Educational, Environmental, Public Safety, and Redevelopment Grant Opportunities
Rep. Nick Pisciottano October 16, 2023 | 11:42 AM
PROGRAMS NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS:
Please note: On Oct. 10, PCCD announced The Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program deadline has been extended to 11:45 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2023.
Department of Environmental Protection: Coastal Zone Grant Program
Who May Apply: Municipalities, area-wide agencies, state agencies, educational institutions (school districts, colleges, universities, other institutions of higher learning), conservation districts, port authorities, public authorities, or incorporated nonprofit organizations.
Use: Grants may be applied to a wide variety of studies, plans, designs, research, acquisition, and construction projects pertaining to one or more of the established Coastal Resources Management Program policies. Projects must be located within the Delaware Estuary Coastal Zone or the Lake Erie Coastal Zone boundaries.
Funds: Grant funding is provided to DEP from the Office for Coastal Management through NOAA.
Application Deadline: Monday, October 16, 2023
More information: DEP 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 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
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program
Who May Apply: Funding is available to all counties seeking to establish or expand a jail-based substance use disorder treatment program that supports individuals incarcerated in a county jail or transitioning from a county jail to the community. Counties, County Jails/County Work Release Centers, Single County Authorities, and/or County Behavioral Health Administrators are all eligible to apply under this funding opportunity.
Use: Funds for the proposed program may be used to support: implementation and/or expansion of MAT with the development of jail-specific protocol; cost of treatment for individuals in county jails; vocational training for program participants; creation of individual discharge plans and aftercare services; and more.
Funds: A total of $1.5 million in federal Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) funds is being announced to support this initiative. RSAT funds require a 25 percent cash or in-kind match. The applicant’s source for the cash match must be state or local funds. Federal funds may not be used to meet the match requirement. PCCD expects to fund approximately eight grants with budgets not to exceed $200,000 over the 24-month project period.
Application Deadline: October 18, 2023
More information: PCCD Website
Office of the State Fire Commissioner: Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program
Who May Apply: A volunteer fire company, a municipal fire company, a combined volunteer and municipal fire company, an airport fire company, a volunteer emergency medical services company, or a career medical services company.
Use: Eligible projects include construction and renovation of facilities, purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings, office equipment and support services, repair or purchase of equipment, and more.
Funds: Grants will be not less than $2,500 and not more than $20,000 per applicant fire company and no more than$15,000 per applicant emergency medical service. Applicants should be aware that the Program expects to receive many applications for the limited funds appropriated from the State Gaming Fund. As such, it is possible that not every application can be fully funded, in which case grants will be awarded on a prorated basis to projects that are determined to be eligible.
Application Deadline: October 20, 2023
More information: OFSC Website
Department of Environmental Protection: Driving PA Forward Initiative Clean Diesel Grant Program
Who May Apply: Organizations that operate eligible diesel-powered fleets throughout the Commonwealth may apply to the PA State Clean Diesel Grant Program. Eligible organizations include businesses, incorporated nonprofits, state, local, or tribal government agencies, air quality or transportation organizations, metropolitan or rural/regional planning organizations, or federal government agencies.
Use: Eligible diesel emission reduction solutions include but are not limited to: verified exhaust controls; engine upgrades and certified remanufacture systems; verified idle reduction technologies; certified engine replacements; aerodynamic technologies; and/or certified vehicle or equipment replacement.
Funds: $3,659,904 in grants offered through the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Pennsylvania State Clean Diesel Grant Program (Grant Program). A portion of funding has been made available for this opportunity through the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA). Most of the funding for this offering, approximately $2.6 million, is from the settlement of a lawsuit with Volkswagen Group—USA, relating to diesel vehicle emission violations, and is being used as the Commonwealth's voluntary match funding under the DERA program.
Application Deadline: October 20, 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
Department of Education: PA Hunger-Free Campus
Who May Apply: Postsecondary institutions with authorization to award an associate degree or higher and private licensed schools. The institution must have applied for and received PA Hunger-Free Campus or PA Hunger-Free Campus+ designations.
Use: Eligible proposals must focus on addressing the goals of the PA Hunger-Free Campus initiative, which include addressing hunger and other basic needs for students, creating opportunities for connection among student hunger advocates, providing resources and strategies for campuses, and support opportunities to apply for grants related to addressing food insecurity.
Funds: $1,000,000 was included in the FY 2023-2024 budget to support this program. Eligible institutions may apply for competitive funding in an amount up to:
- $20,000 for institutions with 3,000 or fewer learners;
- $40,000 for institutions with 3,001 to 7,000 learners; and
- $60,000 for institutions with 7,001 learners or more.
Application Deadline: October 23, 2023
More information: Department of Education
Scattergood Foundation (Advertised by Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs): REACH PA
Who May Apply: Organizations must be a 501(c)(3) or have a fiscal sponsor, be led by a BIPOC, engaged with Pennsylvania’s most under-resourced neighborhoods, prioritizing rural and predominately BIPOC communities, show a commitment to addressing the root causes of social injustice, and be person-centered.
Use: Project funds may be used to implement harm reduction practices, offer services outside of regular business hours, work toward partnerships with local social and healthcare services to provide connections to care, offer compensation to program participants to help build programming and create connections to underserved groups.
Funds: Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded to support the work of Pennsylvania’s community-based organizations in order to reduce the incidence of negative health effects and the number of fatal overdoses among BIPOC people who use drugs.
Application Deadline: October 30, 2023
More information: REACH PA
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program
Who May Apply: Applicant must be a nonprofit organization based in the Commonwealth designated as a 501(c)(3) and principally serve individuals, groups, or institutions that are included within a bias motivation category for single bias hate crime incidents identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its Hate Crime Statistics Publication under the Uniform Crime Reporting program. The categories include:
- Race/ethnicity/ancestry;
- Religion;
- Sexual orientation;
- Disability;
- Gender; and
- Gender identity.
Use: Act 83 contains a list of eligible security enhancements designed to protect the safety and security of the users of a facility located in the Commonwealth that is owned or operated by a nonprofit organization. Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, safety and security planning, purchase of safety and security equipment, purchase of security related technology (metal detectors, protective lighting, deadbolts, etc.), safety and security training, upgrades to existing structures that enhance safety and security, and more.
Funds: $5 million has been appropriated by the General Assembly to the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund. Applicant requests must be between $5,000 and $150,000.
Application Deadline: October 30, 2023
More information: PCCD Website
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Resources for Gun Violence Victims Needs Assessment & Technical Assistance Initiative
Who May Apply: For-profit organizations, non-profit organizations with a 501c3 status, and institutions of higher education. Applicants must:
- Demonstrate subject matter expertise and significant experience in the field of mass violence/trauma-informed responses.
- Have significant and recent experience working with local, state, and federal agencies in conducting needs assessments and developing technical assistance, training and resources related to incidents of mass violence.
- Commit to performing work within PCCD-specified funding ranges and timelines.
Use: The primary purpose of this initiative is to assess the needs of gun violence victims/survivors in communities across Pennsylvania in order to develop and pilot a new strategy to coordinate outreach and service delivery in an area with chronic and/or increasing levels of gun violence.
Funds: Funding for this program comes from federal Byrne SCIP State Share funds and PCCD expects to fund one grant with a budget not to exceed $1,000,000 over two years.
Application Deadline: October 31, 2023
More information: PCCD Website
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 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
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: Thursday, November 30, 2023
More information: DCED Website