Evaluating Centers for Independent Living, Deadline June 9

This program provides support for planning, conducting, administering, and evaluating centers for independent living (CILs) that comply with the standards and assurances in section 725 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Act), consistent with the design included in the State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) for establishing a statewide network of CILs.

Deadline: June 9, 2010

Eligibility
Be a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, nonresidential, private nonprofit agency.

Amount of funding
$10,229,435 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and $596,334 from the FY 2010 Centers for Independent Living (CIL) appropriation.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $386,635.

Estimated Number of Awards: 28

You can retrieve an application here:
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html

You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: http:// www.EDPubs.gov or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.

If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this program as follows: CFDA numbers 84.400A and 84.132A.

For more information contact:
Sean Barrett, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5016, PCP, Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7604 or by e-mail: sean.barrett@ed.gov.

MDNRE Trust Fund, Deadline August 3

It will soon be park season and if you are seeking to provide more recreational opportunities now is the time to get started! The MDNRE Natural Resources Trust Fund has a secondary deadline August 3 for land acquisition projects only.

* August 3 - Secondary application deadline for land acquisition projects only.

Application materials are generally available each January for the current year application cycle. Final grant recommendations are made by the MNRTF Board of Trustees in late fall and submitted to the Legislature for approval and appropriation of funds. Local grant and DNRE applications are evaluated and scored by the staff in Grants Management, using criteria and a point scale established annually by the MNRTF Board. While only state and local governments may apply to the MNRTF, any individual, group, or organization may nominate land for consideration for acquisition. A nomination is a suggestion that a parcel of land be considered for DNRE ownership.

Criteria:
Applications are evaluated on criteria established by the MNRTF Board of Trustees. Local units of government must provide at least 25% of the project's total costs as local match. Recommendations are made by the MNRTF Board of Trustees to the Governor, which are forwarded to the Michigan Legislature for final approval and appropriation.

There are eight (nine for development applications only) evaluation criteria:
1. Need for project
2. Applicant history
3. Site quality and Project quality
4. Natural Resource Protection and Use/Recreation Opportunities
5. Financial Need of the Applicant
6. Urban Area Recreation Opportunities
7. Local Match
8. Entrance Fees
9. Universal Design (development applications only)

Priority Project Types of the MNRTF Board for 2010 are:
1. Trails/Greenways
2. Wildlife/Ecological Corridors and Winter Deeryard Acquisitions
3. Project is located within an Urban Area.


Applicant Eligibility:

The state and counties, cities, townships, villages, school districts, the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, or any authority composed of counties, cities, townships, villages or school districts, or any combination thereof, which authority is legally constituted to provide public recreation. Local units of government must have a DNRE-approved 5-year recreation plan on file with the Department prior to application.

Application Process:
1. Submittal of a community recreation plan
2. Submittal of grant application
3. Evaluation by DNRE staff
4. Recommendation of funding by the Michigan Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board
5. Appropriation of project funds by the Legislature

Deadline(s):
Local community recreation plans must be submitted to the DNRE by the application due date. The secondary application deadline of August 2nd is for acquisition applications only.

Timeline(s):
Grant awards are dependent on the appropriations process, but project agreements are normally distributed within 12 to 18 months after the application submission.

Dollar Amount(s) Available:
Development project minimum/maximum grant amount: $15,000 to $500,000. No minimum/maximum limits on land acquisition grants.

Source(s) of Funds:
Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund

Source: MDNRE website

Community Development Block Grants, Deadline June 1

STATE OF MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANT
THE MICHIGAN STRATEGIC FUND
AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM

The program will provide funds to Michigan’s non-entitlement communities for Community Development Block Grant Recovery (CDBG-R) eligible projects that meet the national objective of benefiting low/mod income persons and other regulatory requirements.

Communities are invited to submit one (1) project that will have eligible job creation. Proposals may be submitted for a variety of projects which include: hard development costs associated with infrastructure activities that provide basic services to residents or activities that promote energy efficiency and conservation through rehabilitation or retrofitting of existing buildings.

Prohibited Projects
No consideration will be given to the following projects: swimming pools, golf courses, zoos, aquariums , casinos or other gambling establishments, buildings for general conduct of government, political activities, purchase of equipment and operating and maintenance expenses.

There are no federal requirements for a local cash match or other type of funding match. However, preference will be given for projects that rely on other sources of funding. Projects with a completion deadline in 2010 will be scored favorably. Projects with a start date after April 30, 2011, will not be scored.

Grants will only be made directly to the qualifying community.
Proposals are DUE by June 1, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. Late entries will not be accepted.

Contact us for more information!