Welcome to the Friday Update from the Federal Funding Hub!
This message shares news and resources so that our region can make the most of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other federal funding.
What is DEED doing with that $100 million for SSBCI? Find the link below.
News from MSP Cities and Counties
Savage: After a closed session hearing on Oct. 15, the Savage City Council announced at the recommendation of staff that they would continue to negotiate with the owners of the Quality Inn as they consider whether to purchase the hotel. CAP also has an Emergency Shelter Program in which people who are considered homeless can stay at a hotel for up to 30 days. CAP is only able to have six households at a time on the program, and the waitlist is currently closed with 40 households on it. From July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, the program served 95 households, including 111 adults and 37 children. Misel noted that they were able to use American Rescue Plan Act funds during that time period, allowing for more people to be part of the program than normal.
Sherburne County: Sherburne County updated their website to include how their $8.5 million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money was spent. Individual expenditures range from $36 (signs encouraging mask wearing in the Government Center) to $940,713 (Broadband projects).
Minnesota News
DEED: Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove announced they secured nearly $100 million in new funding to support small businesses through the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). The federal government has approved Minnesota for up to $97 million in small business financing support, which allows DEED to carry out its commitment to helping small businesses grow and succeed. Minnesota will receive funds in three disbursements over several years; the initial disbursement from the U.S. Treasury is approximately $29.5 million.
National ARPA News
Schools got $122 billion to reopen last year. Most has not been used: School systems throughout the country reported using less than 15 percent of the latest round of federal education funding allotted to them during the last school year. The Biden administration released the federal government’s largest pool of pandemic relief for public schools. The American Rescue Plan infused campuses with $122 billion to reopen buildings, address mental health needs and help students who had fallen behind academically. But despite having access to the dollars, school systems throughout the country reported spending less than 15 percent of the federal funding, known as ESSER III.
The White House: The White House announced that the American Rescue Plan – through its historic $24 billion Child Care Stabilization Program – has already provided vital aid to help more than 200,000 childcare providers keep their doors open to as many as 9.5 million children, helping their parents work. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also released a state-by-state analysis of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Child Care Stabilization program that details for the first time the number of child care providers that have already been helped in each state.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS announced that more than half of all states have expanded access to 12 months of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage after pregnancy. Georgia and Pennsylvania are the 25th and 26th states to be approved for the extended coverage, made possible by provisions in the American Rescue Plan (ARP), signed into law by President Biden in March of 2021.
EDA Taps University of Michigan and New Growth Innovation Network to Document Equity Outcomes of ARPA Programs: President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARPA) allocated the Economic Development Administration (EDA) $3 billion in supplemental funding. This investment is assisting communities nationwide in their efforts to recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic by accelerating the process of economic recovery and by improving the resiliency of local economies to future economic challenges.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) News
U.S. mayors get ready to win new transportation grants: Bloomberg Philanthropies yesterday convened nearly 200 mayors and local leaders to learn how to win grants from a new federal program aimed at upgrading transportation systems. They heard from key Biden administration officials about how to write a solid application and learned how three mayors from very different U.S. cities and towns are angling for the money.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): The Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), yesterday announced the first set of projects funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and the electrical grid and for materials and components currently imported from other countries. The 20 companies will receive a combined $2.8 billion to build and expand commercial-scale facilities in 12 states to extract and process lithium, graphite and other battery materials.
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) News
McKinsey & Company: The Inflation Reduction Act contains $500 billion in new spending and tax breaks that aim to boost clean energy, reduce healthcare costs, and increase tax revenues. Here is a breakdown of what is included.
Upcoming Webinars
DOE Virtual workshop to gather information and structure funding opportunity: Stakeholders are invited to participate in an Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) workshop. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) has planned three workshops to inform the ERA program in preparation for a future funding opportunity announcement.
November 1-2, 2022 Virtual workshop
Resources
Great Lakes Federal Grant Navigation Program: NLC (National League of Cities) launched a free grant navigation program called the Great Lakes Federal Grant Navigation Program to assist local government staff with collecting the necessary data and applying for federal grants. Sign up here.
Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program: The Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program provides credit assistance for qualified projects of regional and national significance. The TIFIA credit program is designed to fill market gaps and leverage substantial private co-investment through supplemental, subordinate investment in critical improvements to the nation's transportation system.
Key Links:
Upcoming Funding Deadlines
ReConnect Loan and Grant Program due by November 2nd
Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Due November 7, 2022
State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program due November 15, 2022
Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program due November 18, 2022
Advanced Transportation Technologies and Innovation (ATTAIN) Program due November 18, 2022
Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program due November 21, 2022, by 3:00 pm CT
Rare Earth Element Demonstration Facility (DOE) due November 21, 2022,
Multipurpose, Assessment, RLF, and Cleanup (MARC due November 22, 2022
The types of awards are as follows:
Assessment Grants provide funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and community outreach.
Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants provide funding to capitalize loans that are used to clean up brownfield sites.
Cleanup Grants provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites owned by the applicant.
Multipurpose (MP) Grants provide funding to conduct a range of eligible assessment and cleanup activities at one or more brownfield sites in a target area.
Job Training (JT) Grants provide environmental training for residents impacted by brownfield sites in their communities.
State and Tribal Response Program Grants provide non-competitive funding to establish or enhance State and Tribal Brownfields response programs.
Carbon Capture Technology Program, Front-end Engineering and Design for Carbon Dioxide Transport due November 28th
Hydrogen Shot and a University Research Consortium on Grid Resilience due December 1st, 4:00 pm CT
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program due on December 1, 2022
Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response Research, Development and Demonstration Funding Opportunity due December 5th, 7:00 pm CT
The Thriving Communities Program due December 6th,2022
Small Surface Water and Groundwater Storage Projects due December 9, 2022
Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization due December 20th, 2022, by 4pm CT
Notice of Intent (NOI)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): The DOE launched more than $28 Million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for research and development (R&D) projects that will advance and preserve hydropower as a critical source of clean energy. This Notice of Intent (NOI) will offer three funding opportunities this fall to support research, development, and deployment of hydropower, including pumped storage hydropower, which can play a key role in integrating variable renewable energy sources on the electric grid.
Have a great weekend, all!
Allison
Comments