Funding the Critical Work of Community-Based Organizations: Challenges and Opportunities at the Federal, State, and Local Levels (Non-CE)

Overview

Community-based organizations (CBOs) play a vital role in advancing social justice and addressing community needs, yet navigating the grant funding landscape remains a significant challenge. This panel discussion brings together experts from the nonprofit and academic sectors to explore funding opportunities at the federal, state, and local levels. Panelists will share strategies for securing grants, building partnerships, and aligning funding with organizational missions. The session is designed for CBO leaders, grant writers, and students interested in leadership, social change, and community-based research.

Objectives

1. Identify diverse funding sources available to CBOs across federal, state, and local levels, strengthening their capacity to deliver impactful social services.
2. Apply effective grant-seeking strategies that align with community priorities and reflect funders' expectations, advancing the social work profession's commitment to equity and justice.
   
3. Understand and address common challenges CBOs face as they navigate the funding landscape.
   

Registration and CE Information

• Register here for the Non-CE version.
• Please see the CE version if you need CEs
• The live webinar will be held March 12, 2025, from 12:00pm - 1:00pm
• Once registered, you will be able to access the course site to complete the Zoom registration to receive the link for the webinar.

Presenter: Joseph Harper

Joseph Harper is currently the Executive Director of Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center of St. Clair County, Inc. which provides mental health and substance abuse services to the community. He previously held positions with the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health including Executive Director of the Southern Region and Hospital Administrator of Chester Mental Health Center. He has served as the program administrator for mental health services at Menard Correction Center which is the state’s largest maximum-security correctional facility. He has prior practice experience in child welfare, employee assistance programs, and outpatient mental health services. Mr. Harper is currently a faculty member with Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member in social work at the University of Southern California. He has been a long-term member of the National Association of Social Workers and former First Vice-President of the Illinois Chapter. He also served as the Chair of NASW-IL’s statewide Political Action Committee. He has previously served as the Chair of the Metro East St. Louis District and has represented the Illinois Chapter at the past Delegate Assemblies. Mr. Harper has presented on the topic of services to forensic patients at several conferences including those held by the Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. Mr. Harper has also coauthored several publications in the field of forensic social work practice and has served as an expert witness regarding forensic populations. Mr. Harper is currently a member of the clinical examination committee with the Association of Social Work Boards.

Presenter: Liliane Cambraia Windsor

Liliane Cambraia Windsor, Ph.D., MSW is Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Social Work at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Windsor is also co-lead of the Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Health Working Group at the Institute for Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois System. Dr. Windsor’s research focuses on the application of critical consciousness theory to the development of multi-level interventions designed to promote health equity in the fields of substance use disorders treatment, infectious disease, and the criminal legal system in historically divested Black communities. She is the founder and chair of the Critical Consciousness Collaborative (www.the3c.org), a group of researchers, service providers, and consumers who partner with marginalized communities to develop evidence-based health interventions with real world impact. Born and raised in Brazil, Dr. Windsor received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from FCH-FUMEC, Brazil in 1998. She moved to Texas in 2000 to pursue her Master of Science and doctoral degrees in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin.

Presenter: Douglas Smith

Since 1996, Dr. Douglas Smith’s practice and research experience has focused on treating and preventing substance use disorders. He has practice experience with varied substance misusing populations including: adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system, adults addicted to crack cocaine, and addicted mothers involved with child welfare. Dr. Smith is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and has experience implementing numerous empirically-supported treatments, including: Motivational Interviewing, the Community Reinforcement Approach, The Seven Challenges®, and Strengths Oriented Family Therapy (SOFT). His research currently focuses on what treatments work best for adolescents and young adults with substance use disorders. For example, with generous support from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), he is developing a peer-enhanced treatment for use with young adults with alcohol problems. Additionally, he is interesting in studying the effects of Motivational Interviewing among adolescents with alcohol and other substance use disorders. Because of his productivity in these two areas, he was awarded the Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award in 2012 from the Society for Social Work and Research.