Posted 3/13/09
Federal Stimulus Opportunities
Just what you have been asking for! Here is an update on the Economic Stimulus bill called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill. This listing has been provided by our friends at g2g Consulting (www.g2gconsulting.com).
TheOmnibus Appropriations bill was just passed by the Senate and on its way to being signed by the President. This means Congress can now focus its attention on FY2010 appropriations process. The deadline for Members of Congress to submit their FY2010 letters requesting projects is April 2.
As for the ARRA, the federal departments are now developing descriptions for funding. One of the best documents summarizing all such opportunities was produced by Congresswoman Betty Sutton and is attached. You can also visit websites of other Members since most have tried to put information on their websites, but to save time, I would refer to this one.
Department of Health and Human Services – Is distributing $19 million for health information technology, including $17 billion in the form of tax incentives and investments. The primary goal is reducing paperwork. In addition, NIH will distribute $1 billion through the NIH National Center for Research in support of scientific for research priorities – $800 million of which is at the discretion of the Director and can be spent on construction and renovation of external facilities as well as grants. At least $200 million is dedicated to Challenge Grants to fund 200+ research projects that can be completed within two years, however the SBIR set-aside is exempted so small businesses must compete alongside larger ones. The deadline is April 27. Information on these opportunities is available on www.hhs.gov and http://grants.nih.gov/recovery
Department of Energy – Is distributing $800 million for Biomass research and development. It will disburse this funding through competitive grants and discretionary spending. There is no detailed information available yet but it will be posted on http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/. DOE is also distributing $400 million for Geothermal R&D and details will be forthcoming on http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/. DOE is distributing $2 billion in competitive grants for advanced battery manufacturing and $4.5 billion for Smart Grid Technology to be used for regional demonstration initiatives and matching grants.
Department of Defense – Is distributing $300 million for Near-term Energy Efficiency Technology, including pilot projects, demonstrations and energy efficient manufacturing enhancements. Funds are for improvements in energy generation and efficiency, transmission, regulation, storage, and for use on military installations and within operational forces. DOD is also funding R&D for generating energy from fuel cells, wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources to include biofuels and bioenergy. Information is available on http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/cpic/cp/docs/guide_to_dod_contracting_opportunities_us_20070425.pdf.
Department of Treasury – Is distributing $100 million Community Development Financial Institution Programs for investing in and building the capacity of CDFIs to serve low-income people and communities lacking adequate access to affordable financial products and services. An organization wishing to apply must be either already certified as a CDFI or be able to become certified by the Fund within two years of its application. Information is available on http://www.cdfifund.gov/what_we_do/programs_id.asp?programID=7.
Department of Interior – Is distributing $140 million through the United States Geological Survey for surveys that consider a wide variety of activities, including repair, construction and restoration of facilities, equipment replacement and upgrades, national map activities, and other critical deferred maintenance and improvement projects. Information is forthcoming on www.usgs.gov.
Department of Labor – Is distributing funds for at-risk youth and dislocated workers, such as YouthBuild, as well as for high-tech workforce training. DOL is distributing $750 million to be awarded through competitive grants for worker training and placement in high growth and emerging industries, including projects that prepare workers for careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Information on these opportunities will be available on www.dol.gov.
Commerce Department – Is distributing $150 million through the Economic Development Administration to regions using a formula that is based on high unemployment or low per capita income. Each region then disburses funds based on competitive grant system. Of this total, $50 million will be used for economic adjustment assistance to help communities recover from sudden or severe economic dislocation and job losses. Within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, $360 million is for facility construction grants and $240 million is for R&D grants, fellowships and equipment. Information on opportunities available through DOC can be found on http://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/Investments.xml.
Tax Credits – Are coming in several forms but one of interest within energy is the Long-term Extension and Modification of Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit. It would extend the placed-in-service date for wind facilities for three years (through December 31, 2012) and would extend the placed-in-service date for three years (through December 31, 2013) for certain other qualifying facilities: closed-loop biomass; open-loop biomass; geothermal; small irrigation; hydropower; landfill gas; waste-to-energy; and marine renewable facilities.