New Year, New Opportunities
January 6, 2012
The FY 2012 omnibus appropriations is finally signed and in effect, but that doesn't mean things are slowing down in Washington. After a significant period without major grant announcements, federal agencies will soon be ready to announce new competitions based on the final FY 2012 funds. Before long, President Obama will also release his proposed budget for FY 2013, and the annual appropriations process will begin anew. In this piece, we'll look at a few grant competitions that could be on the horizon, as well as the other moving pieces in the federal funding landscape.
Signature Administration education programs like Promise Neighborhoods, Race To The Top and the Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund all received funding in the final FY 2012 appropriations, with the Promise Neighborhoods appropriation doubling to $60 million. Look for new competitions to be announced later in 2012.
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has several competitions open right now -- some have deadlines this month, while others are later in the spring. These grants are often smaller than those from other agencies, but public media has had success with NEH grants in the past.
Some of the competitions at the National Science Foundation are on a rolling basis, and others have deadlines coming up in the spring. Some projects are specifically targeted to media outlets, and public media has had success with these in the past.
Meanwhile, the appropriations process for next year will begin soon. On January 24, 2012, President Obama will give his annual State of the Union speech, signaling his policy priorities for the coming year. His proposed budget for FY 2013 is expected to be released shortly after, and it will likely contain new presidential initiatives that could mean new opportunities for public media. Of course, any new proposals would have to be included in a subsequent Congressional appropriations bill and signed into law by the President, which, as we've seen, is no easy feat.
