The Maryland Governor's Office Annual Report is now available online at our website. (Click on its cover here to go to it.)

 

This report details the 446 federal grants received by Maryland state agencies during the current fiscal year, totaling $6.5 billion. The report includes state agency comparisons, information on federal funds to Maryland by federal agency, federal funds to Maryland by county, the largest federal grants, return on federal taxes, and information on foundation funds in Maryland. 

 

In the book's introduction, Governor Martin O'Malley said, "We also realize that it is not just a race to collect money as public dollars, regardless of the source, but that these funds must be used to best meet the priority needs of the State of Maryland." 

 

The book includes resources for small and minority owned businesses, community and faith-based non profit organizations, and individuals seeking education financing.  There is a grants contact listed for each state agency as well.

 

The report is available in its entirety online and in hard copy in abridged form listing only the name and dollar amount for each federal grant received and the contacts and resources pages. To order hard copies, contact our office, MDGrantsOffice@gov.state.md.us or 410-974-5090.

 

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GGO's UPCOMING CONFERENCES 

 

 

 

In her most recent position prior to her election, Representative Edwards served for eight years as the Executive Director of the Arca Foundation, so she brings a wealth of experience in grant making and federal funding to the Maryland Congressional delegation.  Rep. Edwards has agreed to speak at our September 8th annual conference. 

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The Charles F. Mercer: A Community Boat

 

This summer the Governor's Grants Office had the great fortune to witness first hand how a community can accomplish great things together.  We traveled to Great Falls, Maryland to meet Lily and her trainer, Mark Myers (seen in the photo to the right.) We enjoyed a short ride on a reproduction 19th century packet boat called the Charles F. Mercer, pulled down the C & O Canal tow path by Lily and another mule specially trained in Western Maryland for this work.

 

The park rangers were all dressed in circa 1870's costumes like Mark, and being on a colorful wooden packet boat drifting down the canal on a beautiful summer night it felt like we had become characters in a Mark Twain novel.

 

The 58-foot long, double decker boat, the Charles F. Mercer is a community success story. Of the $545,000 needed to build it, $200,000 was donated by the State of Maryland, and another $35,000 by Montgomery County, where the park is located.  Children of nearby Seven Locks Elementary School were disappointed when the last boat was decommissioned a few year ago, so they started collecting money for the new boat. Their efforts yielded $3,000. Joining them were children from Monocacy Elementary, who raised $2,000. The children's fundraising inspired the Friends of the Great Falls Tavern, who added to the pot. 

 

The Chales F. Mercer is lovingly referred to as a "community boat," for the thousands of people who brought her to life and thus recreating mid-19th life on the tow path for Maryland children and visitors to our great state.

 

For more information about this interpretive history program on the C & O Canal, visit the National Parks and Recreation website at

http://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/publicboatrides.htm. We highly recommend you ride the boat and pat the mules! One thing better than it being a real 19th century boat is the Charles F. Mercer is wheelchair accessible.

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    ·  Simplifying the application process
    ·  Streamlining financial assistance award and administration
    ·  Improving quality and timeliness of information related to assistance
    ·  Improving stewardship of Federal dollars

Considered by some to be in need of greater transparency, the GPC just launched a website at www.GPC.gov.  We hope you will take some time, visit the site, and fill out the SURVEY in the "Latest News" box on the front page.  The committee is hoping to receive some quick and useful feedback so it can improve its outreach and communication in the grants community.

 

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 Non Profits Look to Experts at MANO For All The Right Stuff 

Organizations are looking for financial support now more than ever. The Maryland Association of Non Profits (MANO) offers hundreds of fundraising resources on key topics such as direct mail, special events, proposal writing, and working with boards of directors. Find expert support at

The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), is an active grants maker. To view its various programs and resources, visit www.Maryland TEDCO.org.

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development offers the Shelter and Transitional Housing Facilities Grant. Certain non-profit organizations or local government entities can apply anytime of the year; applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis, pursuant to program funding availability and the project's readiness to proceed. To contact the Housing Grant Program Coordinator at DHCD, call 410-514-7590 or 1-800-543-4505 or email webb@dhcd.state.md.us. 

The Governor's Office on Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP) currently is accepting applications for several funding programs for 2009.

The Maryland Arts Council offers many grant programs for organizations and individual artists.  Applications must be submitted via the Arts Council's egrant system online.

The Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) offers a variety of business services and financing programs to assist the state's business community, including capital investment, credit enhancement, direct loans and guarantees, economic development incentives, women in technology programs, and other financing programs. View the full list of programs.

Partnership for Workforce Quality (PWQ) Program is an ongoing DBED grant program that provides matching skill upgrade training grants and support services targeted to improve the competitive position of small and mid-sized manufacturing and technology companies. PWQ matching grants are made directly to companies as well as through a variety of manufacturing, software industry and ISO 9000 consortia programs working in cooperation with DBED.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) coordinates more than 40 technical or financial assistance programs which directly serve local governments, non-profit groups, and individual property owners.  Visit their online grants and loan center.   Right now DNR has $39.9 million to grant for parks and playgrounds projects. Deadline for submissions is August 25, 2008. Go to http://www.dnr.state.md.us/land/pos/cpp.asp for information and application. 
 
The Maryland Energy Administration has several grants programs available to residents and businesses.  

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Office of Child Care (OCC)
presents the Family Day Care Provider Grant Program. This grant program exists to help registered child care providers offset some of the costs of operating their child care programs. MSDE also offers the Child Care Quality Incentive Grants Program to support projects related to training offered through the Credentialing Branch and improving children's school performance. Grants are awarded based on merit to eligible child care facilities, on a quarterly basis, at the end of April, July, October, and January under regulations of State COMAR 13A.14.11. For more information, call 410-767-7831.

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