Grants Information
Small businesses have played an integral role in Pennsylvania’s history. I have made it a priority to see that our small businesses receive tax cuts for future investment and that they have the resources necessary to apply for federal grants.
In general, federal grants are given to state and local governments and other organizations that are pursuing activities that have national relevance. There are dozens of federal grant programs to assist small businesses. Some are designed to improve the capacity of small businesses to grow and expand; others offer low interest or guaranteed loans.
What My Office Can Do
Because grants are competitive and are offered by executive agencies, my office cannot guarantee a monetary award. However, we can assist you in the application process to increase your chances of being awarded a grant. In addition, we can write a letter of support on your behalf to the awarding agency. If you are a small business owner, my Director of Constituent Services has compiled a Small Business Grant InfoPack to assist you. You can download it below. Otherwise, grant application information can be found below. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Joe Fabricatore in my Clarks Summit office at (570) 585-9988 or email him at Joe.Fabricatore@mail.house.gov.
My office has prepared InfoPacks that small business owners and those interested in starting a small business may find useful as a guide to existing federal programs and opportunities for business development.
The InfoPack can be downloaded here:
Download Congressman Carney's Small Business Grants InfoPack
(requires Adobe Acrobat)
Information Web page, prepared by the Congressional
Research Service for Members of Congress, which gives guidance and
Internet resources on Federal grants and nonfinancial assistance, as well
as on private foundation funding. The Slide show "Grants Information
for Constituents" provides overview and tips, reviews key sources, and
demonstrates doing a typical grants request. [Updated March 2007 ] Grants.gov (via Dept.
of Health and Human Services) Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (General Services
Administration) Catalog Indexes and Listings
(GSA) Developing and Writing Grant
Proposals (CFDA) Federal Regional or Local Office Addresses (CFDA Appendix IV; by Agency or by State) State
'Single Points of Contact' (Office of Management and Budget) CFDA in Print (Government Printing Office) A-Z Index of U.S. Departments and Agencies (General Services Administration) Homeland
Security State Contacts & Grant Award Information (Dept. of Homeland Security) Disaster Assistance (Federal Emergency Management Agency) USA.gov for Business (General Services Administration) USA.gov Government-to-Government
(General Services Administration) USA.gov
for Nonprofits (General Services Administration) Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Office of Faith-Based
and Community Initiatives) GovBenefits.gov (GSA) FTC Consumer Alert (Federal Trade Commission) OMB Grants Management Web Site (Office of Management and Budget) The Foundation
Center Grant Resources by State (Grantsmanship Center) Community Foundation Locator (Council on Foundations) Grants and Other Funding Sources (House Information Resources)
Grants and Federal Domestic Assistance
How Best to Find Information
TOP
Find funding programs and learn how to write grant proposals:
Key Federal Funding Sources
TOP
Federal grants Web site that allows organizations to electronically find and
apply for current competitive grant opportunities from ALL Federal agencies.
Grant seekers can check on notices of funding availability posted in the last
7 days; sign up to receive e-mail notification of future grant opportunities;
and apply for Federal grants online through a unified process. For full Federal
program descriptions, see CFDA below.
The Catalog (CFDA), issued annually and updated continuously on the
Web, describes some 1600 Federal grants and non financial assistance programs.
Grantseekers can identify programs that might support their projects and can
learn the program's objectives, requirements, application procedures and contacts.
For current notices of funding availability, see Grants.gov.
Although keyword searching is often a good place to start, also browse by
broad subject (Functional Area), by Federal Department or Agency, or by Beneficiary
to identify more Federal funding programs. CFDA program
descriptions refer to local and regional Federal office addresses, to related
programs, and to Office of Management and Budget circulars, all available
full text on the Internet.
Guidance in formulating Federal grant applications, including initial proposal
development, basic components of a proposal, review recommendations, and referral
to Federal guidelines and literature.
Much of the Federal grants budget moves to the States through formula and
block grants -- State, regional, and local Federal offices often handle grants
applications and funds disbursement. If the CFDA program
description refers to a State or regional Information Contact as listed in
Appendix IV, grantseekers should
contact them before applying for funding to obtain the most up-to-date
information.
Under Executive Order 12372, some States require Federal grants applicants
to submit a copy of their application for State government level review and
comment. The State offices listed here coordinate government (both Federal
and State) grants development and may provide guidance to grantseekers. For
help in identifying State-level grants, other State government agencies Web
sites include: State and Local Agencies by Topic, the Library of Congress' State Government Information and National
Association of State Development Agencies.
Although the Catalog is available full-text on the Internet, some
may prefer a print edition. However, only the Web Catalog is continuously
updated—the published volume is annual with no supplements.
Related Federal Resources
TOP
To better develop a grant proposal, search a department or agency's Home Page to
learn more about its programs and objectives. The site USA.gov also has an Government Benefits, Grants and Financial Aid.
(Scroll down for state map and programs) Information on federal homeland security and public safety grants. Includes Urban Area Security Initiative Grant Program (UASI), Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP), and Assistance to Firefighters.
FEMA disaster assistance falls into three general categories: Individual and Households; Public Assistance for emergency services and repair or replacement of damaged public facilities; and Hazard Mitigation funding to reduce future losses to public and private property.
Includes contracting with the U.S. government, international trade and exporting, and small business. See also Business.gov and the Small Business Administration Web sites.
Thousands
of grants and loans are made by the Federal government to State and local
governments and other public entities. This site provides one-stop access to
grants management and Federal assistance programs, in addition to resources
about acquisition and procurement, financial management, and taxes.
Links to Federal department and agency information and service for nonprofit
organizations, including fundraising and outreach, grants, loans and other
assistance, laws and regulations, management and operations, online services,
registration and licensing, and tax information.
The Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban
Development, Justice, and Labor operate a number of programs to serve Americans
in need for which faith-based and community organizations may apply. Consult
Guidance
to Faith-Based and Community Organizations on Partnering with the Federal
Government and Federal
Funds for Organizations That Help Those in Need. Many are "formula
grants" made available to States and local governments, which in turn
award grants to grassroots and local organizations. To learn about them, contact
local and State agencies responsible for managing these programs. [Download a free PDF reader]
Free online screening tool to identify government benefits and how to apply. Covers direct payment, loan, insurance, training, or other services. Browse programs by State, by category, or ‘Get Results by Questionnaire’.
Ads claiming federal grants are available for home repairs, home business, unpaid bills are often a scam. Most sources of grants don’t give money to individuals for personal need (except in disaster situations). The FTC, the nation’s consumer protection agency, also warns consumers to beware of paying “processing fees” for free information.
OMB establishes
government-wide grants management policies and guidelines through circulars
and common rules. OMB Circulars are cited in Catalog
program descriptions and may be printed out fulltext.
Private & Corporate Funding Sources
TOP
Gateway to information about private funding sources, the grantseeking process, guidelines on writing a grant proposal, addresses of State libraries with grants reference collections, and links to other useful Internet Web sites. The Center maintains a comprehensive database on foundations; produces print, Web, and CD-ROM directories and guides; conducts research and publishes studies in the field; and offers a variety of training and educational seminars.
Click on state map to find links to information about a state's foundations, community foundations, corporate giving programs and the state's home page.
Community foundations have special interest in funding local and community projects.
Additional Sources
TOP
FAS details
actual expenditures of Federal grant funds to State and local governments.
Figures are presented to the State level by program area and agency.
In CFFR, grants generally represent obligations and include
payments both to State and local governments and to nongovernmental recipients.
Data are provided for State and county levels.
A free, searchable database of federal government spending based upon Census and General Services Administration statistics.
Resource page, compiled for congressional offices, covering public and
private Web links under funding categories such as: