Commonwealth of PA: Agricultural, Environmental, Health, Public Safety, and Additional Grant Opportunities NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs: Recovery Housing for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and Other Drugs Who May Apply: Community-based organizations, community action agencies, or public health programs that focus on assisting individuals in accessing recovery housing. Use: Personnel services, consulting services, subcontract services, patient services, equipment, supplies, travel, and other costs associated with assisting individuals access recovery housing.Funds: DDAP expects to award five grants totaling $500,000 each. Application Deadline: January 10, 2025 More information: DDAP Website Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs: Integrated Health Solutions Who May Apply: Community-based organizations, community action agencies, or public health programs that focus on assisting individuals in accessing recovery housing. Use: Personnel services, consulting services, subcontract services, patient services, equipment, supplies, travel, and other costs associated with assisting individuals access recovery housing.Funds: DDAP expects to award five grants totaling $500,000 each. Application Deadline: January 10, 2025 More information: DDAP Website PROGRAMS OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS Department of Community and Economic Development: PA SITES Who May Apply: Municipalities, economic development organizations, redevelopment authorities, municipal authorities, industrial development agencies, and for-profit organizations. Use: To develop competitive sites for businesses to relocate or expand within Pennsylvania.Funds: $400 million in funding is available. Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and approved on a quarterly basis More information: DCED Website Department of Agriculture: Farm Vitality Planning Grant Who May Apply: Farmers, prospective farmers, and others may apply. Use: Strategic business planning to expand or diversify farms or support transition of ownership.Funds: $500,000 in funding is available. Grants shall not exceed $7,500. Application Deadline: Applications will be received until funds are exhausted. More information: Pennsylvania Bulletin Department of Community and Economic Development: Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant Who May Apply: Technical and trade schools, school districts, post-secondary academic institutions, workforce investment boards, economic development organizations, and non-profit organizations. For-profit entities are not eligible. Use: Projects must focus on the development and deployment of workforce training programs for individuals with barriers to employment, engage youth or those with barriers in awareness building activities of manufacturing career opportunities, and advance capacity for local or regional manufacturers to meet the needs of local and regional manufacturers that cannot be met through existing programs such as WEDnet and Industry Partnerships.Funds: Funds are available on an annual basis and vary based on recommendations and constraints set in the annual budget. Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted and evaluated on an ongoing basis as long as funds remain available. More information: DCED Website Department of Environmental Protection: Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebate Program Who May Apply: Pennsylvania residents whose total household income is below 400 percent of the Federal Income Poverty Level. Use: This program provides a rebate to Pennsylvanians who purchase or lease alternative fuel vehicles.Funds: Rebates vary depending on type of vehicle purchased. Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted and evaluated on a first come, first served basis as long as funds remain available. Please note applications must be received within six months of the date of the vehicle purchase. More information: DEP Website Department of Environmental Protection: WIIN 2107: Voluntary School and Childcare Lead testing and Reduction Grant Who May Apply: Childcare facilities and schools located in Pennsylvania with lead in drinking water sample results within 36 months of the application date showing water fixtures exceeding the remediation trigger level of 5 ppb (parts per billion). Use: Reduction activities may include purchasing and installing hydration stations, point-of-use devices designed to remove lead or replacement of faucets. The primary goal of this grant program is to reduce children’s exposure to lead in drinking water.Funds: Funding under this grant has been appropriated under 1464(d) of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Funding provided will be up to $3,000 per hydration station per 100 students in one building. Up to $30,000 may be awarded per building/childcare facility or $100,000 per school district. Application Deadline: Applicants are strongly encouraged to schedule a pre-application meeting to discuss their lead reduction plans to ensure they meet applicable program criteria. Meetings can be scheduled by emailing RA-EPWIINLEAD@pa.gov. More information: DEP Website Council on the Arts: Arts Organizations and Arts Programs (AOAP) Who May Apply: Non-profit agencies with a history of at least two years of consistent arts programming in Pennsylvania and an annual average arts revenue over $200,000. (Must have previously been enrolled in Entry to Arts Organizations and Arts Programs.) Use: The AOAP funding track supports qualified applicants that provide consistent levels of artistic programming and/or arts services in Pennsylvania. Activities and services generally must have a public component.Funds: Grants will have a minimum amount of $13,000 and a maximum amount of $26,000. Application Deadline: January 15, 2025 More information: Arts Website Broadband Development Authority: Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program Who May Apply: Cooperative organizations, non-profit organizations, public-private partnerships, private companies, public or private utility companies, public utility districts, municipalities or units of local government, internet service providers registered through the FCC Use: Deploying and/or upgrading broadband network facilities, data collection, broadband mapping and broadband planningFunds: $1,161,778,242 in federal funding pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 is available. Application Deadline: January 21, 2025 More information: PBDA Website Community and Economic Development: Historically Disadvantaged Business Assistance Program Who May Apply: Community-based non-profit organizations with a history of at least 3 years operating experience, educational institutions, and non-profit economic development organizations with a history of at least 3 years operating experience. Use: Creation or support of a Business Assistance Service Center for the purpose of serving small, historically disadvantaged businesses.Funds: $20 million in funding was appropriated in the 2024/25 state budget. Application Deadline: January 22, 2025 More information: DCED Website Department of Community and Economic Development: Local Share Account Philadelphia Who May Apply: Community Development Corporations, economic development organizations and redevelopment authorities, business improvement districts/neighborhood improvement districts, non-profit organizations with a 501(c) designation, the City of Philadelphia, the School District of Philadelphia. Any eligible organization must be located in Philadelphia. Use: Economic development projects, neighborhood revitalization projects, community improvement projects, projects in the public interest. Any eligible project must be located in Philadelphia.Funds: Grant amounts will vary based on the specific project requirements but are limited to a minimum request/award of $10,000 and a maximum request/award of $500,000. Application Deadline: January 31, 2025 More information: DCED Website Department of Community and Economic Development: Solar for Schools Grant Program Who May Apply: A school district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school, charter school, cyber charter school, regional charter school, a chartered school for the education of the deaf or blind, a community college, the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, the Pennsylvania College of Technology. Use: Purchase and installation of equipment for a solar energy project, energy storage costs related to the storage of electricity, engineering, design, and inspection costs, site preparation for ground mounted systems, or any other cost associated with a solar energy project. Funds: $25 million in state funding is available. Application Deadline: January 31, 2025 More information: DCED Website Council on the Arts: Entry to Arts Organizations and Arts Programs (EAOAP) Who May Apply: Non-profit agencies with a history of at least two years of consistent arts programming in Pennsylvania and an annual average arts revenue over $200,000. Use: Entry track is the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ (PCA) point of entry for organizations or programs to the AOAP. Applicants must apply in Entry track until recommended for AOAP, which is based on panel review and assessment totalsFunds: Grants totaling $5,000 will be awarded. Application Deadline: February 15, 2025 More information: Arts Website Department of Environmental Protection: Food Recovery Infrastructure Grant Who May Apply: Non-profit organizations Use: Procurement of equipment (refrigerators, freezers, refrigerant and nonrefrigerated box trucks, cargo vans, pallet jacks, dollies, hand fork lifts, stoves, ovens and microwaves) to reduce food waste disposal from food retailers, wholesalers, agriculture organizations, farms and cooperatives and redistribute that food to the public.Funds: Grants up to $50,000 are available. Application Deadline: February 28, 2025 More information: Pennsylvania Bulletin Historical and Museum Commission: Historic Preservation Grant (Construction) Who May Apply: Non-profit organizations and public agencies that own or support a publicly accessible historic property listed, or eligible for listing, in the National Register of Historic Places. Use: Projects involve preservation, restoration, or rehabilitation construction activities at publicly accessible buildings.Funds: Awards range from $5,000 to $100,000 with a 50% cash match required. Application Deadline: March 3, 2025 More information: PHMC Website Historical and Museum Commission: Historic Preservation Grant (Planning) Who May Apply: Non-profit organizations and public agencies that own or support a publicly accessible historic property listed, or eligible for listing, in the National Register of Historic Places. Use: Projects include cultural resource surveys, National Register nominations, planning and project development assistance, and archaeological investigations.Funds: Awards range from $5,000 to $25,000 with a 50% cash match required. Application Deadline: March 3, 2025 More information: PHMC Website Department of Environmental Protection: Small Business Advantage Grant Program Who May Apply: Pennsylvania-based small businesses Use: Adopt processes or acquire equipment which results in energy efficiency, pollution prevention, and natural resource protection.Funds: Funding can range from 50% or $7,500 (whichever is less) up to 80% or $12,000 (whichever is less) and will vary depending on environmental impact and project location. Application Deadline: March 21, 2025 More information: DEP website
PEMA’S Public Damage Assessment Link The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) has launched a Public Damage Assessment Link (below) for area residents and businesses to report the damage done to their properties in the affected municipalities by the September 9 storm. PEMA and Lackawanna County 911 and EMA officials stress the reporting link is not an application for assistance nor a guarantee of assistance. It is a step in the State’s process to alert Commonwealth and local officials where to go for damage assessment. The link will be open from today (September 13) through Sunday, September 24. The link of Public Damage Assessment is link https://damage-assessment-3-pema.hub.arcgis.com After clicking on the link, residents must then look for the incident name/title from the drop-down box 09/09/2023 Northeast PA Flooding Public Report. This is the only location where the information can be submitted and accepted. It vitally important to fill out the assessment to help State and local officials gauge the damage and then plan the recovery effort. County staff will be available at the Multi Agency Resource Center (MARC) to assist residents and business owners in filling out the assessment if they are experiencing difficulties in navigating the form. It is also very important that all residents and business owners document all of the damage to their property via written copy and photos. Everyone should also keep track of the expenses and hold onto all receipts involved in the cleanup and recovery of their properties. Next Steps For Those Impacted By The September 9th Storm Lackawanna County’s Emergency Management and 911 agencies are working with PEMA and State officials on the next steps needed to provide information to the residents and businesses affected by the Weather Event that occurred on September 9th. Lackawanna County EMA and 911 are also collaborating with PEMA and State officials on setting-up a Multi Agency Resource Center (MARC) where impacted residents and businesses can obtain information on available programs, learn what the next steps would be for their repair and cleanup work, and connect with resources and personnel that can help. The proposed dates for the MARC would be September 21, 22, and 23, with a location to be determined. Over the next several weeks, State and local officials will be out assessing damages for the purpose of meeting State and Federal guidelines for Emergency Declarations. The Lackawanna County Commissioners, Lackawanna County Emergency Management, and 911 stress once again that all residents and business owners must document all the damage to their property via written copy and photos. Everyone should also keep track of the expenses (receipts) involved in the cleanup and recovery of their properties in case individual assistance becomes available in the future. Residents and business owners should check the County’s website, social media, and the news for updates on the storm recovery initiatives.
Commonwealth of PA Holds Community Meeting to Discuss the Region’s Access to the Internet The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce’s government affairs and advocacy committee is committed to representing and being a voice for the business community to the local, state, and federal legislators. A priority for The Chamber’s government committee is access to broadband internet across the Wyoming Valley for its residents and businesses. On Tuesday, July 11, at 11 a.m., The PA Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) is holding a community meeting to hear from the general public’s experience with internet access. The community meeting will be at the Lackawanna County Center for Public Safety in Jessup, PA. Sign-up!
