We aim to foster dynamic and responsive problem gambling prevention programs.
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) announced that it will award $176,000 in the latest round of its Agility Grant program, which supports non-profits focused on problem gambling prevention.
NCPG established the grant program “to address service gaps in areas lacking such provisions and to fortify promising endeavors.” It is funded by the National Football League Foundation, with additional support from FanDuel.
Agility Grant it is the first program of its kind. NCPG said the program’s backers plan to award more than $1 million over three years, through 2024, “to establish and enhance problem gambling prevention strategies.”
“Through Agility Grant funding, we aim to foster dynamic and responsive problem gambling prevention programs, helping to ensure that communities across the country are equipped to address this critical need with flexibility and innovation,” said NCPG Executive Director Keith Whyte. “Each recipient receiving support this round displayed exemplary commitment to cultural competence, tailoring their approaches with sensitivity to the diverse needs of the populations they serve.”
NCPG said funding from its Agility Grant program would support five non-profit organizations in Fall 2023:
- The Alabama Council on Compulsive Gambling Prevention (ACCG) — for the organization’s “It’s More Than Just a Game” program, which aims to educate middle school students about gambling risks and the potential warning signs of developing a gambling problem. Students are shown, in class, a series of gambling and video gaming scenarios designed to assess their prevention knowledge. Correct answers for each scenario are then discussed with the entire class and with an ACCG representative.
- The Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado (PGCC) — in an effort to raise awareness and education of problem gambling for high school students, PGCC will partner with Denver Justice High School and the Denver Art Society on delivery of the Stacked Deck problem gambling prevention curriculum. The project will include art-based activities, workshops, and positive reinforcement learning incentives.
- AdCare Educational Institute of Maine Inc. — under a partnership with The New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center, the non-profit will develop a graphic novel about youth gambling prevention. The novel will be distributed throughout New England as part of its Youth Gambling Prevention Graphic Medicine project. “Graphic medicine is an evidence-based modality of providing health education and communication through the medium of graphic novels,” NCPG said.
- The LCADA Way — will launch the Lorain County Problem Gambling Prevention Initiative, which is designed to raise awareness about gambling risks and emphasizing positive decision-making skills. Development of the campaign’s materials will be led by local teens and include social and digital media.
- Maryland Council on Problem Gambling — grant funding will be used to design culturally specific prevention public awareness materials for its new program, Culturally Infused Problem Gambling Prevention for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumers. NCPG said the materials will be designed to take problem gambling prevention and education materials “and infuse them with the cultural values, beliefs, worldviews and cultural nuances that reflect the lived realities in the deaf and hard of hearing communities.”
Agility Grants are awarded through two funding rounds each year. The funding round for Spring 2024 will be open for applications from January 17 to February 28, 2024, with awards announced in early April 2024.
