Learn how to apply for an ANA grant in free training

Ka’ānani’au Pacific Region director Keone Nunes. (Contributed Photo)

The Administration for Native Americans, through its Pacific Region Training and Technical Assistance provider in Hawaii, Ka’ānani’au LLC, is once again offering a free three-day workshop titled “Project Planning & Development,” to help participants develop a project idea in preparation for writing an ANA grant for the next cycle.

This is the first of two sections. The second section, “Pre-Application Training,” will take place early next spring.

The grant applications are generally due in early April.

The three-day training runs from Oct. 15 through 17, from Monday through Wednesday, from 9am to 4pm daily. The location will be announced soon.

The class will be led by Keone Nunes, ANA Pacific Region director. This year, 500 Sails co-founder and MANGO pro tem treasurer Emma Perez will be joining Nunes to teach the class.

Nunes is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and certification in Hawaiian Language. He has been training and facilitating on a national level since 1990 and has been working with the ANA Pacific Region since 2006. He is also a cultural practitioner in the field of kākau (Hawaiian tattooing) as well as other aspects of Hawaiian culture.

Perez has 30-plus years of nonprofit finance experience and has acted as the financial member of successful grant writing teams for a multitude of funders. She was part of the ANA grant writing teams here in the CNMI for both 500 Sails and the Carolinian Affairs Office that were awarded a total of $1,026,191 since 2016.

Whether you’re a community advocate starting a new organization or a seasoned grants veteran looking to form an ANA-eligible project from the ground up, you’ll definitely want to attend. All the fundamentals of forming a great community-based project will be covered in this free three-day training. It’s the perfect way to build the skills of your organization’s project teams.

“It’s best to bring a team from your organization for all three days,” said Perez. “You want the dreamer, the wordsmith, and the numbers person, or some combination of those skills. It takes a team to write a successful grant. This training is the perfect opportunity to help develop the next generation of grant writers for the CNMI.”

Although you may come as a walk-in on the first day, to prepare enough materials, participants on all three islands are encouraged to register online at http://anapacificbasin.org. Click on Training/Training Event and follow links to Saipan registration. (PR)