Grant Opportunity for Renter Health

This mini-grant funding comes from the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) and will be available to those in Bloomington, Edina, and Richfield. The goal of SHIP is to prevent diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes while promoting overall physical health and mental well-being. SHIP supports community-driven solutions to make this possible.  

Funding will be administered by HOME Line (a nonprofit tenant advocacy organization serving all of Minnesota, based in Bloomington) and is intended to help advocates and renters create community-based housing solutions. 

Use of funds

Projects must lead to beneficial changes for renters that are long-lasting. One-time events or programs may receive funding if you can show it will lead to long-lasting beneficial change.

Grant size: $500 - $3,000

Activities should be based on tenant needs and input; a brainstorming session with stakeholders may help generate ideas. Creating a project that supports long-lasting change can be different from other projects. Here are possible ideas:

• Forming tenant groups/associations to increase social or neighborhood connections.
• Providing training to existing tenant group leaders on how to address housing issues (covering cost of trainer, food and/or childcare for training).
• Learning about the needs of a low-income renter population by conducting surveys, focus groups, or community conversations.
• Providing stipends to tenant leaders to organize, promote and lead projects such as after-school activities for youth residents. 
• Purchasing sports or wellness equipment for youth/adult activities to loan to tenants (equipment carts with balls, hoops, jump ropes, rackets, yoga mats, etc.)
• Developing onsite registration help for outside programing such as Parks and Recreation, or Early Childhood and Family Education.
• Training for property managers on topics such as meditation, dispute management, or restorative justice.

To help you determine if your idea can be funded, consider these questions:

• Does it propose to serve renters that are disproportionately affected by health, economic or social inequities?  
• Were low-income renters involved in developing the proposal? 
• Have residents expressed interest in this project or identified it as a need? 
• Is property management generally supportive of the project? 
• Can you measure the effectiveness or impact of the proposal? 
• Is the project feasible and cost effective?
• Does the proposal contain a plan that enables the project to continue after SHIP funding is gone?

BPH encourages collaborative groups to apply. Please contact staff administrators if you need any assistance with your application. You may submit more than one project, provided they each meet the requirements in the next section. 

Regan Reeck, Grant Coordinator – reganr@homelinemn.org 
Call or text: 612-564-0135

Esther Mwangi, SHIP Coordinator – ship@bloomingtonmn.gov 
Call or text: 612-759-2633 

Below are items required for participation in a SHIP mini grant: 

General 

• Commit to the value of fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion.
• If awarded grant funding, you must complete an Action Plan with SHIP and HOME Line staff, prior to disbursement of funds.
• Allow SHIP and HOME Line staff to work with and assist you as needed.
• A 10% match. For example, if you receive $500 in funding, you or your collaborative will need to invest $50 in the project. This can be achieved through in-kind donations, fundraisers, tenants volunteering time to the project, etc.
• Signed letter of support from property owners or management, indicating that they are aware of the application and if funded, will keep the resources in place. This may be submitted at the time of your application or once you are notified of an award. 
• Provide at least one story about your success, for possible use by BPH or the Minnesota Department of Health. 
• Allow SHIP to use any products you create with SHIP funds, such as training materials, surveys, etc. 
• Complete a Letter of Agreement with HOME Line to receive financial reimbursement.
• Once funds are awarded, grantees will have the option to be reimbursed for project materials or to complete a request for funds. Prior approval for funds is needed. Receipts need to be provided to HOME Line within 30 days of purchase.

Communication

Grantees should use the SHIP logo and the following statement whenever possible in grant-funded materials: "Funding provided by the Bloomington Public Health Division and the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership."

Submit any communication pieces (ads, signage, printed material) to SHIP staff for approval.

Evaluation

Projects will need to have an evaluation plan that can measure the impact of the funded project. SHIP staff will help you develop and administer the evaluation plan. This plan may include a short survey or set of interviews with community members who are benefitting from the project, a log that tracks frequency use, or other measurable impacts of your project.

Your project proposal will be evaluated based on the following scoring criteria on a scale of 0-100 points. Scores will be used to determine funding.

Applicants are encouraged to score their own application using the evaluation scoring sheet before submitting their application. This step is not required, but may help ensure applications address the criteria evaluators will use to score applications. 

If you need assistance aligning your proposal to the scoring criteria, please contact ship@bloomingtonmn.gov or 612-759-2633. 
 

Before applying, please contact one of the following staff to make sure your project is eligible for funding, and if you need any assistance with your application. 

Regan Reeck, Grant Coordinator
reganr@homelinemn.org
Call or Text: 612-564-0135

Esther Mwangi, SHIP Coordinator 
ship@bloomingtonmn.gov 
Call or Text: 612-759-2633