The proficiency and talent of our staff has resulted in over $150,000,000 in funded grant proposals. The following is a sample of some of our recently funded grants with a brief description for each:

IA Department of Economic Development, Vision Iowa Award: $10.5 Million
This grant to a city in eastern Iowa will help fund a comprehensive redevelopment program focused on the Southside neighborhood next to downtown. Funds will be used for infrastructure and streetscape improvements, creation of a "Czech Village" that builds on the city's immigrant heritage, construction of a farmer's market building for year-round small-scale commercial activities, and creation of a Family Adventure park to offer recreational opportunities to all age ranges of the regional population. The $10.5 million grant will leverage approximately $140 million of private and public investment in commercial and residential development.

DOL Welfare to Work Round 2 Award: $3.8 Million
This program will serve 400 welfare mothers in federally assisted and public housing complexes in transitioning to full-time jobs through the provision of an innovative, supportive employment program. The World of Work (WOW) program addresses the significant barriers to employment faced by the target group through a structured, yet flexible system with features a work-first strategy combined with supportive employment opportunities in this New England city (pop. 160,000). The program provides services on-site at public housing facilities, thereby eliminating transportation barriers and offering a built-in network of peer support.

HUD Economic Development Initiative Award: $2 Million
A $2 million EDI grant and a $6.2 million loan guarantee to provide goods, services and jobs to four underserved target neighborhoods located in the south side of this New England city (pop. 140,000). Funds will be used to construct 6,000 square feet of retain space for the Learning corridor Project. This activity will complement an on-going project, which includes the development of a new Montessori school, middle school, high school, family resource center, parking garage and a Boys and Girls Club. The $6.2 million in loan guarantees will leverage an additional $2 million in public and private sector support. The project will create an estimated 283 jobs.

DOL WIA Demonstration Projects for High Risk Youth Award: $600,000
This Northern California city will use these funds to examine approaches that assure "high-risk" youth and adults are provided with quality workforce investment services that will address their unique needs through the WIA system. This program consists of three sections. This city will build connections to local workforce investment systems, such as linkages with Local Workforce Investment Boards and Private Industry Councils, while demonstrating approaches that ensure that "high-risk" youth and adults are provided with quality workforce development services.

EPA Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Award: $500,000
With the $500,000 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund grant, this midwestern county (pop. 2,000,000), will leverage funds to transform vacant or underutilized properties into productive industrial and recreational sites. The revolving loan fund will primarily provide low-interest loans for redevelopment of the county's most distressed areas, where 30% of the Brownfields are located.

CA Housing & Community Development CAL Home Award: $500,000
This small California City will use this funding to increase the strength and growth of the local economy buy providing services such as first-time homebuyer mortgage assistance, owner-occupied rehabilitation, and homeownership project development loans. These funds will be significantly directed towards the development of housing or operation of housing programs for low and very-low income persons and households.

CA Community Development Code Enforcement Pilot Program Award: $337,653
Funding will be used to form partnerships between the Building and Safety Department, property owners, residents, agents of the Community Development Commission, the Public Health Department, the Police Department, and the City Attorney's Office to focus on bringing the largely deteriorating and aged housing stock in a southern California city (pop. 56,000) up to code and revitalizing the most blighted neighborhoods. Some funding will be used directly for building and neighborhood improvement and some for community organizing. The quality of life of many young families, with very young children, will be greatly improved by this program.

EPA Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Award: $200,000
The Pilot's objective is to assist in the revitalization of this Southwestern county (pop. 1,355,000) by conducting environmental assessments, developing a cleanup and redevelopment plan for the targeted sites, and involving the community and stakeholders in the cleanup and redevelopment process. In addition to the Pilot activities, the county will encourage Brownfields redevelopment by creating tax increment financing districts and by using innovative financing to fund infrastructure improvements.

HUD Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program Award: $1.54 Million
This grant will help a Virginia City educate the public about the lead safety for children, as well as fund lead abatement efforts for more than 125 properties in the city's historical district. It will also mobilize a wide range of professionals and service providers, governmental agencies, and community organizations to recognize that the health and safety of the city's youngest and most vulnerable citizens is of the highest priority.

HHS SAMHSA CSAT Targeted Capacity Expansion Award: $1.4 Million
This three-year grant will provide detoxification, counseling and transitional housing services for 300 homeless men in this large metropolitan area. The program links the local Health Agency with a non-profit service provide to increase the capacity of an existing program by 30%.

HHS OPA Adolescent Family Life Demonstration Program Award: $1.3 Million
Funding under this program will be used by a California based Community Action Organization to create and maintain local educational programs for adolescents and parents in order to lower adolescent and teen-pregnancy rates. These programs will also promote the development of collaborative and integrated systems of care that support pregnant and parenting adolescents and their children.

DOE Safe Schools/Healthy Students Program Award: $9 Million
This grant was awarded to a Northern California School District and will fund the implementation and enhancement of comprehensive community-wide strategies for creating safe, drug-free schools and promoting healthy childhood development. This program will help students develop the skills and emotional resilience necessary to promote positive mental health and engage in pro-social behavior, thereby preventing violent behavior, alcohol and other drug use. This will make it possible for all students who attend the schools served by this grant to learn in a safe, disciplined, and drug-free environment.

ED Early Reading First Program 2004 Award $1.63 Million
Funding from this grant will be used by a Regional Education Cooperative in New Mexico and its member school districts to transform early childhood programs currently in place for 3- and 4-year-old special needs children into model centers of excellence that prepare all children to enter kindergarten ready to learn to read. The 3-year program will provide more than 350 hours of teacher professional development, continuous screening and progress monitoring to identify and provide intervention for any children at risk of reading failure and an intense home literacy program, including year-round support for parents.

Department of Education, 21st Century Learning Centers Award: $1.6 Million
21st Century Community Learning Centers funding will allow this Midwestern Public School District (pop. 633,000) to offer after-school and summer enrichment programming for students; GED and job readiness training for adults; extensive health services for children and adults; and access to and training in technology applications. Partners will provide an array of services including immunizations and health screenings, parent education courses, mentoring, and field trips.
CA DOE, Public Charter Schools Grant Program Award: $444,000 This grant will help a large, ethnically diverse urban school system in California to establish a new charter high school focused of preparing students for careers in the high-tech field. The grant will cover startup costs for the new school including curriculum creation, computer equipment, and professional development for school staff.

IMLS Learning Opportunities Grant Program Award: $72,800
The Museum of Art in this southern city will use IMLS Learning Opportunities funding to develop an adult audio tour (for visitors aged thirteen to adult) and a family audio tour (for children aged eight to twelve and their parents/guardians) of a selection of works of art from the permanent collection. A new dimension will be added to the museum's website to allow young people to access an online interactive exhibition of the museum's permanent collection and educational visual arts activities, designed especially for them, from school, home, or libraries.

DOI NPS Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program Award: $500,000
This grant, awarded to a major city in the Northeastern United States, will help rehabilitation of a park and recreation facility. This is the only recreation area immediately available to residents of the most economically distressed and crime-ridden area in the city. This project will result in the reopening of a Field House and address the deterioration an erosion of a pond.

Missouri Americorps Award: $62,568
A Missouri community will use this funding to create a trail and environmental education group. This group will serve the community by sharing their skills in areas such as bicycle and pedestrian safety, and various environmental issues while overseeing volunteer programs. This group will help foster a stronger relationship between community and environment by facilitating the development, operation, and maintenance of a publicly accessible system of pedestrian and bicycle trails. These funds will also assist youth by recruiting young members to be trained as Trail Rangers, providing them with the chance to learn new skills and to serve their community.

DOI NPS Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program Award: $500,000
This grant will assist a major city in the Rocky Mountain Region in rehabilitating a portion of the pool facility located adjacent to one of the oldest parks in this city. This facility, which serves an economically depressed neighborhood, would be closed permanently at the end of this season if not renovated.

Los Angeles County Urban Tree Planting Program Award: $90,000
This grant will pay for the planting of new trees along heavily traveled thoroughfares and commercial zones in a South Central Los Angeles city (pop. 66,000). The objective of the project is to bolster civic pride by beautifying the commercial heart of the City and draw potential customers to the area, thereby increasing the area's economic viability.

DOI NPS Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program Award: $203,000
Funding received to rehabilitate and expand a pool, adjacent to a community center. It is located in the State's poorest urban community, is bounded by row homes and several housing projects, and faces imminent shutdown because of its deteriorated condition. The pool's structural integrity is in jeopardy and the filtration system is not functioning properly.
DOI NPS Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program Award: $175,858 This funding will allow an economically disadvantaged community in California to rebuild a neighborhood park. This site will be rehabilitated with new play structures, walkways, other park fixtures and landscaping.

DOI NPS Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program Award: $210,000
This project, in cooperation with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Hampton Roads, will result in the rehabilitation and reopening of the Hart-McAlister Center for use by the general public. Improvements will include roof and rest room repair.
DHS Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program Award: $98,118 This Oregon community of 13,000 people will use this funding to purchase new and advanced GPS systems for their police, dispatch radios for the fire department and new handheld radios for the police department. These enhancements will allow police and fire units to better coordinate efforts, improve response times and quickly share information.

DOJ COPS in Schools Program Award: $875,000
These funds will assist a City Police Department in hiring new, additional School Resource Officers to engage in community policing in and around primary and secondary schools. These School Resource Officers will teach crime prevention and substance-abuse classes, monitor troubled students, and build respect for law enforcement among students. This program provides an incentive for law enforcement agencies to build collaborative partnerships with the school community and to use community-policing efforts to combat school violence.

DOJ OJP Drug Courts Award: $499,823
A Texas County will use this award to fund the planning, implementation and enhancement of their drug courts. This funding will make it possible for the County to provide early and continuous judicial supervision over nonviolent, substance abusing offenders. These funds will also improve the administration of sanctions and various services including; Mandatory, periodic drug testing during any period of supervised release or probation; thorough and effective substance abuse treatment for each participant, and diversion, probation, and other offender management and aftercare services.

FEMA FIRE Grant Program Award: $499,298
This funding will allow this metropolitan area on the Gulf of Mexico to provide personal protective equipment to 100% of firefighters responding to an incident. This funding will help a city with a declining revenue stream provide protection for both citizens and firefighters.

DOJ Victims of Crime Urban High Crime Neighborhood Award: $460,000
These funds will support this Mid-Western city in the creation of collaborative models for grassroots, community service and victim assistance organizations to improve the quality and accessibility of services to crime victims in their own neighborhoods. These funds will focus primarily on the needs of underserved victims, particularly those victimized by crimes such as robbery, assault, homicide, school violence, and gang violence.

FL Emergency Management Preparedness & Assistance Award: $50,000
This grant will fund a Disaster Public Information Program in a Southeastern Florida city (pop. 43,000) and will establish an active public information and participation program to increase the awareness of natural and manmade hazards in the community. The program emphasizes hazard mitigation strategies and complements the activities of the local, County and State agencies.

FL Emergency Management Preparedness Assistance Award: $38,575
A southern Florida (pop. 50,000) Fire Department received funds to purchase the Searchcam 2000 victim location and breaching system, which is the fastest known method available to positively locate and assess victims of building collapse. This piece of equipment will be an invaluable tool in hurricane country. Also funded was 75% of the purchase price of a trailer with which to transport horses for this southern Florida Police Department Mounted Horse Unit, used in victim disaster rescue, particularly under flood and hurricane conditions.

Public Safety Foundation of America Award: $26,040
This grant will allow the city Bureau of Communications Department to continue developing the capacity to handle 9-1-1 calls by cell phone users. This grant will purchase technology that will help the bureau to pinpoint the location of cell phone users requesting emergency assistance and allow a more rapid and accurate emergency response. Currently, the bureau does not have the means to locate such calls. This funding represents part of on-going effort by the city to upgrade emergency communications and improve 9-1-1 responses and will allow them to continue upgrading their technology in a challenging fiscal climate.

DOJ COPS in Schools Program Award: $875,000
These funds will assist a Florida City Police Department in hiring new, additional School Resource Officers (SROs) to engage in community policing in and around primary and secondary schools. These School Resource Officers will teach crime prevention and substance-abuse classes, monitor troubled students, and build respect for law enforcement among students. This program provides an incentive for law enforcement agencies to build collaborative partnerships with the school community and to use community-policing efforts to combat school violence.

DOJ COPS MORE Award: $10.4 Million
In this California Sheriff's Department (county pop. 1,400,000), COPS MORE funding will pay for new technology that includes an integrated Computer Aided Dispatch and Records Management System, mobile data terminals, field data capture and desktop computers. The timesaving from the use of the new technology will result in the redeployment of the full-time equivalent of approximately 260 sworn officers. Officers will use redeployed hours to fully implement proactive, community-oriented policing strategies.

FEMA Fire Act Grant Program Award: $450,000
This Virginia City Fire Department will use this award to enhance their abilities with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. This program provides funds to help departments that lack the basic tools and resources necessary to protect the health and safety of the public and their firefighting personnel. Funding may be used for new equipment purchase, improved training, public education, and firefighting vehicles.

FEMA Fire Grant Program Award: $273,584
This funding will provide personal protective equipment, radios, thermal imaging cameras and a rapid intervention team kits for firefighters in this South Carolina city. This new equipment will meet all applicable NFPA and OSHA guidelines.

FEMA Fire Grant Program Award: $128,981
This funding will help create a wellness and fitness program for firefighters in this California city. The requested funding will help this department get off to a strong start by providing elements that are currently lacking in the department's developing wellness and fitness program, including start-up costs for annual medical examinations, exercise equipment to allow firefighters to enhance their cardiovascular fitness and to develop strength and flexibility, a wellness and fitness program Coordinator, and resources for education and evaluation.

DOJ COPS Interoperable Communications Grant Program Award: $2.7 Million
This grant will provide for full voice and data interoperability among more than 50 separate public safety agencies (Fire, Police and EMS) in this midwestern metropolitan area. Using voice-over-IP technology, first responders will no longer have to carry several radios in order to talk to personnel from other agencies; instead, dispatchers will cross-link radio systems at the click of a mouse. The grant will also support purchase of four communications trailers for field operations, and fund rollout of a metropolitan emergency information system to manage public safety resources more efficiently.
FEMA/USFA Fire Act Grant Program Award: $188,806 This funding will provide personal protective equipment for firefighters in this South Carolina city. This new equipment will meet all applicable NFPA and OSHA guidelines. (Nine RF&D Clients received awards from this program in 2004!)

DOJ, Juvenile Drug Court Implementation Grant Award $500,000
A city-county government in the Midwest will use this grant to establish and operate a juvenile drug court as an alternative to the traditional justice system for first-time or nonviolent juvenile drug offenders. The three-year program aims to keep 75% of its participants clean, sober and uninvolved with the justice system after their graduation from the diversion program.

DOJ COPS, Universal Hiring Program Award $1.5 Million
This funding will allow this major New England city to hire an additional 20 officers to enhance community policing and improve homeland security within the city. These officers will help the department to maintain force strength and offset losses due to retirement. Without this funding, the current budgetary climate would have prevented the department from hiring the officers for several years. The applicant was also given a match waiver that will save the city hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of the grant.

DOJ COPS, Universal Hiring Program Award $600,000
This grant will allow an Idaho County Sheriff's Department to hire eight additional officers for this largely rural area near Boise. This critical funding will allow the department to maintain a high level of public safety for a growing community in a tight fiscal climate.

Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Provider Grant Award: $756,000
This award was used to complete the remodeling of a historic building in order for the site to become a homeless shelter for veterans in an east coast county as part of the Good Shepherd Ministries homeless provider programs. Homeless veterans worked on the construction at the site. Services provided by Good Shepherd Ministries include problem recognition and screening, food, shelter, crisis intervention, crisis stabilization (psychiatric and/or substance abuse treatment), referral and linkage to health services and employment services, transportation, assistance in obtaining housing stability, job skills training, ensuring entitlement benefits, support in gaining greater self-sufficiency, and more.

DOJ OJJDP, Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP) Award: $200,000This year-round program will serve at-risk low-income Southeast Asian youth in a New England city, providing mentoring, case management and after-school programs. The program uses prevention and intervention strategies for targeted youth exposed to substance abuse, gangs, violence and juvenile delinquency. Program objectives include enhancing academic performance and reducing truancy rates.

DOJ Safe Havens: Supervised Visitation/Safe Exchange Award: $350,000
A mid-western county will partner with a community organization to provide supervised child visitation and exchange services to families who do not currently have access to such services, and who have a history of violence that would otherwise make such encounters dangerous or worsen conflict in the family. Security guards, security cameras, separated waiting rooms, strict rules of conduct, and supervision by trained staff and volunteers will assure the safety of children and their parents. Funds will also finance the hiring of a court services officer to aid District Court judges in referral and follow up functions.

HHS Head Start Program Award: $16 Million
This Midwestern county will take over Head Start programs in 16 communities, serving low income families and serve 3,700 children on a daily basis. A change from traditional school district-based Head Start programs, this program is a collaboration of the county and three community-based organizations, who will provide comprehensive educational, social, nutritional and health services to low-income three-and four-year olds and their families.

GA DFCS Promoting Safe and Stable Families Award: $60,000
This funding will allow a rural Georgia county to open a Visitation Center to serve as a meeting place for parents who have temporarily lost custody of their children. The purpose of the center is to provide a safe, nurturing and appropriate environment for family interaction and family reunification. The state juvenile justice system recognizes the importance of these centers as a component to promote family stability and is interested in spreading this concept throughout the state. More than 150 families will use this center on an annual basis.

HHS SAMHSA TCP Early Intervention Services Award $1.2 Million
This grant will allow a large Midwestern city to provide culturally- and linguistically-appropriate mental health, prevention and early intervention treatment services for Latino newborns, infants and toddlers ages 0-4. The City's Health Department will implement and evaluate a relationship-based, home visitation/mother-infant support group intervention program to ensure the healthy emotional development of this at-risk target population. Partners will include community health clinics in predominantly Latino neighborhoods throughout the city.

HHS SAMHSA CSAT Targeted Capacity Expansion Award: $1.4 Million
This three-year grant will provide detoxification, counseling and transitional housing services for 300 homeless men in a large metropolitan area. The program links the local Health Agency with a non-profit service to increase the capacity of an existing program by 30%.

HHS SAMHSA Building Mentally Healthy Communities Award: $1.086 Million
Funding from this grant will help expand local mental health services available to the non-violent offenders with serious mental illness, through the creation of a Jail Diversion Program as part of a Mental Health Court. The purpose of the program is to divert these individuals from the jail to a court supervised, community-based treatment program. This diversion program will help prevent recidivism by providing longer-term care for individuals with mental illness in a community based setting.