The Achelis and Bodman Foundation Grants focus primarily on New York City and northern New Jersey. Funding is concentrated in six program areas: arts and culture, education, employment, health, public policy, and youth and families.Arts and Culture: Support is generally made via operating grants to the City's prominent cultural institutions. The Foundations is most likely to support organizations that promote and sustain traditional concepts of artistic excellence.Education: The Foundation has funded charter schools, voucher programs, scholarships to parochial schools, and research that examines the impact of competition and other factors on K-12 educational performance. The Foundation also has an interest in helping young people and adults to realize their dreams of a college education. Finally, the Foundation seeks to promote intellectual excellence and balance at American colleges and universities.Employment: The Foundation is particularly interested in supporting programs that emphasize the private sector and entrepreneurship. Target populations include ex-offenders, chronic substance abusers, those with low educational attainments, and those suffering from mental or physical disabilities. Job training and placement programs are of interest.Health: The focus of the Foundation's grants has been on the health needs of poor children, the disabled, and other disadvantaged populations, as well as on basic biomedical research, where a small grant at a pivotal time in a scientist's research can have a disproportionate impact. The Foundation has also supported the work of policy experts evaluating reforms that would improve the healthcare system and make it more accessible and efficient.Public Policy: Funding in this category covers a broad range of issues including: K-12 education (listed under Education), healthcare, families and marriage, crime prevention, prisoner reentry, philanthropy, the environment, welfare reform, and faith and religion. In all areas, the Foundation's grantmaking is guided by a belief in the merits of economic and political liberty, free enterprise, and personal responsibility.Youth and Families: The Foundation supports programs that boost academic achievement, provide positive recreational and educational activities for disadvantaged young people, promote good character and values, preserve families, and encourage responsible parenting. In addition, the Foundation has a special interest in programs that prevent criminal behavior, discourage pre-marital sexual activity among teens, and assist vulnerable populations, such as disconnected youth, children who have been in foster care or suffered abuse, the disabled, and the homebound elderly. The Foundation is particularly interested in funding smaller, neighborhood-based organizations that choose to rely on private support rather than government grants or contracts.Nonprofit organizations are welcome to submit a Letter of Inquiry or proposal letter by regular mail at any time. The letter should briefly summarize the history of the project, need, objectives, time period, key staff, project budget, and evaluation plan. 6/11