1. Researching Grant Opportunities Government Grants and Program Assistance Conference Federal Funds Information for States www.ffis.org www.ffis.org

2. Overview Understanding how federal funds are distributed – Budget breakdown – Types of federal aid Looking for grant opportunities – Useful websites and ways to search Finding out more information about a program – Priorities and selection criteria, rules and regulations, funding history and previous grantees Deciding whether to apply for a grant – Eligibility, MOE and matching requirements, staff infrastructure, deadlines

3. Where the Money Goes: Pieces of the Federal Budget Pie

4. Where the Money Goes: Type of Assistance Type of AssistanceTotal Funding Block Grant $14,580,561 Formula Grant 690,536,050 Project Grant 181,183,450 CO-OP Agreements 51,858,133 Specified Direct Assistance 540,373,751 Unspecified Direct Assistance 773,924,060 Direct Loan 21,770,712 Guaranteed/Insured Loans 428,407,311 Insurance 845,305,270 Other 631,586 Total $3,548,570,884 Source: U.S. Census FAADS Data, 2009 U.S. Financial Assistance (dollars in thousands)

5. Where the Money Goes: Type of Assistance Source: U.S. Census FAADS Data, 2009 Project grants make up only 5.1% of total assistance

6. Where the Money Goes: Program Area Composition of Major Federal Grants, FY 2011

7. Types of Federal Aid Mandatory Spending – Spending that is not subject to annual appropriations – Spending levels dictated in authorizing legislation Discretionary Spending – Funded through annual appropriations process – Programs created or authorized through legislation

8. Types of Federal Aid, cont. Formula Grants – Noncompetitive awards based on a predetermined formula – The amount distributed depends on various factors (i.e. population, amount of tax effort, per capita income, housing density, rate of infant mortality, etc.) Project Grants – Awarded on the basis of competitive applications for fixed or known periods of specific projects, or the delivery of specific services

9. Researching Grant Opportunities Looking for grant opportunities – Searching Grants.gov and the Federal Register Finding out more information about a program – Using agency websites and the Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Deciding whether to apply for a grant – Meeting eligibility guidelines, MOE and matching requirements, staff infrastructure capabilities, deadlines

10. Grant Notices Where to look for grants – Grants.gov: www.grants.govwww.grants.gov Database listing all federal grants (formula and competitive) Links and information about the application process – Federal Register: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/ Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFA) Opportunity to comment on priorities/selection criteria – Agency websites Email Updates

11. Using Grants.gov to Find Opportunities Glossary of terms – http://www.grants.gov/help/glossary.jsp http://www.grants.gov/help/glossary.jsp Search for grants by keyword, category, agency, funding opportunity number (FON), CFDA number, etc. Grant Email Alerts

12. Grants.gov: Ways to Search (Basic)

13. Grants.gov: Ways to Search (Advanced)

14. Grants.gov: Email Alerts and Notices RSS feed Email Updates Daily notifications of new grant opportunities Receive notices based on criteria or FON http://www.grants.gov/applicants/email_subscri ption.jsp http://www.grants.gov/applicants/email_subscri ption.jsp

16. Grants.gov: Applying for a Grant Download the application and apply direction from the funding announcement Check software requirements for online application

17. Grants.gov: Tracking Applications “Track my application” – https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/checkApplStatus. faces https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/checkApplStatus. faces – Track up to five grants using application tracking numbers

18. Federal Register Published NOFAs, grant priorities, and criteria – http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?c ollectionCode=FR http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?c ollectionCode=FR – Sign up for daily Table of Contents email – Opportunity to submit comments

19. Agency Websites: Grant Listings Some agencies provide comprehensive grant listings – Education: http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.htm l http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.htm l – Health and Human Services: http://www.hhs.gov/grants/ http://www.hhs.gov/grants/ Others separate listings out by office or department – Energy Science and Technology: http://science.doe.gov/grants/index.asp http://science.doe.gov/grants/index.asp Energy Efficiency: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/financing/ http://www1.eere.energy.gov/financing/ – Transportation FTA: http://www.fta.dot.gov/funding/grants_financing_263.html http://www.fta.dot.gov/funding/grants_financing_263.html PHMSA: http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/grants-state-programs http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/grants-state-programs NHTSA: http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Programs+&+Grants http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Programs+&+Grants

20. Agency Websites: Press Releases Searching an agencies’ press releases is another way to find grant opportunities – Ex: Department of Agriculture List of latest releases: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=LA TEST_RELEASES http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=LA TEST_RELEASES Funding opportunity example: Housing Preservation Grants

21. Agency Websites: Press Releases Example: Housing Prevention Grants http://tinyurl.com/3m2qoeu http://tinyurl.com/3m2qoeu

22. Agency Websites: Press Releases, cont. AgencyPress Releases Agriculture http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?n avid=LATEST_RELEASES Commerce http://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases Education http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases Energy http://www.energy.gov/news/releases.htm HHS http://www.hhs.gov/news/ Homeland Security http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/index.shtm HUD http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/press/pre ss_releases_media_advisories Interior http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/index.cfm Labor http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/opa/main.htm Transportation http://www.dot.gov/affairs/

23. Getting More Information: Agency Websites Additional information about grants can be found in agency guidance documents and reports – Often provided at the program or office level – Can include: Program overviews Rules and regulations for a given program Reports on best practices Summaries of previous grantee projects for existing programs Audit findings and OIG reports

25. Agency Websites: Funding History Overall budget tables – Annual appropriation levels – Ex: Department of Education Budget Tables (http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/tables. html?src=ct)http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/tables. html?src=ct Previous grant awards and grantees – Ex: HHS Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) http://taggs.hhs.gov/

26. Searching for Awardees allows you to see how much organizations have received for grants in the past

27. Agency Websites: Congressional Justifications Program overview Performance measures Proposed program changes – Ex: Round II of Race to the Top competition proposed in president’s FY 2012 budget

28. Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) CFDA (www.cfda.gov) provides additional background information on grantswww.cfda.gov – Type of grant – Previous award levels – Agency contacts – MOE and matching requirements – Eligibility Look for upcoming announcements in print edition – “Applicant Eligibility Index” provides grants by eligibility

31. CFDA: Applicant Eligibility Index

32. Things to Keep in Mind Are you eligible? – Eligibility can be found in the funding announcement – Read priorities and selection criteria carefully; sometimes preference is given to previous grantees Does the federal program meet your needs? Do you have adequate resources to manage the grant/meet the requirements? – Staff/infrastructure – Matching and MOE requirements – Project deadlines/post-award management

33. Questions?