OVERVIEW: 

The MSBA ADR Section’s mission is to advance and promote the fields of conflict management and dispute resolution; to promote diversity and inclusiveness in the field of ADR; to improve and elevate the practice and standards of ADR; and to educate practitioners, the bench, and the public regarding ADR in Minnesota.  

Each year, the Section grants between $2,500 and $10,000 to nonprofit organizations to further the Section’s mission. 

An important part of the Section’s mission is our principal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goal of attracting, engaging, including, and developing members from backgrounds that are traditionally unrepresented and underrepresented in the ADR field and in the MSBA ADR Section. To implement our principal DEI goal, we strive to connect with underrepresented groups from both visible and invisible diverse communities; create welcoming environments to bring inclusion into practice; and embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into educational programming in the ADR field.

In alignment with our DEI goals, we encourage grant applications for projects and organizations addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in ADR and community mediation work. 

Additionally, in recognition of the barriers inherent in funding opportunities, the ADR Section invites applicants to consider applying either in writing OR through a Zoom Interview with the ADR Grant Committee.

We have also provided some links to organizations with resources to assist with grant writing.  
• MN Council of Nonprofits
• MN Council of Foundations—Writing a Grant Proposal
• Grant Professsionals Association
• Propel for Nonprofits
• YCCF—Grant Writing: An Insider's Guide

GRANT CRITERIA

An important part of the Section's mission is our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals of:
Connecting with underrepresented groups from both visible and invisible diverse communities; creating welcoming environments to bring inclusion into practice; and embedding diversity, equity and inclusion into educational programming in the ADR field.

Guidelines of general grant criteria—the following are intended to be flexible and not exclusive for decision-making within the ADR Council.
• Programs and projects relating to ADR education for the public including publications, workshops, and related programs.
• Programs and projects directed to underserved populations.
• Programs and projects having as their purpose the improvement of the administration of justice through the use of alternative dispute resolution, including providing information to the public so that it might better understand the Courts and dispute resolution options.
• Programs and projects supporting or promoting public interest work related to the use of ADR, including the work of community mediation organizations, staff, and volunteers.

GRANT POLICY:

The ADR Section recognizes that its existence and its ability to carry out its mission and goals follows from the cooperation and support it receives from Section members, who are the primary source of all funds available to the Section.  The Section therefore feels deeply obligated to pursue policies and make grants to such programs and causes as it believes will attract the special interest and support of ADR professionals in the State of Minnesota.

The ADR Section allocates grants to non-profit organizations for projects in furtherance of the Section’s goals.

The Section does NOT provide funds to be used for propaganda or lobbying activities.

The ADR Section will, in allocating its funds, attempt to maintain a proper balance between:

• those new and innovative programs that may be of an experimental nature and that need assistance in the form of "seed money"; and 

• those projects of special concern to ADR professionals that are of a continuing nature and need periodic contributions to their operating budgets.

GRANT PROCESS:

Applications must be completed on the current MSBA ADR Section Grant Application form and comply with all of its requirements. 

If the Applicant has received a previous MSBA ADR grant, the Applicant must have completed the Section’s required Grant Evaluation Report for the previous grant and/or include this information within the new grant application. 

At the end of the proposed program or project, and periodically for longer projects as requested by the Section Council or Grant Committee, the Applicant must report on the organization’s progress towards its goals for the program or project.

The Applicant’s track record for achieving the results for which funds were previously granted by the Section, the MSBA, the Minnesota State Bar Foundation and other public and private sources, will be considered. 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR WRITTEN APPLICATIONS:

• Please type the answer to each question. 
• Submit completed, signed grant application electronically in pdf form – see below.
• The entire application should be no more than six (6) pages, including your answers (up to 5 pages) and the signature page at the end (1 page).
• Only completed applications will be considered for funding.
• The contact person for your organization needs to be available upon due notice to respond to any clarifying questions Council Members may have while grant applications are being considered.  
• Organizations selected to receive grant funding must complete and submit two reports during the life of their grant: A mid-point report, due June 30, 2023, and a Final Report, due December 31, 2023.  
• The report forms will be provided to you upon notice of your grant award.  Please note that by applying for funding, your organization is agreeing to submit these two reports if selected.

SUBMITTING A WRITTEN APPLICATION

• Please contact Geen Mui, MSBA ADR Section Manager, at GMui@mnbars.org with your request for a Zoom Interview Application.  Geen will help you schedule a Zoom Interview with the Grant Committee.
• You will still need to submit the signature page either electronically or by mail.
• The Grant Committee will talk through the questions in this application with you during your interview, so please be prepared to talk about your idea/program with the Committee. 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ZOOM INTERVIEW APPLICATIONS

Please contact Geen Mui, MSBA ADR Section Manager, at GMui@mnbars.org with your request for a Zoom Interview Application.  Geen will help you schedule a Zoom Interview with the Grant Committee.
You will still need to submit the signature page either electronically or by mail.
The Grant Committee will talk through the questions in this application with you during your interview, so please be prepared to talk about your idea/program with the Committee.