NyE Communities Coalition offering grant funding to agencies

Officials at NyE Communities Coalition are seeking area agencies in need of grant funding.

The organization recently announced a Request for Applications after receiving $82,000 from a division of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services for various community programs, addressing the needs of area residents.

The coalition provides services in Lincoln, Esmeralda, and Nye counties.

Deadline for application submissions is Friday, Feb. 29, 2016, by 4 p.m., and there is a no-match requirement.

The first mandatory bidders conference Thursday, Jan. 7, at the Tonopah Convention Center from 9 a.m. to noon. Pahrump will have a bidder's conference at the coalition's campus, 1020 E. Wilson Road, from 9 a.m. to noon on Jan. 11.

"In order to apply, you have to come to one of the mandatory bidders' conferences," said Laura Oslund, Coalition director and community educator.

Oslund said the applicants must meet certain criteria, such as a certified substance abuse prevention and treatment agency to apply.

"They have to be organizations and they have to be a nonprofit because they have to prove that they can handle grant-type funding and understand the processes and everything that goes on," she said.

Though the funds come from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Oslund said organizations can use the money for a variety of services.

She noted the Nye County School District and other area organizations including WestCare routinely apply for the grants.

"This is for prevention programming," she said. "A lot of times when people think about prevention programming, they think it's only for community education, but this fits under community health workers, parenting programs, and juvenile probation when they have youth groups. When we say prevention programming, it does not just mean it's a program that speaks on not committing substance abuse. It can be life skills and anything that improves the overall health of our community."

The coalition scheduled a series of bidders' conferences where interested organizations can learn more about the program.

Oslund will provide all of the official information that both state and the federal government requires.

She noted that she'll also provide tips on how to write a grant application.

Oslund said the bidders conferences are mandatory.

During the conferences, Oslund said the organization official applies for the grant where it is reviewed by Oslund and an outside agency in an effort to remain objective.

"Because in the communities that we work with on other projects, it would be hard for us to be objective sometimes because we do know the good work that people do in our community so we actually bring outside objective reviewers," she said. "That's why when they write it, it is very important that they are precise. This is for three years, so once the organization gets it, it will keep them funded for at least three years if they continue to meet the obligations."

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com.