2004 VERB Request for Proposals

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The APPLICATION DEADLINE for 2004 has PASSED. The following is for information only.

This RFP is for organizations that can be described by all of the following statements:

1. The organization must be located in one of the following locations:

   • North Carolina
   • Wisconsin
   • Metropolitan Washington, DC (incl. southern Maryland, northern Virginia, and the District of Columbia)

2. The organization must be either a "faith-based organization" (FBO) such as a temple or church, or a "community-based organization" such as a mutual assistance association (MAA).

3. The organization must be primarily managed by, and for, people whose families are from Laos and/or Vietnam.¹

4. The organization must have provided services to Southeast Asian American communities for at least three years.

5. The organization must provide services to low-income communities.

6. The organization must be interested in receiving technical assistance ( personalized help to strengthen the organization) from the VERB project, and in participating in VERB training programs each year. Also, the organization must set aside time for such activities. Evening and weekend hours are allowable.

7. The organization must agree to submit brief financial and activity reports to VERB staff on a quarterly basis.

In addition, if the organization is a faith-based organization such as a temple or church, it must be interested in developing new social service programs or improving the social services it currently provides to community members. If the organization is an MAA, the organization must have an annual budget of $500,000 or less. Faith-based organizations (temples, churches, etc.) with any budget size may apply.

If your organization does not meet ALL of the conditions listed above, please do not submit an application.

The maximum amount of funding available through this grant is $20,000 for each organization for year ending September 30, 2004. We hope that all partner organizations will continue to be part of VERB for the third and final year of VERB, and funding will be $15,000 to $20,000 for the last project year. Continued funding for project year three will depend on successful completion of this project year, continued need, and availability of funds to the national project.

Before filling out this online form, you will likely want to have some information prepared. In addition to your contact information and some information on your organization, you will be asked to answer a series of "Yes and No" questions. You will also be asked to answer two questions about your project in less than two pages and to provide some budget figures for your project. You can also download printable PDF version (above right sidebar) and submit it by mail or fax.

Please provide the following documents:

• Documentation of your organization has nonprofit (or 501[c][3]) status, if applicable.
• If your organization does not have nonprofit status, please send a letter from an organization that has agreed to be your organization's fiscal agent² for the project. Please also send documentation of your fiscal agent's nonprofit status.
• Your organization's most recent financial audit
• Brief organizational description
• Your organization's most recent budget
• The names and contact information for three people who know your organization well

This supporting documentation can be sent to the following address by mail, fax, or e-mail. It must be received by November 21, 2003:

Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Attn: VERB Project
1628 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009-3099
E-mail: searac@searac.org
Fax: (202) 667-6449

VERB staff will notify applicants of decisions by December 19, 2003.

If you have questions please call the following numbers (depending on the language you would like to use):

• English: SEARAC at 1-800-600-9188.
• Hmong: Hmong National Development (HND) at (202) 463-2118.
• Khmer: SEARAC (Mr. Sophy Pich), SEARAC, 1-800-600-9188or Cambodian American National Council (CANC): Mr. Vi Houi, 937-866-8731
• Lao: Mr. Vilay Chaleunrath, Laotian American National Alliance (LANA) at (202) 462-4430
• Vietnamese: National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies at (301) 587-2781

SEARAC will host a conference call on November 10,2003 to answer any questions applicants have about the application process. The call will take place at 3:00 (eastern time). If you would like to join the call, please call 1-877-537-4585. PIN # 3694412

¹SEARAC and its partners on the VERB Steering Committee welcome applications from any Southeast Asian American MAA or FBO in the three project regions from which we are currently seeking applications. In our efforts to work with a diverse group of VERB sub-awardees that compliment the VERB sub-awardees with which we are already partnering, we particularly encourage Hmong, Lao, Montagnard, and Vietnamese organizations to apply.

²A fiscal agent organization is an organization that will help your organization with the reporting and financial responsibilities associated with this project. In addition, all VERB payments will be sent to the fiscal agent and the fiscal agent will be responsible for disbursing funds to your organization. Your organization's fiscal agent will be ultimately responsible for making sure that all of your organization's VERB activities, including the way your organization spends its VERB sub-award, adhere to the regulations of the project.