ties of prospective homebuyers, help prospective homebuyers improve their credit scores through a greater
understanding of the credit system, or educate prospective homebuyers about short-term and long-term
saving options. For more information on the Financial Education and Counseling Program, email cdfihelp@
cdfi.treas.gov or call 202-622-6355.
Treasury offers strategies and resources for developing your own spending plan, as well as resources on
learning how to protect your consumer rights, and accessing financial information.
Grantee Spotlight: Asian Human Services (AHS); Chicago, Ill.
Federal Program: Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI);
Treasury
AHS is the Midwest’s largest Pan-Asian health and human services agency, and provides a wide range
of services to low-income, at-risk members of the community. Among its many services, which are
offered in more than 28 languages, is an adult education program that includes English as a Second
Language classes and basic computer training. AHS Chief Executive Officer Abha Pandya describes her
experience applying for a loan from a CDFI.
AHS was looking to acquire a new building for its adult education program and found a local
Chicago CDFI, the Illinois Facilities Fund (IFF), which provided real estate consulting services and
below-market-rate real estate and equipment loans for nonprofits serving low-income and special-
needs communities. With the CDFI funding, AHS was able to acquire a new building for its adult
education program. The new AHS facility, which opened in July 2008, provided space for classes,
computer training, and even a child care center for the children of parents attending classes. AHS’
loan from IFF allowed us to expand its capabilities in serving the Asian, immigrant, and refugee
communities that need the most help. Without IFF a lot of things we have done could not have been
possible—we also worked with IFF on the acquisition of two other buildings for education and child
care purposes. During the application process, IFF conducted a building and cost assessment of the
facility that we were interested in acquiring before offering us a loan. IFF was very consultative, very supportive, and gave us a lot of guidance throughout the application process.
For more information on the CDFI Fund, visit http://www.cdfifund.gov.
Guide to Federal Agency Resources | 2011
27
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
How it can assist AAPIs
VA strives to provide veterans with benefits and services with the highest standards of compassion, commitment, excellence, professionalism, integrity, accountability, and stewardship. With the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the aging veteran population, VA plays a critical role in providing AAPI veterans and their families with benefits and pertinent information.
VA provides a Medical Benefits Package to enrolled veterans. This comprehensive plan provides a full range of outpatient and inpatient services within the VA health-care system. Veterans may apply for enrollment online, by mail, in person, or by phone, and may obtain more health benefits information by calling 1-877-222-8387
(1-877-222-VETS). VA applies a variety of factors in determining eligibility for enrollment. Once a veteran is enrolled, health-care services are provided at any of the over 1,400 medical centers and clinics across the country.
VA’s comprehensive medical benefits package includes a full range of mental health services, including screening and treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). VA’s Readjustment Counseling program provides free counseling and related services to combat veterans in Vet Combat Call Cen-
ters located across the country.
Veterans’ benefits include disability compensation, pensions, education, home loans, life insurance, vocational rehabilitation, survivors’ benefits, medical benefits, and burial benefit. The Post 9/11 GI Bil provides financial support for education and housing to individuals with at least 90 days of aggregate service on or after Sept. 11, 2001, or to individuals discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. The VA Home Loan Program assists veterans with financing the purchase of homes with favorable loan terms and at a rate of interest that is usual y lower than the rate charged on other types of mortgage loans. Burial and Memorial Benefits provide burial space for veterans and their eligible family members. For more information or to confirm eligibility, contact the nearest VA regional office at 1-800-827-1000. The Office of Small and Disadvantage Business Utilization (OSDBU) assists Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, HUBZone
Businesses, and Women-Owned Small Businesses with identifying VA contract opportunities. OSDBU provides
outreach and liaison support to business (small and large) and other members of the public and private sectors concerning small business acquisition issues. VA Disability Compensation applies to veterans with service-related disabilities and who were discharged under other than dishonorable conditions. The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment VetSuccess Program assists veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for, find, and keep suitable jobs, or to improve their ability to live as independently as possible. VA Life Insurance programs were developed to provide insurance benefits for veterans and service members who may not be able to get insurance from private companies because of the extra risks involved in military service or a service-connected disability.
Other Resources:
n Comprehensive information on all VA benefits, and benefits available to veterans from other agencies,
may be found at: http://www.va.gov.
n The Center for Minority Veterans assists eligible veterans in their efforts to receive benefits and services from VA. The Center is dedicated to ensuring that all veterans are aware of benefits, services, and programs offered by VA.
n Additional state and local resources are available through State Veteran Affairs offices and Veterans Service Organizations.
n Find the nearest location for VA hospitals and clinics, Vet Centers, Regional Benefits Offices, Regional Loan Centers, and cemeteries.
28
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
additional federal agencies
Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS)
How it can assist AAPIs
CNCS is a federal agency that engages more than 5 million Americans in service through its Senior Corps,
AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and leads President Obama’s national call to service
initiative, United We Serve. CNCS participants serve through more than 70,000 organizations that use national service to develop innovative solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.
CNCS has a clear road map for using national service to address six major challenges facing communi-
ties: disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, and veterans and military families. Below are some of CNCS’ programs:
AmeriCorps provides an opportunity for 80,000 adult members of all ages and backgrounds to serve through a network of partnerships with nonprofit organizations, state and local agencies, faith-based
and community organizations. AmeriCorps members address critical needs in communities all across
America. AmeriCorps is made up of three main programs:
n AmeriCorps State and National: The largest branch of AmeriCorps provides grants to support a broad range of local service programs that engage thousands of Americans in full- or part-time
direct service or capacity-building activities to meet critical community needs. AmeriCorps National
includes grant opportunities in seven different areas.
n AmeriCorps VISTA: Provides full-time members to community organizations and public agencies to create and expand programs that build capacity for ultimately bringing low-income individuals and
communities out of poverty.
n AmeriCorps NCCC: A full-time residential program individuals, age 18–24, that strengthens communities while developing leaders through direct, team-based national and community service.
Senior Corps connects individuals, age 55 and over, with the people and organizations that can use them the most. Volunteers become mentors, coaches, or companions to people in need, or volunteers
contribute their job skills and expertise to community projects and organizations. The Foster Grand-
parent Program connects seniors with children and young people with exceptional needs. The Senior
Companion Program brings together seniors with adults in their community who have difficulty with
the simple tasks of day-to-day living. RSVP offers “one-stop shopping” for all seniors who want to find
challenging, rewarding, and significant service opportunities in their local communities.
Application processes for organizational hosts for AmeriCorps State and National are as follows:
AmeriCorps National grants are made directly by CNCS to national nonprofit organizations that operate in two or more states; Indian tribes; and consortia formed across two or more states consisting of institutions of higher education, or other nonprofits, including labor, faith-based and other community organizations.
AmeriCorps State works with governor-appointed State Service Commissions to provide grants to organizations seeking AmeriCorps funding to operate a program within only one state. State Service Commissions
select which applications to fund or to forward to compete in a national pool.
Guide to Federal Agency Resources | 2011
29
For individuals, all AmeriCorps programs are open to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. To find the best fit for your skills, interests, and circumstances, check out the online interactive program selector.
Benefits: Full-time AmeriCorps members who complete their service earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education
Award to help pay for college, graduate school, or to help pay back qualified student loans; members who
serve part-time receive a partial award. Some AmeriCorps members may also receive a modest living allow-
ance during their term of service.
Individuals, age 55 and older, are eligible to join three different Senior Corps programs. In the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs, individuals with incomes at or below 200 percent of the poverty
line are eligible to receive a tax-free hourly stipend to help offset the cost of volunteering. Nonprofit organizations and state and local agencies can apply for grants to place older adult volunteers in service opportunities to help meet their core missions.
Application Process: Individuals can visit http://www.getinvolved.gov to look for opportunities available in your community, and organizations can visit the website for grant opportunities. Benefits: Senior Corps volunteers help their community, make a difference, save money for the organizations they serve, and add
to the quality and health of their lives through service. The Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion
programs offer modest stipends and other ways to help offset the costs of your involvement. Other benefits
include training and insurance.
Other Resources: To find additional opportunities, including those that do not require a long-term commitment, visit Serve.gov. Visit http://www.nationalservice.gov for more information about CNCS, including: n The Social Innovation Fund promotes public and private investments in effective nonprofit organizations to help such organizations replicate and expand to serve more low-income communities.
n The Volunteer Generation Fund strengthens the nation’s civic infrastructure by helping nonprofits recruit, manage, and support more volunteers.
n The Resource Center provides training and resources to national service programs and nonprofits seeking to expand their capacity and impact.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
How it can assist AAPIs
The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment. EPA funds a wide variety of projects to
support its mission including environmental justice programs, educational and clean-up efforts, and projects to empower community partnerships and solve local environmental problems. EPA also informs the public
about its activities and provides information on a wide range of environmental issues through written mate-
rials on its website.
Grant programs help the EPA accomplish its mission of protecting the environment and public health.
Funds for a wide range of environmental issues are offered through grant programs and cooperative
agreements. Eligibility, deadlines, and award amounts vary by program, and some information on specific
programs can be found here. Additionally, there are 10 regional offices that provide information for those seeking funding opportunities in the states within the each region.
30
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
n Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) is a competitive grant program that offers an innovative way for a community to organize and take action to reduce toxic pollution in its local
environment. Through CARE, a community creates a partnership among organizations that imple-
ments solutions to reduce releases of toxic pollutants and minimize people’s exposure to them. By
providing financial and technical assistance, EPA helps CARE communities get on the path to a re-
newed environment. The CARE grant program supports and empowers community partnerships that
work locally to identify their environmental risks and determine and implement long-term solutions.
For more information contact the CARE program at 202-343-9213.
n The Environmental Justice Small Grants Program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations to build collaborative partnerships, to identify the local environmental and/or public health
issues, and to envision solutions and empower communities through education, training, and out-
reach. Successful collaborative partnerships involve not only well-designed strategic plans that build,
maintain, and sustain partnerships, but also work towards addressing local environmental and public
health issues. For more information contact the Office of Environmental Justice at 202-564-2515.
n The Brownfields Program provides various types of competitive grants funding, in areas that include brownfields assessment, brownfields cleanup, and brownfields revolving loan fund grants.
Additionally the program provides environmental workforce development and job-training grants.
Brownfields Cleanup grants provide funding for a grant recipient to carry out cleanup activities at
brownfield sites. Brownfields assessment grants provide funding for a grant recipient to inventory,
characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement related to brownfield sites.
Brownfields revolving loan fund grants enable states, political subdivisions, and Indian tribes to make
low-interest loans to carry out cleanup activities at brownfields properties. Environmental Workforce
Development and Job Training Grants are designed to provide funding to eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, to recruit, train, and place predominantly low-income and minority,
unemployed and underemployed residents of solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities
with the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field and in
the assessment and cleanup work taking place in their communities. For questions on the workforce
development program, contact EPA at 202-566-2772.
n A Superfund Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) provides funds for activities that help communities participate more fully in decision making at eligible Superfund sites. Initial grants may be available
to qualified community groups to contract with independent technical advisors to interpret and help
the community understand technical information about their site.
n The Office of Environmental Education awards grants each year for educational projects across the country that promote environmental stewardship and help develop knowledgeable and responsible
students, teachers, and citizens. This grant program provides financial support for innovative envi-
ronmental education projects conducted by state and local environmental and education agencies,
501(c)(3) nonprofits, noncommercial broadcasting entities, and tribal schools and nonprofits that
design, demonstrate, or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques as
described each year in the solicitation notice.
n The Source Reduction Assistance grant program supports environmental projects that reduce or eliminate pollution at the source. The request for proposals in fiscal year 2011 encouraged proposals for: greenhouse gas reduction, toxic and hazardous materials reduction, resource conservation,
efficient business practices, and pollution prevention integration activities. Eligible grantees include
states, territories, local governments, city or township governments, independent school districts,
Guide to Federal Agency Resources | 2011
31
incorporated nonprofit organizations (other than institutions of higher education), public and private
institutions of higher education, community-based grassroots organizations, and Indian tribes and
intertribal consortia.
n Solid Waste Management Assistance grant program promotes the use of integrated solid waste management systems to solve solid waste generation and management problems at the local, regional, and
national levels. The program seeks to establish and develop partnerships with states, local govern-
ments, and nonprofit organizations to assist them in advancing their waste management programs,
and to develop and provide education, training, and outreach materials to educate and inform
Americans about waste’s impact on resource and energy use and pollution. For more information,
contact the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery at 703-308-8460.
Other Resources:
n EPA’s website is available in Chinese (traditional), Chinese (simplified), Vietnamese, and Korean.
n Learn how to live green here.
n Stay informed about environmental issues here.
Spotlight Grantee: International District Housing Alliance; Seattle, Wash.
Federal Program: CARE Grant Program; EPA
The Chinatown-International District is one of the oldest cultural centers for Seattle’s AAPI population,
and its low-income, minority residents are disproportionately affected by environmental pollutants and
poor air quality. With the help of a CARE cooperative agreement, the International District Housing Alli-
ance (IDHA) established the International District CARE Project in Seattle’s Chinatown-International Dis-
trict. Former IDHA staff member Joyce Pisnanont describes her experience applying for a CARE grant.
IDHA was a recipient of both Level I and Level II grants (see Community Action for a Renewed Envi-
ronment). IDHA found out about the opportunity from Seattle Public Utilities in 2005, through what is
now known as its Environmental Justice and Services Equity division. This grant opportunity appealed
to us because of its framework for empowering communities to identify and develop strategies for
addressing location-specific environmental justice concerns. This framework was focused on building
community capacity and allowed for flexibility and creativity—both of which are important for engaging
low-income communities of color and, in particular, multiple generations of stakeholders.
As a small grassroots organization, with little experience in applying for federal grants, and limited
knowledge of the technical language used in grant applications, the process was a bit scary at first.
For our Level I grant application, we had the help of a professional grant writer to develop a frame-
work for the grant and edit drafts we had written. By the time IDHA became eligible to apply for a
CARE Level II, we were much better prepared. We wrote the grant ourselves, but used the same
grant writer to proofread and critique the application before submittal. Seattle Public Utilities’ Envi-
ronmental Justice and Services Equity Division was a key player in helping to shape the application.
32
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Public Health—Seattle King County and the University of Washington assisted with Level I grant
development. Public Health—Seattle Public Utilities, and local community-based organizations as-
sisted with the Level II application.
My advice to organizations interested in this program is to indicate clear support from the community
and local decision makers. Make sure that outcomes are clear and reasonable for your organization
to achieve. If you involve youths as a key component of your project, be sure there is capacity and
buy-in from participating youth service organizations.
For more information on the CARE Grant, visit http://www.epa.gov/care.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
How it can assist AAPIs
The EEOC, an independent federal agency, enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against
a job applicant or employee. Federal laws prohibit discrimination by private and public employers, employ-
ment agencies, and labor organizations in all aspects of employment from recruitment to retirement.
Types of discrimination prohibited by federal law include discrimination based on a person’s race (including characteristics associated with race, such as hair texture, skin color, or certain facial features), color,
religion (in certain instances, employers must also reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs or practices), sex (including