HHS recently announced over $390 million in federal funding for the Hospital Preparedness Program. This is federal funding that passes through state health departments to health care providers. Fiscal year 2010 is the first year that the federal government is requiring a 10% match on federal funds. In other words, states and local providers must commit at least $1 for every $10 in federal contributions.

In the grants world, "matching funds" means bringing two different funding sources together for one project. Match or cost-share requirements are minimum amounts of funding that must be derived from a source other grant funder. The purpose of match requirements is usually to promote collaborative efforts, as discussed in the July issue of GO Know, and/or demonstrate the ability of your organization to sustain a project beyond the life of a specific grant.

In the shadow of the recently closed Investing in Innovation (i3) grant program, the importance of collaborative projects and clear partner agreements remain vital pieces of a grantseeking and project development phase. This particular program involved the possibility of collaborative efforts, and documentation of these collaborations was required for this type of engagement.

The grants world is full of any number of variables that must be defined. To which grant program should I apply? How much time do I have for proposal development? Is there a need for collaboration? Will my project fit into the eligible expenses of the grant program?

These are a few of the many grant questions for which grant answers are necessary. By developing a familiarity with the funding opportunities and an understanding of how the system works, you will quickly begin to address some of these gaps.

If you are paying close attention to the health care funding landscape, a new phrase and abbreviation has entered the grants lexicon. Many opportunities being released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are being prefaced with "Affordable Care Act" or "ACA". Apparently, this is the consensus designation for grants authorized through the health reform legislation, or the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was signed into law on March 23, 2010. The ACA has authorized several grant programs over the next decade to address workforce development and professional shortages in the health arena, improve health care quality overall, and fund the deployment of comprehensive care management delivery models.

With most schools officially on summer vacation, now is the perfect time for developing projects and mapping out a grant strategy for the coming months. As many grant programs for educational institutions involve significant collaboration, the summer months can provide time for creating relationships and beginning dialogue with potential grant partners.

By Susannah Mayhall
June 2010 (GO Know)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 infused an unprecedented sum of public funding into the struggling American economy, making over $700 billion available for education, healthcare, public safety, and more. The Recovery Act bolstered support for new initiatives such as broadband infrastructure and energy efficiency. These massive amounts of funding produced a flurry of interest from various private sector industries, all hoping to become involved and receive their share of the stimulus.

While the initial excitement of the Recovery Act may be decreasing, unparalleled levels of funding will continue to flow to schools across the country over the next several months under Recovery Act programs. On March 29th, Delaware and Tennessee were announced as the first two awardees under the much anticipated Race to the Top program. Approximately $4 billion will be distributed directly to states to drive education reform and states will be reapplying under the Phase 2 deadline of June 1, 2010.

One of the nation’s more popular grant programs, the Justice Assistance Program (JAG), has opened for 2010. This Department of Justice (DOJ) program allows states, tribes, and local governments to support a broad range of activities based on local needs and conditions. The JAG program, first funded through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, was the product of a merger between the former Byrne Memorial Formula Program and the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program. The rationale for combining the two programs was to create a single funding mechanism intended to simplify the application and administration process. In many ways, the merger also provided the grant recipient greater spending flexibility. This flexibility has resulted in thousands of municipalities and departments having the ability to steer JAG money toward any number of public safety areas where there is a need for support.

In the health care arena, it would be inaccurate to claim that the funding realm has fully shifted to the "life after the recovery act" phase. After all, ARRA funds continue to flow through grant programs such as Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW). CPPW provides funding to local and state health departments in their efforts to promote prevention and wellness, particularly in the areas of smoking, obesity and physical fitness.