DCED, PPTN Announce Partnership to Increase Consumer Awareness of Conversion to Digital Television
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) is collaborating with Pennsylvania Public Television Network (PPTN) and its eight public television affiliates to develop and implement a consumer education, awareness and outreach campaign to advise Pennsylvania households of the impending abandonment of the old analog television channels effective Feb. 17.
The DCED/PPTN partnership will produce and create multimedia content on the impact of the analog-to-digital conversion. The statewide consumer education and awareness campaign will focus on five target groups identified as most needy for particular consumer education efforts: seniors, the economically disadvantaged, rural residents, people with disabilities, and minorities. Outreach materials will be made accessible statewide via multiple delivery platforms through PPTN and its television, radio, Internet and datacasting affiliates.
The partnership will address that barriers to accessing digital television signals will become a new aspect of the "digital divide" – the gap that now exists between some communities in accessing broadband or high-speed Internet. One aspect of the DCED/PPTN partnership will be to produce outreach materials in multimedia format to promote awareness of various programs and initiatives created through Act 183 of 2004. Under that legislation, DCED administers several telecommunications-related programs aimed at accelerating the deployment of high-speed Internet and telecommunications services. For more information, contact PPTN at (717) 533-3745.
Benefits Available to Veterans
The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs encourages Pennsylvania’s 1.1 million veterans to take advantage of a variety of benefit programs and services that are available to them. They include: the Veterans Emergency Assistance Program, the Educational Gratuity Program, the Paralyzed Veterans’ Pension Program, the Blind Veterans’ Pension Program, the Disabled Veterans’ Real Estate tax Exemption Program, the Persian Gulf Conflict Veterans’ Benefit Program, the Military Family Relief Assistance Program, the State Veterans Homes System, and the Scotland School for Veterans' Children. A complete listing of eligibility requirements for each program, as well as the appropriate applications and forms, are available at www.paveterans.state.pa.us or by calling a DMVA State Veterans Service Officer toll-free at: Fort Indiantown Gap, (800) 547-2838; Philadelphia, (866) 754-8637; or Pittsburgh (866) 754-8636. More information is also available at http://www.milvet.state.pa.us/DMVA/355.htm
USDA Announces Investments in Pennsylvania
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has announced the release of funds for projects in Pennsylvania.
The USDA Rural Development’s Section 9006 Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements program, which provides financial assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to support renewable energy projects and energy efficiency improvements. The recipients are: McElhaney Stock Farm of Beaver County - $3,489 towards its biodiesel production; Northway Industries, LLC of Snyder County - $49,897 for air emission controls; and Ronald D. Brenneman of Somerset County - $6,376 for a reverse osmosis machine for maple syrup production.
USDA Rural Development also awarded WVIA-TV, a public television station in Pittston, Luzerne County, with a $115,980 Digital Public Television Grant to finance an analog to digital conversion.
Five sewer backlogged projects received funding, the majority of which came from the 2008 Farm Bill and USDA Rural Development's water and environmental program. The projects are: Broad Top Township, Bedford County - $700,000 loan (Farm Bill 2008) towards extending sewage collection lines to serve 95 new residential customers and three nonresidential customers; Hempfield Township Municipal Authority, Westmoreland County - $2,875,540 loan and $4,957,460 loan (Farm Bill 2008) to construct a major extension of the authority's sanitary sewer collection system; Borough of Forest City, Susquehanna County - $9,665,900 loan (Farm Bill 2008) to rehabilitate the existing sewage collection system for the borough; Foster Township, Luzerne County - $204,800 subsequent loan (Farm Bill 2008) to cover cost overrun to provide enough funds to begin construction of a sewage collection system/expansion; and Deer Creek Drainage Basin Authority, Allegheny County - $1,668,000 loan to cover the cost overrun due to an increase in development costs at the time the project was bid.
Finally, Central Electric Cooperative, Inc. of Parker, PA received a $17 million electric loan to be used to serve 1,360 new consumers and 93 miles of new distribution lines, make improvements to 314 miles of distribution lines and make other system improvements in parts of Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Mercer, Clarion, Forest and Venango Counties. For more information on USDA Rural Development's Community, Business and Housing programs, visit www.rurdev.usda.gov/pa
Secret Tips for Keeping the Funder Happy
By: Denise S. Schlegel, Alutiiq LLC
Grant writing: two words that can make you want to run and hide! No one ever told me that I would need to know how to "write for money" to keep my job. But 25 years of nonprofit management taught me one very important rule: Keep the funder happy. Whether it is a donation or a grant award, you have to make the funder smile. So what are the secrets to meeting the needs of the funder? Listed below are tips from the funders I have either partnered with or spoke to about their secrets.
1. Speak English: Your proposal should be easy to read and crystal clear in scope, need, problem, project description and what you are really going to do. Grant reviewers like reading a proposal that speaks to the funder’s mission. Many tell me that they get grumpy when they waste their time reading proposals and in the end have no clue what the grant seeker is trying to accomplish.
2. Please Read Everything: Funders want you to read ALL of their materials to get to know their passion and mission. It is your responsibility to read all documents, search and understand their website profile. Get to know the culture and personality of the funder. Get to know the funder. They only date people who really know them! Speed dating is not allowed!
3. Pay Attention: The grant seeker must come to a full understanding of the funder’s guidelines and application procedures. Formatting is very important. Follow the formatting rules so the reviewers may score your content rather than your mistakes. The funder may doubt your ability to manage a grant if you can’t follow the rules for submission.
4. Be Complete: Always remember to include your contact information with your application. Many grant applications are sent to funders without contact information. That makes it very hard for them to give you the money. Besides, if you and your organization are prepared for grant competition, you would not have to complete the grant at 3 AM.
5. Submit Early: Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your grant proposal. Many e-grants systems - especially the federal system - send out busy signals the last few days. Besides, last minute applications make a bad impression, and it makes the funder work harder, making him or her tired. Never exhaust a funder!
6. Get It Right: Make sure you get the name of the funder correct. Many applicants submit the same grant proposal to several funders, usually leaving the name of the "other" funder in the application. That is just plain tacky!
7. Be Logical: Create a proposal that makes sense and flows through a year sequentially. The timeline, goals and objectives, and project description must be in the order in which they will occur. Three by five cards can help you "shuffle" the major steps in your grant. Each need should have a stated objective, activity and evaluation statement. Confusion only ends up in the circular file!
8. Show Money Will Be Well Spent: Develop a budget that is complete and clear. Say what you are buying and don’t forget to buy what you need. If doing training, be certain to include where, how many times, with what materials and for what learning outcomes. The funder is really good at finding missing links so create a complete puzzle with a clear picture!
9. Be Professional: Proposal formats are essential. When scoring a grant application, the formatting provides a guideline for "leveling the playing field." If they all look the same, they are easier to compare. Learn the professional formatting and you will never be turned down for the typeface. (Psst . . .The secret is Times New Roman 12 for narrative, 14 for headings, single space for paragraphs on 8 ½ by 11, 24-pound white paper, no binding or stapling of any kind) But if the funder has other formatting requirements, always follow its directions first!
10. Length Should Be Just Right: Winning proposals are not too long or too short. They are just right. The funder wants just enough to clearly understand your point. The guidelines may limit your proposal to 10 pages, and the scoring says the problem statement is worth 20 points. That means your problem statement should be no longer than two pages. Make sense?? Map out your writing to match the scoring! That will really make the funder happy!
The next time you are faced with a new grant application, make sure you follow the top 10 secrets that keep funders happy. Your grant will stand out among the competition and your funder will look forward to a happy and positive funding relationship. Best wishes with your next one!
DOE, DEP Announce Energy Use-Reduction Grant Workshops
The Pennsylvania Department of Enviromental Protection and the U.S. Department of Enegry have scheduled a series of workshops required for participation in the Commonwealth's Energy Use-Reduction Grant program.
The grants provide a financial incentive to learn and apply the best operating practices that improve the efficiency of primary energy-using systems.
The workshops address compressed air, steam, motor, fan, pumping, and process heating systems. Organizations eligible to apply for a grant include industrial and commercial businesses, institutions, and municipal drinking water and wastewater treatment operations located within Pennsylvania. Plant managers, engineers, equipment operators, and maintenance staff often benefit most from workshop participation.
Annually, DEP co-sponsors several "Best Practices" workshops at locations throughout the state with support from a variety of commonwealth organizations. Up to 10 grants of $1,000 each will be awarded to eligible applicants that participate in a workshop, apply best operating practices presented during the workshop, and report achieved energy savings to OETD within a four-month application window following each workshop. Project applications judged "best in class" following review by OETD staff will receive a grant. Applications are evaluated on multiple criteria including: sustainable energy and economic benefits, technical merit, the application of workshop "Best Practices," and completeness. For more information, visit www.pa-erg.com/news_energyuse_081508.php
EPA Seeks Applications for Clean Air Excellence Awards
EPA and the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee are accepting applications for the 9th Annual Clean Air Excellence Awards Program. Winners are honored for outstanding accomplishments in programs, projects or technologies that reduce air pollution emissions. Applicants are judged in five awards categories: clean air technology; community development/redevelopment; education/outreach; regulatory/policy innovations; and transportation efficiency innovations. In addition, winners will be recognized in two special award categories. The Gregg Cooke Visionary Program Award is given to the air quality project or program that successfully blends two or more of the five existing awards categories. The Thomas W. Zosel Outstanding Individual Achievement Award recognizes one individual for his or her outstanding achievement, leadership, and commitment to promote clean air and achieve better air quality. All applications for the awards should be postmarked on or before Sept. 19. The awards will be announced in spring 2009. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/air/caaac/clean_award.html
Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Grant Funding Now Available
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now accepting applications for approximately $3.4 million in grants to establish projects using emerging technologies to reduce emissions from the nation's existing fleet of diesel engines. Proposals are due Sept. 21. State, local, regional and tribal governments may apply for the grants, as well as non-profits and institutions with transportation, educational service, and air quality responsibilities. Emerging technology manufacturers must partner with an eligible applicant to receive this funding.
The grants target school or transit buses, medium and heavy-duty trucks, marine engines, locomotives and non-road engines. The grants will be administered by EPA's National Clean Diesel Campaign under the Emerging Technology Program. ETP supports the development and commercialization of new, cutting-edge technologies. The program gives manufacturers the opportunity to capture real world data and gain valuable operating experience on their technology while it is used by fleet partners. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/diesel/grantfund.htm
Conferences and Events
September 24
Natural Gas Leasing Workshop, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at the Coudersport High School, Potter Co., PA. Representatives from the Center for Farm Transitions and other organizations will be on hand to discuss the emerging opportunity. For more information, visit http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/cwp/view.asp?Q=149733&A=390. To register, call (570) 662-8534.
October 2
Governor’s Conference for Women, hosted by Governor Edward G. Rendell and the Pennsylvania Commission for Women at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA. Keynote speakers are: Elizabeth Edwards, author and advocate for children; Naomi Tutu, advocate for peace and human rights; Julia Reed, author and journalist; Liz Smith, legendary social commentator and co-founder of wowOwow.com; and Mary Wells, entrepreneur and founder of the marketing and ad agency Wells Rich Greene and co-founder of wowOwow.com For more information, visit www.pagovernorsconferenceforwomen.org
October 14 – 16
Energy from Biomass and Waste, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA. For more information, visit www.ebw-expo.com/index.htm.
November 18 – 19
2008 Homes Within Reach Conference, sponsored by the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania at the Hilton Harrisburg and Towers, Harrisburg, PA. For more information, visit www.housingalliancepa.org.
Congratulations, Pennsylvania, on leading the nation in the number of preserved farmland acres. On August 28, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced that the Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Board set a new record by preserving the state’s 400,000th acre. 