United States Senator Bill Nelson’s Office

Lynn Bannister, Regional DirectorPeggy Gustave, Grants Administrator

Weblink: http://billnelson.senate.gov/services/grants.cfm

• “We must work together as a delegation to help Florida lift itself out of this grant sinkhole. Many state and local governments are experiencing budget woes and the days of congressional earmarks may be over. The TaxWatch report says, and I strongly agree, that grant money is an essential way for the state to help address its budget gap” ~Senator Bill Nelson~

Money, Money, Money…

Money, Money, Money…• The national average when it comes to Federal Aid is $1,798.36,

Florida gets only 1,223.77 in Federal aid per capita.• This is well below the national average.• If Florida received the average in per capita grants for 2009, it

would have received ad additional $10.6 billion in federal grants. – Florida ranks 48th in the nation for per capital grant dollars received,

moving only one spot from 49th since 2009.• If Florida had received a share of federal grants equal to its

share of federal taxes paid, it would have received $3.2 billion more than it actually received. – Florida ranks 33rd for per capita tax burden

How can we help?

• By developing working relationships with grants officers in federal and state departments and agencies.

• Educate constituents– Most funding resources are on the Internet, such as the

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance and Grants.gov.• Using CRS reports to learn about grants work and to

provide information on government and private funding.

• Letters of Support• Advance Notification of Grant Awards

How do we do it?• Senate and House offices allocate staff and other resources to

grants and projects activities in order to assist the constituents with projects of potential benefit to their districts, cities, or states. – Divide responsibility by function– Divide responsibilities by subject area– State delegation cooperation– Congressional offices can serve constitutents as a facilitator with

agencies and foundations and even as an advocate. – Make sure the constituent understands the process in order to better

serve them.• Writing letters of support.

Earmarks & Appropriations Process

• Congress may designate federal funds for projects in districts and states in annual appropriations legislation.

» SOLELY PROJECT LEVEL FUNDING

• Senator Nelson has always been a fiscal conservative.  He knows the spending process sometimes is abused.  That’s why he voted for a moratorium on earmarks, but the measure failed. 

• Senator Nelson is going to keep doing his job fighting for major projects that create jobs and bolster Florida’s economy, like high-speed rail, Everglades, ports, and research at our universities.” 

Foundations and Corporate Grants

• There are many different kinds of foundations, with widely varying resources and purposes.

• Some are national in scope; other are set up purely for the purpose of local giving.

• Grant seekers might begin by identifying state and local foundations.

• Lowe’s Toolbox for Education• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

What do we need for letters of support?

• Your request with full name of the grant for which you are applying and the CFDA No.

• List the names and physical addresses of the agencies– Also the Contact person(s) the letter of support

should be addressed to. • Include your organization’s complete physical

mailing address and telephone number. – No over night letters will be sent to post office boxes.

What do we need for letters of support?

• A brief 2 – 3 page summary describing your organization– Include how grants will be used.

• Where do we mail the letter of support?– All letters are sent directly to the awarding agency

• Deadlines– Please provide this information 2-3 weeks from

date of submission.

Where to send the information• Letter of support requests should be submitted to the

Orlando office by mail or fax to:

U.S. Senator Bill NelsonLandmark Two

225 East Robinson Street, Suite 410

Orlando, Fl 32801Phone: (407) 872-7161

Fax: (407) 872-7165

15.70%

16.98%

16.10%

13.70%

9.30%

5.73%

4.90%1.98%

8.96%6.60%

Total Government Spending FY 2008 (in billions)

Pensions

Health Care

Education

Defense

Welfare

Protection

Transport

General Gov-ernment

Other

Interest

16%

18%

14%16%

11%

5%

4%2% 8%

5%

Total Government Spending FY 2011(in billions)

Pensions

Health Care

Education

Defense

Welfare

Protection

Transport

General Government

Other

Interest

6.4; 4%

27.8; 18%

42; 27%

9; 6%

18.3; 12%

14.26; 9%

6; 4%

29.4; 19%

5; 3%

Florida State and Local Spending FY 2008 (in billions)

Pensions

Health Care

Education

Defense

Welfare

Protection

Transportation

General Gov-ernment

Other

Interest

6.4; 4%

27.6; 18%

40.3; 26%

10.1; 7%

16.8; 11%

13; 9%

5.6; 4%

27.4; 18%

5.1; 3%

Florida State and Local Spending FY 2011(in billions)

Pensions

Health Care

Education

Defense

Welfare

Protection

Transportation

General Government

Other

Interest