In line with the goals of the Recovery Act stimulus plan to create and sustain jobs, transform travel, and spur economic recovery, President Barack Obama has announced grants to high-speed rail development; increase in Pell grants budget; and provide more money for school grants in the 2010 State of the Union Address. This article will discuss each of these focuses and identify how it will impact federal grant opportunities.

High-Speed Rails
The investment on high-speed rails is anticipated to create the nation’s first nationwide program of intercity passenger rail service. Grant moneys will come from the U.S. Department of Transportation and will be allocated to developing 13 new, large-scale high-speed rail corridors. Among the 31 states that are to receive grant funding for high-speed rail projects, California, Florida, and Illinois have already described their project plans (as of this writing).

Although local businesses will not be able to directly profit from these grant opportunities, they will be provided with income opportunities for their businesses as the government will need supplies, tools, equipment, and many other things that local businesses commercially provide and/or manufacture.

Also, government officials say this high-speed rail investment will create well-paying jobs in track-laying, manufacturing, planning, engineering, maintenance, and operations. So, there’s really no need for local business owners and entrepreneurs to sour grape. They’ll still benefit from this venture, though not in the form of direct grants. Nonetheless, this will enable them to increase their production and manufacturing operations, resulting to increased incomes and profits.

Pell Grant Expansion
President Obama proposes the expansion of Pell Grant Programs to increase college funding programs for low- and moderate-income families. According to the President’s recent State of the Union Address, “No one should go broke because they chose to go to college.” The President also signaled that college affordability is a key part of his 2011 budget.

The Pell Grant Expansion plan will have, approximately, 92% increase in college funding. This will make Pell Grants available to an additional one million students and increase their maximum annual awards. As a result, the plan will benefit 8.7 million students, an increase from the 7.7 million students who benefited in the current school year.

This expansion plan will definitely favor numerous students, especially those who belong in low- and moderate- income families. Indeed, these grant opportunities will help them finish their education that will later on lead to an alleviated quality of life. Consequently, they will also be able to help their own families.

Additional School Grants
Aside from expanding Pell grants, President Obama also plans to allocate additional funding to generate more school grants. Primarily, these additional school grants will help improve test scores, which, in turn, will help students succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy.

The President believes that “offering our children an outstanding education is one of our most fundamental – perhaps our most fundamental – obligation as a country. It will shape our future as a nation.” Hence, he is proposing to allocate grant funding for the Race to the Top program. This program will reward states that make the most progress in raising academic standards, boosting teacher quality, tracking student gains, and improving failing schools.

Grants received by each state will be distributed to deserving school districts that have applied for additional grant funding from their local state government. However, this competition is also planned to be opened for individual districts. This increase in school and education grant opportunities will, indeed, help state and local school districts to meet and satisfy the President’s education agenda as part of the 2009 Stimulus Bill.

Although the deadline for states to apply for the first round of education grants has already passed, states and individual school districts can still apply for the second phase, which will be awarded in September. Those that will not win in the second phase of the competition can compete for a share of the added funding that the President has proposed in his State of the Union Address. This competition will open on October 1 according to administration officials.

For Grant Seekers
All these additional funding and budget for grant opportunities in various categories proposed by the President will indeed boost the country’s economy, not to mention help local businesses, schools, students, and other federal, state, local, and community organizations achieve financial success.

If you are among those who are planning to apply for these additional grant funding opportunities, prepare your grant applications and proposals earlier and regularly check out funding announcements, particularly the opening of grant opportunities.

To further help you in your grant seeking activities, you may frequently visit Grants.gov, which posts all available and open grant funding opportunities. Also, you may contact all your resources to inform you of any open funding opportunities. Securing necessary documents, certifications, and license numbers ahead of time will certainly help you simplify your tasks.

So, what are you waiting for?! With all these available grant funding opportunities, one might be waiting for you! Research now to find out what you’ll need to apply and where and how to apply for federal grant assistance.