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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama on February 17. The Act contains $288 billion in tax cuts, $144 billion in revenue sharing to states, and $357 billion in spending in areas such as infrastructure, health care, housing, energy, scientific research, and more.
Be realistic. Be ready. Do your homework.
Ask Yourself These questions:
- Does the funding opportunity fit with your existing mission?
- Can you sustain the project when the stimulus funding goes away? If not, please make sure your idea builds capacity for the long term.
- Do you have the human capacity and the infastructure to manage the grant if you get it? Please remember that the accountablity to the public is very high.
- Can you find meaningful partners in your community, state, and/or nation to work with to achieve your goals?
If you still think applying for funding is a good idea then consider these points:
- Look at the grants you have now from the government and see how you can expand the scope of services.
- Look for mission opportunities that create jobs, serves your community and builds your long-term capacity.
- Look at your "shelved projects" that are shovel ready now.
- Look at your proposals that have been denied in the past and now might have a better chance of getting funding because they fit the stimulus criteria.
- Look to projects in your existing Community Plan and collaborate with others to help make them happen.
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7.27.09
Alaska to receive $1.5 billion in stimulus funds
Philanthropy Northwest E-Bulletin
At its June meeting, the Alaska Funders Group learned details about the massive infusion the state can expect from federal stimulus funds. Legislative aide Larry Persily reported that more than $1.5 billion will be available for Alaska projects, with the majority going to civilian and military construction. Alaskans hit by the recession will be helped, too. Unemployment benefits will be increased by $25 a week and will be extended for a longer period. 13,000 veterans will receive a one-time payment of $250, and Food Stamp benefits will be increased by 13%. Substantial funding also will be available for education, weatherization, job training, housing and water projects. Funders stressed the need to be aware of application requirements and deadlines to assure that Alaska communities and nonprofits don’t miss opportunities for federal funds. Persily urged funders to visit the Alaska Clearinghouse, a website maintained by the Denali Commission with support from the Rasmuson Foundation, Federal Executive Association and the state legislature. The site contains extensive information on stimulus funds and programs, including a calendar of events and deadlines to help organizations track grant opportunities. http://services.philanthropynw.org/pressroom/AKebulletin/0709/Persily.pdf
7.24.29
Community Renewable Energy Development Grants for State, local and Tribal governments ($22 Million)
- Applications due September 3, 2009
- Contact: Brian Hirsch with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory at 907-299-0268 or brian.hirsch@nrel.gov
DOE is announcing a new funding opportunity for community renewable energy projects. A total of $21.45 million in DOE funding is available to provide financial assistance to support the implementation of an integrated renewable energy deployment plan for a community, and the construction of renewable energy systems. Eligibility is restricted to state and local governments, Indian Tribes and Tribal Energy Resource Development Organizations or Groups. The application deadline is September 3, 2009.
A copy of the funding opportunity announcement is available on FedConnect. Search for opportunity DE-FOA-0000122)
https://www.fedconnect.net/Fedconnect/PublicPages/PublicSearch/Public_Opportunities.aspx
The synopsis and funding opportunity announcement are available on grants.gov
The purpose of this FOA is to move EERE toward one of its goals to improve knowledge and to promote acceleration of market adoption of renewable energy (RE) technologies. This FOA supports implementation of the Recovery Act by creating jobs, promoting economic recovery, and investing in renewable energy infrastructure. Projects should address the technical, economic, and policy barriers to implementing a combination of renewable energy technologies into one integrated solution for a community to reduce its carbon footprint. Projects should support and enable the deployment goals across the portfolio of EERE's renewable energy programs, with the intent of creating examples that can be further replicated by other communities, nationally and internationally.
Eligible renewable energy technologies for purposes of this FOA include but are not limited to, electric or thermal energy generated from solar, wind, biomass, landfill gas, ocean (including tidal, wave, current, and thermal), geothermal, or new hydroelectric generation capacity achieved from increased efficiency or additions of new capacity at an existing hydroelectric project, as defined in EPAct 2005.
Update 7.21.09
This information comes from the the Clearinghouse’s fifth bi-monthly update. These updates will include new information on their website, current news and new funding opportunities that they are tracking.
Please take advantage of the Alaska Clearinghouse Forum. This is a user forum that will allow visitors to post/discuss questions and experiences with Recovery Act programs and federal agencies. Visitors can sign up for a free member account that gives them access to the forum. www.akclearinghouse.com
News:
- Department of Labor announces $220 million in grant funding for worker training in high growth industries. The purpose of this program is to provide workers with the training needed to pursue jobs in high growth and emerging industries including the health care industry (nursing, allied health, long term care, health information technology) and other high growth/emerging industries (wireless and broadband deployment, information technology, advanced manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, and biotechnology). Eligible applicants include public or private nonprofit entities; they must be “legal” entities, and may include local workforce investment boards and one-stop systems, Tribal organizations, education and training providers, labor organizations, health care providers, and faith-based and community organizations. Applicants must be fiscal agent, and may not submit multiple applications. Strategic partnerships are required as well. Submission due date for this grant is October 5, 2009.
- The Clearinghouse hosted an Informational briefing on energy funding opportunities July 17th, 2009. The minutes from this meeting are attached to this email and will soon be posted to our Web site. This was our first briefing and we discovered our teleconference capacity had reached its max and individuals were not able to participate via teleconference. We apologize for this inconvenience and are working on our teleconference capacity capabilities. If you have any questions regarding the meeting minutes attached, please email asmith@denali.gov; Please let us know if you are interested in future informational briefings and please include what type of briefings you would like to see coordinated?
- Alaska Clearinghouse works with UAA and the Institute of the North in coordinating efforts for the broadband opportunities. You can read more about the broadband opportunities by visiting our Web site at http://www.akclearinghouse.com/index.php/component/content/article/136-ntia-and-rus-release-broadband-grant-nofa
- HUD announces Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) recipients: http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr09-123.cfm&CFID=15761289&CFTOKEN=45601960
Funding Opportunities:
The Denali Commission is providing funding to incentivize tribes to coordinate regionally on joint proposals under the Department of Energy's Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) solicitation. The deadline has been extended to August 10, 2009. Please visit the Denali Commission website for more information - http://www.denali.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=428:denali-commission-eecbg-consolidated-application-incentive-project&catid=52:announcements.
For a more details on energy funding opportunities, please see the attached meeting minutes from the energy informational briefing held Friday, July 17, 2009.
The following grant opportunities are of interest to Alaska and the Clearinghouse is tracking their status:
Please contact the Clearinghouse team if you have any questions at akclearinghouse@denali.gov.
Update 5.1.09
The Denali Commission through the creation of The Alaska Clearning House is keeping up-to-date information on all stimulus funding coming to Alaska. For more information please see their website.
Update 4.20.09
The Alaska legislature voted in the closing hours of the session to accept all of the federal stimulus money that would be made available to the state. During the legislative session Governor Palin had rejected roughly 1/3 of the federal stimulus money because she felt it came with a number of requirements from the federal government, including requirements to continue funding programs after federal stimulus dollars were expended. In voting to accept the money the legislature disagreed with the governor. According to state law the governor may veto portions of the federal stimulus money; such a veto can be overridden by a 3/4 majority of both the Senate and the House. According to Juneau experts the stimulus dollar targeted toward capital infrastructure items, such as roads and airports and certain funds to enhance Medicaid services are safe, and unlikely to be vetoed.
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ARRA Weekly Update 4.17.09
This weekly update is produced by the Office of the Mayor, Municipality of Anchorage, based on the best information available to date. However, please be aware that information can change daily and that many aspects of the Recovery Act continue to be moving targets. Visit http://www.muni.org/mayor/arra.cfm for an overview of the Act, Anchorage-specific information, and links to additional resources.
Legislative plan would add stimulus funds to revenue sharing
In the closing days of the legislative session, a plan has been put forward to contribute more than $20 million in discretionary Recovery Act funds as an add-on to municipal assistance and revenue sharing. Anchorage's share would be $8.6 million. Even if the legislature ultimately approves the plan, Governor Palin could veto it or refuse to apply for the funds.
Anchorage Assembly Approves Merrill Field Bid Award
Construction work at Merrill Field, including parking for 100 additional planes, will begin in May if anticipated Recovery Act funding of $1.9 million comes through. The Anchorage Assembly approved the construction bid award during its April 14 meeting. The FAA is expected to announce a grant award in the next two weeks.
Homelessness Prevention Public Comment Period to Close April 17
Written comments are being accepted through 4:00 p.m. Friday, April 17, on the Homelessness Prevention program. The proposed program, a partnership of the Municipality and the Anchorage Coalition on Homelessness, would be funded with one-time money from HUD of $776,000 under the Recovery Act. The plan is to create a coordinated system to prevent and alleviate homelessness. Major elements include a single-point-of-entry for individuals and families in need; mobile case management; and skill building to help individuals and families avoid homelessness. The project is embodied as the fourth amendment to the 2008 Action Plan of the Municipality of Anchorage and the Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) Commission 2008 Action Plan. A copy of the amendment can be found at www.muni.org/mayor/arra.cfm.
U. S. Department of Health & Human Services Announces Formula Funding for Alaska
Alaska may receive about $3.7 million in Recovery Act community services block grant funding, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced recently. The block grants are for services and activities addressing employment, education, housing, nutrition, emergency services and health to combat the central causes of poverty. The funds must be accepted by the state legislature and governor before they can be distributed to Alaska's community action agencies. An additional $1.3 million is being allocated directly to Alaska Native tribes as part of this program.
Federal Grant Symposium Draws Large Crowd
Information from a federal grants symposium earlier this week will be summarized and available on the Alaska Clearinghouse website at www.denali.gov. The symposium featured representatives from various federal agencies with information about competitive grant opportunities available from the federal government.
The Mayor's Office in Anchorage is compiling data on stimulus Funding on a weekly basis. Below are their most recent findings. For more information on any of these grants please follow the links. For addtional links check out our links page.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced formula funding allocations from several revenue streams. The Municipality of Anchorage will receive $507,812 in Community Development Block Grant funds and $776,469 for homelessness prevention. Through housing agencies, Anchorage will receive $3.3 million for the Public Housing Capital Fund and $1.6 million for Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance. HUD also announced that Alaska will receive $5.5 million in tax credit assistance.
Housing for domestic violence victims
The U.S. Department of Justice today announced applications are now available for Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Stalking, or Sexual Assault. Intent to apply is due March 24, full grant application is due April 8, 2009. See the US Department of Justice website for more information.
By statute, eligible entities for this program are states, units of local government, Indian tribes, and other organizations, including domestic violence and sexual assault victim service providers, domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, other nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations, faith-based and community organizations, and culturally specific organizations, that have a documented history of effective work concerning domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/recovery-transitional-housing-asst.pdf
Formula funding for Anchorage
Anchorage is expected to receive the following amounts under formula funding grants recently announced:
- Anchorage School District - $12.9 million (Title I) $13 million (IDEA)
- Transit - $6 million to People Mover through Transit Formula Funding
- Transportation - $18.95 million to AMATS through Surface Transportation Formula Funding
- Anchorage Police and Criminal Justice System - $2.7 million JAG/Edward Byrne Formula Grant Program in ARRA (Application deadline May 18, 2009).
- Anchorage Police Department - $ 437,265 Internet Crimes Against Children Formula Grant Program in ARRA (Registration deadline March 16, 2009; Application deadline April 8, 2009).
Some nationwide competitive grants also were announced recently:
- National Field-Generated Training, Technical Assistance, and Demonstration Projects ($5 million available taken from $100 million Victims Compensation program in ARRA) (March 17, 2009).
- National Endowment for the Arts (Deadline April 2)
- Alternative Fueled Vehicles Pilot Grant Program (Deadline May 29)
- Diesel Emissions Reduction competitive grants (Deadline April 13)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama on February 17. The Act contains $288 billion in tax cuts, $144 billion in revenue sharing to states, and $357 billion in spending in areas such as infrastructure, health care, housing, energy, scientific research, and more.
Visit http://www.muni.org/mayor/arra.cfm for an overview of the Act, additional Anchorage- specific information, and links to additional resources.
Other sources of funding and applications announced:
* Economic Development Assistance competitive grants information available. http://www.eda.gov/PDF/FY09%20ARRA%20FFO%20FINAL.pdf
* Alternative Fueled Vehicles Pilot Grant Program competitive grants available now. http://ecenter.doe.gov/iips/faopor.nsf/ 3b3cff0a4a1f243485256ec100490e1a/f1befa84084808598625756800695728 Round 1 deadline May 29, Round 2 deadline Sept. 30. More information at http://www.afdc.energy.gov/cleancities/progs/solicitations.php (These grants are $5 million minimum)
* Diesel Emissions Reduction competitive grants focus on promoting economic recovery, preserving and/or creating jobs, and reducing diesel emissions. National/State programs split 70%-30%. Deadline April 13 for National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance. http://epa.gov/otaq/eparecovery/ and http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel/index.htm
* The National Telecommunications and Information Administration at the Dept. of Commerce announced a series of public meetings March 16-24 regarding the $4.7 billion competitive grant program in the ARRA to expand public computer center capacities at public libraries and community colleges. Grant applications and deadlines should be released soon. http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press/2009/BTOP_RFI_090310.pdf
* DOJ Byrne JAG formula grant applications are available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryJAG/JAGrecoveryLocal.pdf Applications are due May 19, 2009. Purpose of these grants is to control crime and improve criminal justice system. Anchorage will receive $2.7 million.
* DOJ released guidance on formula funding and the grant applications for the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) program. You must register with the online Grants Management System (GMS) at https://grants.ojp.usdoj.gov by March 16, 2009. Applications are due April 8, 2009.
* DOJ has posted a questionnaire to determine whether your local law enforcement is eligible for the DOJ/COPS funding under the ARRA: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/chrp/eligibilityanony.aspx For more info: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?Item=2108
* The Dept of Education announced guidelines for several programs. Read carefully the descriptions of each program. Some programs reference state education agencies (SEAs) and some reference local education agencies (LEAs).
1) IDEA (disabilities): http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/factsheet/idea.html
2) Title I (poverty): http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/factsheet/title-i.html
3) State fiscal stabilization fund (school retrofit): http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/factsheet/stabilization-fund.html
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The following information comes from a nonprofit forum on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act session held in Anchorage on March 12, 2009.
Presenters included: Acting Anchorage Mayor Matt Claman, Randy Virgin with the Municipality of Anchorage Office of Economic and Community Development, Schawna Thomas with the Office of US Senator Begich, Sherry Edwards with the Office of US Senator Murkowski and Larry Persily, legislative aide to State Representative Hawker. 220 nonprofit representatives were also in attendance.
For more information on the stimulus funding please check out our links section.
Three ways that money is coming into Alaska:
- Formula funding
- Tax cuts- benefits
- Competitive grant funds
Total for Alaska:
$1 billion dollars allocated money- not included in competitive grants. This money includes:
- $100 million for ocean research vessel
- $152 million for Nome hospital
- $200 million for education
- $200 million for Medicaid
- $175 million for surface transportation (roads and trails)
- $42 million for transit projects
- $82 million for airports
- $40 million for home weatherization and energy efficiency block grants- about 2/3rd will flow through local governments
- $43 million for clean water and sewer loan funds
- $16 million for job training and state job centers
- $16 million more for state job centers
- $6 million for child support services
Possibilities presented at the forum included:
- Job training, summer youth jobs counseling
- Electronic health records
- Education innovation grants for partnerships between school districts and nonprofits
- Energy efficiency and conservation block grants ($400 million nationwide)
- Community broadband and community computer centers ($200 million nationwide)
- Grants to nonprofits for social service programs for health and human services- specifically children and family services will be directed to communities in the nation hit the hardest by the economic downturn
- Neighborhood stabilization program- $2 billion dollars nationwide to focus on communities with high foreclosure rates
- Community development block grants- $1 billion nationwide - $1.3 million for Alaska
- Justice, crime, victims programs
- Community health center grants- health information technology that focuses on the uninsured.
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