Montgomery County’s Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI), part of the County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), recently announced the launch of the Asian American Center of Excellence (AACE) and the release of a micro-grant funding opportunity. The goal of AACE is to support Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI)-serving community-organizations in developing and increasing their capacity to successfully provide health, wellness and social support programs and services.
AACE serves as a resource to AAPI community organizations to improve technical skills related to organizational sustainability, such as strategic planning, data collection and analysis, program planning and evaluation and partnership building among others.
AAPI community-based organizations, faith institutions, and other nonprofits play a vital role in responding to the health, wellness, and social support needs of AAPIs in Montgomery County. Such organizations provide essential and supportive services to the most vulnerable AAPI community members. By working with and supporting community organizations, AAHI has had significant success in reaching and serving the diverse AAPI community. To improve the health status of AAPIs, it is critical to invest in grassroots, community organizations.
To build community capacity, AACE offers a suite of services including micro-grant funding to build organizational capacity; a curated bi-weekly email digest that captures and shares opportunities for growth; networking opportunities to bring together local AAPI leaders; data roundtables to engage leaders in discussions around data challenges and community-led solutions; technical assistance workshops to strengthen skills related to nonprofit management, business operations, data collection and public health best practices. AACE also offers one-on-one strategy consultations to guide integration of best practices into existing operations.
To learn more about AACE and to stay updated on its services, visit the AAHI website.
AACE micro-grants are now available, and AAHI is soliciting applications from eligible organizations to improve capacity, sustainability and infrastructure of organizations that provide health and wellness programs and social support services to the County’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Micro-grants will be awarded in three funding categories: purchase of equipment, professional development and consultants. AAPI-serving organizations can apply for micro-grants of $5,000 across each of the three funding categories, with a maximum of a $15,000 award per organization. The total funding available is $70,000. Smaller AAPI-serving organizations are encouraged to apply.
The micro-grants are administered by the Primary Care Coalition (PCC). To learn more, read the request for proposals, and apply for the funding, visit the Asian American Health Initiative’s website. Applications for funding will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12.
For more information about AACE and the micro-grants, email AAHI@montgomerycountymd.gov.
