Looking Ahead: Budget Issues in the Lame Duck Session

While the attention of the media and most of Congress is focused on the upcoming elections, many federal grant recipients and other local entities are waiting for resolution of significant budget issues. The outcome of the elections, at the Presidential and Congressional levels, will likely impact the agenda for a Lame Duck session. However, regardless of who wins and who will be in control in January, Congress will have to address the looming threat of budget sequestration and other macro budget issues in a Lame Duck session at the end of this year.

 

At this point in time, most FY 2012 (fiscal year that ended September 30, 2012) funds are already obligated. The one exception to this it he Race To The Top District competition. Applications for this program are due on October 30, 2012, and funds will be awarded in December 2012. Congress recently passed a six-month Continuing Resolution (CR) that will fund the federal government through March 2013.

 

Also on the docket for the Lame Duck session is the looming budget sequestration that will take effect on January 2, 2013. The Budget Control Act passed in August 2011, calls for automatic spending cuts (sequestration) that will reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion over nine years. There will likely be an effort among Republicans and Democrats in Congress to diminish the impact of sequestration before the end of the year.

 

Continue reading about the CR and budget sequestration.

 

To learn even more about the budget outlook for the Lame Duck session and the next Congress and to understand how this will impact federal grants and public media stations, be sure to register for the Grant Center webinar, Outlook and Impact: Budget Sequestration and a Continuing Resolution in the Lame Duck on Wednesday, October 17, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Of the $3.67 million in grants recently awarded through the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Community Information Challenge (KCIC), a total of $1,263,000, will go to projects involving public radio and television stations as lead partners. Designed to grow support for local news and information among community and place-based foundations (which receive the grants), the KCIC funded four initiatives led by public media.

In Arizona, a $57,000 grant to the Arizona Community Foundation will enable KNAU Arizona Public Radio to partner with the local newspaper to provide urgent community information in times of emergency.

In Louisiana, a grant of $102,000 to The Greater New Orleans Foundation will support increased local news coverage on public radio and online. The project partners are public radio station WWNO; The Lens, an online public interest news organization; NolaVie, a New Orleans arts and culture news website; and the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, the region's respected source of demographic data and analysis.

In New Jersey, a grant of $802,000 will help develop a network of news organizations and journalists in New Jersey, and launch creative projects to encourage more civic dialogue and participation. The partners, including New Jersey Public Radio, Montclair State University and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, will work to expand coverage, engage the public, and provide training and services to the news ecosystem.

Preservation Technology and Training Grants: The National Park Service's National Center for Preservation Technology and Training is seeking innovative projects that advance science and technology for historic preservation. This grant program funds projects that develop new technologies or adapt existing technologies to preserve cultural resources. In FY 2013, approximately 10 grants of a maximum of $25,000 each will be awarded. Deadline: November 1, 2012.

Strengthening Education Reporting: With these grants, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) plans to support public radio stations and national producers in the creation of content that aligns with the American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen initiative. CPB anticipates awarding up to $1m in grants. Deadline: November 12, 2012.

Collaborative Research Grants: These National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants support interpretive humanities research undertaken by a team of two or more scholars. The program supports research projects, and grantees are expected to communicate their research results to the appropriate scholarly and public audiences. Grants typically range from $25,000 to $100,000 per year for one to three years. Deadline: December 6, 2012.

Scholarly Editions and Translations: Grants from this National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) program support the preparations of editions and translations of pre-existing texts and documents that are currently inaccessible or available in inadequate editions. Awards normally range from $50,000 to $100,000 per year for one to three years. Deadline: December 6, 2012.

Higher Education Challenge Grants Program: This U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program strives to stimulate and enable colleges and universities to provide the quality of education necessary to produce baccalaureate or higher degree level graduates capable of strengthening the nation's food and agricultural scientific and professional workforce. Approximately $4.77m will be available to fund applications in FY 2013.  Deadline: February 8, 2013.

Computing Education for the 21st Century: Through this program, the National Science Foundation (NSF) aims to build a computationally savvy 21st-century workforce by engaging larger numbers of students, teachers and educators in computing education and learning at earlier stages in the education pipeline. In FY 2013, approximately $13m will be available to support 13 to 20 awards. Deadline: April 2, 2013.

Bay-Watershed Education and Training Program: This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) program promotes locally relevant, experiential environmental learning in the K-12 environment. Five regional programs are currently accepting applications, including the Great Lakes region, the newest region to open. Deadlines vary regionally.

James M. Cox Foundation: This foundation gives nationally and has interest in education (including literacy and dropout prevention) and in journalist training. Next deadline: November 1, 2012.

Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation: The Foundation supports investigative reporting, especially on state and local issues, and professional development for journalists. Next letter of inquiry deadline: November 15, 2012.

Campaign for Grade-Level Reading: Foundations across the country have joined this Campaign to promote grade-level literacy and prevent dropout.

Carnegie Corporation: With a long history of leading support for public media, the Corporation now funds media initiatives around areas including education, democracy/voting and integration of immigrants.

Marguerite Casey Foundation: This foundation supports work that helps low-income families to strengthen their voices and mobilize their communities. While it does not accept unsolicited applications, it has made numerous media grants.

Citizens Charitable Foundation: The foundation makes grants in areas of company operations nationwide, including to public media. Interests include the arts and education.

Deluxe Corporation Foundation: This foundation makes grants in many communities nationwide. It supports public media and has interests in education, youth and the arts.

Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation: This foundation invests in traditional and online/digital media initiatives to educate and inform the public around issues of importance to New Jersey.

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: This foundation supports major arts initiatives, as well as media projects to inform Americans about Muslim societies and cultures.

Whether you are seeking federal or foundation funding, the Grant Center website, tailored specifically to public media grant seekers, will help you find just what you need. With over 300 funding opportunities, and growing each day, our user-friendly search options help you find the funding opportunity of your choice.

Visit our website. Then, be sure to check back often to see the most recent funding opportunities and news articles. We also encourage you to subscribe to our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter: @aptsgrantcenter.

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Questions? Please email the Grant Center: grantcenter@apts.org, or visit our website: www.apts.org/grantcenter.