APPLICANTS MUST BE A MEMBER OF A RURAL HEALTH NETWORK OR MUST BE PLANNING TO FORM A RURAL HEALTH NETWORK THAT SERVES RESIDENTS OF A NEW YORK STATE RURAL AREA. A RURAL AREA, FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE RURAL HEALTH NETWORK DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, IS A COUNTY WITH A TOTAL POPULATION OF LESS THAN 200,000 OR ANY TOWN WITH A POPULATION DENSITY OF LESS THAN 200 PERSONS PER SQUARE MILE OR, IF APPROVED BY THE COMMISSIONER, ANY TOWN WHICH HAS A POPULATION OF LESS THAN 250 PERSONS PER SQUARE MILE

Applications will be accepted through October 8, 2008 for $7,000,000 annually under the Rural Health Network Development Program. Applications exceeding $300,000 for a 12 month period will not be accepted. The goal of the program is to improve the health of New Yorkers living in rural areas of the State by supporting the coordination, development, planning, implementation, and operation of rural heath networks. A rural health network is an affiliation of health care providers serving a rural area, according to a contract, joint or cooperative agreement, or organized under the not-for-profit corporation law. Participants may include health care providers and organizations, consumer, local businesses and government organizations who work together to develop comprehensive, cost-effective health care systems serving rural areas. A network provides or arranges health care and/or administrative services for residents of a rural area according to a Network Plan.

The objectives of the Rural Health Network Development Grant Program are to:

• develop comprehensive, cost-effective health care systems serving rural areas;

• increase access to health care services;

• increase and strengthen cooperation through affiliations, coalitions or partnerships that enhance and coordinate the array of needed health care services in rural areas;

• improve the financial viability of rural health care providers in the existing health care economy;

• increase community involvement and locally-generated, innovative solutions to health systems issues in rural areas;

• increase the numbers of health care personnel trained and practicing in rural communities;

• strengthen the accountability of local providers for improvements in key public health and/or health care outcomes in the communities they serve;

• improve the economic position of the local community; and

• fill gaps in service delivery.

For an application, contact: [email protected]

NOT-FOR-PROFIT ENTITIES

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR IOLA GRANT AWARDS?

• At least 75% of the total allocated funds shall be awarded in grants to programs that provide direct civil legal services to low income residents of New York State. This portion of the total grant award is distributed according to the geographical distribution of poor persons throughout the state, based on the latest available federal census figures;

• No more than 25% of the total allocated will be used to fund projects that improve the administration of justice in New York State. See item (2) below.

• Pursuant to the Fund's regulations, qualified recipients of IOLA grant moneys must be not-for-profit entities, tax exempt under the Internal Revenue Code and eligible to receive IOLA funds pursuant to one or both of the following categories:

(1) Qualified legal services providers which shall be an entity which operates within New York State and provides direct civil legal services without charge to poor persons within a geographical area in New York State; or

(2) Administration of justice providers which shall be an entity which operates within New York State and which:

(i) enhances civil legal services to the poor through innovative and cost-effective means;

(ii) provides direct civil legal services either to groups of clients currently undeserved by legal services, such as the elderly or the disabled, or in an area of representation, whether substantive or geographical, that cannot be or is not effectively served by individual qualified legal services providers;

(iii) provides legal, management or operational training, or legal, management, support service, or technical assistance, or direct legal assistance, informational advocacy or litigation support to qualified legal services providers;

(iv) which otherwise promotes the improvement of the administration of justice.

CATEGORIES INELIGIBLE FOR IOLA FUNDS:

• Criminal legal issues or services related to criminal matters;

• Endowment campaign support

APPLICATION AVAILABILITY:

For 2009, the Fund’s Trustees will allocate at least $25 million, and up to $30 million, in grants subject to the availability of funds. In recent years, Administration of Justice grants have ranged from approximately $25,000 to $150,000. Civil Legal Services grants are census based.

On August 15, 2008, the application package for 2009 IOLA grants will be available on the Fund’s website, www.iola.org and from the Fund’s office.

In order for an application to be considered for funding:

• A signed, original hard copy must be delivered to the IOLA office and

• Electronic copies of all parts of the application must be emailed to [email protected].

(If the paper application includes a document that cannot be put in electronic form, be sure to make a note of that fact in the electronic submission and include the document when submitting the original hard copy.)

All applications, including hard copy and email, must be received by IOLA no later than 5:00 pm on September 22, 2008.

Contact: Stephen G. Brooks, General Counsel, or Joanne Pantin, Grants Assistant, at the above address, email: [email protected] or [email protected]