Budget Watch: Federal Funding Trends in 2014
May 7, 2013
Last month, the White House released the President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 budget request, which addresses key areas of interest and priority in FY 2014. Additionally, each federal agency has submitted a detailed budget request specific to its department. The release of the President’s budget traditionally marks the beginning of budget conversations in Washington. The additional materials provided by each agency provide detail on how the President’s priorities would be implemented. This has been an unusual year since the President’s FY 2014 budget request was not submitted until April, about two months later than normal. As a result, the House of Representatives and Senate passed their own budgets before receiving the President’s budget. Congress is currently in the process of trying to agree on final budget numbers, but it is unclear if they will be successful. Regardless, the President’s FY 2014 budget request is a good indication of his priorities and what activities the administration will try to invest in.
A big focus of the President’s FY 2014 request is on enhancing America’s job market in the 21st-century economy. The goal is to strengthen the middle class and create jobs by investing in the tools needed to better equip workers to do the jobs of the 21st century. Of particular interest to stations is the push to better equip Americans with the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. The President proposes reforms to education and training, suggesting investments in early childhood education; K-12 schools; innovation; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); and college affordability. Below we’ve broken down these critical areas of education, workforce development and STEM to give you a glimpse of how key federal agencies would incorporate these areas of emphasis into their strategic plans.
Education
The U.S. Department of Education has identified multiple areas for investment in FY 2014 in line with the President’s proposed budget. These include preschool, K-12 reform, college affordability and school safety, among others. Public broadcasters have experience in many of these areas and would make natural partners on these efforts. Stations should pay close attention, as new grant programs may develop. For example, the Department proposes a new high school redesign program in response to the President’s emphasis on K-12 reform. This new program would support states’ efforts to ensure that schools are addressing 21st century needs and that students graduate from high school with college and career-related experience.
Another key K-12 program to watch is Race To The Top (RTTT). In FY 2014, the President calls for additional support for his signature programs: RTTT, Investing in Innovation (i3), and Promise Neighborhoods, the highly popular and successful education initiatives implemented under the Obama administration. A second district-level RTTT competition is anticipated for FY 2013, with an estimated $120 million expected to be made available. Look for a new solicitation later this summer. In FY 2014, the Department proposes to focus RTTT on college affordability and completion, another target area in the President’s budget. Stations have had success in this program and are encouraged to begin conversations with districts and/or state departments of education now to discuss partnership opportunities. Learn about past public media efforts on RTTT.
Workforce Development
The President’s budget calls for reforms to both education and training to prepare youth to continue their education or transition into skilled jobs. This calls for a stronger collaboration between the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and Department of Education. In FY 2014, the DOL proposes to increase investments that modernize the federal job training system and work closely with the Department of Education to target youth and expand opportunities related to higher learning and job training. Of importance to stations is the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training program (TAACCCT), which supports community colleges as they meet educational or career training needs for workers who have lost their jobs or are threatened with job loss. At the APTS Public Media Summit in February 2013, Jane Oates, the Assistant Secretary of the Employment and Training Administration at the DOL, identified public broadcasting stations as excellent partners for this program. Applications are currently being accepted for the FY 2013 competition. See the Grant Center website for important deadline information. In FY 2014, the TAACCCT program would evolve into a new partnership between the Departments of Labor and Education, and it would invest in collaborations between community colleges and businesses to train workers for well-paying jobs in high-growth and high-demand industries.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
The President’s emphasis on STEM calls for investments in: teacher recruitment and training, STEM-focused high schools and districts, undergraduate STEM education, and research on STEM learning and teaching. The request streamlines STEM programs across 11 different agencies to allow for easier coordination and consolidates programs with similar purposes. It also provides supplementary support to the Smithsonian Institution to enhance their role as informal STEM education providers. Additionally, the President lays the foundation for a reorganization of STEM education programs by identifying four critical areas of focus: K-12 instruction, undergraduate education, graduate fellowships, and informal education activities that typically take place outside of the classroom. Several new STEM initiatives have been proposed, and they total $265 million. For example, a new Effective Teaching and Learning program could replace the Math and Science Partnership program at the Department of Education; it would support states in implementing a comprehensive strategy for STEM instruction. Other programs have been proposed through the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The trends listed above are just a sample of those that could be anticipated in FY 2014. Each agency has their own wish-list of projects and initiatives, which they hope to pursue in support of the President’s FY 2014 budget request should Congress grant them the funding to do so. We encourage stations to monitor relevant programs and agencies. The President’s budget request is not expected to be enacted as-is, but it does serve as an indicator of the administration’s political will. As budget conversations continue in Washington, continue to check the Grant Center website for updates on final budget numbers and up-to-date information on new and existing grant programs.
Resources
President's FY 2014 Budget Request
U.S. Department of Education FY 2014 Budget Summary and Background Information
U.S. Department of Labor FY 2014 Budget In Brief
Breakdown of the President's FY 2014 Budget Request by Agency
Information on STEM-related initiatives
Sequestration updates from the Grant Center
