The office of U.S. Senator Jim DeMint hosted a Grants.gov Federal Funding Workshop in conjunction with the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. During the event Grants.gov presented information on Finding and Applying for grants on Grants.gov. The Grants.gov presentation was interactive and offered information on getting started with Grants.gov, finding a grant opportunity, the registration process, guidelines to follow while submitting a grant, as well as information on tracking a grant application and what occurs after a grant application package is submitted. Grants.gov also highlighted the new search feature, RSS feeds and other enhancements to the website that make searching for grants even easier. Event participants were from a wide range of disciplines and organizations including the Red Cross, hospice care, autism organizations and county and city government.

Grants.gov was formally invited to attend the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) 50th Anniversary Meeting. The event drew an incredible crowd of 3,880 attendees.

During the meeting, Grants.gov acted as a contributor to the event by hosting an informational session on federal initiatives, the transition to Adobe including estimated timelines for completion, Research and Related forms in production and the recent Request for Proposal (RFP) for future system architecture in a “cloud computing environment”. For more information about the event visit: http://www.ncura.edu/content/educational_programs/sites/50/docs/am50.1022.pdf to view an event program.

"Setting Your Sails for Success - Navigating the Tides of the Grant Profession"

Grants.gov was invited to participate in the American Association of Grant Professionals (AAGP) 10th Annual National Conference in Long Beach California.

The conference was attended by 400 participants and featured many booths for direct interaction and networking with grant professionals, organizations and programs including Grants.gov. Grants.gov hosted a booth to offer information on the “Find & Apply” process, current and future system enhancements (“Speed & Reliability” system upgrade upcoming system build Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) reconfiguration) and to answer any all questions participants had regarding finding and applying for grants.

In addition to the booth Grants.gov conducted a one hour and forty-five minute presentation discussing the Find and Apply process as well as detailed information on current and future initiatives that will benefit the applicant community.

For more information on current Grants.gov activities watch the latest Grants.gov October 15, 2008 Stakeholder Webcast.

“AAGP is the only national organization that works toward enhancing the role of grant professionals” Learn more about the organization and event.

Grants.gov attended the 2008 Northern Virginia Hunger Summit. There was an array of presenters at the session. The Grants.gov presentation walked attendees through how to find and apply for federal grants to include the various options on searching for grants. In the afternoon Congressman Frank Wolfe conducted a town hall meeting.

Grants.gov participated in the Grant Workshop held by Senator Isakson for his constituency. The workshop was attended by approximately 400 hundred people who asked a number of questions on the Find and Apply process to include registration.

On Monday September 22, 2008 Grants.gov received the 200,000th electronic grant application submission for fiscal year 2008, far exceeding a core program milestone in the fourth quarter and reflecting a significant increase from last year. During the same period of fiscal year 2007, Grants.gov received 172,058 submissions; which reflects a 16 percent increase. This landmark achievement illustrates the institutionalizing of Grants.gov for finding and applying for federal grants, and shows that the program eliminates the need for grant seekers to learn and comply with multiple agency systems and requirements. The result is a simplified and effective environment for the grant community to find and apply for grants.

Grants.gov participated in the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) 20th anniversary meeting on September 8, 2008. The FDP is a cooperative initiative among 10 federal agencies and 98 institutional recipients of federal funds whose purpose is to reduce the administrative burdens associated with research grants and contracts. Grants.gov provided an update on the transition to Adobe as well as recent system enhancements. The discussion was interactive with the audience asking a number of questions.

Grants.gov participated in the annual conference as part of the on-site Interactive Technical assistance lab. All recipients of Federal direct and pass-through funds are required to have a DUNS (D&B) number and register with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). At the technical assistance lab, conference attendees had the opportunity to navigate the registration process with direct hands-on support. Real time computer based technical assistance was provided by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), Central Contractor Registration (CCR), Grants.gov, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Attendees were able to register to apply for Federal grants and troubleshoot any hotspots during the registration process.

Grants.gov presented the "Find & Apply" process at the "2008 Grants and Non-Profits Workshop" hosted by Congressman Jim Moran in Alexandria, Virginia. During the event Grants.gov presented information on Finding and Applying for grants on Grants.gov. The Grants.gov training session was interactive and offered information on getting started with Grants.gov, finding a grant opportunity, the registration process, guidelines to follow while submitting a grant, as well as information on tracking a grant application and what occurs after a grant application package is submitted.

Other notable event participants include The Foundation Center which presented tips on how to maximize your non-profit's potential and keynote speaker Leslie Crutchfield, author of "Forces of Good" (non-profit book rated top ten in 2007 by The Economist). Visit www.moran.house.gov for more information about this event.

Grants.gov was formally invited to present on Capital Hill in Washington D.C. at the Sixth Regional Leaders Issues Conference Hosted by Congressman Ruben Hinojosa. Numerous distinguished speakers were invited to present at the event including Speaker of the House, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi. During the event Grants.gov presented information on all you need to know about finding and applying for grants on Grants.gov. The Grants.gov training session was interactive and offered information on getting started with Grants.gov, finding a grant opportunity, the registration process, guidelines to follow while submitting a grant, as well as information on tracking a grant application and what occurs after a grant application package is submitted. The Grants.gov presentation emphasized the importance of registering and submitting a grant application package early to avoid complications associated with missing an agency submission deadline. The presentation also emphasized that all the information and services provided by Grants.gov are free of charge. Grants.gov fielded a number of questions from the audience.

Grants.gov was invited to participate in the grant workshop for Pennsylvania's 3rd District. The purpose of the conference was to inform the applicant community on how to find and apply for federal grants on Grants.gov. During the conference Grants.gov gave two presentations on the “Find & Apply” process, which includes information on all you need to know about finding and applying for grants on Grants.gov. The Grants.gov training session was interactive and gave information on getting started with Grants.gov, finding a grant opportunity, the registration process, guidelines to follow while submitting a grant, as well as information on tracking a grant application and what occurs after a grant application package is submitted.

Grants.gov visited the IRS office in Atlanta to host a one-day training session on using Grants.gov from a Grantor perspective. The training covered information on getting started with Grants.gov including Grantor registration, navigating the website, logging in and using the Grants.gov system to create and post grant opportunities and application packages. This session was tailored to meet the needs of the Grantor Agency. IRS Grantor participants had many questions, mainly on registering with Grants.gov and getting their particular office organized to utilize the system in the most efficient way. Other questions focused on becoming familiar with the system and all of its functions. The participants of the session were particularly pleased with the depth of information offered during the training session. Upon completion of the session the IRS team was successfully able to post the following opportunity: VITA Grant

The theme of the Cooperating Collection of The Foundation Center hosted event was "Getting Government Support for your Nonprofit Organization". The training session was sponsored cooperatively between the Cooperating Collection of The Foundation Center, Congressman Fattah of Philadelphia and Grants.gov. There was a lot of interest generated by the event which was held at the Free Library of Philadelphia and was attended by 60 constituents. During the event Grants.gov presented information on all you need to know about Finding and Applying for grants on Grants.gov. The Grants.gov training session was interactive and offered information on getting started with Grants.gov, finding a grant opportunity, the registration process, guidelines to follow while submitting a grant, as well as information on tracking a grant application and what occurs after a grant application package is submitted. Participants were very excited about the question and answer portion of the training session and asked a number of questions.

Grants.gov offered the American Association of Grant Professionals Southeast Texas Chapter [EXIT Disclaimer], a one hour interactive session on finding and applying for Grants with Grants.gov. During the session, 33 members of the organization learned of the new tools and improved capabilities of Grants.gov. The interactive presentation showed participants how to navigate Grants.gov and walked them step-by-step through the grant application process. The session offered information on getting started with Grants.gov, finding a grant opportunity, the registration process, guidelines to follow while submitting a grant, as well as information on what happens after you submit a grant application package.

"AAGP is an organization of people who care deeply about the grants profession. Share the vision. Share the camaraderie. Share the future." The American Association of Grant Professionals [EXIT Disclaimer] is a diverse national network of grant professionals which holds an annual conference across the country and offers informative workshops, round-table discussions, member receptions, funder panels, vendor exhibits and individual proposal review sessions.

Lamar State College partnered with Grants.gov to offer a two hour interactive session on finding and applying for Grants with Grants.gov. During the session, participants learned of the new tools and improved capabilities of Grants.gov. The interactive presentation showed participants how to navigate Grants.gov and walked them step-by-step through the grant application process. The session offered guidelines to follow while submitting a grant, as well as information on what happens after you submit a grant application package.