Grants

Grants are an important part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help fund the rebuilding of our economy. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance provides an outline of preparing and writing grant proposals. You can view catalog here .  You can see Congressman Obey's Guide to Grants and Federal Domestic Assistance here .

Below is a list of some available grants. To determine eligibility for a specific grant program, click on the program link or contact the appropriate federal agency. Some grant eligibility is limited to specific entities, such as states, municipalities, or school districts, and funding is determined by a preset formula. Other grants are available through a competitive process. Applicants respond to a funding opportunity announcement from an agency, and grant applications are evaluated by the relevant government agency(s) to determine which entities are awarded funds.

Education Grants

Title I Grants: One formula grant program assists school districts in educating low-income students. Preliminary funding numbers for Wisconsin school districts recieving these grants are available from the Department of Education. A second formula grant program provides funding to help Wisconsin schools identified for improvement under No Child Left Behind. 

IDEA Grants: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides formula grants to states to support educating students with disabilities.

Federal Education Technology Grants: These are formula grants distributed to states to boost technology programs in school.

McKinney-Vento Grants: Provides educational services to homeless children.

Pell Grants: The increase in funding for the Pell Grant program will help increase the maximum allowable award by $500 to $4,860 for the 2009-2010 award year.

Teacher Incentive Fund Grants: Helps develop and implement performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-need schools.

National School Lunch Equipment Grants: These grants will be provided to the state, which will distribute funds to schools and school districts to assist in the upgrade of equipment and facilities related to the National School Lunch Program. Wisconsin will receive $1.7 million from this program.

Learn more from the Wisconsin Office of Recovery and Reinvestment.

Energy Grants

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants: States and local governments can use these to support energy efficiency efforts.

Grants for Advanced Batteries: Incentivizes domestic manufacturers to make batteries for vehicles that can compete globally.

State Energy Program Grants: Helps states address their energy priorities and adopt emerging renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

Weatherization Assistance Program: Helps low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled by improving the energy efficiency of low-income housing, thus permanently reducing energy bills.

Smart Grid Investment Matching Grant Program: Allows for 50 percent federal matching grants for qualifying investments.

Learn more from the Wisconsin Office of Recovery and Reinvestment.

Homeland Security Grants

Firefighter Assistance Grants: Helps fire departments enhance their ability to protect the public and fire service personnel from fire and related hazards.

Port Security Grants: For the protection of critical port infrastructure from terrorism.

Transit and Rail Security Grants: Funding to the nation's key high-threat urban areas to enhance security measures for their critical transit infrastructure including bus, ferry and rail systems.

Learn more from the Wisconsin Office of Recovery and Reinvestment.

Job Training Grants

Workforce Investment Act Grants: Wisconsin will receive $5.2 million in fiscal year 2009 for WIA job training grants for adults, $13.9 million in fiscal year 2009 for WIA job training grants for youths, and $16.2 million in fiscal year 2009 for WIA job training grants for dislocated workers.

National Emergency Grants: Provides funding to state and local communities that are affected by large plant closures to allow state and local entities to provide job training services to dislocated workers.

Learn more from the Wisconsin Office of Recovery and Reinvestment.

Law Enforcement Grants

Byrne Grants: Awards grants to states for use by states and units of local government to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, with emphasis on violent crime and serious offenders.

COPS Grants: Helps provide local law enforcement resources to keep our communities safe.

Rural Law Enforcement Grants: Funds to help combat drug-related crimes.

Victim Compensation and Assistance Grants: Helps victims and victim service providers with program funding in accordance with OVC's Program Plan for the fiscal year.

Internet Crimes Against Children Grants: Helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to child pornography cases.

Tribal Law Enforcement Grants: Helps tribes construct and/or renovate correctional facilities on tribal lands used for the incarceration of offenders subject to tribal jurisdiction.

High-density Drug Trafficking Grants: Helps police designated areas within the United States that have serious drug trafficking problems.

Learn more from the Wisconsin Office of Recovery and Reinvestment.

Transit Grants

Transit Grants: Grants to the state and large cities for investment in transit systems.

Highway Grants: Formula grants for shovel-ready road and bridge repair and improvement. The Governor has recently announced an initial list of state highway projects that are expected to be funded with federal economic recovery funds. In addition to funds for state highway improvements, 30 percent of funds are allocated for local transportation needs.

High Speed and Passenger Rail Grants: Wisconsin will be in a good position to compete for a portion of the $8 billion for high speed rail and other passenger rail service. In addition to the existing Amtrak Hiawatha and Empire Builder lines, Wisconsin has a designated high speed rail corridor connecting Chicago/Milwaukee/Minneapolis and strong support from the Governor and WisDOT for increased passenger rail service.

Learn more from the Wisconsin Office of Recovery and Reinvestment.

Other Grants

Community Services Block Grants: Formula grants to lessen poverty in communities with a range of services and activities to assist the needs of low-income individuals including the homeless, migrants and the elderly.

Child Care Development Block Grants: Assists low-income families, families receiving temporary public assistance, and those transitioning from public assistance in obtaining child care so they can work or attend training/education.

National Science Foundation: Increased resources to fund a larger proportion of existing competitive research in science and engineering. Wisconsin ranks 13th in academic research and development and UW-Madison ranks 5th in federally funded research, putting Wisconsin in a good position to receive a significant share of NSF and other competitive research funding.