Grant Information (U.S. Government)

Grant Information (U.S. Government)

Federal Funding and Faith

Under the “Charitable Choice” provisions, the US government has significantly relaxed restrictions on faith-based organizations receiving federal funding. You can find the new guidelines on restrictions on faith related to Federal grants in the USA at http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/guidance_document.pdf

Direct Federal Grants in the United States

Direct Federal Grants are among the most competitive grant competitions with usually only 1 in 10 to 1 in 20 of applicants actually receiving a grant. Most federal grants require that the applicant provide matching funds from non-government sources (usually 1-to-1 match). The following is a list of the key federal grant opportunities related to community technology.

• US Department of Education Community Technology Centers (CTC) Grant: This federal grant usually can provide up to $500,000 for Community Technology Centers to demonstrate the educational value of technology in urban, rural and economically distressed communities. Each year the grant has a different focus area combined with technology (e.g. in 2002 it was “Technology and Adult Basic Education” and in 2003 it was “Technology and supporting disadvantaged high school students”). Each year the announcement for the competition is usually made in May and the grant is due in July. They usually provide funding for organizations that have previously received federal funding (regular round) or those who have not directly received federal funding (novice round). For more information visit: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/AdultEd/CTC/index.html

• US Department of Labor Intermediary and Grassroots Organizations Grant: This federal grant provide up to $500,000 for intermediary organizations and up to $300,000 for grassroots organizations that provide workforce development programs in the community. Each year the announcement for the competition is usually made in April and the grant is due in May. The focus of this grant is for organizations that will interface with the government’s One Stop Career Centers. A general rule of thumb for those who are applying for workforce development funds is that a good program applying for a grant will have about an 80% job placement rate and be able to train and place people in jobs for around $2,000 per person (i.e. a $200,000 grant should be able to place 100 people in jobs). For more information visit: http://www.dol.gov/cfbci/funding.htm or http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/opa/OPA2002370.htm

• Department of Commerce Technology Opportunities Program: TOP (formerly known as TIIAP) provides matching grants for technology projects that improve public access to education, health care, public safety, and other community-based services. In general this grant focuses on demonstrating the use of cutting edge technologies to serve communities (e.g. video conferencing, wireless Internet access, etc.). This federal grant provides up to $750,000 for intermediary organizations and up to $300,000 for grassroots organizations that provide workforce development programs in the community. Each year the announcement for the competition is usually made in March and the grant is due in April. For more information visit: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/top/

Federal Grants through Intermediaries

Organizations can also receive federal grants through intermediary organizations that have received federal grants and will be sub-granting to smaller organizations. These grants are much easier to apply for, generally have a much higher percentage of being awarded and the intermediary provides much of the required reporting to the federal government to simplify implementation. One current intermediary grant of interest is the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Compassion Capital Grant. AC4 provides a list to its members of Compassion Capital intermediaries and grant information available on its website.

Government Grant Information Continued

State Funding Sources

Most states will have funding sources similar to those listed above, but the funding varies from state to state. The general categories of funding include youth programs, workforce development, technology programs, etc. To find out the funding sources in your state, we recommend that you contact other more established computer centers in your state either from AC4’s member list (http://www.ac4.org/resources/center_list.html) or CTCNet’s member list (http://www2.ctcnet.org/ctc.asp).

Corporation for National Service

The Corporation for National Service can provide full or part-time “staff” members to serve in non-profit organizations. These members receive a small stipend (currently about $10,000) and may receive an additional $4,750 educational stipend after completing their year. The recruitment of AmeriCorps members can be left up to the local organization to use existing relationships to ensure recruiting of trustworthy individuals. Under current US Government Guidelines, organizations may not restrict hiring AmeriCorps members based on their faith. There are several ways to get connected into the opportunities available:

1. CTC VISTA Project. This project provides full-time AmeriCorps*VISTA members to serve full time for at least one year in community technology centers. This project currently charges $2,000 per member. For more information visit: http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/VISTA/
2. VISTA Initiative for Faith-Based Organizations. These positions are specifically allocated toward faith-based and community organizations with the intention of making them easily accessible to small organizations. For more information contact your state VISTA office: http://www.nationalservice.org/about/family/commissions_pick.html
3. AmeriCorps through Intermediaries. There are many intermediary non-profit organizations that will assign their AmeriCorps members to serve in other organizations. Mission Year (www.missionyear.org) is a Christian organization that will assign AmeriCorps members to other organizations, and City Year (www.cityyear.org) is a secular organization that does the same. To develop a partnership with an intermediary, you should directly contact an intermediary organization that serves in your area.
4. AmeriCorps State Application. Non-profit organizations can also apply directly to become an AmeriCorps host agency. In general organizations must apply for at least 10-20 full-time members to receive members at this level. The application process usually begins in the fall. For more information contact your local state office at: http://www.nationalservice.org/about/family/commissions_pick.html
5. AmeriCorps National Application. Non-profit organizations can also apply directly to become a National AmeriCorps host agency. In general organizations must apply for at least 20 full-time members across multiple states to receive members at this level. The application process usually begins in January. For more information visit: http://www.americorps.org/resources/guidelines2003.html

Work Study Students

Any non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization may get college students assigned to have their “work-study” job with the non-profit organization. Typically the federal government will cover 75-100% of the cost of paying these students as a part of their financial aid package. The recruitment of work-study staff may be left up to the local organization to use existing relationships to ensure recruiting of trustworthy individuals. Under current US Government Guidelines, organizations may not restrict hiring work-study members based on their faith. To apply to have work-study students, you will first need to contact the financial aid office of the college you will be recruiting students from.