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    About community-based grants

    Our grant partners provide specialized services to meet the needs of Minnesotans who are deaf, deafblind or have hearing loss. Few providers have the unique skills needed to provide the culturally affirmative and linguistically accessible services required by the populations we serve. To support and sustain the providers, we work closely with our grantees. We appreciate all our grantees do to support Minnesotans who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing.

    Grant contracts are effective for two years with the possible extension of additional year(s), up to five years. Funding extensions are based on satisfactory performance by grantee(s).

    If you are interested in applying for Department of Human Services grant opportunities, Request For Proposal (RFP) announcements are published on the Open grants, RFPs and RFIs webpage. You can find other grant opportunities for other agencies through the State Grants page. Grant opportunities are also published in the Minnesota State Register weekly.

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    Interpreting Services for Greater Minnesota

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    About the grant 

    This grant supports solutions that increase the number of skilled interpreters for people who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing in Greater Minnesota. The goals of this project are to ensure that people in Greater Minnesota who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing have:

    • Access to sign language interpreters so that they can participate in 12-step programs or attend funerals when no one else is legally responsible to provide interpreters.
    • Access to sign language interpreters in remote areas of the state or when no local or nearby qualified interpreters are available.
    • Increased access to more skilled sign language interpreting services.

    Projects include:

    • Provide interpreters with deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing mentors & trainings to enhance their skills and ability to fill freelance interpreting requests.
    • Coordinate interpreting services for 12 Step Program meetings, funerals and other events where no one is obligated to pay for communication access.
    • Compensate travel expenses for interpreting requests that serve critical needs.
    • Provide interpreters with skill enhancement opportunities through specialty programs and workshops.
    • Statewide interpreting mentoring program.
    • Establish and operate an ASL interpreter internship collaborative.
    • Interpreter certification preparation program.
    • Interpreter profession recruitment efforts.
    • Maintain and build the capacity of interpreters working in secure facilities.

    Grant details

    Grant period: July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026
    Grant amount: $290,966 per fiscal year

    Questions?

    For more information about this project, email Erin Bunting or visit ASLIS's Greater Minnesota webpage. If you have other questions about this grant, email Sharisse Leier or call 651-431-3253 voice or preferred relay service. 

    Past awards

    Grant period: July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2024
    Grant recipient name: ASL Interpreting Services
    Grant amount: $1,454,830

    Grant period: July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2019
    Grant recipient name: ASL Interpreting Services
    Total amount for grant period: $1,009,806

    Interpreters

    Accessibility

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