Martin O'Malley
Governor
Anthony G. Brown
Lt. Governor
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Governor's Grants Office News
Spring 2009
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| Greetings!
On February 27, Governor Martin O'Malley publicly launched a website, Recovery.maryland.gov with information about the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA). In many ways this website tracks the federal Recovery.gov site which also includes links to the other state websites in what has become a "race to the top" in terms of states competing to see who can provide the best information, in the most transparent format, to make sure federal Recovery dollars are being spent effectively to carry out the primary goals centered around job creation and job retention.
The Grants Office is assisting the StateStat office and the Department of Information Technology in building the opportunities section of Recovery.maryland by tracking and posting specific grant and contract opportunities.
While many of our e-newsletter readers already are familiar with the various grant opportunities connected to ARRA, and some will already be aware of ARRA contract opportunities that are posted on eMaryland Marketplace, perhaps the best added-value that we have provided in this process is exposing people to the wide variety of ARRA funded federal contract opportunities in Maryland and neighboring states that are bid out directly by federal agencies. Whether providing better information for private vendors in your community, or just wanting to learn more about how your ARRA dollars are being spent, these direct federal contract opportunities are worth exploring.
Eric Brenner
Director
Governor's Grants Office
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 Governor Martin O'Malley
launches www.Recovery.maryland.gov
On February 27, 2009, Governor O'Malley unveiled a performance-measurement tool using his innovative StateStat Program, officially launching Maryland's Recovery and Reinvestment Website, unique in the country.
www.recovery.maryland.gov is a tool Marylanders can use to track recovery projects in the State of Maryland that will be used to invest in public education and transportation projects and others to create or save thousands of jobs in Maryland. "I am proud to officially announce the launch of www.recovery.maryland.gov, as we move forward with the One Maryland Recovery and Reinvestment Plan," said Governor O'Malley. "The Citizens of Maryland will be able to track and monitor our progress every step of the way with the accountability, transparency, and efficiency that we've brought to State government. In Maryland, we have been planning for months to put these tax dollars to use in the most responsible and sustainable way possible to create thousands of jobs, continue to protect our No.1 ranked public schools, and provide critical services to our families during these difficult economic times."
Maryland is a leader in the nation in measuring the performance of government programs. StateStat staff is currently working with State agencies to monitor projects, track job growth and job preservation and StateStat analysts will continue to update the site as more information about the Recovery and Reinvestment Act is revealed. The Governor's Grants Office is populating the opportunities portion of the site, to announce grants and contract opportunities under the Recovery Act.
The state's recovery website provides a constantly updated source of information, but it may be worth exploring the President Obama's Recovery.gov website, particularly in the early months of ARRA implementation. While some agencies still are not quite ready to post specific grant or contract opportunities, many agencies have an active ARRA weblink that contains valuable information on where each agency stands in the planning process for use of ARRA funds. In the past it has been an important tennet of most Grants Office trainings that building personal relationships with federal grants officers is important. This has not changed, but the Obama Administration is giving every indication that the best, and most current information on how ARRA funds will be spent actually will be the information that appears on each agency's website.
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| Non Profits, Register now for a very special event on Wednesday, April 22, 2009.
Nonprofit Technology Showcase and training
9:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
VisArts in Rockville
GGO has teamed up with Nonprofit Montgomery! to present this training for nonprofits. The first part of this session will be training by Andrea Snyder, director of the Enoch Pratt Library Grants Division. Andrea will cover technology planning and assessment and then move onto social media, a.k.a. web 2.0, as resources for non profits. This will be a highly interactive session.
As MaryAnn Holohean, Director of Nonprofit Montgomery! said, "To me, effective use of technology is one of the most important adaptations nonprofits can be making during an economic climate change, especially understanding and using the capabilities of web 2.0. Nonprofits are adaptable by nature, and so we encourage them to take advantage of new technology uses to serve their constituencies."
REGISTER NOW for this course. It is free of charge, but pre-registration is necessary.
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Applying for Recovery Act Grants? Attend a Training Workshop Near You!
The Governor's Grants Office and its partners are devising Technical Workshops throughout the State to train local governments and registered 501(c)3 non profit organizations how to manage the lifecycle of an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant.
The workshop agenda at each of the locations generally will look like this:
Morning Session:
· Update on Economic Stimulus Funding
· Pre-application Planning: Organizational Capability and Capacity Analysis
The morning session will provide a high-level overview of Recovery funds in Maryland via Recovery.Maryland.gov website as well as instruction on how to complete the organizational capacity analysis for preparation of the grant application process. Pointers on how and why not to "chase the money" will be shared.
Lunch:
Lunch will be an interactive session to provide attendees with a more detailed overview of Recovery Funds by top State Agencies. Attendees will also be provided an opportunity to have direct interface with State Agency representatives via topic area roundtables to include Housing, Crime Prevention, Workforce, Volunteerism, and Energy.
Afternoon Session:
· Successful Post-Award Grants Management
The afternoon session will cover basic grants management as well as provide some detail on the Recovery Act reporting and management requirements that differ from typical grants management compliance requirements.
Who should attend:
Whether or not you will be applying for or have already been awarded Recovery
Act funds, this training is appropriate for:
State, local, municipal government Department Directors, Grants Managers, Budget and Fiscal Officers, Compliance and Audit Officers, Attorneys General
University Grants and Research Administrators
Non profit Directors, Grants Managers, Budget and Fiscal Officers in the position to apply online and and manage federal Recovery grants.
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FREE Grants Workshop
 Presented by
Congressman Steny Hoyer MD-05) in conjunction with
The Maryland Governor's Grants Office, the Maryland Center at Bowie State University,
and the Human Services Coalition of Prince George's County
What are the Recovery and Reinvestment Act Opportunities for Nonprofits?
Tuesday April 21, 2009
8:30 a.m. --- Registration
9:00 am - 12:00 noon --- Briefings
Location:
The Center for Learning & Technology, Room 102
Bowie State University
14000 Jericho Park Road
Bowie, Maryland 20715
Agencies invited to present:
· U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
· U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
· U.S. Department of Labor
· U.S. Department of Justice
· Grants.gov
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Maryland Receives MacArthur Grant for BASE REALIGNMENT Housing Preservation
Military base closures and the related relocation of 25,000 households will increase pressure on rents in eight counties. The State will ensure that rental housing preservation is a key element of the region's response to the base closures by identifying preservation opportunities and creating a Compact among state and local housing leaders to align efforts. Maryland is receiving a $500,000 MacArthur grant and a $4 million program-related investment. For additional information, please visit www.macfound.org/housing/maryland.
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 Small Business Owners Now Have Their Own Online Community Forum
The U.S. Business Administration just launched an online Community at www.community.business.gov. Now Business owners, bloggers, government, and others now have a place to discuss and share information about starting and running a successful business.
The Community features discussion forums, an idea page and blogs, where small business owners can talk about their unique business issues and get direct access to even more valuable resources.
Small business owners will be able to enjoy the benefits the Community has to offer, including:
~ Easy access to other small business owners and experts who can answer questions
~ The ability to learn from the experiences and expertise of others
~ A way to save time by getting answers quickly
~ Direct input into Business.gov, to voice the ways that government can better serve them.
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GOVERNOR O'MALLEY ANNOUNCES MARYLAND IS FIRST IN THE NATION TO REACH RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT MILESTONE
Phase I Transportation Projects Approved in 20 Days Rather Than the 120 Days Provided
Governor Martin O'Malley announced on March 26, 2009 that Maryland is the first State in the nation to meet requirements that will allow it to use at least half of its $431 million of highway funding provided by President Barack Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). States are required to certify with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that projects are eligible for federal funds and ready for construction within 120 days or the funding will be redistributed to other states. At Governor O'Malley's direction, Maryland achieved this milestone by obtaining FHWA approval of all 74 Phase I projects by Monday, March 23, only 20 days after the funds were allocated on March 3.
"By moving swiftly to gain the required federal approvals, we can meet our goal of getting jobs out on the street as soon as possible," said Governor O'Malley. "This is all about preserving jobs. With the recovery dollars starting to flow, we are able to invest in our transportation infrastructure, invest in our people and invest in Maryland families. Together, we are building a better future."
Phase I of Maryland's ARRA funded highway projects totals more than $224 million and has the potential to support up to 10,000 jobs. The State Highway Administration (SHA) advertised all state and several Baltimore City Phase I projects by March 17 with one final city project scheduled to be advertised April 3. SHA is now working with FHWA to begin the authorization process for Phase II transportation projects that were announced by Governor O'Malley last week.
In February, just 24 hours after President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, Governor O'Malley announced Maryland's Phase I transit and highway investments totaling $365 million. The first ARRA project in the nation approved by FHWA was Maryland's safety and resurfacing project along New Hampshire Avenue in Montgomery County. That project is now underway and is projected to support up to 60 jobs during construction that will last through fall 2009. In addition to announcing Phase II projects last week, Governor O'Malley announced that $62 million in ARRA funding will be allocated by formula directly to the local jurisdictions to use on their own local priority transportation projects.
More information on Maryland's use of federal recovery funding can be found at www.marylandtransportation.com and click on the American flag icon.
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Maryland Community Services Locator (MDCSL)
Recently we highlighted Governor O'Malley's website called problemsolver.gov to help Marylanders locate programs and services available to them.
Similarly, the Maryland Community Services Locator (MDCSL) has been developed by The Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) at the University of Maryland, College Park. CESAR recently began a statewide expansion of resources on the Maryland Community Services Locator website www.mdcsl.org.
The MDCSL also is an interactive online directory developed to assist professionals and community members in locating community services. It allows users to get organizational contact information and other details, map resources by location, and get instant directions to programs.
The staff at CESAR ask for your support for the site by:
► Using the website to make client referrals to programs
► Sharing the website with others
► Providing CESAR with resource directories/databases
► Disseminating FREE promotional materials on the website
► Adding a link to the MDCSL on your organization's website
Approximately 11,000 searches for program listings per month are conducted by users of the MDCSL.
"The idea is to provide one place where the residents of Maryland can find all of the community services they need - whether it is help for substance abuse, the closest public school, or job training," said Eric Wish, Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Visit the MDCSL website at: http://www.mdcsl.org. For more information or for free promotional materials, contact CESAR by email at mdcsl@cesar.umd.edu, 301-405-9796, or visit the website. The MDCSL is funded by the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention under grant number BJAG-2007-1265.
A statewide expansion of the MDCSL is underway. The Problem Solver site and the MDCSL sites are linked to each other.
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FOOD BANK NEEDS YOUR REAL AND VIRTUAL HELP 
The Maryland Food Bank reports seeing a significant increase in families throughout our state needing food. For the first time in 30
years they have middle class families using emergency pantries across our state. There
is a great way to help families in need and it is just a click away from your computer. Instead of lifting and storing heavy canned goods-conduct a food drive, virtually! The Food Bank Drive is On!
"Our hope is to give people as many options as possible to donate to the Maryland Food Bank. Our shelves have been at a critically low level for some time now and it is important for us to get food from the community any way we can," said Maryland Food Bank CEO Deborah Flateman.
Through the Maryland Food Bank's Virtual Food Drive, donors can choose from a
variety of food that the Maryland Food Bank always needs. The prices listed are wholesale prices or the price it costs The Food Bank to purchase food. By donating food through the virtual food drive, food drive participants can purchase more food than they could at a regular grocery store. Donors can choose from cases of peanut butter, dry milk, canned vegetables and snacks for the BackPack Program and Kids Cafe sites.
To participate in the Maryland Food Bank Virtual Food Drive, simply go to www.mdfoodbank.org and click on the link near the picture of the empty shelves in the Food Bank's warehouse. To start your own Virtual Food Drive, contact Rebecca Pon at 410-737-8282 ext. 223 or pon@mdfoodbank.org.
Please forward this appeal to your friends and family.
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Patriot Express Loan Initiative
The new Patriot Express loan is offered by SBA's network of participating lenders nationwide and features our fastest turnaround time for loan approvals. Loans are available up to $500,000 and qualify for SBA's maximum guaranty of up to 85 percent for loans of $150,000 or less and up to 75 percent for loans over $150,000 up to $500,000. For loans above $350,000, lenders are required to take all available collateral.
The Patriot Express loan can be used for most business purposes, including start-up, expansion, equipment purchases, working capital, inventory or business-occupied real-estate purchases.
Patriot Express loans feature SBA's lowest interest rates for business loans, generally 2.25 percent to 4.75 percent over prime depending upon the size and maturity of the loan. Your local SBA district office will have a listing of Patriot Express lenders in your area.
Click here to learn more about the Patriot Express Initiative.
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Non Profit Capacity Building Seminar May 7, 2009
The Maryland Governor's Grants Office frequently partners with the D.C. Office of Partnerships and Grants Services on trainings. While GGO has no direct tie to this conference, we still want to share information about this upcoming event which is open to Maryland non profits:
The Government of the District of Columbia's Office of Partnerships and Grant Services announces the
10th Annual Public-Private Partnership Conference, "Sustainability in an Era of Change."
May 7, 2009
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
Washington, DC
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410.974.5090