WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis (both R-WY) and Governor Mark Gordon are encouraging federal funding seekers in Wyoming to sign up for the few remaining spots at the Wyoming Federal Funding Summit. The hosts also announced a virtual option for those who are unable to join in person, though in person attendance is highly recommended.
The summit is a first of its kind event providing free professional instruction, access to agency representatives and various resources to help localities, counties and non-government organizations (NGOs) apply for, secure and manage federal funds.
“As the Wyoming Federal Funding Summit nears, we want to express our deep gratitude to our agency presenters who have taken time out of their schedules to come and assist federal funding seekers from across Wyoming,” said Senators Barrasso and Lummis and Governor Gordon. “Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy, Economic Development Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as our state partners are lending their expertise on the intricacies of the federal funding process. Their assistance is invaluable and will be a huge benefit for federal funding seekers in Wyoming.”
The Wyoming Federal Funding Summit will be held in Sheridan, Wyoming. The grant writing intensive will take place on June 12th and 13th and will be provided by MC2 Collaborative in conjunction with David Piantanida, Media Officer/Congressional Liaison, U.S. EPA Region 8 Public Affairs Registration for the intensive is closed. The federal funding overview and seminar will take place on June 14th and 15th. A limited number of in-person slots are available. All sessions are free and open to the public, but prior registration is required. If interested in attending, but unable to come in person, there will be a virtual option for people to attend the federal funding summit. No registration is needed to attend virtually, but please visit www.lummis.senate.gov/wyoming-federal-funding-summit-virtual to access the link.
In addition to the federal grant writing and management workshop, there will be additional panels and discussions on Infrastructure, Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act funding, technical assistance and grant management and an open house with federal agency representatives where participants will have the opportunity to bring them their projects, questions and ideas. Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy, Economic Development Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency and various state partners and agencies will be in attendance.
A full event agenda can be found below. While Senator Barrasso and Senator Lummis did not support final passage of the Infrastructure, Investment & Jobs Act or the Inflation Reduction Act, both senators are committed to ensuring Wyoming communities and citizens have fair access to the programs their tax dollars are helping to fund.
For more information and to register, visit www.lummis.senate.gov/federal-funding-summit-rsvp.
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U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis & Governor Mark Gordon Present
2023 Federal Funding Summit & Grant Seminar
Identifying & Securing Federal Funding Opportunities
Sheridan College Whitney Center for the Arts
1 Whitney Way, Sheridan, WY
Monday-Thursday; June 12th -15th, 2023
*Registration now open at lummis.senate.gov/federal-funding-summit-rsvp
AGENDA
Monday, June 12th and Tuesday June 13th
Federal Grant Writing & Management Seminar facilitated by MC2 Collaborative
David Piantanida, Media Officer/Congressional Liaison, U.S. EPA Region 8 Public Affairs
(Certificate eligible with full course attendance)
OVERVIEW
Initiating the grant seeking process and identifying funders can be overwhelming. The MC2 Collaborative grant training program is designed to help individuals and organizations navigate complex grant-seeking processes and identify potential funders. Through collaborative discussion and group think-tank exercises, participants will learn to think like a grant strategist rather than a grant writer.
This practical, hands-on training will improve any level of understanding of the grant and federal funding process, drive development of grant proposals, and refine project goals with reverse-document-engineering. MC2’s team of trainers will help participants identify and resolve project gaps by putting new and existing knowledge into practice.
Monday, June 12th
8:15 am: Summit Kickoff & “Setting the Stage”
Kathy Lenz, Resource & Economic Development Manager for U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis
8:20-8:30 am: Welcome from Renny MacKay, Senior Policy Director for Governor Mark Gordon
8:30-8:45 am: Federal Grant Writing and Management Seminar Overview
Introductions and Overview from MC2 Collaborative
8:45-9:15 am: Federal Funders & How to Find Them
MC2 Collaborative
9:15-9:45am: Anatomy of a Proposal & Why it Matters
MC2 Collaborative
9:45-10:00 am: Break
10:00-10:30 am: RFP Basics – Global Perspective with Inclusive Thinking
MC2 Collaborative
10:30-11:00 am: The Statement of Need and the Significance of the Problem
MC2 Collaborative
11:00-11:30 am: Research: Content Building Narratives
MC2 Collaborative
11:30-12:00 pm: Group Exercise and Project Co-Horts
MC2 Collaborative
12:00-1:00 pm: Lunch (provided onsite with registration)
1:15-1:45 pm: Logic Models and Consistent Methodologies
MC2 Collaborative
1:45-2:15 pm: Measured Outcomes: Metrics that Matter
MC2 Collaborative
2:15-2:30 pm: Break
2:30-3:00 pm: SMART Goals: Data Collection Plan
MC2 Collaborative
3:00-3:30 pm: Monitor, Evaluate and Report: Impacts
MC2 Collaborative
3:30-4:30 pm: MC2 Staff Office Hours
Bring your projects, bring your questions and talk individually with the MC2 team!
4:30 pm: Summit concludes for the day
Tuesday, June 13th
Day 2 of Federal Grant Writing & Management Seminar with MC2 Collaborative
8:30 – 9:15 am: Research: Effective and Efficient Content
MC2 Collaborative
9:15-10:15 am: Cohesive Grant and Organizational Capacity
MC2 Collaborative
10:15-10:45 am: Demonstrations of Capacity: Reverse Engineering
MC2 Collaborative
10:45-11:00 am: Break
11:00-12:00 pm: Gap-Documents: Tools, Techniques and Technical Assistance
MC2 Collaborative
12:00-1:00 pm: Lunch (provided onsite with registration)
1:15-1:45 pm: DEI&A: Proving Inclusive Thinking – Coordinate & Collaborate
MC2 Collaborative
1:45-2:30 pm: Evaluation and Scoring: “The ONE POINT difference”
MC2 Collaborative
2:30-3:15 pm: Group Exercise and Project Co-Horts
MC2 Collaborative
3:00-3:30 pm: Wrap-Up, Closing and Certificates of Completion
MC2 Collaborative
3:30-4:30 pm: MC2 Staff Office Hours
Bring your projects, bring your questions and talk individually with the MC2 team!
4:30 pm: Summit concludes for the day
Wednesday, June 14th
8:30-8:45 am: Welcome & “Setting the Stage” for Second Half of Seminar
Dr. Walt Tribley, President of Sheridan College
Kathy Lenz, Resource & Economic Development Manager for U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis
8:45-9:00 am: Remarks from U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis & Governor Mark Gordon
Video remarks
9:00-12:00 pm: Infrastructure, Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) Funding & Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Opportunities Overview
Beth Blackwell, Grants & Loans Manager, Office of State Lands & Investments
Keenan Hendon, Water and Wastewater Section Manager, Wyoming DEQ
Stan Miller, SRF Principal Engineer
Shawn King, SRF Program Manager
Dale Lee, Northeast Assistant District Engineer
The Infrastructure, Investment & Jobs Act was signed into law in November 2021 and included $550 billion for new infrastructure projects, including roads and bridges, rail, transit, airports, electric grid, water systems and broadband. In Wyoming, the IIJA funding is distributed by the State Lands & Investment Board through the State Revolving Funds. Learn from State Lands & Investment Board and Federal Agency leadership about current funding opportunities and how to pursue them.*
12:00 pm: Lunch (provided onsite with registration)
1:00pm-4:00 pm: WY Interagency Working Group (IWG) Federal Panel on IRA and IIJA Funding
Participants from U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT); Mark Feilmeier, State Director, Trent Lofts, Program Analyst, Wyoming Field Office for U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD); Glenn Pauley, State Director, Adam Anderson, Community Programs Loan Specialist, Miles Benzel Business Programs Loan Specialist, Kim Johnson, Single Family Housing Loan Technician, Jessica Taylor, Single-Family Housing Director for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA Rural Development); Kelly Watkins, Chief of Staff, Region 8, Jon Grosshans, Senior Advisor, Carolyn Bryan, Regional Planner, Region 8, Ben Bents, Manager, Water Division, Region 8, Barbara Benoy, Brownfields Project Manager, Region 8 for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Katie Baum, Hazard Mitigation Specialist, BRIC Technical Assistance Team Lead, Region 8, Kyle McCormick, Hazard Mitigation Specialist, BRIC Technical Assistance, Region 8 for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Aaron Pratt, economic Development Representative for U.S. Economic Development Agency (EDA); Kate Gordon, Senior Advisor to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm for U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Moderator: Dru Palmer, DRU Consulting
- 1:00-1:15 pm: Overview of IWG with Dru Palmer, WY Governor’s Office and Mark Smith, EPA’s Deputy Regional Administrator Region 8 Office (Denver)
- 1:20-2:05 pm: Energy opportunities, speakers TBA
- 2:05-2:15 pm: Break
- 2:15-3:00 pm: Infrastructure opportunities, speakers TBA
- 3:00-3:10 pm: Break
- 3:10-3:55 pm: Workforce opportunities, speakers TBA
- 4:00 pm: Summit concludes for the day
Thursday, June 15th
8:15 am: Report from Washington
Brief updates from the office of U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis
8:30-10:45 am: Technical Assistance, Partnership, and Problem-Solving with DOT, HUD, USDA RD, EPA Water & EPA Brownfields & FEMA
Learn about specific technical assistance available to meet your needs. Partners providing services in WY can provide more than funding.
- 8:30-9:30 am: Federal partners
- 8:30-8:50 am: Energy
- 8:50-9:10 am: Infrastructure
- 9:10-9:30 am: Workforce
- 9:30-9:45 am: Break
- 9:45-10:45 am: State Partners Discussion with Amber Power, Community Leadership and Engagement, Brandi Harlow, Northeast Regional Director for Wyoming Business Council (WBC); Beth Blackwell, Grants and Loans Manager for the Office of State Lands and Investments (SLIB); Janet Jares, Grants Specialist, Outdoor Recreation Office and Division of Wyoming State Parks and Trails; Christina Nelson, Neighborhood Project Specialist 1, Kaycee Hurless, Neighborhood Development Officer for Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA); John Davis, Management Services Manager, Ali Ragan, Grants and Contracts Policy Manager, Kacey Brown, Management Services Senior Policy Analyst for Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT); University of Wyoming
10:45-11:00 am: Break
11:00-12:30 pm: Importance of Planning, Procedures, Policy and Grant “Do’s & Don’ts”
Panel discussion with Wyoming planners and grant writing experts Dr. Susan Bigelow, President, Bigelow Grant Writing Services, LLC, Mary Crosby, Grant Proposal Writer, Lincoln County, Kristin Young, Grants Management Specialist, Campbell County, Angela Parker, AICP, Wyoming Planning Association (WYOPASS), President, Clara Chaffin, Community Development Director, City of Douglas. Moderated by Lisa Mueller, MC2 Collaborative.
Learn the importance of developing a solid plan for projects before applying for grants. Longtime Wyoming grant application specialists explain how to craft a winning grant application and develop policies and processes to manage grants after the award.
12:30 PM-3:00 pm: Lunch & Open House with Federal Agencies – Bring your questions, projects and ideas!
Onsite lunch included with registration.
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA Rural Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water, EPA’s Brownfields Program, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Economic Development Agency (EDA) as well as state partners will be available to discuss individual projects and answer questions.
Each agency will have a table and summit participants can pick any agency to meet with for 15 minutes. Please limit to three agencies, if possible, to ensure all participants have the opportunity to visit with their agency of choice.
- 12:30-1:00 pm: Lunch
- 1:00-3:00 pm: Open House/Round Robin with Agencies
- 1:00-1:15 pm: Round 1
- 1:20-1:35 pm: Round 2
- 1:40-1:55 pm: Round 3
- 2:00-2:15 pm: Round 4
- 2:20-2:35 pm: Round 5
- 2:40-2:55 pm: Round 6
3:00 pm: Summit concludes
______________________________________________________________________________
* While Senator Barrasso and Senator Lummis did not support final passage of the Infrastructure, Investment & Jobs Act or the Inflation Reduction Act, both Senators are committed to ensuring Wyoming communities and citizens have fair access to the programs their tax dollars are helping to fund.
Thank you to our partners and sponsors:
Office of Governor Mark Gordon
University of Wyoming
Wyoming Department of Workforce Services
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
Wyoming Association of Municipalities
Wyoming Business Council
Sheridan College