AACE FY26 Micro-Grants

AACE FY26 Micro-Grants is sponsored by Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI). These micro-grants are intended to improve the capacity, sustainability, and infrastructure of organizations providing health and wellness programs and social support services to Montgomery County residents, particularly Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

AACE FY26 Micro-Grants - Asian American Health Initiative Asian American Center of Excellence (AACE) Patient Navigator Program Health Education and Community Outreach AAPI Heritage Month Celebration 繁體中文 ( Chinese (Traditional) ) Tiếng Việt ( Vietnamese ) Asian American Center of Excellence (AACE) FY2026 Micro-Grants for Capacity Building The Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI), part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Community Affairs, is soliciting micro-grant applications from eligible organizations to improve the capacity, sustainability, and infrastructure of organizations that provide health and wellness programs and social support services to Montgomery County residents, with a particular focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, through equipment purchases, professional development, and capacity-building consultants.

The micro-grants program is part of AAHI’s Asian American Center of Excellence (AACE). AAHI has contracted the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County (PCC) for the disbursement of the awards. AAHI will award grants of up to $ 5,000 per category, with no organization receiving more than $ 1 5 ,000 collectively across all three funding categories.

Awards will be determined after a thorough competitive review of all completed proposals. Community organizations that have an annual budget of less than $1,000,000 are eligible to apply. There is $101,000 in funding available.

The amount of funding awarded will be based on the budget justification, alignment of the budget with organizational needs, and organizational capacity to utilize the funding effectively. The award amount may differ from the funding amount requested. AACE micro-grants will be provided for activities that build organizational capacity under the following categories.

Purchase of equipment that will support the organization’s growth, enable better data collection, and/or allow for improved operations.

Tablets to collect demographic data Laptops for key staff to compile reports, review applications, and conduct organization business Purchase of software or services Enrollment in professional development courses or activities for staff or volunteer personnel to improve or expand the delivery of health and wellness services.

Enrollment in project management certificate programs and exam fees Enrollment in health and wellness trainings and certificate Attendance at conferences, learning cohorts, or other professional development opportunities Hire consultant(s) or contractor(s) for specialized services to improve organization’s ability to provide services, elevate business practices, and/or increase collaborations.

Contractor to build a website or a special application Consultant to create multilingual health education materials AACE micro-grants will not fund: Projects or costs that are covered by current contracts with the County or other funding by more than 50% Reimbursement for previous projects or costs Operating costs for direct services to clients Cultural, religious, political, or community events or celebrations Trainings that occur before or after the grant period Expenses that occur before or after the grant period (April 10 – June 30, 2026) Purchasing goods or services from Board Members’ organization Any other cost s deemed by the County unrelated to capacity capacity- building Applicants are encouraged to vet with AAHI potential costs prior to submitting an application to ensure it is eligible.

To be eligible for a grant award under this program the applicant organization must: Be a nonprofit corporation with either 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status. Have an annual budget of less than $1,000,000. Have been continuously delivering health and wellness programs or social supports services to limited English proficient communities in Montgomery County, MD since July 1, 2024.

Awardees must adhere to all grant reporting, evaluation, and accountability measures. The Asian American Center for Excellence Micro-Grants will make grant awards a fter a thorough review of all complete proposals. No organization will receive more than $15,000 collectively across all three funding categories , and no more than $5,000 per category .

There is no minimum amount. The total funding available for all awards is $101,000 . Awardees will receive an upf ront payment of 75% of the award total, with the remaining 25% conditioned on satisfactory compliance at the mid-point .

The amount of funding awarded will be based on the budget justification, alignment of the budget with organizational needs, proof of pricing for all expenses, and organizational capacity to complete the proposed capacity-building activities. The award amount may differ from the funding amount requested. All funds must be expended, and activities must be completed by June 30, 2026.

Applications will undergo a multi-stage review process: Technical Review – All applications will be assessed to ensure all required information has been provided and that the application meets all eligibility criteria. Applications that do not pass the technical review will be disqualified.

Competitive Review – Applications that pass the technical review will be evaluated by a selection committee composed of neutral, qualified individuals. The selection committee will score applicant proposals based on the criteria outlined in Section III .

Final Award Determination – Final awardees and award amounts will be decided by AAHI based on the selection committee scores and other relevant factors such as geographic distribution, diversity of AAPI subgroups served, organizational size and capacity, and available funding. All awards will be subject to PCC Terms and Conditions as PCC is the contractor to distribute funds. Download the application form s below (Forms 1 – 4) .

Email the completed Forms along with all rel evant documents to AAHI@montgomerycountymd. gov by March 6 , 2026 at 5 :00 PM EST. Applications received after the deadline will be disqualified.

Applications with incomplete, illegible, exceeding character limits for responses, or corrupted files materials will not be considered. For assistance, contact Angela Belisario at AAHI@montgomerycountymd. gov .

The grant period for the AACE micro-grants will start on April 10, 2026 and end on June 30, 2025. Funds provided must be expended prior to the end of the grant period. Program Opens for Applications: February 1 8 , 2026 Informational Workshop: February 20 , 2026 , at 4pm EST via Zoom.

Click here to register for the workshop Submission Deadline: March 6 , 2026, at 5 :00 PM EST Notification of Awards: April 6, 2026 Program Start: April 10, 2026 Program End: June 30, 2026 Final Report Due Date: July 15, 2026 at 12:00PM 2024 IRS Form 990/990EZ/990-N These documents should be combined into ONE PDF document with a coversheet before each document and submitted as FORM 4: Document Checklist.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Program Reporting Template Frequently Asked Questions FORM 1: Proposal Coversheet FORM 2: Technical Narrative FORM 3: FY26 Micro-Grant Budget FORM 4: Supplemental Documents Asian American Health Initiative, 1401 Rockville Pike, 3rd Floor, Rockville, MD 20852 Phone: 240-777-4517 Fax: 240-777-4564 Email: AAHI@montgomerycountymd. gov 繁體中文 ( Chinese (Traditional) ) Tiếng Việt ( Vietnamese )