New Funding Available from the John Rex Endowment

The John Rex Endowment is pleased to release our 2016 funding opportunities for projects related to our five-year plan, Our Plan for Impact, 2013-2018. Applications will be accepted in the Fall and Winter grant award cycles according to our 2016 schedulefor the goals listed below.

 

  • Preventing Injury goal: Applications will be accepted for new projects as well as those that build or expand on currently funded grants in our Injury Prevention funding area.  Funding support is available for organizations or teams of organizations that want to improve and strengthen their work to prevent injury and ensure the overall safety of Wake County children.  Requests must focus on one or more of the five leading causes of Wake County childhood injury:  motor vehicle crashes (children are passengers or drivers), assaults and physical violence; motor vehicle crashes (children are pedestrians); self-inflicted injuries/self-harm; and falls. See the Preventing Injury Request for Proposals for details. For projects that build or expand on a currently funded Preventing Injury grant, refer to our “Guidelines for Expansion Grant Applications” for additional information.
  • Positive Mental Health goal: Applications will be accepted for projects that build or expand on currently funded grants in our Mental Health, Social and Emotional Well-being funding area.  Requests for funding must be directed towards developing and enhancing the contribution of Wake County children’s places and spaces (i.e., community settings where children regularly spend time) to children’s positive mental health. See "Guidelines for Expansion Grant Applications" for details.
  • Nonprofit Capacity Building goal: Our funding continues to be focused on building the strength and sustainability of nonprofit organizations, but this year we are concentrating on supporting organizations that have already begun capacity building efforts supported by the John Rex Endowment. We are only inviting applications for Capacity Building grants from organizations who have a prior or current Organizational Assessment or Capacity Building grant. See the Capacity Building Request for Proposals for details.

Our grantmaking continues to represent our commitment to our five-year plan, while taking into account the grants that have been funded, progress being made, partnerships being built, and the need to prioritize.  So far we’ve made significant investments in Healthy Foods and Active Living and Positive Mental Health. Our work towards the Preventing Injury goal is in early stages of development. And in Nonprofit Capacity Building we are focusing on organizations we have already supported in these efforts rather than involving new organizations. A second Coalition Effectiveness funding opportunity will not be released until we have more time to learn from our current approach toward this goal.

We are striking a balance between staying the course and being flexible.  As we measure progress and evaluate opportunities, we may take more steps in future funding to prioritize within our plan. We share this information with you to say that our overall aim is to ensure that all grantmaking is effectively allocated and coordinated to support a healthy environment for Wake County’s children.

If you have questions about these funding opportunities, or our online grant management system, contact Gladys Hairston, at gladys@rexendowment.org or 919-838-1110.