Dear Friends, So far in 2020, my office has supported over $69,250,000 in successful grant applications in central Arkansas.  From historic preservation, infrastructure improvements, child welfare, support for our first responders, and more, each of these grants have had a positive impact on our communities.  I was proud to lend my support to a $13 million grant to Shorter College in partnership with the University of Arkansas, City of North Little Rock, and Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub.  This grant awarded from the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Stabilization Fund-Reimagining Workforce Preparation Grants Program will help develop innovation hubs that will allow resources to be made available to increase workforce capability, business development, and entrepreneurship in North Little Rock. With my support, Immerse Arkansas was awarded $150,000 in grant funding for its Street Outreach program. With these funds, they will continue going out in the community and helping youth in crisis, such as homeless youth, foster children who will soon age out of foster care, and runaway children. Their work fills a gap in the child welfare system and supports their partners in Arkansas's foster system to help children most in need.  The four domains that this grant will be used to support are:  Well-being - are they improving the emotional, social, mental, and physical well-being? At least one - is each youth connected to at least one caring adult through their mentoring program? Safe and stable housing - are youth who exit the program exiting to a good place to live? Earning potential - are youth improving their education and employability through their programs? Conway County was awarded a $1.5 million investment in levee repair and improvement with my support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).  The historic flooding of the Arkansas River last spring left many of our levees and waterway systems in need of improvement to our region from future flooding.  These funds will go a long way to repair the extensive damage throughout our state. Further, this grant will help retain jobs in Conway County, and generate private investment in central Arkansas.

If you, your organization, city, or agency needs a letter of support, my staff is happy to work with you on your project. Please contact my Little Rock Office at 501-324-5941 with any questions or concerns.

To request a support letter, please fill out my Support Letter Request Form. Once completed, my staff will contact you to confirm that we have received it.

*Please provide at least 72 hours for the letter to be completed.

HOW TO GET STARTED

1. Find out Who is Eligible for a Grant? Other government websites may be more suitable for personal needs, student loans, small business assistance, or other business opportunities such as government contracting. The website Government Benefits, Grants, and Loans may also be of help.
   
2. If eligible, search for program information in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance(CFDA). This includes grants, loans, business, and nonfinancial help.
   
3. Contact federal office given in CFDA program description: if state or local office is indicated, check Regional Agency Offices at top of the CFDA website for addresses.
   
4. Go to federal websites given in each CFDA program description for more information and for state administering agencies responsible for managing these programs.
   
5. Check current federal grants opportunities at Grants.gov, obtain a Dun and Bradstreet ( DUNS) number, register with System for Award Management (SAM), and apply online (links and instructions given at the website). Additional notices appear at FedConnect.net.
   
6. Search foundations for project funding: use the Foundation Center Web site or Foundation Center Funding Information Network resources in libraries to identify national, state, and community foundations.
   
7. Learn how to write grant proposals: Take the free online Foundation Center Proposal Writing Short Course or see other tips and sample proposals at Grantspace's How Do I Write a Grant Proposal?

KEY FEDERAL FUNDING SOURCES

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (General Services Administration)
The Catalog (CFDA), issued annually and updated continuously on the Web, describes some 1600 federal grants and nonfinancial assistance programs. Grantseekers can identify programs that might support their projects and can learn the program’s objectives, requirements, application procedures, and contacts. For current notices of funding availability, see Grants.gov or FedConnect.net.

Grants.gov (managed by Dept. of Health and Human Services)
Federal website that allows eligible grantseekers (see Who is Eligible for a Grant?) to find and apply for current competitive grant opportunities from ALL federal agencies. Grantseekers can check on notices of funding availability (NOFA) posted in the last 7 days; access an RSS feed of grant opportunities; and apply for federal grants through a unified process by downloading the application and submitting online. The website guides grantseekers in obtaining a Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number and registering with System for Award Management (SAM) and registering with Grants.gov to apply and to track applications. For full federal program descriptions, see CFDA below. See also website FedConnect.net for additional grants and contract opportunities.

State Single Points of Contact  (Office of Management and Budget)
Under Executive Order 12372, some states require federal grants applicants to submit a copy of their application for state government level review and comment. The state offices listed here coordinate federal financial assistance and may direct federal development. For help in identifying state-level grants, other state government agencies' websites may be found at State and Local Agencies.

CFDA in Local Libraries (Government Printing Office)
Although the Catalog is available full-text on the Internet, some may prefer a print edition. However, only the Web Catalog is continuously updated. The published volume is annual with no supplements. The Catalog is available in all states in Federal Depository Libraries (click on link FDLP Public Page). 

• USDA Community Connect Grant Program is open for state, county, and local governments, small businesses, nonprofits, school districts, and institutions of higher education. The Community Connect Grant Program provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide service at or above the Broadband Grant Speed to all premises in rural, economically challenged communities where broadband service does not exist. The deployment of broadband services on a “community-oriented connectivity” basis stimulates economic development and provides enhanced educational and health care opportunities in rural areas. RUS will give priority to rural areas that demonstrate the greatest need for broadband services, based on the criteria contained herein. Due by December 23, 2020.

• Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program - COVID-19 Supplemental (AFG-S) second round of grants to support firefighters. AFG is one of three grant programs that constitute the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) focus on enhancing the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. Due by November 13, 2020.

• Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Inspire! Grants for Small Museums is a special initiative of the Museums for America program. It is designed to help small museums implement projects that address priorities identified in their strategic plans. Due by November 16, 2020.

• National Park Service’s Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant makes available funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to help states and local communities acquire and preserve threatened Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War Battlefields. Each grant requires a dollar-for-dollar non-Federal match. Grants are available to purchase 1) land in fee simple or 2) permanent, protective interests in land (easements) at battlefields listed in the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission's (CWSAC) 1993 Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields or the 2007 Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites Due by October 31, 2020.

• DOE’s Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success Program is available to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, as well as private institutions of higher education. The purpose of this program is to encourage institutions of higher education (IHEs) to develop model programs to support veteran student success in postsecondary education by coordinating services to address the academic, financial, physical, and social needs of veteran students. Due by November 4, 2020.

• Dept. of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Grants Program supports the preservation of historic buildings, archaeological and other cultural sites, museum objects and collections, and forms of traditional expression such as indigenous languages and music in less developed countries. Due by June 30, 2022.

• Dept. of Interior, Fish and Wildlife’s U.S. Small Grants Program is a competitive, matching grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the United States that further the goals of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Projects must involve only long-term protection, restoration, enhancement, and/or establishment of wetland and associated upland habitats to benefit migratory birds. Due by October 16, 2020. 

It is my honor to represent you in Congress. 

Sincerely,
 
Representative French Hill