Among the priorities unveiled by the Recovery Act, stimulus funding is meant to create more than 3.5 million jobs over the next two years, and invest in the cities impacted by the economic crisis. In Illinois, more than $10 billion in stimulus federal funds for projects ranging from services for older individuals who are blind to grants preventing violence against women have been awarded to nonprofits and units of government. Obtaining stimulus funding is not an easy undertaking, but can have a fruitful ending.

The federal government and states have been building "Recovery" websites to serve as clearinghouses for information about how funds are being allocated and the opportunities that are available to potential grantees. The federal government's site, www.recovery.gov, is a portal into all of the federal agency grant announcements, plus it provides a link to the state's recovery websites. One can register with the federal agency websites to receive updated announcements of their stimulus funding programs.

The State of Illinois' Recovery website, www.illinois.gov/recovery/ provides an entry point for links to some state agency recovery websites. For example, the state website links the viewer to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's website, www2.illinoisbiz.biz/econ/.

Stimulus dollars are meant to spur the creation of jobs. The added amount of money is positioned to flow through existing channels; the same mechanisms where funds are usually funneled through to be accessed by grantees.

Illinois ResourceNet has been actively involved in petitioning for stimulus funds by providing technical assistance to working collaboratives, units of local government and nonprofits in Illinois.

Accessing Stimulus Funs Indirectly

Subcontracting opportunities being created locally are additional streams through which groups may access stimulus funds. For example, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) is making over $100,000 million available to local governments in Illinois (some directly through formula grants, some through the State of Illinois) to support the development and implementation of energy conservation plans. These plans can be varied in their approaches. The US Department of Energy encourages local governments to make these community efforts, not just city government projects. Funds can be used to subcontract training, energy conservation programs, and other activities that nonprofits might be able to deliver.

Nonprofits with "green" projects that they would like to see integrated into these municipal plans should consider contacting their local planning offices about this effort. For more information on the EECGB, go to: http://www.eecbg.energy.gov/

The www.recovery.gov website also lists subcontracts made possible by stimulus funds. FedBizOpps.gov is the site recommended by the Recovery website to access all the solicitations, contract awards, subcontracting opportunities, surplus property sales and foreign business opportunities.

Beyond locating requests for proposals, groups should also consider finding and partnering with grantees who have received funding and need assistance with accomplishing the proposed project goals as a means to access federal funds.

The Recovery website provides the most updated and detailed information about the kinds of projects stimulus funds are intended to support, where the money has been distributed, and the opportunities that are still available.

Illinois ResourceNet: A Funding Access Initiative (IRN) is a university-based resource working to connect Illinois nonprofits and units of local government with the information and resources necessary to gain access to available federal funding opportunities. IRN offers a multi-faceted approach to grant development that incorporates an interactive website and hands-on technical assistance focused

on designing high caliber proposals, and connecting with a diverse group of partners to meet proposed project goals. IRN's technical assistance services help facilitate the federal funding application process by assessing an organization's needs, providing access to resources, and helping review, refine and submit high quality proposals. The demand-driven training workshops focus on skill and grant development. The topics range in concentration from understanding federal budgets to learning how to collaborate and partner for grant development. Online workshops and face to face trainings are designed to cater to the needs of the groups that seek IRN's capacity building services. For more information about IRN, please visit the website at www.illinoisresource.net.

Source: - Irene Tostado - Illinois ResourceNet Communications & Outreach Coordinator

Fulton County Plat Books are for sale at University of Illinois Extension- Fulton County in Lewistown for $28.00 each. Please stop by the office and pick up a copy or call the office at (309)547-3711 and have a copy mailed to you. There is no charge for postage.

The plat book is a fundraiser for S.E.F.F. (Support Extension and 4-H Fund). This is their main source of funds, which are used to support University of Illinois Extension-Fulton County programming. S.E.F.F. updates and publishes a new plat book every three years. The current edition is 2008.