MorrisonGrants

In January, Brent and I attended two REAP workshops conducted by Phil Brown, USDA Business and Cooperative Specialist, in Oroville, California. The REAP is a program that we have successfully written for in the past, and like all grant programs, has its own nuances that any applicant needs to understand going into the application process.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it; more news from the land of the strange and bizarre!  For those of you waiting anxiously for more news on Wyoming’s pygmy rabbits . . . your wait is over, my friends.

Many of you are anxiously awaiting the upcoming announcement for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).  This program is somewhat unique in that it is tailored for for-profit organizations AND it will pay for equipment such as solar systems.  For those of you still considering whether or not to apply for the grant, there are a couple important things you should know.

The USDA has now formally announced  its Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBG).  This program is a “flow-through” program to the states.  That means that states apply to the USDA for funds and then you apply to the state.  Several states, including California, Colorado, Texas, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Washington, have “jumped the gun” a bit by accepting applications in anticipation of this announcement from the USDA.

We often get asked, “What’s the craziest grant you’ve ever seen?”  Well that’s a fine question and could easily segue into a debate on the virtues of using tax-payer money for “pork” projects.  Of course, if you are the recipient of such funds, there’s no such thing as “pork;” those other guys are just bitter they didn’t get their share.  No, this posting will not explore that debate; I fear I already have said too much on the subject.  Instead, I’ll just share some of the more weird and bizarre grants that we’ve come across. 

By now you've heard about the “The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009” (ARRA) or its more popular name, the “Stimulus Package.” If you’ll recall, the Stimulus Package was an act of legislation that was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President on February 17, 2009. The stated purposes (abbreviated) of the bill are to: