News
Press Releases: Government to Government
September 16, 2004
Grants.gov Reaches 1,OOO Applications Mark
"Statement of Requirements" Outlines Future Public Safety Wireless Communications and Interoperability
Washington, D.C. - Grants.gov, the single secure website to find and apply for U.S. Government grants, has received its 1,000th electronic grant application, a milestone indicating the shift from a slower, paper-based grant application process is well underway.
Managed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Grants.gov is one of 24 E-government initiatives operating under the governance of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and is one of only two E-government initiatives to successfully meet OMB’s operational goals earlier this year.
”Grants.gov has significantly enhanced the ability to find and apply for Federal grants. It’s a solid example of agencies working together to bring efficiencies to government and citizens with the use of the Internet,“ said Dr. Ed Sontag, HHS Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management. ”This milestone indicates the cross-government model for grants management is catching on with grant community applicants.“
Less than one year after launching the website, Grants.gov is drawing millions of page viewers, distributing more than 550,000 grant opportunity notices weekly via email, registering thousands of users, and nearing its initial goal for application submissions from grant-applicant organizations. The award-winning, free website centralizes grant information and electronic applications for more than 900 grant programs from all 26 Federal grant-making agencies, making it easier to find and apply for over $360 billion in annual grant funds available across the Federal government.
User satisfaction is driving the site’s growth. More than 1,000 grant applicants chose Grants.gov over a paper-based grant application process. With hundreds of grant opportunities across multiple agencies in one convenient location, users are able to electronically locate various grant funding opportunities. Grant applicants, including local government offices, are experiencing the benefits of Grants.gov.
”We became aware of funding opportunities that might have been missed or we didn’t think of. This helped us expand more rapidly to meet the growing need for services without having to raise taxes,“ stated Daniel P. Breazeale Sr., Mayor of Lexington, South Carolina.
Increasing site awareness across the larger grant community is the next step for Grants.gov.
”We have proven the concept and the value Grants.gov delivers. Now we are ready to focus on growing usage,“ said Rebecca Spitzgo, Grants.gov Program Manager.
Grants.gov is preparing to accelerate its grass-roots momentum by launching an integrated marketing campaign to spread the word and build usage. Among the Program’s goals is the receipt of more than 15,000 electronic applications from across all grant community segments. Along with the marketing campaign to key stakeholders, Grants.gov will continue ramping-up Federal grant-making agencies and integrating their grant programs into the Grants.gov system.
As a cross-government program, Grants.gov has created a collaborative environment to streamline grants management for the Federal grant community. Federal agencies are currently posting nearly 1,400 active grant opportunities, which are accessible through the Grants.gov ”Find Grant Opportunities“ feature. More than 60 percent of the agencies are accepting electronic applications through the site’s ”Apply for Grants“ feature. The remaining agencies plan to add this capability by the end of the year.
Grants.gov is the single website unifying Federal grants. Through Grants.gov, state, local, and tribal governments, colleges and universities, non-profits, research institutions, and other organizations can access, find, and apply for grants from more than 900 grant programs representing over $360 billion in annual grant funds offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies.
Grants.gov is a collaborative effort led by HHS. Collaborative partners include the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor and Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Science Foundation.
