|
Governor's Grants Office News
Martin O'Malley Anthony Brown
Governor Lt. Governor Summer 2012
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
We just completed our first ever Governor's Grants Office conference devoted solely to higher education, and we had 200 participants representing every higher education institution in Maryland.
For those expecting these schools to be more competitors than colleagues, the generosity of the presenters and steering committee members with their time and talent was particularly inspirational. It was a day where research institutions rubbed shoulders with community colleges, small private colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, all sharing best practices for finding, winning, and managing grants in ways that target their specific interests and make efficient use of faculty and staff time. With that conference in the rear-view mirror, June brings three new webinars offered by the Governor's Grants Office to help you with your grants applications and grants management. See "Upcoming Workshops" section of this newsletter for information on how to register for them.
Sincerely,
Eric Brenner
Director
|
|
|
|
 | |
President Mickey Burnim and Marivic Weiss were our hosts at Bowie State University on May 22, 2012
|
Governor's Grants Office Higher Education Conference
Several hundred professionals from throughout the Maryland higher education community attended our first-ever education grants conference at Bowie State University on May 22, 2012. President Mickey Burnim greeted attendees at the morning plenary session and throughout the day more than 20 speakers discussed everything from the life cycle of a grant, to grants compliance operations and trends in higher education program funding. Travis Reindl, National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, was the keynote luncheon speaker. Powerpoint presentations have been posted to the conference presentations page of the GGO online Training Library, some of which will be of interest to people outside the higher education community.
We are grateful to Bowie State University, The University System of Maryland and Daly Computers for their sponsorships and most especially grateful to Marivic Weiss and staff at Bowie State University for their gracious support as our hosts. Thanks also to our speakers, volunteers, and the planning committee for their help in setting the agenda.
|
 Comment Submitted by the Maryland Governor's Grants Office to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget regarding Grant Reform
The Governor's Grants Office (GGO) assisted both the National Grants Management Association (NGMA) and the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) in preparing their comments, and then GGO submitted our own letter (below) fully supporting the recommendations made by both organizations regarding the Office of Federal Financial Management "Grant Reform" Advance Notice of Proposed Guidance:
The Maryland Governor's Grants Office (GGO) appreciates OMB's solicitation of stakeholder input during the recent development of proposed reforms to the Federal policies that govern grants management, and its request for comments in response to the February 28, 2012, Federal Register notice that detailed those proposals.
GGO comprises a stakeholder community of seasoned grant professionals that shares OMB's desire to improve the management of Federal grants, and has a strongly vested collective interest in the reforms that OMB has proposed. The GGO community includes substantial grantor and grantee constituencies from state, local, and municipal governments; nonprofits; higher education; school districts; hospitals; faith and community-based organizations; and other entities.
GGO participated in the workgroups that OMB created last summer in accordance with the February 28, 2011 Presidential Memorandum on Administrative Flexibility and supports many of the concepts put forward in the proposed guidance.
GGO has reviewed the comments submitted by the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) and the National Grants Management Association (NGMA) and fully supports all recommendations put forward by those professional associations.
GGO is ready and willing to work with the OMB in any manner to assist in grant reform.
|
 | |
Lt. Governor Anthony Brown
|
$14.9 Million in Capital Grants Awarded to Maryland Community Health Centers Through the Affordable Care Act
In May, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that $14.9 million in capital grants, made available by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), have been awarded to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Maryland to help community health centers pursue job-creating renovation and construction projects that will expand their ability to care for additional patients.
"Maryland's Federally Qualified Health Centers are providing critical care to the most vulnerable in our communities: the uninsured and the underinsured," said Lt. Governor Anthony Brown. "Community health centers are the main providers of primary care for so many families, and thanks to the Affordable Care Act, these health centers will be able to enhance their facilities and expand operations to provide high quality care to more Marylanders. I thank President Obama, Secretary Sebelius and Maryland's Congressional Delegation for their continued leadership in improving the health of our communities."
Four FQHC's in Maryland recently received grants, including $5 million for Chase Brexton Health Services, $4.4 million for Baltimore Medical System Inc., and $5 million for People's Community Health Center, all in Baltimore City, as well as $500,000 for Three Lower Counties Community Services, Inc., in Salisbury.
As Co-Chair of the Maryland Health Care Reform Coordinating Council, Lt. Governor Brown leads the O'Malley-Brown Administration's health care reform efforts. Under Governor O'Malley and Lt. Governor Brown's leadership, Maryland has implemented reforms that have expanded health coverage to more than 315,000 Marylanders and put the State in position to maximize the Affordable Care Act. Earlier this year, Lt. Governor Brown launched HealthReform.Maryland.gov, a new website designed to provide information about what health care reform means to Maryland residents and small businesses. |
|
Track Affordable Care Act funds
New Interactive Site developed by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) authorized significant funding to states, local governments, employers, community organizations and other entities through existing and new grants and programs to implement the many provisions in the law. There now is an online tool that tracks the funds flowing into states from ACA sources. The funding included has been awarded to entities in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia-it is then up to these entities to spend the money. The online tool tracks funds received by the states, local governments, employers, community organizations, and other entities to implement provisions in the Affordable Care Act. Click on "Maryland" for a profile of our health reform-related grant information. You also can view data on per capita funding as a supplement to the data available in the interactive tool.
|
 Feds award nearly $500 million in first round of grants to community colleges for job training and workforce development
Anne Arundel Community College leads a national consortium receiving nearly $20 millionSecretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced nearly $500 million in grants to community colleges around the country for targeted training and workforce development to help economically dislocated workers who are changing careers. The grants support partnerships between community colleges and employers to develop programs that provide pathways to good jobs, including building instructional programs that meet specific industry needs. The funding will provide training for high-demand jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
This installment is the first in a $2 billion, four-year investment designed to complement President Obama's American Jobs Act, providing additional support for hiring and re-employment services, and to increase opportunities for the unemployed.
This is an initial round of community college and career training funds, which are being awarded to 32 grantees. The U.S. Department of Labor is implementing and administering the program in coordination with the U.S. Department of Education.
Anne Arundel Community College was the Leader of the National STEM Consortium, which won a $19,730,281 grant award. The Consortium is a collaborative of 10 leading community colleges in nine states organized to develop nationally portable, certificate-level programs in STEM and to build a national model of multi-college cooperation in the design and delivery of high quality, labor market-driven occupational programs. The programs developed by the consortium will help build a national repository of high-quality technical curricula and curricular materials that can be made available at no charge to all community colleges.
|
|
GAO Issues Report to Congress about $794 Million Found in Unused Federal Grant Funds
At the end of fiscal year 2011, GAO identified more than $794 million in funding remaining in expired grant accounts-accounts that were more than 3 months past the grant end date and had no activity for 9 months or more-in the Payment Management System (PMS). |
  White House Seeks Comments on Proposed Changes to Foundations' Program-Related Investments (PRIs).
Deadline to comment is July 18, 2012.
The White House, via the Federal Register, seeks comments about proposed regulations that provide guidance to private foundations on program-related investments. These proposed regulations (the first in 40 years) provide a series of new examples illustrating investments that qualify as program-related investments. In addition to private foundations, these proposed regulations affect foundation managers who participate in the making of program-related investments.
Read Jonathan Greenblatt's blog on the subject, "Opening the Door for Program Related Investments."
|
|
WRAG Revises the Common Grant Application
The Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers revised their Common Grant Application (CGA), Common Letter of Inquiry (LOI), and Common Grant Report to make them simpler and less redundant. The revised forms are intended to meet the needs of funders, while lessening the burden on nonprofit organizations and allowing them to better describe their work.
|
FEMA Fire Act Grants Application Period is Open
TEAM Maryland is Ready to Help Maryland Fire Departments!
Each year the Governor's Grants Office teams with Maryland Fire Rescue Institute (MFRI), Senator Mikulski's Office, and Maryland State Firefighters' Association (MSFA) to prepare Maryland Fire Departments to apply for the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG).
"TEAM Maryland" also provides direct assistance to firefighters by reviewing and editing their grant applications.
Maryland is the only state to provide this type of coordinated direct assistance and support for its fire departments pursuing this grant opportunity.
 | Governor O'Malley visited with Maryland Firefighters at MFRI
in May |
TEAM Maryland is:
Bart Kennedy, U.S. Senator Mikulski's Office
Dave Lewis, MD State Firefighers Association
Steve Barry, MD State Firefighters AssociationMerril Oliver, MD Governor's Grants Office
Wayne Colburn, MD Fire and Rescue Institute
TEAM Maryland is conducting workshops this month that take place in locations throughout the state.
Congratulations to the 12 Maryland Fire Departments throughout the State who successfully competed for a total of $4.5 million in Assistance to Fire Grants Act (AFG) in last year's round. To see FEMA's list of priorities for this year, visit their AFG page. The application deadline is July 6, 2012. .
|
|
Upcoming Workshops
GOVERNOR's GRANTS OFFICE WEBINAR SERIES:
The Governor's Grants Office Webinar series continues on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. with "Best Practices in Grants Management." GGO Deputy Director Merril Oliver and Kathleen Bolton of Anne Arundel Community College will reprise the presentation from their recent appearance together at the Governor's Grants Office Higher Education Grants Conference. REGISTER NOW.
Then join GGO Director Eric Brenner and his guest speakers for a two-part webinar about how to strengthen your grant applications using census and federal funding data. We begin on Wednesday, June 27 at 10 a.m. as Eric welcomes Jane Traynham, director of the Maryland Department of Planning's Data Center to discuss what the Data Center is and how you can access the data there. REGISTER NOW.
Part Two in "How to Use Data to Strengthen your Grant Applications" will continue on Thursday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. with Meredith "Memi" Whitehead of the U.S. General Services Administration. Memi will discuss how you can effectively use the USASpending.gov website. REGISTER NOW.
Each  webinar lasts no more than one hour and includes time for questions. The grants webinar series is made possible, and offered to our constituents free of cost, by a grant from the Verizon Foundation.
 The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore (CFES) presents "Introduction to the Foundation Grants Directory" June 20, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
at the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Inc.,
1324 Belmont Ave Suite 401, Salisbury, MD.
CFES is a Cooperating Collection of the Foundation Center and provides FREE access to the Foundation Directory Online at their offices. This tremendous resource is a searchable database of over 95,000 foundations throughout the U.S. - the likes of which cannot be found through regular online searches. Learn the basics of how to use this tool to identify new funding prospects for your program or organization. FREE, RSVP Required. Register online at www.cfes.org or phone 410-742-9911.
|
|
|
|
|
|
