The National Alliance to End Homelessness (Alliance) is pleased to announce the establishment of the Susan G. Baker and Elizabeth Boyle Innovation Fund in honor of two of its co-founders and longest serving board members. In alignment with their deep commitment to ending homelessness and their abiding belief that investment in the aspirations of people who have experienced homelessness is core to the organization’s mission, this fund will support people with lived experience of homelessness in their pursuit of innovative professional and creative endeavors. The fund will provide financial assistance to individuals that meet the eligibility criteria in areas that include, but are not limited to, the following:
Professional endeavors:
- Support for specialized training in pursuit of a professional endeavor.
- Seed funding to help start a small business or an innovative project. Possible items include: development of a website, creation of marketing materials, licensing or certification costs, operational expenses.
- Funding to increase the capacity of an established professional project. Possible items include: hiring staff, investing in technology or tools, investing in marketing, attending conferences for networking opportunities.
- Funding for research materials, software, data collection, travel expenses for field work, and publication costs for research/study and the publication of findings.
Creative endeavors:
- Support for specialized training in pursuit of a creative endeavor.
- Funding to support creators in producing works of art, including visual arts, literature, film, or music, allowing the creator to bring their vision to life.
- Support for writing, editing, and publishing books, including self-publishing costs.
- Funding to help stage performances, concerts, art exhibitions, allowing creatives to showcase their works.
Application Materials:
Informational Webinar on October 24 at 3:00 P.M. ET:
- Individuals who have experienced homelessness in the past are eligible to apply.
- Must not be a current member of the Alliance’s Community Strategic Team.
- Applicants must be pursuing a professional or creative endeavor.
Individuals can apply for funding of up to $25,000, which must be spent within two years of receiving the grant. Please note, the funding may be considered taxable income depending on the grantee’s circumstance.
- Complete the grant application form in full.
- Submit the application along with any supporting materials via email to the provided address.
- NOTE: Only fully completed applications will be considered. Incomplete applications will be automatically disqualified.
- If selected as a final candidate, complete a virtual presentation and interview with the selection committee.
The Alliance will conduct a formal review using a cross-functional team of staff, Community Strategic Team members, and Board members. In addition to ensuring that the application is complete and includes all required attachments, the team will assign numeric scores to each project narrative question to guide the selection of final candidates. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Scored criteria includes:
- Clarity and feasibility of project proposal.
- Impact of the project on the applicant’s profession or creative goals.
- Budget justification and alignment with the project’s objectives.
- Demonstrated commitment to the pursuit of the project.
- Demonstrated plan for sustainability of the work beyond this funding.
- Attend one Alliance conference over the two-year period of the grant, at the Alliance’s expense.
- Engage with Alliance staff to provide interim project updates as scheduled.
- Submit requested report electronically via bbfund@naeh.org as scheduled.
- Consent to Alliance to publicize the grant or award.
- Provide complimentary conference registration to one Alliance conference, transportation (up to $750), and three nights of hotel. This scholarship is in addition to the grant award.
- Provide a clear timeline and templates for reporting deadlines.
- Promote the grantee’s work when relevant through appropriate channels (e.g., social media, newsletters, events) to raise awareness and support the project’s visibility.
Funds will be disbursed in two installments. The first 75 percent will be disbursed 2–4 weeks after Alliance receipt of the signed grant agreement. The remaining 25 percent will be disbursed after completion of the first interim project update.
- Grant recipients will be required to participate in two brief interim project update calls over the two-year grant period. The purpose of these calls is to identify obstacles and adjustments that may be needed to the originally proposed project and budget.
- Grant recipients will be required to submit a brief report upon completion of the project, outlining how the funds were utilized and the outcomes achieved.
For any inquiries or assistance regarding the application process, please contact bbfund@naeh.org.