Tim on a tour of the Mid Dakota Rural Water System

Federal grants can be an important source of financial assistance for high-priority projects in South Dakota. These grants can demonstrate the value of "Investing in the Public Good," which is one of the economic development strategies described in my Hometown Prosperity Plan.

I am proud to have helped many South Dakotans access federal grants and other forms of financial assistance. One of the ways I continue to provide this assistance is by pointing South Dakotans to the tools that can help identify and access relevant funding sources. Below, you will find a variety of these tools, which I hope will be useful to you.

In addition to exploring these resources on your own, I would encourage you to contact one of my state offices or my Washington, DC office to receive additional advice on pursuing federal funding. My staff and I can provide guidance on what grant programs have been most useful in the past, and what programs could be most helpful for your project.

For some federal grants, I have also found that a letter of support from me to the federal agency in charge of awarding the grant can help to boost your chances of success. Contact one of my offices to see whether a letter may be appropriate in your case.

Thank you for devoting your time to a project with the potential to make South Dakota an even better place to live and work. I look forward to partnering with you on this important task.

Economic Stimulus Plan
Senator Johnson voted in favor of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the “stimulus” act, which is designed to accelerate our recovery from an economic downturn of a magnitude not seen since the Great Depression.  The Recovery Act directs significant new federal investments to South Dakota, in areas such as transportation infrastructure, schools, and law enforcement, among others.  Information on the Recovery Act nationwide is available at www.recovery.gov, and information on the Act’s implementation in South Dakota is available at recovery.sd.gov.  For efficiency, funds made available in the Recovery Act are being distributed via existing federal programs.

Government Grants
Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies. Grants.gov is the single access point for over 900 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies.
http://www.grants.gov/

Community and Rural Development

USDA Rural Development's mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for rural residents.  It carries out this mission in part by providing a number of loan and grant opportunities for a wide range of projects and activities related to rural businesses, utilities, housing, and more.  For additional information, see: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/.

Federal Register
The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. This allows users to search the Federal Register for information regarding federal programs, application deadlines, and criteria by which agencies evaluate applications. http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
The online Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance gives you access to a database of all Federal programs available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally -recognized Indian tribal governments; Territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi-public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals. For more information http://www.cfda.gov

Developing and Writing
A successful grant proposal is one that is well-prepared, thoughtfully planned, and concisely packaged. The potential applicant should become familiar with all of the pertinent program criteria related to the Catalog program from which assistance is sought.

U.S. Business Advisor
Small Business Administration web page intended to provide business with access to federal government information, services, and transactions. Corporate business development, laws and regulations, international trade, work place buying and selling.
For more information click below:
http://www.business.gov

Federal Funding Report (House Information Resources)
Weekly compilation of items published in the Federal Register which affects domestic assistance programs. The summary consists of three parts 1) Register summary, 2) Early Warning Grants Reports, and 3) Disaster Loan Applications
http://www.house.gov/ffr/federal_funding_reports.shtml