Nonprofits and the Stimulus Package

Unless you’ve been circling the earth on the International Space Station for the past six months, you know that President Barack Obama signed the 407-page American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, better known as the Stimulus Plan, into law on February 17.

We all know about the huge cost of the act – $787 billion dollars in spending (16) and tax and related provisions (7), the political wrangling before and after its passage and signing, and the large number of funding opportunities (34).

Nonprofits Need to Act Now

All stimulus funding is scheduled to expire in fiscal year 2011 – as stimulus funds are, as the name suggests, intended to be temporary, one-time injections of cash aimed at reviving the economy as quickly and efficiently as possible. The funds have been allocated to help people through the current economic meltdown and are not intended to morph into ongoing governmental assistance programs.

TSNE Capacity Building Fund Grants

The Capacity Building Fund (CBF), a program of Third Sector New England, is announcing another round of grants for 2008. It is a two-part process, beginning with Letters of Intent to Plan that are due on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, by noon. We are holding information sessions later this month to provide an overview of the grants and the application process.

Full details on the guidelines and application process can be found on our website. Please review all information about the Capacity Building Fund, particularly the Letter of Intent to Plan guidelines. We encourage you to read the application in its entirety.

Information Sessions in July

The CBF will be hosting information sessions, and while not mandatory, interested parties should plan to attend one of the following meetings: