President Obama's second State of the Union speech may have easily been titled "Investing in Innovation," borrowing from one of his signature education reform grant programs funded under the Recovery Act. Throughout this speech to the U.S. Congress and nation, Obama emphasized the imperative to support innovation for the health of the U.S. economy and future welfare of the country. While the speech was short on specific policy items or legislative goals, Obama made clear broad priorities going forward, including energy, education, and infrastructure.

In only its second year of the current structure, the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) was recently released by the Department of Justice. Unique in its layout, the CTAS program combines a multitude of tribal-specific grant opportunities into one solicitation with one due date. Tribal applicants now are responsible for one submission for up to 8 program areas, where previously separate applications were due for each program at varying times during the year. Tribes are also eligible to receive multiple awards for projects that span several purpose areas.

Of the two bills signed into law that enacted the historic health care reform effort under President Obama, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 features one of the least cited yet critically important grant opportunities since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

Unless you have been hibernating in a cave for the past year, everyone connected to healthcare has been hearing the buzz words - Certified EHR Technology, Incentives, and Meaningful Use. The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentives were included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, but registration just recently opened as payments will be dished out for the first time in 2011. Almost $20 billion is available to encourage the adoption of electronic health care records by health care providers across the United States.

Many grantseeking organizations can attest all too well to former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil's famous quote that "all politics is local." For many public agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, and other organizations, the decisions made at the state and federal levels extend far beyond their immediate influence or control, yet ultimately impact them the most. The annual budget and appropriations processes at the Federal level exemplify O'Neil's point, as the work conducted with respect to each significantly affects the opportunities, challenges, and prospects for local grantseekers.

As the new calendar and fiscal year 2011 begins, many grant programs are being reminded that they are only as valuable as the actual projects they support. Those consistently lacking results often find their government appropriations dwindle, if not dry up entirely. With everyone positioning their stake for a finite, albeit ever-growing level of federal funding, many grantmaking agencies demonstrate their value by leveraging investments in various projects that represent not only immediate community benefits but also the greatest potential for a long-term return on investment. Grantseekers therefore have an opportunity in the new year to strike while the iron is hot. Savvy applicants will likely consider one of the following project components in their FY2011 applications.

A big federal agency just released a new grant that is accompanied by a guidance document filled with 150 pages of content. The guidance document contains all the granular details on the grant program, including instructions for development of the proposal and submission. The guidance document may be referred to by several names, including request for proposals (RFP), request for applications (RFA), and Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA). Based on a quick review of the information, you are considering developing a proposal under this recently released grant program. Considering the size of the guidance document, one would assume that the items and services eligible for purchase with the grant funding are clearly delineated.

A crucial factor in providing a first-rate 21st century education for our students is to ensure they have access to 21st century technologies. While technology is certainly no panacea to the education conundrums confronting the United States, it is becoming ever more important that students today know how to use technology effectively as they progress through higher levels of academia and into the workforce.

By Chris LaPage
December 2010

The biggest news for the health sector funding landscape came in the form of the election results from November. The fact that the Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives (House) has fueled speculation that the health reform package that was passed earlier this year may be repealed. The health reform legislation, which is known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), included appropriations for several demonstration projects and grant programs that are scheduled to open over the next several fiscal years. While the exact dollar amount is unknown, it is estimated that the total amount available through PPACA grants will reach ten figures. Many of the Republicans that came to office as part of the TEA Party (Taxed Enough Already) movement ran on a platform of repealing PPACA.

The application has been submitted, the award has been drawn down, and all seems quiet on the grant front. Can you relax, now that the project planning and actual writing has been drawn to a close?