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Law Enforcement Grants

There are many sources of funds for law enforcement agencies for such purposes as the hiring of new employees, overtime, and the purchase of equipment. A significant portion of the funding available to law enforcement agencies is passed from the federal government to the states for distribution to local police departments and sheriffs’ departments. In addition, many states appropriate funds from their own budget for this purpose. Generally, one agency plays the lead role in distributing the NOFA (Notice of Funding Availability), and accepting and reviewing applications.

In order to determine the agency which handles the funding for law enforcement in your state, go to the website for that state. Do a search for the state agency which handles law enforcement issues. In most cases, that is the agency which distributes the grant funds. In the state of Maryland, this agency is referred to as the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention. However, in New Hampshire, for example, the appropriate agency is referred to as the Department of Safety. In Nevada, the administering agency for law enforcement grants is the Department of Public Safety.

The single largest source of law enforcement funds is the U.S. Department of Justice. There are a number of programs administered by this agency which are channeled directly to local law enforcement agencies. A significant portion of the funds, however, are channeled to the states for distribution.

Sep 02, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Funding for For-Profit Businesses

This post is written with the goal of assisting individual businesses in their own search for funds as opposed to looking at the broader picture of economic development in a particular city or county. I would strongly recommend that for-profit businesses approach the economic development offices in their area first. Many localities have programs which assist local business. Two examples of locally-administered programs are facade improvement programs in downtowns and revolving loan funds. Most of the time, these programs are funded with monies from the federal or state government. Their goal is to improve local economic indicators, such as the unemployment rate and assessable base.

Economic development departments can also be extremely helpful to individual businesses in that most of them are the referral point for state and federal programs which can help them. Obviously, there is a variation in the services provided by different economic development offices depending on their budget and staffing. Most of these offices provide a complete referral service to local businesses and assist them throughout the entire process up to and including the submittal of the applications for assistance. Most of the time, these services are free.

If your city or county does not have an economic development office which assists local business, the next step would be to contact the state’s economic development department. Most states have specific agencies dedicated to business development and administer financial assistance programs. The business owner would be well advised to either contact the relevant staff member or to search the website.

The major federal agency charged with assisting small business is the Small Business Administration (http://www.sba.gov). SBA provides help in the form of counseling, financial assistance, and expert advice regarding contracting opportunities with the federal government.

S.C.O.R.E. (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is a nonprofit organization which partners with SBA in order to provide free advice and low-cost workshops to small businesses. There are 364 chapters of this organization, which is comprised of working and retired business executives. Its name is therefore a bit misleading. The website can be found at www.score.org/index.html.

Small Business Development Centers throughout the country counsel small businesses on their management strategies. These centers are organized to provide for cooperation between the private sector; the educational community; and federal, state and local governments. Women’s Business Centers provide assistance to the female entrepreneur. SBA also provides help to businesses interested in going international.

SBA provides assistance to help small, disadvantaged, and female businesses receive federal government contracts. The agency has a program to provide surety bond guarantees. This helps contractors who cannot obtain bonding through regular channels. These bonds are required for many government-funded projects. If the contractor fails to complete the project, the surety bond will pay the project owner for the cost of the uncompleted work.

Venture capital is a type of private equity capital usually provided for companies that are just starting out and which have a lot of potential in exchange for shares in the company. It is provided through Small Business Investment Companies, which are privately-owned and managed investment funds regulated by SBA. These companies are permitted to borrow funds at favorable rates from SBA in order to provide operating money.

Most of the financial programs provide loan guarantees. The agency’s primary program is referred to as “7(a)”. This program provides a guarantee to a bank loan which is structured to SBA requirements. Businesses may not participate in 7(a) if they have access to other borrowing at reasonable terms.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program provides for-profit businesses with the opportunity to access a reserved portion of federal research and development funds. A company applies to become an SBIR firm on a competitive basis. Eleven federal departments participate in the program. In order to qualify, a firm must be American-owned, have less than five hundred employees, be a for-profit concern, and have the principal researcher employed by that business. Funds are provided for the start-up and development phases.

The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program provides joint ventures involving small businesses and nonprofit research institutions with an opportunity to access a special reservation of federal funds. Five federal agencies participate in this program. This is done in recognition of the fact that small businesses often do not have access to research and nonprofit research institutions do not have the means to translate that research into commercial ventures. The qualifications for participating in this program are the same as the SBIR program except that the principal researcher need not be employed by the small business. The nonprofit research institution must be a federally funded research and development center.

Federal funding for small businesses may also be found at Grants.gov. In order to see the universe of grant opportunities available for small businesses (or businesses of any size) go to the site and only specify the type of applicant, leaving all other search fields blank. The searcher may specify one of the following: opportunities which are open to small businesses; those which are open to businesses which are not considered to be small; and those which are unrestricted, meaning that any type of entity may apply. Just to give the reader an example, I conducted this type of search on Grants.gov in late October of 2009. Of the total of 1184 grant programs which were open for applications at that time, 647 were open to small businesses, 615 were open to businesses other than small concerns, and 165 were unrestricted.

Aug 25, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Being Realistic About Your Capacity to Carry Out a Funding Strategy

Once the strategy has been developed, it is necessary to analyze how your resources match up with the work you will have to do. I advocate doing everything possible to commit resources in order to not miss out on any available funding. In this section, I will be more specific about how you can determine your ability to take on the ambitious project of applying to multiple grant sources. Obviously, if your analysis shows that your organization is unable to carry out the strategy fully, it would be foolhardy to try to do so. You will need to look at the manpower, skills, capabilities, and experience contained within your organization. In addition, your budget needs to be large enough to give you the proper equipment and supplies with which to work. If lack of funds does not allow you to purchase modern technology which will make your job easier, it is more productive to think about how to improve that situation first. Building organizational capacity takes time. Throw away your preconceived ideas and see the big picture.

The advantages of making a structured analysis of capability are as follows:

• Being prudent about committing resources will allow the organization time to develop capacity naturally and without pressure.
• The funding will probably be approved eventually anyway.
• The organization will avoid any missteps which will give funding agencies a poor impression.
• The organization will be able to focus on “first things first” and build its strengths in order to prepare for a productive fund-raising effort/

If an organization tries to take on a major grant seeking effort before it is ready, the following chain of unfortunate circumstances is likely to occur:

• Staff will feel overwhelmed and therefore perform poorly.
• This will lead to a lack of credibility with the funding agencies.
• This will in turn impact your ability to get future grants.
• All of these unfortunate events will cause poor morale among the team.
• None of this has gotten the problem solved.

This can be summed up in one sentence-be ambitious and work hard and do things in logical steps as you are able.

Aug 19, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Grants for Individuals

I have found this to be a topic of immense interest in today’s world. I have had an unprecedented number of inquiries from individuals just in the past year. Perhaps this is because more people are daring to “dream their dream” and want to find ways to live it. I think that we as a society are beginning to see more avenues for individual expression. There seems to be a feeling that all things are possible and that the sky is the limit. I see this as a very beneficial thing. However, the grant world has not yet caught up with this new trend. Grant opportunities for individuals are very few in number.

On the face of it, this is probably because funding agencies feel that making grants to individuals raises a heightened risk of funds being misappropriated. The lack of financial controls and checks and balances in this type of situation has caused grant makers to become somewhat nervous and leery. I can well understand this.

The vast majority of grants available in this category come in the form of scholarships or fellowships. A significant portion of the remaining grants is given to researchers who often must be affiliated with a university or other research institution in order to qualify for funds. The only way that requirement can be avoided would be if the researcher was of such significant standing that this affiliation was considered unnecessary.

Most of the grants remaining after scholarships, fellowships, and research grants are deducted from the equation are given to support creative projects, primarily in the arts or in writing. It is very difficult to take the time to write or create art while working full time. However, most individuals undertaking this type of work are forced to fit it in around other obligations, which include making a living. Of course, there are the lucky few who are able to support themselves in this fashion once they become established. I once talked to an author who had written a book which was quite popular in certain circles. He was interested in finding a source of income to support him while he was writing the second book, as he was finding it almost impossible to juggle the intense research schedule for the book with another job. Despite an exhaustive search, he was unable to find a grant to help him. This example shows the scarcity of support for talented, creative individuals.

There are two very simple ways to check the available grants for individuals. Grants.gov gives information on grants available to individuals from the federal agencies which participate in this initiative. The Foundation Center provides a reasonably priced subscription to an online database which deals only with grants to individuals. I am unaware of any search mechanism which tracks state grants for individuals. In this case, the applicant would have to go his or her state web site and review the guidelines for every grant which looks as if it would be suitable for the activity in question.

In order to find grants for individuals on Grants.gov, go to the website (www.grants.gov) and click on “Find Grant Opportunities” on the left-hand side of the home page. At that point, click on “Advanced Search” and search by applicant eligibility. One of the choices here is “individual”. The searcher can further narrow the request by specifying either open opportunities, closed opportunities or archived opportunities. One of the reasons to check closed and archived opportunities is to become aware of grant opportunities which may be available in the future. Many programs are only open for applications once a year. It is possible that a very promising program may have just closed the application period, but will become available again. I would recommend that the individual interested in government grants check Grants.gov every two weeks or so. This is due to the fact that funding opportunities may be open for only a short time. The searcher may also specify the funding activity categories or funding type (grant, cooperative agreements, procurement contract, or other).

The individual seeker of grants from foundations may access the Foundation Center’s database by going to http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/fundingsources/gtio.html. The best bet is to purchase a one-month subscription for $19.95. Most people would be able to research and save information on opportunities of interest to them within the thirty- day period. Other options are to purchase a three-month subscription for $36.95 or a one- year subscription for $99.95. Generally, the one-year subscription is most useful to organizations which counsel individuals on a continuous basis, such as university career centers.

This subscription will enable the individual to receive quarterly updates, daily search tips and links to free web resources. There are a variety of search options, including the foundation city and state, the foundation name, the field of interest, geographic areas served, place of support, and a text search. Subscribers to the general database of foundations can also search for grants to individuals.

Aug 16, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Heritage Tourism and Historic Preservation Grants

One of the most effective programs in this area is the National Scenic Byways Program. The U.S. Department of Transportation, through the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) administers this program, but delegates certain duties to the states, which nearly always handle this through their own departments of transportation. Two types of assistance are available. Local heritage organizations and local governments may apply for the designation of heritage routes within their jurisdiction as either National Scenic Byways or State Scenic Byways. Obviously, the national status confers a greater degree of benefits. The main advantage is the promotion and marketing undertaken by the federal government or the states, depending on which designation has been given. Applications for National Scenic Byways status are only accepted every few years.

The National Scenic Byways Program also awards grant funds for various activities undertaken by approved byway organizations to promote the byway and attract additional visitors. This could include signage, planning, the development of brochures and other marketing materials, the development of media materials, and other projects intended to make the byway more attractive and more easily accessible. Applications must be submitted online and are solicited once a year, with a pre-application and an application. State staff reviews each application and sends it on with recommendations to FHA. Information regarding the National Scenic Byways Program may be accessed at http://www.byways.org.

Having a Corridor Management Plan is a requirement to access certain types of funding from this agency. This detailed planning document should discuss the various attractions and challenges along the route, and offer a strategy for maximizing the appeal of the byway and attracting additional visitors.

The Preserve America initiative provides designations to communities which
operate exemplary historic preservation programs. Preserve America communities can be municipalities, counties, or neighborhoods within large cities. These communities are eligible to apply for grant funding which focuses on planning and the development of sustainable management strategies. The program aims to provide management capabilities which will ensure that these assets are federally protected from having their integrity compromised in any way and that they are maintained properly. Grant amounts range from $20,000-$250,000. In general, applications for grant funds are solicited once a year. Applications to receive designation as a Preserve America community are solicited quarterly. This designation provides more than just the eligibility to apply for grant funds. Designated communities receive a Preserve America Community road sign, authorization to use the Preserve America logo, and marketing of their community at the federal level.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation plays a lead role in administering this program. However, a number of federal agencies are represented on the steering committee. Visit http://www.preserveamerica.gov to learn more about this program.

Save America’s Treasures (SAT) is another federal program which provides funding to assist in heritage tourism and historic preservation. SAT is administered by the National Park Service with input from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Presidential Commission on Arts and Humanities. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a partner in the sense that it works with SAT grantees in order to locate the required matching funds.

This program only makes grants for two purposes. Funding is provided to preserve nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts and to preserve nationally significant historical buildings and sites. In the case of artifacts, the applicant is given the opportunity to make the case for national significance. In the case of historic properties, funds are only awarded to assist in the preservation of sites which have been designated as a National Historic Landmark or which are contributing structures in a National Historic Landmark District or which are on the National Register of Historic Places due to their national significance. Applications are solicited once a year. A maximum of $700,000 per project is granted. The grant must be matched by an equal amount of funding from other sources. Eligible applicants are governmental agencies and nonprofits. For more information on this program, go to http://www.saveamericastreasures.org.

Aug 14, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Economic Development Administration Grants

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce gives economic development grants to communities. One of the major thrusts of EDA funding is public works projects in support of new commercial and industrial development which creates a substantial number of new jobs. In fact, the “name of the game” at EDA is “jobs, jobs, and more jobs!” The agency is interested both in projects which create new jobs as well as those which retain jobs which are in danger of being lost. Grants are generally made for up to 50 percent or more of the project cost, although EDA may contribute a higher percentage if an area is experiencing severe economic distress. EDA is particularly interested in projects which have a regional focus, overlapping state boundaries. Examples of projects funded include construction of broadband service and infrastructure for industrial parks such as water and sewer service, roads, and storm drainage. Grants are also made for planning and technical assistance projects. Local governments and regional planning organizations are eligible to apply.

The grant writer is strongly advised to discuss the project with EDA staff in the regional office serving her geographic area. Grant funding of greater than 50 percent is provided to those areas considered to be economically distressed. Criteria for economic distress include a high unemployment rate; a low per capita income; or a special need such as substantial population loss, major natural disasters, closure of industrial firms essential to the area’s economy, and the destructive impacts of foreign trade.

EDA makes funding in several areas including the following:

• Public Works and Economic Development Program-This program funds infrastructure in support of job creation and retention, such as water, sewer and streets.
• Economic Adjustment Assistance Program- This involves assistance given to regions having economic challenges. This assistance may be in the form of infrastructure construction, planning, or technical assistance.
• Research and National Technical Assistance-provides funding for research in regard to economic development best practices which can be applied on a national or international level
• Local Technical Assistance- As its name implies, EDA assists local and nonprofit sectors in economically distressed regions to implement viable and successful economic development strategies.
• Planning Program-Under this program, assistance is given to local planning organizations in the development of their Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). This is discussed in more detail below.
• University Center Economic Development Program- This program promotes a partnership between the federal government and various universities so that the resources of these institutions of higher learning are available to local governments and organizations which need assistance with economic development.
• Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms Program- A national network of eleven Trade Adjustment Assistance Centers is available to help manufacturing and production firms which have lost domestic sales and employment due to increased imports become more competitive in the global economy.
• Global Climate Change Mitigation Incentive Fund-This program was established to strengthen the linkages between economic development and environmental quality. The purpose and mission of the GCCMIF is to finance projects that foster economic development by advancing the green economy1 in distressed communities.

An area may apply for designation as an Economic Development District. The advantage of this designation is that any subsequent applications requesting assistance for public works projects may receive an additional 10 percent in EDA grant assistance.

The EDA process, in all honesty, is lengthy and complex. The application requires a significant investment of time. However, the part of the process which requires the most substantial amount of money and staff time is the development of a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. This is a very detailed planning document which describes the assets and challenges of an area; outlines specific goals and objectives; and describes in detail the specific projects designed to alleviate economic distress, including the timeframe in which these projects will be implemented, the amount of funding needed, the source of that funding, and the responsible entity.

For smaller jurisdictions, it is unlikely that existing staff would have either the time or the expertise to develop a CEDS. There are consultants who specialize in this type of work. However, even when a consultant is hired, the staff time required to support the consultant is considerable. Another factor which increases the amount of work and time put into a plan is the requirement that a committee representing a broad cross-section of the private and public sectors must be involved in the development of the plan. This document must be updated regularly for the jurisdiction to continue to be eligible for EDA funds. In the final analysis, the time and money spent to develop a CEDS is well worth it if the community wishes to receive EDA funding for large projects. More detailed information on EDA programs is available at http://www.eda.gov.

EDA has done an excellent job of listing other resources for economic development on this web site. These resources include both funding and technical assistance. The grant seeker should click on “Resources” on the main EDA webpage. This will open up a very helpful listing of organizations and government entities which will assist in this effort. One of the most valuable is the listing of state and local economic development offices. Each state is represented on this listing. In many cases, the link will take the grant seeker directly to the agency within that state which deals with economic development grants. In some cases, however, the link will take the reader to the state’s general website. When that occurs, it is necessary to scroll down the list of various state agencies in order to find the one whose name intuitively implies that its purpose is to promote economic development.

Other resources shown on this site are the following: Trade Adjustment Assistance Centers, University Centers, federal agencies in partnership with EDA, economic development foundations, national economic development organizations; and Economic Development Districts. The page dealing with economic development foundations is merely a searchable database of foundations in general. The researcher will need to specify the words “economic development” in the search. This is not a listing of foundations which only fund economic development projects.

Aug 11, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Economic Development Grants-USDA

In general, most economic development organizations are part of municipal, county, or state governments. In some cases, such organizations are independent but have local elected officials as board members. Many of the most effective economic development organizations are those which cover several political jurisdictions- i.e., multiple counties. These entities have a strategic advantage in grant seeking due to the fact that state and federal funding sources generally prefer a collaborative effort. The reason for this is that generally such projects can exhibit a greater benefit and public purpose.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Administration offers several programs which benefit economic development efforts. One of the most popular is the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG). This program was designed to assist “small and emerging businesses” in rural areas with populations of less than 50,000. However, priority is given to those communities and areas with a population less than 25,000.

“Small and emerging business” is defined as any enterprise with fifty or fewer employees and less than $1 million in gross revenues. Applications are accepted on a continuing basis. Funds have been used to create revolving loan funds which are under the control of a local government, which is then free to create its own guidelines within certain parameters. The grantees must ensure that the loan program provides optimal benefit to the businesses which borrow from it and serves a public purpose, such as job creation and/or an increase in the tax base. These funds may also be used to pay for infrastructure such as water and sewer or streets in support of new businesses which may be moving into the area. Projects given a high priority by USDA are those which create a significant number of jobs or which may introduce a new technology or industry into an area. Information about this program may be found at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/rbeg.htm.

Another USDA program which provides funding for revolving loan funds is the Intermediary Re-lending Program. This is very similar to RBEG in its requirements and application forms. There are no specific deadlines for application submission. The small businesses which become the borrowers may receive up to $250,000 in loans. Individuals may borrow funds from the intermediary.

The entire listing of business programs available from the USDA Rural Development Administration can be found at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/bprogs.htm. The programs not specifically discussed here fund rural utilities, including electric coops; telemedicine; broadband; sustainable energy; and a wide variety of other projects.

Aug 11, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Writing a Compelling Abstract

Abstract
This is a brief summary of the application, generally running no more than two pages in length, although many solicitations limit the abstract to one page. This element of the application is not always required, and should only be prepared when explicitly requested in the grant guidance documents. In some cases, the specific points to be covered in the abstract are delineated by the funding agency.

When specific guidance is not given, the following items of information should be included:

• The heading should clearly state the title of the project, the funding agency to which the application is being submitted, the name of the funding program, and the name of the applicant.
• The first paragraph should be a summary of the activities to be undertaken with the funds as well as the amount applied for-it is helpful to funding agencies to know exactly where their money is going at the very beginning of the application. This provides a clarity which makes a positive impression.
• The second paragraph should briefly describe the need for the project and give statistical information to back this up.
• The third paragraph should delineate specific positive outcomes resulting from the grant.
• The fourth paragraph should briefly describe the capabilities and experience of the applicant organization, as well as the reasons why the applicant cannot afford to undertake this project on its own
• The final paragraph should be a brief “wrap-up” which states how the project will be evaluated and then sustained after the grant period has expired.

After reading this chapter, it will become obvious that the abstract is no more than a very brief summary of each section of the application in turn. This is a very important part of any submission, as it provides a brief, “at a glance” description which should make a very positive impression in the very beginning.

Aug 08, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Class Attendees Report a High Level of Satisfaction

I attended the all day seminar — “Getting Your Share of the Pie – The Complete Guide to Finding Grants.” And, I am so glad I did. Ms. Mann not only answered all of my questions, she was engaging, friendly, and she created an environment that offered the opportunity to network with other like minded professionals. The Checklist for Designing the Perfect Project is just one of the helpful tools that I took away from the seminar. I have and will continue to refer to each of the “tools of the trade” often. P. Daniels

Jun 12, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Demographics and Other Research

One of the most critical elements of any proposal is solid statistical documentation. This is the most compelling way to make the case as statistics are a common denominator which can be used to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. Most grant applications require some sort of numerical data. Solid documentation of this type is one of the most convincing ways for a grant writer to make a compelling argument for a project because it makes the need seem believable and more real.

An example of how this works would be the hypothetical case of a grant writer who is trying to show that the majority of residents of a particular neighborhood are of low-and moderate-income status. The proposal writer would need to gather statistics from a recognized source to document this. Data from the Census offers information on household and family income for various geographies from the block level up to the national level. This is the most widely recognized source of demographic, social, and economic data in the United States. In our hypothetical example, if the proposal writer is lucky, the neighborhood in question may conform to Census geography. It is possible that a particular block group may comprise the neighborhood in question. Where this is not the case, the writer may need to work with individual blocks in order to build data which corresponds to the neighborhood in question. A detailed discussion on what information is available through the Census and how to use it is provided later in this chapter.

The grant writer may also use other indicators of economic distress such as the level of poverty, the age of housing in the area, the median value of the houses, median contract rent, number and percent of housing units lacking complete plumbing or kitchen facilities, and number of families not owning a vehicle.

The writer of a grant proposal for a heritage tourism project, such as the development of a small local museum, could use this same information in order to make the case that the area in which it is located exhibits economic distress and therefore show the need for a tourist attraction. The application should document that promotion of heritage tourism will bring in needed dollars to stimulate the local economy. In this instance, since we are talking about an area broader than just a single neighborhood, it would be appropriate to use unemployment statistics which are available by county from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (U.S. Department of Labor).

Jun 07, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post
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