Federal Grants Announcement - $6 Million in Grants

Periodically, Rep. John Lewis is notified that organizations within the 5th Congressional District have been selected to receive a variety of federal grants. This federal grants announcement will advise press and constituents of these notifications. This announcement details over $6 million in federal grants coming to the 5th Congressional District.

What is the funding process for federal grants?

There are two basic ways the federal government awards funds, through mandatory funding or discretionary funding. Members of Congress vote on “authorizing” legislation that funds the mandatory commitments of the federal government for programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance and SNAP.  Also every year, levels of discretionary funding are determined during the Congressional appropriations process. Rep. Lewis and all other members of Congress work to ensure that federal programs which provide key services within their districts are funded at levels requested by local government authorities and constituents they represent.   

The federal grants announced by this release fall mainly in the discretionary category.  The money appropriated by Congress is sent to the federal agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which then disburse it directly to the states and local governments. Sometimes federal agencies issue requests for proposals which place states, cities, and local organizations in competition with others around the country for the opportunity to gain federal support for a local project. This is where the efficacy of city and state organizations are tested to determine whether they can compete effectively to receive those funds. Rep. Lewis often meets with and advises city, state or local agencies to help them strategize effective methods of engaging the federal agencies throughout the grant process.

Pell Grants, Byrne Justice Assistance, veterans’ services, LIHEAP home heating support, early education, COPS, YouthBuild, Jobs Corps, the CDC, minority health programs, TIGER, critical disease research initiatives, tenant and fair housing assistance all stem from Congressional discretionary funding. Recent successful discretionary grant efforts from the 5th Congressional District of Georgia include the Atlanta Streetcar, the Multimodal Passenger Terminal, the Atlanta BeltLine, and the UTC.  Through his District Office, Rep. Lewis offers grants assistance and workshops to explain the federal grants process.  Please call 404-659-0116 if you are interested in participating in one of these workshops. 

Following is the list of the most recently granted federal funds to the 5th Congressional District. If you are seeking more information about any one of these federal grants, please consult the granting information for more details on their selection process. Grants over $500,000 are highlighted.       

GRANT NOTICE

MBDA Business Center – Atlanta, Georgia  located at 75 Fifth Street, NW, Atlanta Georgia  30308,  404-894-2096    (donna.ennis@innovate.gatech.edu) is a partnership between Georgia Tech Research Corporation and the U.S. Department of Commerce.  The recipient, Georgia Tech Research Corporation, will deliver strategic business consulting and deal-making services to eligible minority business enterprises (MBEs) under the MBDA Business Center program. These services are targeted towards assisting MBE clients to achieve higher levels of growth and competitiveness. The primary performance drivers under this award are job creation and retention and the award of procurement/contract and financing transactions to MBEs.

This one-year supplemental funding is to establish the Atlanta, Georgia location as a specialty center with expertise in Advanced Manufacturing and Healthcare Int/contract and financing transactions to MBEs.  Although physically located in a specific city, the center may serve MBEs nationwide. Services include, but are not limited to, the development of a pool of contract and finance opportunities; direct matching of opportunities with qualified/vetted MBEs; execution of relationship management and deal sourcing initiatives; assisting MBEs in accessing global market opportunities and financing; identification and securing of alternative sources of capital; promotion of the advantages of achieving size and scale; educating MBEs on the benefits of strategic growth alternatives; and provision of service referrals to MBEs of all sizes. U.S. Department of Commerce, Public Affairs at 202-482-6272 or email public_affairs@mbda.gov.  Grant award $100,000 for one-year.

This is to inform you that the Department of Health & Human Services will be announcing following grant award(s).

If you have any questions concerning a specific grant award, please call the HHS Grants Office Contact found in the grant memo.