[Skip to Content]
English | Español

ACTION Grant

Land Acknowledgement
We wish to recognize the land, stewarded by Indigenous communities such as the Karankawas and Akokisas, upon which the SUSTAIN Center resides. Our intention is to honor the communities by knowing the land on which SUSTAIN operates. We are actively learning and reaching out to know how to show up in solidarity and be in relationship with the communities and the land. In addition, we recognize the harms experienced by Native people as a result of settler-colonial institutions and practices. While in the process of learning, we are committed to providing funding and capacity building to advance health and wellness goals determined by the philosophies, customs, traditions, and people of the Tribal Nations.

Description 
The ACTION (Act with Communities To Increase Opportunities and address Needs in the South) Grant is SUSTAIN’s funding opportunity that supports action-oriented projects in the US Deep South to build or enhance mental health and trauma informed approaches, promote wellness, and strengthen harm reduction approaches in organizations, coalitions, collectives, and groups. The proposed project should be grounded in Meaningful Involvement of People living with HIV (MIPA) principles, Transgender and Gender Non-conforming inclusive, anti-racist/classist/ableist, multi-lingual (if applicable) and accessible to communities disproportionately impacted by HIV.

2021 ACTION Latinx

Interested in learning more about SUSTAIN’s ACTION Latinx opportunity? Meet Maria, the lead guide for the ACTION Latinx grant.

Watch here.


What is ACTION Latinx?
ACTION Latinx is a grant between $20,000 - $25,000 for groups, collectives, coalitions, or organizations that support action-oriented projects, programs, initiatives to enhance and/or reframe mental health services, integrate trauma-informed approaches, promote wellness and wellbeing, and/or strengthen harm reduction approaches to drug use in the context of HIV for Latinx-led organizations or those organizations that predominantly serve Latinx communities to 1) fuel the resistance of Latinx-led groups disproportionately impacted by HIV; 2) advance Latinx-affirming holistic wellness or enhance mental health, trauma-informed or harm reduction approaches; and 3) promote cross-movement solidarity with ACTION TGNC (transgender, genderqueer, non-binary, indigenous, and gender non-conforming communities). Organizations, collectives, coalitions, or groups must:

  • Be Latinx-led or be organizations that predominantly serve Latinx communities
  • Be led by Latinx individuals living with HIV or meaningfully involve Latinx people living with HIV 
  • Have 501c3 status or have a fiscal sponsor
  • Apply by May 31, 2021, 11:59pm (eastern) / 10:59 (central)
  • Further eligibility criteria listed below

If funded, you will receive the following as being an ACTION Latinx partner

  • Between $20,000 - $25,000 in direct funds
  • Training, group coaching, and individual coaching with the SUSTAIN Advocacy Group (SAG), consultants, partners, and ACTION Grant Liaisons. Training topics include
    • Navigating Vendor and Contract Structures
    • Racial Justice and Meaningful Involvement of People Living with HIV in today’s context
    • Latinx and TGNC Focused Trauma-Informed Practices
    • Sharing Your Story through Public Impact Evaluation (e.g. creating an infographic to share on your website, social media platforms, communities, partners, and other funders)
  • Cross movement solidarity with ACTION TGNC Partners and Communities
    • Shared virtual spaces with ACTION TGNC Partners
    • Group coaching with ACTION TGNC Partners
    • Training on trauma-informed practices with TGNC communities
    • Training on meaningful involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS with a focus on racial justice and addressing anti-blackness across TGNC, Latinx, and migrant movements
    • Language Justice Practice and Spaces: 
      • Multilingual (English/Español) group sessions with live interpretation
      • ACTION related documents and communication in English and Español

Why was ACTION Latinx created?
Latinx communities, including transgender and gender non-conforming communities, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer communities, and cis-gender women and men continue to experience barriers in accessing resources and linkage to HIV and mental health care. These barriers include the limited amount of culturally appropriate and trauma-informed services, limited services provided in Spanish, immigration status barriers, and stigma around HIV, mental health, and drug use. Organizations also face barriers in providing culturally appropriate services due to limited capacity and funding. However, providing culturally appropriate trauma-informed care and using harm reduction-oriented services are integral components of individual and community wellness and wellbeing. 

We are open to all projects. Focus areas may include but are not limited to:

  • Enhancing Service Provision
    • Developing a referral system for Latinx communities that will connect them with a culturally appropriate resource for mental health, wellness, or drug use (particularly harm reduction approaches to services)
    • Developing and implementing awareness programs for Latinx communities that include education and resources for HIV in the context of one of the following content areas: mental health, wellness, or drug use (particularly harm reduction approaches to services)
    • Adapting and/or tailoring mental health and/or drug use screening tools for Latinx communities used in the organization to increase cultural appropriateness and enhance access to care
  • Build Storytelling Capacity
    • Building storytelling skills for staff, volunteers, community members such as providing training on storytelling to enhance Latinx voices within the HIV community in the context of mental health, wellness, or drug use (particularly harm reduction approaches to services)
    • Sharing Stories via digital platforms such as organization website, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, etc., to enhance Latinx voices within the HIV community in the context of mental health, wellness, or drug use (particularly harm reduction approaches to services)
    • Latinx TV and radio advertising around mental health, wellness, or drug use (particularly harm reduction approaches to services)
  • Encourage Wellness and Wellbeing
    • Innovative, active movement project that encourages self-care as part of mental health, wellness, or drug use (particularly harm reduction approaches to services), e.g., culturally appropriate movement, activities, exercise, etc.
    • A program that promotes a healthy lifestyle with a focus on nutrition for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), including individualized, culturally appropriate nutrition sessions and group nutrition education workshops
    • Capacity for professional development on managing the illness and job security, e.g., resume building, job search, interview skills, and salary negotiation, etc.

Accessibility Statement
If the written application process is inaccessible and you would like to apply through a virtual interview, please email our ACTION Latinx grant liaison at mwilson3@central.uhl.edu to schedule an interview by May 24, 2021 at 11:59pm (eastern) / 10:59pm (central).

Eligibility

  • Must be Latinx-led or predominantly serve Latinx communities: this means the majority of people who make decisions (e.g. board, director(s), staff, volunteers, membership, and advisory etc.) of your organization, coalition, collective, or group are individuals or groups who identify as Latinx, Latino/a/e, Afro-Latinx, Chicano/a, Chicanx/e and/or Hispanic a person of Latin American origin or descent (used as a gender-inclusive alternative to Latino or Latina)
  • Must be open to building community with other ACTION Latinx and ACTION TGNC partners
  • Geographic Location: located and doing work on the land of many First Nations Communities - also colonially known as the US South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, or TX)
  • Content Area Focus: project, program, or initiative addresses HIV in the context of one of the following content areas - mental health, trauma-informed approaches, wellness, or harm reduction approaches to drug use
  • Data-driven Storytelling: collaborate with our evaluator, who will be available to support your group with telling your story
  • Non-profit Status or Fiscal Sponsor: be non-profit, tax-exempt organizations as set forth in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or have a fiscal sponsor 
  • Project Period: 1 year 
  • Funding decision announcement: 15 business days after grant application closes

Sample Allowable Expenses (including but not limited to):

  • Project related materials
  • Technology related to the project
  • Training and related costs 
  • Convening expenses, including food, venue costs etc. 
  • Marketing related costs
  • Travel, housing stipends
  • Up to 10% of budget may include COVID-19 and natural disaster relief needs: hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, cleaning supplies, food, transportation etc.

Tips for a successful ACTION Latinx grant application:

  • Clearly describe:
    • how your group is led by Latinx people or predominately serve Latinx communities
    • how your group is led by or meaningfully involves Latinx people living with HIV
    • how your project, program, or initiative will address mental health, wellness, trauma informed approaches, and/or harm reduction approaches to drug use as it relates to HIV among Latinx communities
    • how your project, program, or initiative create change and impact in your community
    • the priority community for your project, program, or initiative (examples: Latinx migrants, individuals who receive services at your organizations, Latinx youth experiencing homelessness or unstable housing, Latinx individuals with experience in sex work or commercial sex, peer social networks, volunteers, etc.)
  • A complete ACTION Latinx grant application includes the following
    • Complete application form - please ensure to complete all of the questions. 
      • Contact the ACTION Latinx liaison at mwilson3@central.uh.edu if you find the written narrative is not accessible for you
    • 501(c)(3) verification OR letter from a fiscal sponsor
    • Complete budget template

Application Questions

  • What is your organization’s full mission statement? If you do not have a mission statement, include your organization’s long-term goals. (125 words min - 300 words max)
  • What content area will your project, program, or initiative focus on? Please indicate one or more of the following: HIV and Mental Health, HIV and Wellness, HIV and trauma, HIV and/or harm reduction approaches to drug use. (125 words max)
  • How do you plan to meaningfully involve people living with HIV in your project, program, or initiative? (125 words min - 250 words max)
  • Describe how your group is Latinx-led or predominantly serves Latinx communities and how your project will prioritize Latinx communities living with or disproportionately impacted by HIV. (125 words min - 250 words max)
  • How do you envision building community with TGNC groups in the context of your project, program, or initiative? (125 words min - 250 words max)
  • Cómo imagina construir una comunidad con grupos TGNC en el contexto de su proyecto, programa o iniciativa? (125 palabras min - 250 palabras máx.)
  • Describe your project, program, initiative for this funding opportunity in detail, on how you plan to reframe mental health in Latinx communities by enhancing service provision, building storytelling capacity, and enhancing wellness and wellbeing (300 words min - 500 words max)
    • the project, program, or initiative ○ the need in your community that your project program, or initiative will address          
    • what your project is doing to address the need ○ the intended audience/group
    • how you will implement/complete the project (if collaborating, please indicate the partners)
    • where the project will be delivered or take place ○ how you plan to share about what you learn from your program/project/initiative with other funders and the general public (e.g. podcast, blog, social media, vlog, etc.)
    • a brief timeline
  • What is your definition of impact/success for this project, program, or initiative? (125 words min - 250 words max)
  • If you have a fiscal sponsor, tell us about your relationship with them (ex. how long have you been working together; in what ways do they support you to do your work?) (125 words min - 250 words max)
  • Describe how you will use $20,000 - $25,000 for your project, program, or initiative. (125 words min - 250 words max)
  • If you are using ACTION funds for COVID-19 relief, please describe how the funds will be used. (125 words min - 250 words max)
  • If awarded, what type of support do you anticipate needing from the SUSTAIN Center? (125 words min - 250 words max). Example(s): Support with reminders and deadlines, communication throughout the duration of grant, support with reporting documentation to funder, etc.

Glossary of Terms: these terms and definitions are intended to help guide your application process. The terms and our understanding of them are ever evolving.

  • Harm Reduction: an approach and set of practical strategies aimed at reducing negative consequences. We provide capacity building to create and strengthen understanding, systems and programs that focus on harm reduction and meet people where they are, as well as consider the impact of drug use, particularly opioid use, on HIV/AIDS. To know more about principles that are central to Harm Reduction practice visit the Harm Reduction Coalition’s site linked here.
  • Latinx: Describes individuals or groups who identify as Latinx, Latino/a/e, Afro-Latinx, Chicano/a, Chicanx/e and/or Hispanic a person of Latin American origin or descent (used as a gender-inclusive alternative to Latino or Latina).
  • Mental Health: The dynamic state of emotional, psychological and social well-being that affects how one thinks, feels and acts, and functions, as well as how one makes decisions, copes with stress and maintains relationships. One’s mental health can be influenced by many factors, everyday life experiences, family history, experiences with systems, and biology. We prepare organizations and service providers to better understand and address the impact of mental health in the context of HIV care.
  • Trauma: General trauma is a defined as the threat of or exposure to, or experience of an event, series of events, or set of circumstances experienced either directly or through witnessing by an individual that is physically, emotionally or psychologically harmful or life threatening that has lasting adverse effects on an individual’s functioning and well-being. Historical trauma is defined as the complex, and collective, and cumulative general trauma or emotional and psychological wounding experienced across generations (and over time) by a group of people who share an identify, affiliation and/or circumstance. We work with organizations to build capacity on how to respond empathetically to individuals dealing with past and/or present trauma.
  • TGNC: Describes groups or individuals whose gender is different than assigned coercively at birth, including but not limited to transgender, genderqueer, non-binary, non-conforming and indigenous (TGNC) genders.
  • Wellness/Wellbeing: While there is no consensus on a single definition, well-being is defined as the balance of the various interrelated dimensions of an individual’s life, including: 1) physical, 2) psychological, behavioral, and emotional, 3) spiritual, 4) environmental, 5) social, 6) financial and economic, 7) intellectual, and 8) occupational and employment factors.
  • BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

FULL PDF RFP

Please return to the Home Page to apply for this funding opportunity.