The New York Council of Nonprofits. Inc. Announces 2008 Capacity-Building Mini-Grants for Otsego County Nonprofits. Grant applications for the 5th year of the Otsego County Mini-Grant Program will be accepted beginning January 1st until the March 1st deadline. The grant award announcements will be made shortly after this deadline. The 2008 capacity-building grant program is intended to measurably improve the governance & management operations of qualifying 501(c)3 nonprofits that are located or provide a substantial amount of services in Otsego County. The program is made possible with support from The Clark Foundation. There is a total of $20,000 of grant funds available with individual grant award limits as follows:

• Up to $1,000 for general governance & management assistance
• Up to $2,000 for merger, consolidation or subsidiary development and for crisis management intervention services
• Up to $500 in scholarships for participation at one of the following capacity building conferences sponsored by NYCON (maximum of $1,000 total per agency): Camp Finance 2008, October at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY; Entrepreneurial Leadership Training, to be held concurrent with Camp Finance; or Being A Successful Executive Director: Core Competencies & Strategies for the Beginning ED (must have less than 5 years experience as ED to attend). Location and dates to be determined.

To be eligible, applicants must be:

• 501(c)3 organizations that are located in or provide a substantial service to residents/visitors of Otsego County
• Consultants to be engaged are qualified & available at a reasonable cost
• Projects must improve the governance, management and/or program service capacity of the applicant.

Grant funding is limited and applications will be accepted until March 1st. Grants will be awarded competitively to qualifying nonprofits with approved project activities. Grant criteria are available on request and it is recommended that any applicant review the 2008 criteria before applying. For more information or to download a grant application, click here.

The program is made possible with support from The Clark Foundation

NYCON is the premier governance, management and support services organization serving charities in the state. NYCON has a membership of 1,300 charities of all types and has offices in Albany, New York City, Buffalo, Poughkeepsie and Oneonta. For more Information visit www.nycon.org or contact Andrew Marietta at 607-436-3124, or at amarietta@nycon.org.