Grant Writing Opportunities

Centre County Planning and Community Development Office staff can assist with developing and writing grant proposals for public and non-profit endeavors as time allows, on a case-by-case basis. Often times, staff will guide external and internal entities to the most appropriate funding agency, a suggested outline and formatting, procedural steps for grant application submission, and data sources.

Grant awards for any public or non-profit entity require local match money, administration, and depending on the award threshold, project monitoring and close-out compliances up to, and including, a financial audit. While staff can assist in the preparation of a grant application, it is the responsibility of the requesting entity to ensure that it has sufficient capacity to meet all other grant requirements.

Grant Applicant Considerations

State and federal agencies offer various grant programs in any fiscal calendar year. Most grant programs accept applications on a regular annual schedule with an open date and a close date deadline, at which time additional applications will not be accepted. Some Commonwealth agencies have open-ended, rolling-basis grant awards that are reviewed as received. However, requestor entities must be made aware that Commonwealth grant awards tied to legislative action ultimately determine available grant program funding in any fiscal calendar year.

Requestors should also be made aware of applicant eligibility requirements, matching appropriate funding sources, and the likelihood that a grant-funded project may become federalized based on agency requirements to comply with environmental reviews and prevailing wage rates.

An award-granting agency may determine that an applicant is required to submit a grant application in coordination with a Commonwealth-certified Local Development District (LDD) or a certified Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA). In some cases, the LDD or the PIDA serves as the Basic Agency that ensures projects meet compliance requirements when a grant-funded project becomes federalized. The Susquehanna Economic Development Authority Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) serves as Centre County’s LDD.

Federal agency programs usually offer both grants and loans as well as a combination grant-loan program. Given a mix of financing types, requestors should be made aware that community factors such as a characteristic (rural or urban), area median income (low- to moderate-income households), and statistical standards (metropolitan geographies) will determine the agency’s preferred financing method, the percent of the project that can be funded, and the interest rate for agency loans.

Requestors interested in grant writing assistance should have an active DUNS, FEIN, and/or SAP vendor identification number. Federal grant applications require registration with the SAM. Applicants should also ensure that their entities Certificate of Registration is renewed with the Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations, if applicable to the entity.

Foundations and corporations can be a viable source of grant funding, keeping in mind that awards may be limited in the amount that can be granted, and the scope of which projects can be funded to align with mission, vision and values.

Grant Funding Sources

Tracking available agency grant programs as introduced, ongoing, or archived is beyond staff capacity at this time. The Centre County Planning and Community Development Office can direct interested applicants to the following sources as a starting point:

STATE AGENCIES

Agriculture, Environmental and Conservation

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Community and Economic Development

Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

Financial

Pennsylvania Office of the Budget

Historical

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

Transportation

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation