Federal Resources to Eastern Connecticut
Grants
Grants are a monetary award given to an organization or local government to implement public initiatives. As you explore the world of grants, keep in mind that grants are one funding option. Federal agencies also offer direct loans, loan guarantees, and tax credits. Many projects can be accomplished with funds from a variety of sources.
Your first step in the grants search is to define a project and then begin the research process. Every day, my office helps community groups, nonprofits, municipalities, and other organizations navigate the process to obtain federal support. If your organization has an idea and a vision for implementation, I would welcome the opportunity to assist you in identifying sources of federal funding.
Grant Basics
There are four primary types of federal grants.
- Categorical: provided for specific programs and used for narrowly defined purposes.
- Block: mostly administered on the state level; provides leeway by granting funding for a general policy area.
- Formula: allocated on a decision rule; purpose is to allocate funding based on a general social condition.
- Project: similar to categorical grants; project grants fund specific projects or services.
Begin your search at www.grants.gov
This official portal is an E-Government initiative operating under the governance of the Office of Management and Budget. Chartered to deliver a system that provides a centralized location for grant seekers to find and apply for federal funding opportunities, the Grants.gov system houses information on over 1,000 grant programs and vets grant applications for federal grant-making agencies.
Registration
- Before you apply for a grant you must complete the Grants.gov registration process. The registration process can take anywhere from three business days to four weeks, which is why it is important to register early.
- Please refer to http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html and http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html for assistance with the registration process.
- Registering with the System for Award Management (SAM) is completely free of charge — there is no fee for you to register or to renew/update your organization’s information. Please click here for more information about SAM.
Common Areas of Assistance
First Responders
Assistance is available to help address the training and equipment needs of our local fire and police departments.
Rural Development
A number of programs are aimed at investing in critical infrastructure and systems for rural regions like eastern Connecticut.
Housing
Grants, loans, and tax credits may be available for the development of affordable housing in your community.
Small Business
From startup loan guarantees to disaster recovery assistance, there may be help for your qualified small business.
Resources:
- Small Businesses can find information about loans and other financing by visiting the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) website and the Connecticut Department of Economic Development (DECD) website: www.sba.gov and www.ct.gov/ecd
- For a list of local small business events and workshops provided by the SBA, click here.
- Small businesses seeking funding to engage in high tech Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) are encouraged to visit the federal and state Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) website(s): www.sbir.gov and www.ctsbir.com
- The Connecticut Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) provides marketing and procurement assistance Connecticut companies interested in doing business with local, state and federal governments and tracks business related events around the state. For information about PTAP and a list of upcoming events visit: www.ctptap.org
- For information about private, corporate and foundational funding, please visit the Foundation Center website: www.foundationcenter.org
- For information about Connecticut based grantmakers and programs, resources and services related to grantmaking and philanthropy, see the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy website: www.ctphilanthropy.org/
- For more information about state and local funding, please contact your state and local representatives. You can find your state and local contact information by visiting the official State of Connecticut website: www.ct.gov