Archive for Government Grants

Dec
16

President Obama: Insulation Is Sexy

Posted by: Inesz | Comments (33)


New Incentives For Rendering Homes and Commercial Buildings More Energy Efficient.

Ever since my husband and I have been married (25 years) we have bought, retrofitted, improved and sold homes. It was instinctive to improve our first home when I felt the cold air transfer at my icy window in the first house we bought in Summit County, Colorado .

We replaced the doors and windows…

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…. And I decided to look for some specific answers.health_care_access_manual_logo

Got some.

Before I go into all the details – I want to go for the juicy part.

If you want to start! a business in healthcare or healthcare education and prevention in your community, there are funds for you RIGHT NOW to start your business. Remember: what the Obama administration is looking to accomplish is to broaden the scope and reach of the local health care centers. That means more community clinics, rehab centers, and outreach programs of all kinds. That means you.

If you or someone you know (and love and want to prosper) owns/operates/shares ownership of any kind of health center seeking to grow their clinic, there are grants for ….

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Well Done, Michelle.emergency_home

I just had to share the great results that Michelle is getting in sharing the TANF lists with the children in her classroom. Their parents are applying for and……

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Jun
23

Links To Apply For TANF in Your State

Posted by: Inesz | Comments (55)

phtTanf

Is TANF a Government Grant?

You bet.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was established in 1996 to help individuals, families, and children under the care of a grandparent, get back on their feet. Their goals, as stated by the Department of Health and Human Services:

“States receive a block grant to design and operate their programs to accomplish the purposes of TANF. These are:
* assisting needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes
* reducing the dependency of needy parents by promoting job preparation, work and marriage
* preventing out-of-wedlock pregnancies
* encouraging the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.”

The Numbers:
Number of welfare recipients nationwide for every December since Temporary Assistance for Needy Families took effect:

Year Number of welfare recipients
2007: 3,880,321
2006: 4,074,689
2005: 4,386,206
2004: 4,695,211
2003: 4,843,562
2002: 5,013,728
2001: 5,276,319
2000: 5,527,071
1999: 6,175,831
1998: 7,578,222
1997: 9,326,683
1996: 11,533,710

Source: Dept. of Health and Human Services

As we see, in 2007, the number of cases per month had gone down to just over $3.8 million, which is where it has remained for the better portion of 2008 – we only have figures through September 2008. The number of monthly recipients was at about $3.87 million in September 2008.

This is a full 67% decrease in total welfare recipients since 1996! Not because they turned people away who qualified, but because that’s how few people applied. This would suggest there is room for more famlies to get help for a while in these tough times.

There is a national number you can call for TANF: 1-800-706-8263. You can also contact your local Department of health and Human Services.
I suggest going to the sites, as they list a variety of help US citizens can get. (They even have cash for refugees in most states, as you will see on the sites.)

The info and the applications are available on the sites. They are fully informative. At the very bottom of this article are three really useful tools to help you determine your likelihood to qualify.

In as much as it seems easy to have looked these sites up (!) it was not. Unbelievable how difficult they make some of the sites to navigate. Where were the actual applications for TANF? and not just the paperwork about it. Though the studeis/data are helpful, you need to be able to find a page to see if you qulaify and then another easy page to apply. I will see if I can pull tha ttogether.

Until then, here are the links for your state. This was last updated on June 23, 2009.

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Categories : Government Grants
Comments (55)
Nobility / Nobleza
Image by . SantiMB . via Flickr

I was reading a comment posted to my last article. In it the writer professed a significant preference for making money rather than applying for a grant. That the route to pursue is more simple and more effective. Put briefly: just go and make more money.

“JUST MAKE MORE MONEY”
The comment made the point, “if you make more money, the income is more reliable, because you are the one “granting” yourself these funds, not some governmental body.” True. “You do not have to draw a business plan to get it.” Also true. “It can’t be taken away next year.” Not always true, but I see what the reader means. If you have made a new stream of income, barring disaster, you should be able to duplicate it year after year. Maybe even improve on it. True. “It takes too long to apply for , qualify and get your grant.”

If you are looking for an effective “pay increase” starting next week, you mostly are right reader, grants are not what the person is looking for. Here , it must be added that funds have at times come through far more quickly than you might think from government grants.

Let it also be said: I agree and cannot argue making more money is a good plan. It is rarely a bad plan. Yes. Making more money is great. I agree. Having said that, it still does not take the place of grants, nor should it be seen as an either / or proposition.

Question is ..
If you could use your hard-earned money, no matter if you made a ton or very little, or if you could use government funds to: install more energy efficient windows, a solar panel, energy efficient appliances, what would you choose to do? If you could expand your business using your money, or use the government’s money, even accounting for the length of time it takes to get the grant, which would you do? If you could pay for your education out of pocket or get some/all paid by government funds, which would you choose? If you could get art displayed and shared or use your own funds to support art projects, which would you choose?

What about making your own money work for you, as much of it as you can get, and letting government funds pay to further your education? For your art project? for your replacement windows? For your solar panel? To clean up your neighborhood? To help care for under-insured young parents? For day care for local poor families?

Seems you are thinking of grants as just money. Not unlike income. No. It’s funds to aid in the accomplishing of a goal – one the nation requires, or it is the funds to get more of what needs to be done – done – and you don’t have to pay for either.

Your Money Working For You
I remember hearing an interesting set of figures: if a college freshman put away $2000/yr for 4 years and never added another penny, nor took anything from it and let it compound until they were 65 years old, she/he would have more than the person who started just even right after college if they added $2000/yr EVERY YEAR until she/he was 65. ASTONISHING, isn’t it?

If you could make more money AND! still get the government to take on your education costs, that would leave that much more of your money for you. Enough said.

Timing
There are many if not the majority of people out there who are NOT ready for the money right now. These people are those who plan ahead carefully as to what they plan to do and do not require the funds for the change for quite some time.

Many are researchers who require the funds next year. More are students who know it will be next fall they need the funds. Art organizations require start up funds which come as well after the gallery/photo series/ dance troupe had to be well on its way to needing it before they apply. Businesses who want to expand often cannot make these changes overnight. Nor by your argument could they necessarily just make more money. The time it takes to get these grants often works just fine for many.

Need help looking into grants? Click here. Need help with scheduling your grant app process? Click here. There’s going to be more re: grant writing posted soon.
All the best.

For more info on setting aside cash and letting it your money work for you…

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Categories : Government Grants
Comments (24)
Uncle Sam album cover
Image via Wikipedia

I just read an article that reaffirmed the belief that Uncle Sam just categorically does not fund businesses. They reiterated the accepted view that grants are for the arts and for education, and possibly for research, if you are lucky.

You know, in a way they are right. IF..

If you do not have a “noggin” worth beans and do not ever resort to wearing your thinking cap.

Sorry. I had to say it.

Allow me to rant: what is wrong with your eye? It no see very good? You no see very well?

Thanks for indulging me. I feel much better.

Point is: if you want to go and wander down a street and decide you want to open a knick-knack store selling only pet rock collectibles, just because it sounds fun, then yes, you are correct. The government will not fund your start-up company.

Or if you decide on something much more savvy, you imagine just what, as a for example. Now IF it has a track record of delivering in a manner the government respects, you just might have some micro-grant help. If it has an outstanding business plan and clear evidence of other outside support, you also have a fighting chance to have some grant help. Take a look at the Estate Sale article where the micro grant made the difference between hobby and “bidne’ss”. (click here)

But to expect that grants would fund every hair-brained scheme…..

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Comments (16)
WEEchair
Image by riebschlager via Flickr

CVS grants to Special Olympics
Who is CVS C.C.T.? It is a private foundation , namely CVS Charitable trust and CVS Caremark All Kids Program.

What is their objective?
To help children with disabilities by making ways for them to play and get some physical exercise, making available rehab and medical services, and getting schools and communities on board with no longer excluding these children from what was formerly inaccessible activity.

“” In today’s climate it’s more important than ever to support organizations that can have a positive impact on children with disabilities and their families,” said Eileen Howard Dunn, Senior Vice President, CVS Caremark Charitable Trust. “The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust selected these grant recipients because they align with our mission to promote inclusion, increase access to medical therapies and improve academic performance of children with disabilities.””

Whom have they gifted?

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DUNCE
Image by The Joy Of The Mundane via Flickr

Think Again

The overwhelming consensus out there is that grants are for education, for social aid organizations, art and possibly for help with bills. The point is made that there are no government funds for “for-profit” business endeavors, so don’t try. Either these people haven’t looked and have put their thinking cap away – permanently.

Think again.

If you visit any one of the many government funding web pages, you will find funding for-profit companies move in the direction the government decides it wants to fund. Two came up immediately. The first that came up today in searching were medical profiling services, something social services or community health/youth health centers can get as a contract. These centers could add to their current service and receive the government funding for adding this to their services. Not only that, these centers did not have to come up with the plan, they only had to respond to an invitation to upgrade their business, and apply.

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{{tgl|Ang larawang ito ay kinunan ko noong kin...
Image via Wikipedia

Well maybe not in the manner Imelda Marcos was accustomed to. BUT for women in business for themselves? You BET!

Oh I love this story.

Before we get going, who are we talking about?

Madison Harding.com, a three year old company based out of New York City. Their first shoe collection came out in 2007. Hilary Rosenman and Barri Budin met in their junior year at Skidmore College. Just a few years later they started designing shoes for their own shoe company. Now Madison Harding Shoes is presenting their fifth collection in three years.

Before it all got started, these two young women had been based out of NY/NJ. At that time Hilary began by working for Charlotte Ronson, a young American/british designer (2000) whose design consisted of vintage tees and lingerie then went into adding wedge heels. This is where Hilary got her “shoe contacts”.  Barri began by working in a sales showroom , a job she deeply disliked and wanted to get out of. She then got work at NYU. The two young women began working toward their dream while keeping their  jobs.

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Lend Me a Tenor
Image via Wikipedia

Preventing Foreclosure with Government Grants

By Ines Q Compton

In 2008 the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded States and specific counties across the nation under a stabilization program to address foreclosure.

They focus on houses whose foreclosure proceedings have just started as well as already foreclosed houses that need repair. The program comes as a part of Title III, Division B, of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.

That’s the boring stuff. Now let’s get to the juicy part. You want to hear about someone actually getting some real cash.

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Categories : Government Grants
Comments (13)