Martin O'Malley
Governor
Anthony G. Brown
Lt. Governor
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Governor's Grants Office News
Autumn 2009
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Almost every non-profit that finds its way to the Governor's Grants Office has a
worthy cause to promote. Our job is often one of limiting expectations, or at least helping the non-profit think through a realistic approach to fund-raising. One thing
we probably don't talk enough about is the importance that leadership plays in taking
a good idea and seeing it through to its completion.
A few years ago I met George Lewis who had the idea of rebuilding one of the aqueducts on the C&O Canal that used to cross Catoctin Creek in Frederick County.
As a frequent user of the C&O Canal trail I knew that the reconstruction of a larger aqueduct had just been completed over the Monocacy River with considerable public financing and that this straddled two Congressional districts. I also knew that while the Monocacy Aqueduct was easily accessible by road the Catoctin location was not. The C&O Canal National Historical Park had many pressing fiscal needs and Catoctin was not one of their priority projects. George and I discussed strategy and potential partners. He was quite aware of what he was getting into and seemed to have the right contacts to begin, but at that time, I would not have predicted the following outcome.
On Thursday, September 23, I was in Frederick participating in Governor Martin O'Malley's "Capital for a Day" events and ran into George. He informed me that he
has received funding from multiple sources and donations from more than 2,000 individuals; the reconstruction contract should be approved by the end of the year,
and the project completion date is estimated to be the following year.
While it would have been easier to write about the hardships faced by non-profits
given declines in public funding and private philanthropy (maybe next issue?)
I thought it was important to make sure everyone knows that a good idea and a
strong leader can still do great things, even in this economy.
Eric Brenner
Director
Governor's Grants Office
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Administration for Children and Families
U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development
Maryland Department of Human Resources
Maryland Governor's Grants Office
~Present~
"GRANT WRITING 2009"
A FREE 2-DAY FEDERAL GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP
Registration is REQUIRED and is LIMITED to the first 75!
ONLY (2) PERSONS PER ORGANIZATION MAY REGISTER!
Dates: October 6 and 7, 2009
Time: 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM SIGN IN (First day)
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM Workshop (EACH DAY)
Location: University of Maryland School of Social Work
525 W. Redwood Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
· Does your organization have 501 (c)3 status?
· Has your organization applied directly for Federal funds in the past?
· Does your organization have additional funding streams other than Federal grants?
· Do you currently have the staffing capacity to implement a Federal grant?
If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, then join us!
Goal: Our goal is to assist faith-based and community-based organizations who have the capacity
and are looking to apply for federal and non-federal grants as either a grantee or sub-grantee as
well as provide insight into the Federal grant application process. Areas of concentration will
include: strategic planning, financial management and budgeting, developing a grant application
that is responsive to the funder and a case study that will provide hands-on experience with the elements of grant application. A session on the Logic Model and Electronic Filing also will be included.
Registration: Please go to http://biturl.net/?mx5bkg to register for this workshop.
You are invited to a
Strategic Thinking Work Session...
"Exploring What Will Sustain a Thriving Nonprofit Sector in Maryland"
hosted by Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations (MANO)
Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 12 Noon - 4 PM
Severna Park Public Library, 45 McKinsey Road, Severna Park 21146
Convenient Parking, Lunch & Abundant Snacks Will Be Available
There is no fee, but Please Confirm Your Participation by Friday, October 9, 2009.
Reply to rsvp@mdnonprofit.org with your name, organization, phone and email.
MANO offers a plethora of trainings for non-profits. Their fall courses are listed at
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This year's Governor's Grants Office Annual Report of Federal Funding to Maryland shows RECOVERY ACT funds and FEDERAL PROCUREMENT coming into Maryland.
 As most of you know, the 2009 version of the Governor's Grants Office Annual Report was completed and posted online in August.
The contents are similar to past reports, but this year the charts that show federal fund totals by state agency also separately list the funds coming in via the Recovery Act(a.k.a. ARRA). This allows readers to see where ARRA funds have already come into state agencies or where funds are anticipated to come in during the current fiscal year. When combined with the other methods of tracking ARRA spending, this can be an important planning tool for local governments and non-profits that already receive funding from some of these existing grant programs.
Another interesting addition this year is the inclusion of information on federal procurement coming into Maryland. The overall amount of federal procurement received by Maryland more than doubles our federal grant dollars, and this is without counting any of the federal intelligence money that is not listed in the official budget documents but undoubtedly increases this differential even further.
The information on our largest federal contractors can serve as a way to target new job opportunities or job training needs in addition to helping non-profits identify potential contributors in this difficult economy. More up-to-date (almost real time) information on federal grant and contract awards in Maryland can be found at USASpending.gov. Scroll on "spending," then click on either "grants" or "contracts" and search by state.
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 SECRETARY JANET NAPOLITANO
AND GOVERNOR MARTIN O'MALLEY ANNOUNCE $6 MILLION IN
RECOVERY ACT HOMELAND
SECURITY GRANTS FOR MARYLAND
On Thursday, September 23, 2009 at the Baltimore Harbor, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley announced $6 million in new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants for fire station construction and port security initiatives in Maryland.
"I am proud to join Governor O'Malley to announce these Recovery Act grants that
will help reinvigorate our economy, while strengthening and protecting critical infrastructure in Maryland and across America," said Secretary Napolitano. "These grants will enhance our resiliency and national security while infusing Recovery
Act dollars into local Maryland communities."
"One of the most solemn obligations we have as public servants is to protect the safety and security of our people," said Governor O'Malley. "Thanks to President Obama's Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the leadership of Secretary Napolitano
at the Department of Homeland Security, we're able to continue to make critical investments in our security infrastructure, ensuring that the national economic crisis does not compromise the progress we've already made in making our State and our country safer and more secure."
Maryland will receive $4.1 million under the Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) to protect critical infrastructure in the Port of Baltimore area and $1.9 million under the Fire Station Construction Grant Program (SCG) to replace an Anne Arundel County
Fire Department fire station in Glen Burnie, Md.
These announcements came in addition to the $78 million in ARRA-funded Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP) grants announced by Secretary Napolitano in July-including $9.6 million to pay for additional law enforcement officers in the National Capital Region.
Secretary Napolitano also announced $100 million in ARRA-funded Emergency Food
and Shelter Grants in April, including more than $1.4 million for Maryland, to be administered by the United Way. In total, more than $1.34 billion in ARRA dollars
have been awarded this year for DHS port, transit and firefighter assistance grants across the nation.
For more information on preparedness grant programs or the Recovery Act,
visit www.dhs.gov, www.dhs.gov/recovery and www.fema.gov/grants.
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 President Obama's Recovery.gov site made a couple map changes. Check it out at http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/maps. The "investments by state" map lumps everything together (funds to state agencies and funds going directly to local governments and private contractors; both grants and contracts). The "investment by recipients" map is set to default to contracts and there is some nice information on Maryland "winners" already getting direct federal contracts; this same site can also be set to search by grant. All of this information is pulled directly from USASpending.gov.
To track Maryland-specific ARRA Funding and ARRA grant and contract opportunities in the region, visit Governor O'Malley's site at www.recovery.maryland.gov.
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Recovery Act Registration and Recipient Data Release Update
 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 calls for all recipients of Recovery funds to report on the use of these monies to the federal Recovery Board by Oct. 10, 2009. Registration for recipients is under way on FederalReporting.gov, with nearly 22,000 already registered. However, the Board strongly encourages those not yet registered to do so immediately to ensure that, when actual reporting occurs between Oct. 1 and Oct. 10, recipients will be able to maximize the efficacy of the reporting system.
The 2.0 version of Recovery.gov (designed by a Maryland company) will be launched at the end of this month. The redesigned website will be both user-friendly and highly interactive and will provide all Americans with an historic level of transparency on their government's spending.
The Recovery Act allows recipients and agencies of the federal government to conduct quality reviews of the submitted data between October 11 and October 29. After considerable outreach to recipients and other affected stakeholders, the Board is announcing the following schedule and process for displaying recipient data on Recovery.gov.
~All data changes made by recipients between Oct. 11 and Oct. 29 will be carefully tracked, chronicled and made available on Recovery.gov shortly after Nov. 1.
~All reported data associated with Recovery grants, loans and other forms of assistance will be displayed on Oct. 30.
Earl E. Devaney, Chairman of the Recovery Board, stated that "this release schedule mitigates the Board's concern that large amounts of uncorrected data could actually harm transparency rather than enhance it." Governor's Grants Office Deputy Director Merril Oliver is conducting workshops on compliance guidelines for those who have received Recovery Act grants. She started at the request of Charles County, and is lining up additional training venues now, but you don't have to wait to be invited to a workshop. View her materials at GGO's ARRA webpage in the center of the page.
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Five Maryland Businesses Granted RECOVERY ACT funds for Apprenticeship Programs
Five Maryland industry associations and labor-management organizations have been awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants to develop Registered Apprenticeship programs.
Registered Apprenticeships are based on an 'earn while you learn' model that provides a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom instruction in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a highly
skilled occupation. Apprenticeships will help develop a pipeline of workers for new and emerging industries, including those related to green technologies.
Congratulations to the following Maryland organizations:
· Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons Intl Assoc. of the U.S. and Canada, which is headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland, has been awarded $622,562 to develop 21st century training curricula for occupations expected to play an important role in meeting the needs of the growing green construction sector.
· Finishing Trades Institute, Hanover, Maryland, was awarded $622,757 to develop new apprenticeship standards to expand access to training and integrate green building standards
into its training curricula.
· United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipefitting
Industry of U.S. and Canada, headquartered in Annapolis was awarded $624,300. This funding will help them build a pipeline of workers to address skill shortages in the nuclear and solar power sectors of the alternative energy industry. The grant program will give priority to Native American applicants and expand its hybrid welding program by branching into new occupational disciplines.
· National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, which is headquartered in
Upper Marlboro,Maryland, was awarded $614,943 to establish the Electrical Trades 21st Century Apprenticeship program. This apprenticeship will implement standards and training in green construction techniques and renewable energy installations.
· International Masonry Institute, headquartered in Bowie, Maryland, was awarded
$545,149 to review and revise existing guideline standards for a hybrid competency-based training model. Additionally, it will use the funding to expand its apprenticeship programs to include green building technologies and practices.
All of these projects will be implemented on a national scale and partner with local educational entities.
The Registered Apprenticeship system includes a network of approximately 30,000 program sponsors nationwide, offering nearly 1,000 different career opportunities.
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BALTIMORE WOMEN JOIN FORCES TO AWARD $300,000 TO 19 LOCAL NONPROFITS
 The Baltimore Women's Giving Circle (BWGC) is awarding $318,000 in new, one-year grants to 19 Baltimore-area nonprofit organizations. The BWGC, a group of more than 300 women who pool their charitable dollars-each member contributing $1,100 annually-assists disadvantaged women and their families in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Selected from 82 applicants, the 19 organizations run programs that match the BWGC's goal
of improving life and promoting self-sufficiency for economically disadvantaged women and their children.
Since its founding in 2001, the BWGC has awarded over $1.6 million in grants to more than 100 local organizations. A fund of the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF),
the BWGC was started by 52 women with the assistance of BCF and has grown to
more than 300 members.
Baltimore Women's Giving Circle grantees serve women and their families in the
following key areas: literacy/education, job and career training, life skills, housing, mentoring, parenting skills, healthcare services, and domestic violence.
Baltimore non-profits interested in applying for a BWGC grant? Find out how. Outside Baltimore County there are similar funds; ask your local community foundation if
there is a Women's Giving Circle in your county! |
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Grantseekers, Visit a Foundation Center Cooperating Collection near you for expert assistance.
 In these challenging times, grant-seeking organizations have to become more creative in seeking out grant opportunities. Please keep in mind that the Foundation Center's Cooperating Collections found at libraries throughout Maryland provide terrific resources for finding available funds.
Cooperating Collections go beyond what you could find online. They are expertly run, free funding information centers that provide a core collection of Foundation Center publications and a variety of supplemental materials and services in areas useful to grantseekers.
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 ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION Announces Grant Funding is Open for Nursing Education
FUNDING FOR RESEARCH SCIENTISTS AND INSTITUTIONS CAN BE FOUND AT The American Federation for Aging Research
The 2010 American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) Grants Program, offers grants to develop careers in the field of aging research. AFAR supports research projects concerned with understanding the basic mechanisms of aging. Projects investigating age-related diseases are also supported.
It is anticipated that approximately 15 grants of up to $75,000 each will be awarded in 2010. Applicants may propose to use the award over the course of one or two years as justified by the proposed research. Funds may not be requested for overhead or indirect costs. Funding will begin July 1, 2010.
All candidates must submit applications endorsed by their institution (only not-for-profit settings in the United States.) The deadline for receipt of all applications and supporting materials is December 15, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. EST.
Please refer to the AFAR instruction sheet and application for complete application procedures, and to view other grant programs at AFAR, at http://afar.org/grants.html.  Visual Artists Can Apply for Funding Through The Pollock-Krasner Foundation.
The Foundation welcomes, throughout the year, applications from visual artists who are painters, sculptors and artists who work on paper, including printmakers. There are no deadlines. The Foundation encourages applications from artists who have genuine financial needs that are not necessarily catastrophic. Grants are intended for a one-year period of time. The Foundation will consider need on the part of an applicant for all legitimate expenditures relating to his or her professional work and personal living, including medical expenses. The size and length of the grant is determined by the individual circumstances of the artist. Grants range from $1,000 to $30,000. for more info visit the Pollock-Krasner Foundation site at http://www.pkf.org. | |
STATE GRANTS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:
410.974.5090