The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has been selected to manage a $100 million relief program, funded by BP, to help oil rig workers who face financial hardship from the present federal ban on deepwater drilling. Applications will be accepted from September 1 through September 30. These grant funds are only available to those individuals who worked on one of the 33 deepwater rigs affected by the moratorium. To help advance the application process, applicants should gather information in advance including a letter from their employers confirming they worked on one of the 33 deepwater rigs affected by the moratorium when it was imposed on May 6. Workers also need verification of their income from an official source like an employer or the IRS. Read the full press release.

ViiV Healthcare announced that it will be offering grants of up to $50,000 per year to community organizations fighting HIV/AIDS and providing treatment to African-American and Latino communities in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The new program is called the Positive Action U.S. Southern Initiative and it will help established organizations enhance their programs to address social, societal, and structural barriers to HIV/AIDS care and treatment. Letters of Intent for the grants are due on July 30, 2010. Click here to read the full press release. Click here for more information on the initiative, including how to submit a Letter of Intent.

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) is seeking community organizations interested in applying for Community Advocacy Grants worth up to $18,000. A total of $658,000 is available statewide to help reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, prevent youth tobacco initiation and reduce tobacco-related health disparities in Louisiana. Deadline to submit applications is March 24, 2010, 4 p.m. CST. Click here for more details and to download the application. Graphic from: American Cancer Society

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the availability of $25 million in grants to help schools operating a National School Lunch Program replace outdated equipment with new, energy efficient appliances including refrigerators, ovens, and other food service related equipment to help improve the quality of meals. Close to $500,000 of funding is available to Louisiana schools. Click here for more information.  Photo from: iparenting

The Louisiana Community AIDS Partnership, in collaboration with the National AIDS Fund, the Elton John AIDS Foundation and local funding partners announce the availability of up to $115,000 in grant funding to strengthen organizational or programmatic infrastructure and policy and advocacy as they relate to HIV/AIDS issues across Louisiana. Deadline for submission is January 11, 2010, 4 p.m. CST. Download the full application instructions.

It’s important to understand where your food comes from. Food consumed in the U.S. now travels an average of 1,500 miles before ending up on our plates. Individual health and local economies are better supported when we buy from local growers and producers whenever possible. Find out what the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is doing to promote the local food movement and click here to locate a farmer’s market in your part of Louisiana or elsewhere. Photo: Original work by Grant Wood, 1930.

The makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings has created the Love Your Veggies campaign and grant program as a way to help parents and educators get children eating and enjoying their vegetables. The Love Your Veggies grant program will award grants of $10,000 each to ten elementary schools across the United States. Grant awards will be based on proposals that demonstrate need, sustainability, innovation and potential for community involvement. Funding can be spent on fresh produce (vegetables and fruits), a vegetable station (such as a dedicated salad bar), kitchen equipment (primary usage must relate to proposed program), program staffing (cafeteria personnel, lunchroom staff, etc.), nutrition education supplies and food safety training. In addition to the ten grants, the program will award an additional $10,000 grant to an elementary school through a Twitter contest to run September 14-26, 2009. Click here for more information. For other grant opportunities, click here.