Federal Budget Update

Late last night, Congress reached an agreement on the FY17 omnibus spending bill which funds federal operations through September 30, 2017. The bill is a mix of good and not-so-good news for youth service providers.

Here are six things you need to know:

1. It includes level funding for Runaway and Homeless Youth Programming ($119,121,000);

2. It increases Education for Homeless Children and Youth by 10% ($77,000,000 total);

3. It includes $43 million for Youth Homelessness Demonstration Projects in 11 communities and increases Homelessness Assistance Grants by $133,000,000;

4. It decreases funding for Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Programming, including mentoring ($3,000,000 less for State Formula Grants; $3,000,000 less for Delinquency Prevention Programming, and $10,000,000 less for mentoring); and

5. It extends the mandatory sunset date for the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) one year to October 1, 2018.

6. The Next Steps: The House is expected to pass the bill on Wednesday, which means it should end up in the Senate by the end of next week. 

Click here to view the full Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017

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The National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness: Healthy Active Living Learning Collaborative

The National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness (NCECHW) is now accepting applications from programs to participate in a Learning Collaborative process. This professional development initiative will give 10 teams the chance to implement healthy active living interventions in their program.

About the Learning Collaborative: The Learning Collaborative will include 3 separate in-person learning sessions to provide opportunities to build fundamental knowledge and skills as well as team building and peer to peer learning for healthy active living initiatives within: staff wellness, nutrition education, physical activity, and family engagement. Virtual training and technical assistance will be held quarterly between learning sessions. Most of these virtual trainings will include a peer-to-peer component, where participating programs will share their successes and challenges. Other virtual opportunities will include training for specific staff members in the program such as menu development for food service staff. Teams will make systematic changes to improve their program and measure progress. An evaluator will assist teams to capture meaningful data and outcomes. The teams will participate in a final in-person session in order to document successes, best practices, barriers, and implementation strategies; teams should be prepared to share the outcomes of their action plans at this meeting.

Who should apply? 
Early Head Start, Head Start, child care, family child care, and preschool programs are eligible to apply. This opportunity is open to programs with previous experience in implementing healthy active living related policies and programs as well as those seeking to begin this work. 

The Application Process: 
Teams will have until 3:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, November 9, 2016 to submit their applications. Selected programs will receive $3,000 each to assist with the costs of facilitating activities that focus on programmatic and policy interventions. This support will be awarded in installments. 

The first installment will be released following attendance at the first in-person learning session with the final installment provided after completion of the third learning session. Acceptable expenses include securing meeting space, staff time to facilitate collaboration, general meeting supplies, etc. Applicants are asked to provide a brief budget narrative using the budget template provided.  

• Review the full Call for Application Guidelines
• Complete the Online Application 
• Download and complete the Budget Template

Important Dates and Deadlines

Applications are due no later than 4 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. This includes the Online Application and completed Budget Template. Applicants will be notified of an award decision the week of Nov. 21, 2016. For all other dates, review the full Call for Application Guidelines.

If you have any questions, please contact Florence Rivera, MPH at frivera@aap.org or 847/434-4790. 

I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles/blogs on my site. Your feedback is important to us....and we wish you the very best!

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K. JEVON CHAMBERS, Th.D.

CHAMBERS CONSULTING GROUP

"Taking You Beyond Where You Are"

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"Power & Transformation Day!"

Feeling powerless? No progress in your life? Thursday is "Power & Transformation Day!" I'm honored to be the Special Guest of Dr. Keith & Dr. Nicole Farmer and the Lifeline Show

Tune in tomorrow at 7:30am EST - Detroit listening area WMKM 1440AM Or download @tunein on your Smartphone or Android Device....

I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles/blogs on my site. Your feedback is important to us....and we wish you the very best!

+KJC

PS. You can now download "Taking You Beyond Where You Are Blogspot" on your Android Device; download the app today. 

K. JEVON CHAMBERS, Th.D.

CHAMBERS CONSULTING GROUP

"Taking You Beyond Where You Are"

Email: consultchambersgrp@ymail.com

Website: http://kjevonchambers.weebly.com/

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What Is The Consultant's Business Experience?

One of the first questions you should ask a business consultant before you hire them is what type of business experience they had before they became a business consultant.

You want to be sure that they know exactly what is involved with business before you hire them, because it will make you feel more comfortable that they are able to help you.

You want to be certain that the person is sensible when it comes to the bottom line, that they are going to be able to help you achieve the types of results that you are looking for, and that they will be able to work efficiently but quickly.

Ideally, the consultant has experience as a turnaround specialist for a corporation, or they were a chief executive officer.

That way the chances are good that they know about the need for quick results, know how to deal with cost control, and has come under high pressure scrutiny.

If you hire someone that has this type of experience, you are going to be making a great decision with your business consultant.

They have the same types of goals and attributes that are important to you, and they will help you to get your company in the direction that it should go.

Even though most people who are interviewing business consultants may not think about this, it is something that should be a part of your interview.

The answer to this all important question will help you to know if the person is the type of consultant that you are looking for.

I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles/blogs on my site. Your feedback is important to us....and we wish you the very best!

+KJC

PS. You can now download "Taking You Beyond Where You Are Blogspot" on your Android Device; download the app today. 

K. JEVON CHAMBERS, Th.D.

CHAMBERS CONSULTING GROUP

"Taking You Beyond Where You Are"

Email: consultchambersgrp@ymail.com

Website: http://kjevonchambers.weebly.com/

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Who Are Eligible for Federal Grants

Who are eligible for federal grants? If you think about it, almost everyone is eligible for a federal grant as long as this is not used for personal gain. Through the years, organizations which have a vision are the ones that are awarded the much needed funding they need. 

On a government level, this usually include city or township governments, local governments, Native American tribal governments, special district governments and state governments. Various federal agencies are at work here and this may include the Department of Justice, Department of Agriculture and Department of Commerce to name a few.  

For schools, these consist of public and state controlled institutions of higher education, independent school districts and private institutions of higher education that are under the Department of Education. 

For housing, a federal grant is usually given to public and Indian housing authorities that fall under the Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Non-profit organizations may also get a federal grant. This is regardless if the organization has or does not have 501(c)(3) status with the IRS.

Small businesses may also avail of a federal grant as long as it meets the size standards that are set by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

To give you an idea, this includes most manufacturing and mining industries that have 500 employees, wholesale trade industries that have 100 employees, retail and service industries that make $6 million, general and heavy construction industries that make $28.5 million, special trade contractors that make $12 million and agricultural industries that make $0.75 million.

If your organization is not within the standards set the by the SBA, you can check their website to find out if there is another way to get a federal grant. 

Individuals may also apply for a federal grant as long as this is not used for personal gain. To do this, you submit your application together with your proposal not on not on behalf of a company, organization, institution, or government. Remember you can apply for a grant proposal that is catered to organizations and vice versa.

To find out what federal grants there are available, you are advised to go online at grants.gov. As you explore the site, you will be able to see if you qualify and what are the requirements. 

You can even complete the application form and submit this online. You also have the option to download everything and then send this through registered mail. 

After visiting the website, you will notice that anyone is eligible for the Federal Grant. Since there are not that many programs issues every year and this is divided into the different federal agencies, you should write a very good proposal detailing what you want to achieve. 

So you can monitor the update of your application, don’t forget your CFDA Number, Funding Opportunity Number, Competition ID or Grants.gov Tracking Number. 

If you don’t get it this year, don’t be discouraged and try again the following year or whenever it is once again open. Be sure to submit all the documents on or before the deadline so whichever agency that will handle your application will have ample time to review your proposal. 

Once you get the federal grant, spend it wisely because the money you are using belongs to the taxpayer. 

I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles/blogs on my site. Your feedback is important to us....and we wish you the very best!

+KJC

PS. You can now download "Taking You Beyond Where You Are Blogspot" on your Android Device; download the app today. 

K. JEVON CHAMBERS, Th.D.

CHAMBERS CONSULTING GROUP

"Taking You Beyond Where You Are"

Email: consultchambersgrp@ymail.com

Website: http://kjevonchambers.weebly.com/

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What is a Federal Grant

Do you need money from the federal government? Well, you can get it if the government decides to award the federal grant to you. 

But what is a federal grant? Basically it is financial assistance given from one of the several federal agencies. When it is given, it is suppose to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United States. 

There are two types of federal grants namely project and formula grants. 

Those covered by the project grants are those aimed for the arts, education, health care, scientific research, social services and technology development.

The formula grants on the other hand are mandated by law and there are various levels for this type of grant namely categorical, block and earmark grants. 

Categorical grants have a narrowly defined purpose and recipients must have the same amount of money needed to avail of this program. To get a block grant, you don’t need to produce the same amount of capital. Of the three, earmarks grants are quite controversial because lobbyists not ordinary people are the ones involved in securing it.

But how do you apply for a federal grant? To apply for it, you have to fill up an application form and then attach certain documents with it. The most important of which happens to be your proposal. 

Your proposal should not only have a nice cover letter. It must have something worth reading from beginning to end. 

While introductions are nice, those reviewing the proposal would like to know more based on the problems your proposal wishes to address, the objectives, how you propose to do it, how much money you will need, the length of time of the project, the measures of success and in the end, a summary of what you are proposing. 

If you are able to submit a good proposal which falls under Executive Order 12372 and you are able to get the support of business and community leaders as well as elected officials, the chances of it being awarded are much higher. 

Before you send out your proposal for the federal grant, write it one or two times and then have this checked by an outside party. If you are not happy with the proposal, rewrite it again because everything should be clear and concise. 

When the final draft has been made, bind everything together using either clamps or hard covers. To get good points, find out from the Federal agency you are writing to which one they prefer. Send this by registered mail and just wait for a reply from the government. 

Aside from the federal grant, this is also offered by private non-profit organizations such as foundations, not-for-profit corporations or charitable trusts which are all collectively referred to as charities. So don’t lose hope if your application for a federal grant was given to someone else. 

You just have to go through the same process because this is the way it is done when you need funding for a special project. 

The federal grant is one way for the government to give back the money that it gets from the taxpayers. If after careful review the committee sees that your project will benefit your community or even a greater number of its citizens, there is no doubt that this will be awarded to you. 

I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles/blogs on my site. Your feedback is important to us....and we wish you the very best!

+KJC

PS. You can now download "Taking You Beyond Where You Are Blogspot" on your Android Device; download the app today. 

K. JEVON CHAMBERS, Th.D.

CHAMBERS CONSULTING GROUP

"Taking You Beyond Where You Are"

Email: consultchambersgrp@ymail.com

Website: http://kjevonchambers.weebly.com/

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EHS Expansion and EHS-CC Partnership Funding Opportunity Announcements

Early Head Start Expansion

Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership

Funding Opportunity Announcements

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces approximately $135 million in funding available to expand access to high-quality, comprehensive services for low-income infants and toddlers and their families. This funding will support the creation of Early Head Start-Child Care (EHS-CC) Partnerships and the expansion of Early Head Start (EHS) services to children and families. ACF solicits applications from public entities, including states, or private non-profit organizations, including community-based or faith-based organizations, or for-profit agencies that meet eligibility for applying as stated in section 645A of the Head Start Act.

Find the Funding Opportunity Announcements The EHS Expansion and EHS-CC Partnerships funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) were posted earlier today, June 23, 2016: Early Head Start Expansion and EHS-Child Care Partnership American Indian and Alaska Native EHS Expansion and EHS-Child Care Partnerships Migrant and Seasonal EHS-Child Care and EHS Expansion Partnerships

Join the Webcast

Monday June 27, 2016 2-3pm (EST)

On June 27, ACF will host a pre-application webinar for interested parties. It will provide details about EHS Expansion and EHS-CC Partnership grants.

The recorded webinar will be available to watch on-demand immediately after the presentation on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) Grant Application Toolkit under EHS-CC Partnerships.

I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles/blogs on my site. Your feedback is important to us....and we wish you the very best!

+KJC

PS. You can now download "Taking You Beyond Where You Are Blogspot" on your Android Device; download the app today. 

K. JEVON CHAMBERS, Th.D.

CHAMBERS CONSULTING GROUP

"Taking You Beyond Where You Are"

Email: consultchambersgrp@ymail.com

Website: http://kjevonchambers.weebly.com/

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