Earn

We are seeking projects and programs whose mission is to train or retain positions in the health care sector as identified by local employers.

General Guidelines:

• These are guidelines and not requirements.
• We do not expect your project to address all the priorities or anticipated outputs and outcomes.
• We encourage applicants to ask for what they need rather than defaulting to the maximum grant amount.

Grant Size Range:  $50,000 -$250,000 per year

Eligible Grant Term: 1-3 years

Why: The region’s healthcare workforce was facing shortages pre-pandemic, and as many healthcare workers are leaving the profession, the shortage has only grown more severe. There is an elevated need to grow the pipeline of workers in this field by strengthening existing training programs and growing new programs.

Priority will go to projects:

• Which directly collaborate with employers;
• Where the demand for the skills is clearly illustrated;
• That address the retention and resiliency of the current workforce;
• That lead to high-quality jobs and long-term employment;
• That support credential attainment in high-value skills to meet our states future employment needs;
• That focus on populations experiencing barriers to obtaining and retaining employment;

Anticipated outputs and outcomes: workers trained, credentials earned, jobs created, or jobs retained.

We seek innovative programs that address the workforce needs and challenges of the region’s employers. We will place an emphasis on programs that target populations with barriers to employment and lead to employment that provides family-sustaining wages. A focus on meeting the rapidly changing needs of the workforce is encouraged.

General Guidelines:

• These are guidelines and not requirements.
• We do not expect your project to address all the priorities or anticipated outputs and outcomes.
• We encourage applicants to ask for what they need rather than defaulting to the maximum grant amount.

Anticipated Grant Size Range: $50,000- $250,000 per year

Eligible Grant Term: 1-3 years

Why: The universal chorus we have heard from our partners across the public and private sectors has been the need to invest in growing and strengthening Western North Carolina’s workforce to meet current and future needs. We recognize that many individuals are under-employed or not seeking work due to a variety of circumstances and barriers. These may include a lack of credentials, involvement in the criminal justice system, recovery from substance use disorder, differing abilities, and more. Creating pathways to employment for people with barriers results in economic mobility for the individual and a committed workforce for the region’s employers. We are seeking innovative and long-term approaches to build up all of the region’s workforce – no exceptions.

Priority will go to projects:

• Which directly collaborate with employers;
• Where the demand for the skills is clearly illustrated;
• That address the retention and resiliency of the current workforce;
• That lead to high-quality jobs and long-term employment;
• That support credential attainment in high-value skills to meet our states future employment needs,
• That focus on populations experiencing barriers to obtaining and retaining employment;

Anticipated outputs and outcomes: workers trained, credentials earned, jobs created, or jobs retained.

Dogwood will look for multi-partner approaches for preparing individuals to find fulfilling jobs in Western North Carolina’s housing construction workforce. Partnerships might include – but are not limited to – high school and/or community college construction trades programs and may incorporate apprenticeships or internships requiring basic to higher-skilled trades (e.g. electrical, HVAC, masonry, project management, etc.). We will consider support for both existing and new programs and are particularly interested in those serving rural WNC counties.
In collaboration with Housing

This opportunity will support strategies in historically disadvantaged communities and/or that target historically disadvantaged populations that result in a.) quality job creation and retention or b.) business creation and expansion. We will prioritize projects that promote long-term local economic resiliency.

General Guidelines:

• These are guidelines and not requirements.
• We do not expect your project to address all the priorities or anticipated outputs and outcomes.
• We encourage applicants to ask for what they need rather than defaulting to the maximum grant amount.

Anticipated Grant Size Range: $100,000 – $350,000

Eligible Grant Term: 1 year

Why: WNC has historically been underinvested in and under resourced, by private, philanthropic, and public investment. This lack of investment has created a reality where low-revenue and high poverty communities often do not have the resources needed to develop dynamic economies. This call for proposals hopes to address this need to result in communities’ ability to build the economic assets they need for long term economic vibrancy.

Priority will go to projects:

• That create opportunities for entrepreneurs and local businesses to further grow and develop, enhancing economic recovery and building long-term economic resiliency in WNC;
• That result in increased opportunity for under resourced communities, specifically by:
  • supporting pathways to increased economic activity,
  • building rural assets,
  • supporting burgeoning markets and/or emergent growing sectors.

Anticipated outputs and outcomes: number of jobs created/retained; businesses created/retained; number of businesses served, number of businesses expanded; dollars leveraged; sector growth/expansion (in dollars), economic assets created/ retained/ or expanded.

Dogwood seeks to support projects that increase broadband access and/or adoption through high leverage opportunities, while ensuring communities have strong digital inclusion practices.

General Guidelines:

• These are guidelines and not requirements.
• We do not expect your project to address all the priorities or anticipated outputs and outcomes.
• We encourage applicants to ask for what they need rather than defaulting to the maximum grant amount.

Anticipated Grant Size Range:

Eligible Grant Term: 1-3 years

Why: We recognize that access to and use of high-speed internet is essential to all of the social determinants of health on which Dogwood is focused. Much of our region has inadequate broadband infrastructure and low broadband adoption rates. We therefore are focusing on opportunities to both increase availability and adoption of broadband, with a focus on ensuring that digital inclusion practices are at the center of all projects and programs.

Priority will go to projects that:

• Create access to devices (other than smart phones);
• Teach digital literacy (how to use the internet);
• Help low-income people sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program;
• Provide matching funds for high-leverage federal and state opportunities.
• Created plans or projects which implement existing or developing plans

Anticipated outputs and outcomes: Dollars leveraged, people trained on digital literacy, families connected to broadband services, devices distributed, communities served, plans created.