State grant programs open for applications as of Monday, Oct. 23
Rep. Emily Kinkead October 23, 2023
PROGRAMS NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS:
Historical & Museum Commission: Cultural and Historical Support Grant Program
Who May Apply: Museums that are in Pennsylvania with annual operating budgets exceeding $100,000 (excluding capital and in-kind services) and at least one full-time professional staff person and that are not supported by other state agency funding programs and official County Historical Societies designated as the official historical society for the county.
Use: The goal of this program is to strengthen Pennsylvania’s museums and allow applicants to determine how to use funds for operating expenses. Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, salaries, benefits, insurance, food service, travel, professional development, marketing, and equipment.
Funds: Grant awards range from $2,500 to $65,000.
Application Deadline: November 7, 2023
More information: PHMC Website
Department of Community and Economic Development: Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites (PA SITES) Program
Who May Apply: Municipality, Economic Development Organization, Redevelopment Authorities, Municipal Authorities, Industrial Development Agencies. For-profit businesses are not eligible to apply for the PA SITES Program. However, an eligible applicant may apply for a site owned and controlled by the eligible applicant or may apply in partnership with a private developer to develop critical public infrastructure for a privately owned site.
Use: PA SITES provides grant funding to eligible applicants to develop competitive sites for businesses to relocate or expand within the Commonwealth. The program is intended to serve as gap financing for strategic sites that need financial assistance to help reduce development risk for businesses. The grant funding is intended to help finance strategic investments that will enhance sites across the Commonwealth to effectively compete for expanding and relocating businesses. Eligible uses include acquisition of land and buildings, construction and rehabilitation, demolition, clearing and preparation of land, and more.
Funds: $10 million in grant funding is available.
Application Deadline: November 8, 2023
More information: DCED Website
Pennsylvania Department of Education Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Cohort 12
Who May Apply: Public school districts, charter schools, private schools, nonprofit agencies, city or county government agencies, faith-based organizations, institutions of higher education, Indian tribes or tribal organizations and for-profit corporations. Applicants must target students in the lowest 5% to 10% of Title I schools or those listed as focus and priority schools. To be eligible for this grant, at least 85% of the students an applicant is proposing to serve must attend: schools that are Title 1, TSI, ATSI or CSI.
Use: The primary goal of these centers is to assist students with meeting state and local standards for core subjects such as reading and mathematics, by providing students with academic enrichment opportunities. In addition to academics, centers may also offer participants a broad array of other services and programs, such as art, music, service learning, character education, drug and violence prevention programming, recreation activities and technology education.
Funds: Approximately $25 million in federal funding is available. Applicants may request funds ranging from $50,000 to $600,000. Requests for funding should be based on a maximum per pupil-seat cost of $2,100—$2,548, which includes administrative and transportation costs.
Application Deadline: Letter of intent to submit an application was due October 16, 2023. The grant program will open for applications on October 23, 2023. The application period will close on November 9, 2023.
More information: PDE Website
Department of Education: It’s On Us PA
Who May Apply: Post-secondary institutions, including public and private two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Use: Funding is intended to be used to implement strategies aimed at reducing incidences of sexual assault. This can include improving awareness, prevention, reporting, and response systems regarding sexual violence in schools, removing or reducing barriers that prevent survivors of sexual violence from reporting, and demonstrate significant, proactive, and sustainable leadership to change campus culture, among other things.
Funds: Eligible institutions and schools with 10,000 or fewer students may request up to $40,000; those with more than 10,000 students may apply for up to $60,000. Private licensed career schools that do not offer specialized associate degrees may request up to $10,000.
Application Deadline: November 13, 2023
More information: PDE website
Department of Transportation: Multimodal Transportation Fund
Who May Apply: Municipalities, Council of Governments, Business/Non-profit, economic development organization, public transportation agency, port or rail/freight entity.
Use: Projects that coordinate local land use with transportation assets, projects that improve connectivity or utilization of existing transportation assets, projects related to streetscapes, lighting, sidewalk enhancement, and pedestrian safety, or projects related to transit-oriented development.
Funds: Act 89 makes $40 million available to PennDOT annually to be awarded. Of that amount $35 million is allocated to highway and bridge related projects. The remaining $5 million is available for projects that propose improvements to any mode.
Application Deadline: November 13, 2023
More information: PennDOT website
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Recruitment Incentives for Law Enforcement
Who May Apply: Local law enforcement agencies, campus or university police, railroad or street railway police, airport authority police, and county park police.
Use:. Funding is explicitly to support Act 120 training and recruitment activities for law enforcement officers that will take place between Oct. 19, 2023 and June 30, 2025.
Funds: $14 million in federal COVID Relief (ARPA) is available. PCCD anticipates this funding being able to support approximately 2,000 new fulltime officers statewide.
Application Deadline: The first batch of applications are due Nov. 13, 2023. Future applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all funding is committed, at which point the application period will close.
More information: PCCD Website
Department of Environmental Protection: Pennsylvania Grid Resilience Grant Program
Who May Apply: An electric grid operator, an electricity storage operator, an electricity generator, a transmission owner or operator, a distribution provider, a fuel supplier, or any other relevant entity as determined by DEP in consultation with the federal Department of Energy.
Use: Funding is intended to be used to implement resilience measures intended to mitigate the impact of disruptive events. These measures may include weatherization technologies and equipment, fire-resistant technologies, monitoring technologies, undergrounding of electrical equipment, utility pole management, advanced conductors, hardening of power lines, facilities, substations, or other systems, and more.
Funds: Approximately $16 million is available for grants. Funding originated through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Application Deadline: There are two deadlines for this program. Applicants are required to submit a concept paper by November 14, 2023. Full applications must be submitted by January 26, 2024.
More information: DEP Website
Department of Environmental Protection: Environmental Education
Who May Apply: Public schools and school districts, incorporated private schools, incorporated conservation and education organizations, universities, colleges, county conservation districts, incorporated nonprofit organizations, and businesses.
Use: Grants will be awarded for the development of innovative formal and non-formal education projects that:
1) Address grant program priorities (funding priority is given to environmental education projects that engage people living, working, and/or attending school within environmental justice areas in topics related to climate change and/or water).
2) Provide opportunities to expand the public’s understanding of Pennsylvania’s environmental issues.
3) Develop skills required to make informed decisions and take responsible action on behalf of the environment.
Funds: Funding is provided through the Environmental Education Fund, which is supported by five percent of the money collected from environmental fines and penalties. Three levels of grants may be awarded:
- Mini Grants (up to $5,000)
- General Grants Level 1 ($5,001 - $30,000)
- General Grants Level 2 ($30,001 - $65,000)
Application Deadline: November 15, 2023
More information: DEP Website
Department of Community and Economic Development: Local Share Account Statewide
Who May Apply: Counties, municipalities, municipal authorities, economic development agencies, redevelopment authorities, land banks, or councils of government.
Use: Projects in the public interest. Projects that improve the quality of life of citizens in the community. Eligible projects must be owned and maintained by an eligible applicant or a nonprofit organization. See program guidelines for specific eligible uses of funds.
Funds: The PA Race Horse Development and Gaming Act provides for the distribution of gaming revenues through the Commonwealth Financing Authority to support projects in the public interest. Grant requests must be at a minimum $25,000 and no more than $1,000,000.
Application Deadline: November 30, 2023
More information: DCED Website
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture: Emergency Food Assistance Program Reach and Resiliency Grant
Who May Apply: Applicants must be a qualified TEFAP ERA (Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program Eligible Recipient Agency). Qualified ERAs may include county agencies, food banks, food pantries, food cupboards, school pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, etc.
Use: Funds may be used for investments in cold-storage infrastructure, building renovations, warehouse equipment, and materials necessary for the storage, transportation, and distribution of TEFAP foods.
Funds: Up to $2,492,021 is available for grants.
Application Deadline: December 8, 2023
More information: Pennsylvania Bulletin Announcement
Department of Environmental Protection: Agriculture Energy Efficiency Rebate Program
Who May Apply: Farmers who are commercial agricultural producers or farm operators who conduct normal farming operations in Pennsylvania. “Normal farming operations” are defined under Pennsylvania’s Right to Farm Law as farming operations that take place on not less than ten contiguous acres of land or if on less than ten acres, the activity must have an anticipated yearly gross income of at least $10,000.
Use: Energy efficient LED lighting, ventilation, efficient dairy equipment, and variable frequency drive (VFD) projects at normal farming operations located in Pennsylvania.
Funds: DEP has made approximately $100,000 available for this program through the United States State Energy Program. Total rebate funding may not exceed $7,500.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis until program funds are depleted, but no later than December 31, 2023.
More information: DEP Website
Department of Community and Economic Development: Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant
Who May Apply: Technical and trade schools, school districts, post-secondary academic institutions, workforce investment boards, economic development organizations, and nonprofit organizations. For-profit entities are not eligible.
Use: Projects must focus on the development and deployment of workforce training programs for individuals with barriers to employment, engage youth or those with barriers in awareness building activities of manufacturing career opportunities, and advance capacity for local or regional manufacturers to meet the needs of local and regional manufacturers that cannot be met through existing programs such as WEDnet and Industry Partnerships.
Funds: Funds are available on an annual basis and vary based on recommendations and constraints set in the annual budget.
Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted and evaluated on an ongoing basis as long as funds remain available.
More information: DCED Website
Department of Environmental Protection: Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebate Program
Who May Apply: Pennsylvania residents whose total household income is below 400 percent of the Federal Income Poverty Level.
Use: This program provides a rebate to Pennsylvanians who purchase or lease alternative fuel vehicles.
Funds: Rebates vary depending on type of vehicle purchased.
Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted and evaluated on a first come, first served basis as long as funds remain available. Please note applications must be received within six months of the date of the vehicle purchase.
More information: DEP Website
Department of Environmental Protection: Cooking in Healthy Electrified Commercial Kitchens Rebate
Who May Apply: Pennsylvania based K-12 schools, higher education institutions, restaurants, non-profit hospitals, and nonprofits whose missions are geared toward community services such as soup kitchens, shelters, or food banks.
Use: Eligible equipment that is energy star certified and combustion-free (electric), demand control kitchen ventilation systems and induction ranges, cooktops, woks, griddles, and electrical infrastructure upgrades to accommodate additional electrical load.
Funds: Approximately $150,000 is available under this program with a maximum rebate of $8,500 per applicant.
Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted and evaluated on a first come, first served basis as long as funds remain available, but no later than December 31, 2023.
More information: DEP Website
Department of Environmental Protection: Small Business Advantage Grant Program
Who May Apply: For-profit businesses in PA with a primary physical location in PA and 100 or fewer full-time employees. Commercial real estate businesses and tenant businesses may also be eligible if they meet the criteria outlined in the program guidelines.
Use: The Program is a first-come, first-served grant program that provides matching grants to assist small businesses undertaking energy efficiency, pollution prevention or natural resource conservation projects.
Funds: $1 million in grant funding is available for this funding round for grants between $5,000 and $8,000.
Application Deadline: Grants will be accepted through March 22, 2024 or when funds are exhausted, whichever occurs first.
More information: DEP Website