BCHRTF accepting grant bids

SANDPOINT — Affirming the American priniciples of equality and dignity is the mission of the Bonner County Human Rights Force.

Each year the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force seeks to fund projects and programs that support that mission, and applications are now being sought from nonprofit organizations for 2018.

"It's a wonderful thing, because the task force itself is not equipped to do all the work that needs to be done on human rights," said Brenda Hammond with the BCHRTF. "This makes it possible for lots of other people to have their ideas and their activities and programs funded so that there will be lots of people engaged in the work."

BCHRTF was founded in 1992 to support human rights through community education and advocacy. In December 2012, the major portion of BCHRTF’s assets were placed in a fund administered by the Idaho Community Foundation. Hammond said BCHRTF received a "very generous" donation, and the majority of it went into a trust with ICF, in an effort to give the task force longevity. 

"That was it will be there to keep the task force solvent long after many of us are gone," Hammond said.

It also gives the task force the opportunity to make the interest earned from the trust available to the community each year, Hammond said. Each January the task force receives a report on how much interest is earned, which BCHRTF officials use as a basis to determine grants. Last year, she said, it was close to $18,000, and this year will be about the same. The average award last year was about $2,250.

Applications for grants up to $8,000 will be accepted, according to a BCHRTF statement released Monday.

Grants are limited to those organizations or entities who do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, according to the statement. The BCHRTF hopes to sponsor programs and projects that enhance human rights, focus on community education and celebrate the fact that it is the racial, social, and cultural diversity of the community that makes Bonner County a rich and worthwhile place to live.

"One of the things we have felt very good about funding is the NAMI crisis line," Hammond said.

Other examples of organizations and projects the task force has funded through the program include human rights-themed productions by the Pend Oreille Arts Council and assisting the local schools in various programs.

Eligible applicants must be organizations with a 501(c)3 tax exempt status, a public educational institution or a governmental entity including local governments or libraries.

Applications may be submitted online to the Idaho Community Foundation at idcomfdn.org.

Under "Donor Advised Competitive Grants," go to the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force Fund for detailed guidelines and information.

The deadline to apply is March 31.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.