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Grant partners answer your questions about grant application process

A quick Q&A guide to EHF's grant application process through the eyes of grant partners.

EHF recently spoke with three new grant partners about the grant application process. We asked each of them three basic questions that can serve as a guide for future organizations interested in applying for an EHF grant. Grant partners included:

Glenn Urbach, Executive Director
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Greater Houston
$25,000 grant
S7RATEGY: Support mental health and wellness
Grant is to provide peer support group meetings and community outreach programs for those impacted by mental illness.

Sue Levin, Executive Director
Houston-Galveston Institute (HGI Counseling Center)
$183,816 grant
S7RATEGY: Support mental health and wellness
Grant is to provide operating support to stabilize agency operations in order to continue providing mental health services to vulnerable populations.

Bethany Fields, Grants Manager
The Women’s Home
$125,000
S7RATEGY: Support mental health and wellness
Grant is to provide behavioral health services to women who struggle with issues related to mental illness and addiction with a history of homelessness.

 

1. How did you find out about the grant opportunities at EHF?

Levin: HGI was fortunate to be a past grantee of the SLEHC (St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities) and therefore well aware of the transition from the Charities to EHF and the new grant opportunities.

Urbach: We received an email about the new foundation and its strategic plan. We then started learning about the new grants available.

Fields: As a previous grantee of the St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, we followed updates on its transition and evolution into EHF. Once EHF formed, we subscribed to EHF’s online newsletter and keep an eye out for grant opportunities.

 

2. What was your first step in applying for a grant?

Levin: We attended two of the early information workshops (Click here to see grants workshop information and watch grants workshop video) to find out about the new strategies and the grant application process. We learned more about the grant requirements, the funding priorities, and the way(s) that our organization fit what EHF was interested in funding.

Urbach: NAMI attended a grants workshop (Click here to see grants workshop information and watch grants workshop video) and learned more specifics about EHF’s vision, goals and strategies. When it was clear that NAMI was aligned with EHF’s S7RATEGY to support mental health and wellness, NAMI learned more about the strategic plan and began the application process.

Fields: Our first step was to attend the grant-making workshop that EHF held in Houston at the beginning of the year (Click here to see grants workshop information and watch grants workshop video). The meeting gave us great insight into the Foundation’s goals and strategies, which in turn helped us craft a request that met our needs as well EHF’s priorities.

 

3.  Did you speak with a program officer? How did that help you as your prepared the grant application?

Levin: Yes, we spoke with our program officer. During the process (before we completed our grant application) we met again to revise and target our grant request to a more specific and transformational organizational need.  This was most helpful and guidance from the program officer, grants administrator and VP for Grants was offered most generously.

Urbach: Yes. It’s such a pleasant surprise to find an actual program officer willing to work with applicants. Katy Butterwick was very responsive and answered any questions we had about the application process.

Fields: Yes, during the application process we spoke with Celene Meyer, our former program officer, and Jennifer Herrera, our new program officer.  Both Celene and Jennifer kindly answered all of our questions regarding the new foundation and helped us navigate its new application process. 

Learn more:

Online Grant-making Workshop (Includes video)

How to Apply for a Grant


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