NEW Kentucky G.R.A.N.T. Program Workshops Scheduled

The Kentucky G.R.A.N.T. Program is offering workshops on researching and applying for grants:

They will be held on the following dates and locations:

Feb. 15 - 16: Elizabethtown
March 14 - 15: Owensboro
March 20 - 21: Louisville

Click here for more information.

Beginning last year, the federal government allocated more than $3 trillion in competitive grants and prioritized 25 areas for billions in projects. Kentucky has two of the locations ‒ one includes 21 counties in eastern Kentucky, and the other is 20 counties in western Kentucky. The federal government expanded the number of eligible communities in October, adding 11 new areas with specific census tracts and 14 new counites. That now makes cities in 95 counties in line to potentially receive major federal investments.

A majority of nonprofits surveyed by Grant Ready Kentucky said that grant match requirements are a significant barrier to accessing federal funding.

To mitigate this problem, Kentucky nonprofit advocates championed House Bill 9, the Government Resources Accelerating Needed Transformation (G.R.A.N.T.) Program, sponsored by Representative Richard Heath (R-Mayfield) and cosponsored by ten representatives.

The G.R.A.N.T. Program establishes an innovative grant matching fund in Kentucky, enabling better access to federal resources for nonprofit projects in the 41 federally identified counties. Any nonprofit, local government, Area Development District (ADD), or coalition of these entities can apply for the matching component of a federal grant.

These federal grants cover a broad array of services and projects ‒ infrastructure, housing, workforce development, STEM education, agriculture, substance use disorder treatment, and more. The list is broad and expansive.

The Kentucky Department for Local Government (DLG) will administer the program and prioritize public benefit projects in Kentucky counties that have seen significant energy job losses. Counties not included on the list can apply as part of a regional coalition, if the federal grant project impacts one of the designated 95 counties.

KLC encourages our member cities to participate in the program. You can access the G.R.A.N.T. Program application here.