s grant awards ceremony in January, the organization gave out more than $81,000 to 26 nonprofits.
“The changes being implemented are not all intended to hinder applicants’ ability to compete for grants,” said Jim Slattery, BHT’s president. For those requesting a grant again this year, my colleagues and I are excited to see the evolution of their programs over the past year, and for those new to BHT, we look forward to learning about their programs and operations.”
For more information on Brother, Help Thyself, or to access the grant application, visit brotherhelpthyself.org.
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