New Round of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants Announced

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development yesterday announced that applications for a third round of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) will be accepted beginning on Oct. 17. The department has previously awarded $12.1 million in grants to 135 communities throughout the state to implement energy efficient projects.

“The EECBG grants have allowed us to work with communities across the state in their efforts to become more energy efficient,” said Molly Cripps, director, Energy Division, ECD. “These efforts will not only benefit our state environmentally but also provide jobs for Tennesseans.”

The grants will be used to fund a variety of energy efficiency and conservation programs in the local communities, including retrofits to lighting and HVAC systems, as well as the installation of renewable energy systems.

The application for the EECBG grants can be found at http://www.tn.gov/ecd/recovery/eecbg.html.

Applications will be accepted by the department starting on Oct. 17 and will be scored on the local government’s overall conservation strategy, project feasibility, readiness to proceed, community impact, partnerships and the ability to extend funding impact beyond a one-time use. Applications will be accepted and scored on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are depleted. Previous recipients of the EECBG grants are not eligible.

The EECBG program is projected to cumulatively produce more than 92 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy savings annually, resulting in an estimated cost-savings of $8 million per year for Tennessee communities. In addition, approximately 149 jobs will be created by the more than 140 grants awarded. The EECBG program is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, through the Department of Energy, Award Number DE-EE0000958.

For more information on the EECBG program in Tennessee, visit
http://www.tn.gov/ecd/recovery/eecbg.html.

"Tennessee Downtowns" Program Accepting Applications

Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber announced today that applications are now being accepted for Tennessee Downtowns, a competitive community improvement program for cities and counties seeking to revitalize traditional commercial districts. The program is open to communities with downtown commercial districts established at least 50 years ago and whose citizens are ready to organize efforts for downtown revitalization based on the successful program “Main Street Four-Point Approach to Downtown Revitalizationtm.” Applications are available online at www.tennesseemainstreet.org and must be completed by Monday, Nov. 8.

For the full press release on this program announcement, go here.

Rural Library Grants

Dozens of rural libraries across Tennessee will share in nearly $1.5 million in combined federal and state grants to provide computers, education courses and job skill training. The grants are targeted to help Tennesseans improve computer-related skills so they will be more competitive as they seek jobs.

The project is the culmination of more than a year’s effort by the Department of State and the Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD). The joint effort was successfully leveraged to secure additional funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. Of the nearly $1.5 million, ECD will provide $1,030,000 and the Department of State will provide up to $70,000. The remaining $356,577 will come from USDA Rural Development. The funds will be used to provide computers, peripheral equipment, high-speed Internet routers and instructors to conduct training classes.

In addition to administering the $70,000 grant, the Tennessee State Library and Archives, which is a division of the Tennessee Department of State, will administer the other grant funds. TSLA is currently assisting the local libraries in finalizing the consent agreements required before the money is disbursed.

For more info, see the full press release from the Department of State here.

New Training in Grants Administration

The State of Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Research and Strategic Planning Division, and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grant management workshop in Nashville, July 19-20. This training is for grant recipient organizations across all disciplines. Attend this class and you'll learn how to administer government grants and stay in compliance with applicable rules and regulations.

Tuition is $595 and includes Grant Writing USA's 450-page grant management workbook and reference guide. Seating is limited, online reservations are necessary.

Full details are available here.

Local Parks and Recreation Fund Grant Workshop

In the 2010-2011 budget, the General Assembly appropriated $3.7 million for the Local Parks and Recreation Fund (LPRF). On Wednesday June 30, 2010, the Department of Environment and Conservation will host a grant workshop at the Fleming Training Center at 2022 Blanton Drive in Murfreesboro on how to apply for these grants. The workshop will begin at 10:00 AM central time. The grants are intended to help communities create and expand parks and recreation services. These grants may also be used for trail development and capital projects in parks, natural areas and greenways. LPRF grants have a maximum possible award of $200,000 and require a 50% match. Each county and municipality may submit one application per grant cycle. Cities and counties may also apply jointly for one additional project. The department has begun accepting applications for grants from the LPRF and will continue to do so up until the application dealine of August 13. Grants recipients are expected to be announced this fall.

Video of Energy Block Grant Application Workshop Available On-line

ECD recently hosted two Energy and Efficiency Conservation Block Grant application workshops. The meetings reviewed the guidelines and application process and offered suggestions for completing a competitive application. It is my understanding that few county officials attended these workshops. These grants are the ones discussed in our membership meeting at the TCSA fall conference in Chattanooga and mentioned in some of our recent newsletters.

For those unable to attend the meetings, a video of the workshop is now available in three parts on ECD's YouTube Channel. You can find part one here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSFijORtFco There are links to parts 2 and 3 on that page.

Energy Grants for Counties

Governor Phil Bredesen and Commissioner Matt Kisber of the Department of Economic and Community Development announced this month that $9.3 million in federal stimulus funds will be available to small- and medium-sized cities and counties through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. The competitive grants are available to assist local governments in conserving energy and reducing fossil fuel emissions. If you were at the fall conference in Chattanooga earlier this month, this is the program that was described by Dan Hawk during our membership meeting.

Areas of funding that will be given priority include: developing an overall energy efficiency and conservation strategy; retrofitting existing buildings with cost effective energy efficient measures; implementing renewable energy technologies on government buildings; and replacing traffic signals and street lighting with energy efficient lighting technologies.

The 17 largest cities and 10 largest counties in Tennessee may apply directly to the U.S. Department of Energy for EECBG funds. All other cities and counties may apply through the state of Tennessee by 5 p.m. CST on December 30, 2009.

Applications and more information about the program are available here.
The maximum grant amount will be $100,000 and partial funding may be awarded.

ECD will host two application workshops on Nov. 2, 2009 in Nashville at the Ellington Agricultural Center from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and again from 1 – 4 p.m. CST. The meeting will focus on the guidelines and application process and offer suggestions for making an application more competitive.

Applications will be scored based on the local government’s strategy, feasibility, readiness to proceed, impact, partnerships and the ability to extend funding impact beyond a one time use.

Rural Technology Assistance Grants

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development has announced a program of Rural Technology Assistance Grants. These funds are to be used for programs and services that increase technology usage and/or availability in rural counties. For the purpose of this program, rural counties are defined as those where all municipal populations are less than 20,000. The deadline for applications for a New Initiatives Grant Class is 4:30 p.m. September 10, 2009. This program will allocate $1.5 million through competitive grants for initiatives that address the expansion of broadband connectivity, decrease K-12 student to computer ratios or expand rural distance learning opportunities. More information about eligible programs, the grant review process and funding priorities is available at the website for the Department of Economic and Community Development under the heading "Rural Technology Grants".