Grants available for local governmentsCurrently open grant opportunities

Farmer's Markets - the United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Marketing Services, announces the Farmer's Market Promotion Program (FMPP) Grants. In the past, FMPP grants have been used to provide educational workshops to farmers market managers and farmers/vendors; acquire permanent signage for markets to identify location and operation hours; purchase supplies for underserved farmers and markets; and, conduct promotional campaigns through newspaper, radio, and television advertising. The minimum award per grants is $2,500, and the maximum is $100,000. Paper applications must be postmarked April 15, 2010. Grants.gov applications must be submitted by April 15th as well.

More information, click here or visit grants.gov and type in CFDA number 10.168.

Safe Routes to School - the National Center for Safe Routes to School is now accepting applications for up to 35 $1,000 mini-grants for creative, youth-focused ideas that support safe walking and/or bicycling to school. Eligible activities must occur at an elementary or middle school in Fall 2010 and support overall goals of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. Applications are due Wednesday, April 7, 2010.

More information and to download a funding application, visit the SRTS Web site here. 

Climate Change - the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment announces it is accepting requests for funding for the 2010 Community Pollution Prevention (P2) Grants Program. A total of $250,000 is available to provide matching grants to local governments and other eligible entities to aid in the development of local climate action plans. The goal of this round of the Community P2 Grant Program is to increase cooperation between citizens and local governments, and to foster the development of local models and approaches that will effectively address climate challenges in Michigan. Requests for funding will be accepted through April 30. Organizations receiving grants are required to match total project costs by at least 25 percent. Grantee contributions may include collars, in-kind goods and services, and/or third party contributions.

More information and to download a funding application, visit the special DNRE Web site here, or call the DNRE's Environmental Assistance Center at 1-800-662-9278.

Transportation - SEMCOG and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) have issued a call for projects for the fiscal year (FY) 2012 safety program. Federal funding of up to $400,000 per project is available. A minimum 20 percent local share of projects costs is required. Click here to view the complete safety application materials online. Cities, villages, and road commissions are eligible to submit applications for safety projects, which are due to SEMCOG by March 16, 2010. Fiscal year 2012 begins October 1, 2011.

More information, contact Steve Brudzinski, SEMCOG Transportation Policy Analyst at brudzinski@semcog.org.  

Coastal Zone Management - the Michigan Coastal Management Program (MCMP) announces the availability of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) grant funds in January 2011 for coastal projects that further the objectives of the program. Postmarked applications are due May 15, 2010. Requests for funding are limited to a maximum of $60,000 of grant funds for all projects not involving construction. Low-cost construction projects have a minimum requested amount of $5,000 and a maximum limit of $50,000 of grant funds. In most cases, applicants must provide a 1:1 non-federal match, which may include in-kind services, donations, or cash. Coastal units of government, including cities, counties, villages, and townships are eligible to apply.  

More information, including eligible projects, view the grant information here, or contact the MCMP at 517-335-3168. 

Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program - the Michigan Coastal Management Program (MCMP) announces the re-opening of the request for proposals (RFP) for coastal land conservation projects from eligible entities for federal funding through the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP). The MCMP will score, rank, and prioritize the projects, and the three highest-ranked projects will be submitted to the federal government. State, county, township, city, and village governments are eligible applicants. Federal funds awarded under this program require non-federal match funds at a 1:1 ratio. The maximum amount that may be requested for the federal share of each project is $3,000,000. It is anticipated that projects funded in the 2011 CELCP cycle will have a grant application start date between June 1, 2011 and October 1, 2011. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2010.

Eligible uses for CELCP funds include: Acquisition of properties or interests in properties from willing sellers, provided that the terms and conditions will ensure that the property will be administered for conservation in perpetuity, including direct expenses relating to the acquisition of lands and interests in lands acquired under the authority of the CEPEP; and certain initial costs for land stewardship, not to exceed five percent of the award and not to exceed three years or the duration of the award period, to allow for signage, public safety, or other stewardship purposes.

More information, view the RFP here, or contact Alisa Gonzales-Pennington at 517-241-8280, gonzalesa@michigan.gov, or Matt Warner at 517-335-3449, warnerm1@michigan.gov. 

Grant-writing workshop - SEMCOG and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grant writing workshop at SEMCOG's offices on March 18-19, 2010. Workshop attendees will learn how to write and find grants. Tuition is $425 per person and includes two days of classroom instruction, a grant writing workbook, a resource CD, and free access to Grant Writing USA's exclusive Alumni Forums.

More information or to register for this workshop, click here. Contact Cathy Rittenhouse, Grant Writing USA Registrar, at 800-814-8191, with questions.

Environment - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Community Action for Renewed Environment (CARE) program has $2 million available for community action programs that reduce toxic pollution in local environments. The first level of funding will go towards establishing community based partnerships to reduce pollution. The second level of funding will be for communities that have already established partnerships but wish to measure results, implement reduction activities, and establish self sustaining efforts to improve human and environmental health. The CARE program has previously awarded grant funding to projects reducing air, water, and stormwater pollutants as well as hazardous materials. Applications for the CARE grants are due by March 9, 2010.

More information on the program, including three information webinars that will be held in February, can be found at www.epa.gov/care.  

More information, view the Request for Proposals.

Collaboration - Partnerships for Changes announces the availability of over $150,000 in professional services and technical assistance through the "Partnerships for Change (PfC) Sustainable Communities Program." These new service grants will be awarded to combinations of municipalities that have agreed to work together for productive changes in their shared communities. PfC Sustainable Communities offers three levels of projects assistance, including:

• First-Steps Service Grants, which focus on the needs of local governments just beginning to consider interjurisdictional cooperation in land use planning, and
  
• Small and Large-Scale Service Grants, which provide services for a defined inter-jurisdictional land use planning, regulation, or resources objective.

Proposals for First Step Service Grants may be submitted at any time until June 1, 2010. Proposals for Small and Large-Scale Service Grants were due October 2, 2009.

More information, visit www.partnershipsforchange.cc/rfp.asp.



On-going grant opportunities
Economic Development - the US Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA), is soliciting applications for the following programs under the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (PWEDA): (i) Public Works; (ii) Planning; (iii) Local Technical Assistance; and (iv) Adjustment Assistance.

EDA will provide Public Works investments to support the construction or rehabilitation of essential public infrastructure and facilities necessary to generate or retain private sector jobs and investments, attract private sector capital, and promote regional competitiveness. The Planning Program helps support planning organizations, including District Organizations and Indian Tribes, in the development, implementation, revision or replacement of comprehensive economic development strategies (CEDS), and for related short-term planning investments and State plans designed to create and retain higher-skill, higher-wage jobs, particularly for the unemployed and underemployed in the nation’s most economically distressed regions. The Local Technical Assistance Program helps fill the knowledge and information gaps that may prevent leaders in the public and nonprofit sectors in economically distressed regions from making optimal decisions on local economic development issues. The Economic Adjustment Assistance Program provides a wide range of technical, planning and infrastructure assistance in regions experiencing adverse economic changes that may occur suddenly or over time. This program is designed to respond flexibly to pressing economic recovery issues and is well suited to help address challenges faced by U.S. communities and regions. Applications are accepted on a continuing basis and processed as received.

More information, visit www.grants.gov and type in CFDA numbers 11.300, 11.302, 11.303, 11.307, and 11.313. 

CVS Caremark - the CVS Caremark Community Grants program awards funds to nonprofit organizations for programs targeting children with disabilities. The grant application process runs from January 1 through October 31. Qualifying organizations are eligible for grants of up to $5,000.

More information: visit www.cvscaremark.com/community/our-impact/community-grants. 



Allstate Foundation - Funding programs at the national, regional, and local levels.

More information: visit http://www.allstate.com/foundation.aspx.



Grant writing resources 
American Grant Writers' Association - find information on hiring a Certified Grant Writer.
Grant Writing USA provides grant writing and grant management workshops through the United States.

 View a list of previous grant-funded projects within SEMCOG's AgileGov database.