A $2 Million Dollar Grant Competition For Inventions!

The first prize in this science competition is $2 Million Dollars!

2nd place prize is $900,000!

This science fiction competion is being sponsored by a foundation and is not a government grant program for free money.

Funded by a NASA program to explore bold technology, the contest is intended to encourage development of a theory that originated in the 1960s and was popularized by Arthur C. Clarke's 1979 novel "The Fountains of Paradise." Although this competition has not produced a winner in its previous years it has encouraged a lot of inventors to enter their inventions in this kind of competition!

The rules allow one team to collect all $2 million or for sums to be shared among three teams depending on their achievements.

Grants For Non Profit Grant program for fire companies Eligible program activities include Hiring of Firefighters Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Since this particular grant program has become more and more popular with more fire departments all those who wish to submit their grant application should submit their grant application filled out completely and make your grant proposal as brief and "to the point" as possible! This grant program is open only to volunteer and combination departments. Career departments are not eligible under this specific category. Combination and volunteer departments may also submit an application under a specific title which will require that they submit a separate application for this. In addition, statewide or local organizations representing the interests of several volunteer and/or combination departments may request funding for this grant program as well. Under this category, fire departments may provide incentives to their members to reward their continued commitment to the fire service, as well as pay for recruiting resources to entice new members. Some possible initiatives under this activity include: Insurance packages such as accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), disability, health, dental, and life. Reimbursement to the new member for attending required basic training. This can include compensation for lost wages, mileage, lodging, daycare and per diem expenses. Marketing costs to recruit new volunteer members. Salary and benefits for a recruitment and retention coordinator. Development and initiation of an explorer, cadet, and/or mentoring program. The cost of a department staffing needs assessment Tuition - Tuition assistance for higher education (including college tuition) and professional certifications (coursework or certifications in this category should be above and beyond what the department typically funds for required minimum-staffing firefighter certification. Books and lab fees are eligible, but computers are not.) Length of service awards and other retirement benefits Costs associated with team building activities and motivational speakers. This is just a short list of potential activities that are eligible under this grant program. The important objective for your department is to analyze why current members are not staying active and/or why new members are not joining. This barrier or barriers to recruiting or retaining members should become the focus of your application. The key to getting your request funded is to develop a clear and defined program to address this need. Then, justify how the financial assistance you are requesting will be used to overcome your identified recruiting and/or retention issue. Your application should address these items in a complete but concise manner. All applications will be reviewed by both an automated evaluation and a peer review panel. Scores will be based on how well the applicant addresses the established program priorities and how well the applicant is able to establish a correlation between their request and their identified needs. Program priorities for this application period are: Meeting Staffing Standards - The highest priority will be given to departments that have experienced a high level of turnover and whose staffing levels do not meet NFPA 1710 or 1720. If you are not familiar with this requirement, you can get more information at this website. Meeting OSHA Respiratory Protection Standards - To receive the highest consideration, your application must adequately address the OSHA 1910.134(g) standards that deal with procedures for interior firefighting, most notably the two in, two out rule. Volunteer Membership - Priority will be given to applicants whose membership contains mostly volunteer members or departments that have a significant number of volunteer members. Recruitment/Retention Plan - A higher score will be achieved by applicants who have a formal recruitment and retention plan that includes a project coordinator and marketing program. In addition, programs that include accident and/or injury insurance and lost wages for its firefighters will also receive a higher score. Continuity - Applicants will receive a higher score if their recruitment and retention program is designed to continue after the period of performance without federal assistance. Call Volume and Population Served - Departments that respond to a higher number of calls and protect a larger population will receive a higher consideration. Firefighter Health Measures - Applicants whose program includes an entry level physical exam that meets NFPA 1582 and show a commitment to have their firefighters receive immunizations will receive a higher score. Training - Applicants whose program will ensure that new recruited firefighters meet the minimum fire and EMS certification requirements of the state or locality within 24 months of joining will receive a higher consideration. Regional Requests - Applications that have a regional impact will receive a higher score than applications that benefit only one department. In the past some volunteer departments have stayed away from this grant program and its application process because they didn't understand this particular grant program, its priorities and the possible benefits that could be derived by their department and its members. It is hoped that providing more information about this particular grant program will encourage even more applicants to apply for this grant program. For an application form just clck here and to find out more about this grant program just clck here.

Foundation Donates More

Than $400,000 Dollars To

Nonprofits that Provide Basic-need Services!

So far this year this same foundation has distributed more than $2 million dollars in grant funding to non-profit organizations. The grants went to organizations that focus on providing services in the areas of hunger prevention, self-sufficiency, health care, and education to children and families in need. According to a spokesperson, the organization "is proud to continue supporting some of the best organizations in our communities who focus on social services. We are especially happy to give back during the holiday season to assist the nonprofits with their increased demand for donations."

Here is a partial list of non profit organizations that have received grant funding from this foundation:

• a community soup kitchen received $5,000 to support a portion of the general operating costs of the soup kitchen, which is expected to serve more than 70,000 meals in 2009.
  
  
• a shelter received $10,000 to stock their chest freezers and storage pantry with non-perishables and frozen meats. During 2008, they served 191,594 soup kitchen meals and 179,493 food pantry meals to “homeless and working poor men, women and families throughout the state.
  
  
• a food bank received $15,000 to leverage their bulk buying power to purchase nutritious food such as rice, beans, peanut butter, tuna and beef stew. This food bank food bank distributes food to 800 member agencies serving approximately 146,653 individuals per year.
  
  
• a local battered women's organization received $10,000 for food and household items as well as apartment refurbishment upon a client’s departure from the shelter which is the organization’s transitional living program for abused women.
  
  
• a children's foundation received $20,000 to fund medical supplies for their homeless program which provides medical care to homeless children.

$30,000 Contest Award! Are You An Innovator?

This contest is open to anyone with bold ideas and tremendous talent! Whether you’re new to mobile or an experienced coder, you could win up great prizes along with new opportunities to grow your business. It can also include applications for education, health care and more. Also sought are applications that guide individuals to make the right ethical choice and lead a sustainable lifestyle.

The contest challenges mobile and web application developers worldwide to submit entries in three categories:

Internet innovation – Calling on web developers to transform consumer-focused ideas into real applications on devices using technologies that include XHTML, CSS, Java Script, AJAX, widgets and other standards-based web technologies.

* Flash – Challenging creative developers and designers to build compelling applications that expand the capabilities and user benefits of Flash Lite on devices.

* Emerging Markets and Mobile Necessities – Urging developers to create innovative applications across mobile technology platforms – ranging from SMS through Series 40 and S60 device platforms. All applications will be considered, including those developed using Java, Python, or open source.

Emerging Markets – This includes applications designed to meet the needs and improve the daily lives of millions of people living in rural and semi-urban areas worldwide. It can include applications for education, health care and more.

Social responsibility – Applications that guide individuals to make the right ethical choice and lead a sustainable lifestyle.


The deadline to apply is

June 30, 2009!

Prizes include

• cash
  
  
• the opportunity to demo your winning application at a specified event this Fall
  
  
• "Spotlight" placement featuring your winning application at a newly announced store where consumers will find the best mobile applications and content for their devices.

Each contest category has been refined to provide you with additional guidance about the types of applications that the judges will be expecting to see.

All entries must be submitted by midnight (Eastern Standard Time) on 30 June 2009, so get started right away!

Here’s what you do to get started:

• Decide which category best fits your skills and interests, and then get the needed tools, documentation, and other support from our forum. It’s free to join, and when you become a member of the forum you can make the most of it's extensive development, testing, signing, go to market, and community resources.
  
  
• Create your application or widget -- or optimize your website -- for a specif mobile device.
  
  
• Submit your best work to the contest before the deadline at midnight (Eastern Standard Time) on 30 June 2009.

Full details about this competition can be found in the official rules.

The total cash and prizes for the 2009 contest are worth more than $250,000!

The top three submissions in each category will receive cash and prizes that include:

• Grand Prize winner: $30,000 USD in cash; "Spotlight" placement featuring the winning application for 4 weeks on the top page of a newly announced store, where consumers will find the best mobile applications and content for their devices; and paid travel to demo the winning application at a specified event in the Fall 2009.
  
  
• 2nd Place: $15,000 USD in cash; "Spotlight" placement featuring the winning application for 3 weeks on a relevant category page in a newly announced store, where consumers will find the best mobile applications and content for their devices.
  
  
• 3rd Place: $10,000 USD in cash; "Spotlight" placement featuring the winning application for 2 weeks on a relevant category page in a newly announced store, where consumers will find the best mobile applications and content for their devices.

The finalists of the contest will be announced on 17 August 2009.

State-Wide Equine Grant Program equine - of or relating to the horse By law, the funding for this particular grant program must go to support "equine research, education and promotion". Any group, individual, company or institution may apply for funding. Preference will be given to projects benefiting the largest number of people/horses. Grants to institutions and individuals will be related to equine research, education and industry enhancements and promotion.” Over $70,000 has been already awarded from funding from this grant program. The awards went to projects in nine communities and were presented at the state's Horse Fair. A detailed research application is available (as well as a shorter project application) via the website or you can contact the program directly by phone. Grant recipients include: Over $8,000 was received for equipment to help with volunteers for trail construction, reconstruction and maintenance at a national forest and nearby private property trails. "Hardening of the trails to withstand traffic without trail tread failure, muddiness or erosion is an increasingly important consideration,” according to one of the grant recipients. Equipment being funded includes packsaddles with gravel bags for use in wilderness areas, and a hydraulic gravel-hauling wagon for use in non-wilderness areas. A therapeutic horseback riding center received $8,000 toward its barn and paddock restoration project. One of the fairgrounds was given $7,800 to improve arena fencing and footing, re-establishing safety at the site for the many groups that use the public facility. During the severe flooding in the area during the summer of 2008, the grounds were used as a staging area for sand-bagging and other flood-fighting activities. Fencing around the area is used metal pipe, donated 20 years ago, and now rusted to ruin. Like many other projects supported, volunteers will remove old and install new fencing at the grounds. First steps for a new Riding Center are being funded with a $14,000 grant. The project is part of a 10-year master plan by the Advisory Committee, which requested help in creating a 7-acre turn out pasture to serve boarders and show participants, along with refurbishing access roads and ultimately a new indoor and outdoor arena and boarding facilities for 52 horses at the facility. The area has more than five miles of wooded and natural prairie trails. Another grant recipient received $7,200 to enhance and expand its 12-year-old ongoing training program for first response personnel who may serve at equestrian accident scenes. The objective is to develop basic familiarity in how to safely handle horses under crises conditions. One University staff member received $3,000 for the promotion of Natural Horsemanship Training Methods. “Natural Horsemanship is the term coined to describe a method of two-way communication between horse and human that is cooperative in nature. It differs from the more traditional, coercive-type horse training methods in that it offers options to the horse and encourages the horse to choose the desirable option rather than forcing the horse into a single, dictated action. A saddle club received $9,000 for their club’s arena and grounds project. Included in the grant is funding for road repair and a public address system and upgrades to arena and driveways at the site, which hosts 10 to 15 fun, pleasure and speed shows annually, as well as being used by many clubs. The PA system is a valuable aid in safely controlling equestrian and spectator traffic, according to Kennedy. Investigators from a university of Veterinary Medicine received $11,300 to study the effects of hyaluronic acid and triamcinolone alone and in combination on synovitis of equine stifle (which treatment option is best for painful, often debilitating osteoarthritis in a horse’s knee joint). In horses, osteoarthritis is more common and has greater economic impact than acute traumatic injuries or respiratory disease. It is a major source of debilitating pain, economic loss and decreased athleticism in the performance horse noting that 70% of the state's horses are used for recreation or showing.

Government Grant Program For Inventors!

*Please note that while this particular grant program is open to all to apply, this grant program should be of particular interest to inventors and those who deal with computer technologies

The deadline to apply for this grant is May 12, 2007!

There is no funding minimum or ceiling which I am assuming to mean that applicants can request a funding amount!

There is no cost sharing or matching requirement required!

This government grant program seeks white papers for efforts that shall develop and demonstrate technologies for the next generation components and systems in Electronic Warfare. Although white papers addressing any truly innovative idea will be considered, the primary emphasis is on technologies to Detect and Defeat Imaging Infrared and Multi-Mode Threats.

Proposed efforts should focus on development of technology and techniques to detect and/or counter advanced threat tracking systems, missiles, and other Precision Guided Munitions that:

• Employ imaging sensors operating in the infrared spectral bands (with emphasis on the atmospheric transmission bands at roughly 1-2, 3-5, and 8-12 micrometers) designed to passively track targets, guide weapons, and negate the effectiveness of infrared countermeasures that have limited spectral or spatial fidelity to the target signature
  
  
• Employ multiple passive and/or active modes of tracking and guidance (electro-optical imaging, infrared seeking, laser spot/beam tracking, radar homing, active radar emitting, radio frequency command guidance, etc.) that can operate sequentially or simultaneously during weapon engagement to negate the effectiveness of single-mode countermeasures.

For more information about this grant program you can contact them via phone.

Are You A Minority Student Interested In Computers? Our government has started a grant program that aims to significantly increase the number of U.S. citizens and permanent residents receiving post secondary degrees in the computing disciplines, with an emphasis on students from communities with longstanding under-representation in computing. Those underrepresented groups are women, persons with disabilities, African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. This program seeks to engage the computing community to develop and implement innovative methods, frameworks, and strategies to improve recruitment and retention of these students through undergraduate and graduate degrees. Projects that target stages of the academic pipeline from middle school through the early faculty ranks are welcome and there is a special emphasis on providing a national impact as far as application requests are concerned. (This means that your proposal / application must provide for having a national impact on society and increasing the number of those who have chosen a computer/computing-based career) That is, they should either develop an effective practice that could be widely deployed or they should deploy existing effective practices so as to reach larger audiences. The program will support three categories of awards: Alliance and Alliance Extension Projects are broad coalitions of academic institutions of higher learning, secondary (and possibly middle) schools, government, industry, professional societies, and other not-for-profit organizations that design and carry out comprehensive programs addressing underrepresentation in the computing disciplines. They have a large regional or national scope. Typically, Alliances operate across multiple stages of the academic pipeline and address multiple targeted groups. Together, Alliance participants develop and implement interventions that support students and early career faculty create sustainable changes in culture and practices at the institutional, departmental, and organizational levels serve as models and contribute to repositories for effective practices to broaden participation and leverage the work of existing efforts and other Alliances. Competitive projects will have significant impact both in the quality of opportunities afforded to participants and in the number of participants potentially served. Successful Alliances are eligible to compete for additional funding! Demonstration Projects are more focused than Alliance projects. Typical Demonstration Projects pilot innovative programs that, once fully developed, could be incorporated into the activities of an Alliance or otherwise scaled for widespread impact. Projects might, for example, be proposed by a single institution or might focus on a single underrepresented community, a single point in the academic pipeline, or a single impediment to full participation in computing. Leveraging, Scaling or Adapting Projects are intended to extend the impact of our most effective practices through leveraging, scaling and/or adaptation. Typical projects will use existing organizational structures and demonstrated best practices. For example, copy and adapt a successful regional Alliance infrastructure for a new region, combine and leverage the work of two or more Alliances, adapt an effective intervention for a different audience, or take an effective intervention and implement it across an Alliance or other organization with a broad reach. This grant program is open to ALL to apply and that includes individuals as well as for-profit businesses! 16 of these grants are estimated to be awarded! Maximum individual grant award is $2 Million Dollars! Deadline to apply is May 13, 2009!

Government Grant Program Open To All!

Here is one of the most latest government grant programs that is open to all!

Announcement of Program Funding

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

requests applications for a conservation-related grant program. This grant program has been put in place to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies.

For Fiscal year 2008, up to $100,000 is available for this government grant competition. Funds will be awarded through a statewide competitive grants process. There are two components of this grant program available in fiscal year 2008:

• Natural Resource Concerns Component and the Technology Component.
  
  Applications are requested from eligible government or non-government organizations or individuals within the state that is holding this competition for consideration of grant awards for projects between one and three years in duration.
  
  This information identifies the objectives for this grant program which includes the eligibility criteria for projects and associated instructions needed to apply.
  
  PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND ADDRESSES:
  
  Proposals must be received in the State Office by 4 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST) on April 25, 2008.
  
  The address for hand-delivered applications or applications submitted using mail or overnight courier service is also provided as part of this grant information.
  
  To submit your application electronically, you can visit the government's website and follow the instructions.
  
  See the URL link for the full announcement of this grant program.

Bet You Didn't Know........

Have you seen the commercials of Dr. Jarvik. He is the medical doctor who invented an artificial heart that is currently being tested on patients (which means that he is also an inventor). Currently he is coming under a lot of scrutiny because of the drug that he pitches on those commercials.

But did you know that Dr. Jarvik has received both federal grant money and private investment capital from a Connecticut investor for his invention? (He is currently working on a newer version of his invention.) But even with all that provided funding, Dr. Jarvik has maintained control of his small company, and several of its employees are members of his family.

One Of The Ways That A For-Profit Business Gets A Government Grant Is......

for the developement of a product.

For example one business got a multi-million dollar government grant to help to develop tools to measure the health of people with asthma. The business will collaborate on the project with a health-plan provider. The grant will help the business complete development of its product, which enables patients with asthma to report their condition to measure their illness.

What is also interesting to note is that this business has received government grant funding more than once!

This grant award was provided from The National Institutes of Health.

Win $200,000 In Energy Competition

To help address the important issue of conserving energy or finding new sources of energy there is a competition going on. This is not a grant program but a competiton / contest sort of thing. There is a $200,000 grand prize plus a few other cash prizes as well.

One of the eligibility requirements is that all entrants’ businesses must support a technology, product, or service in the clean energy sector. Another requirement is that you have to enter this competition as part of a team - you can't enter as an individual.

Your entry can include but is not limited to:

• Renewable sources of energy (solar, wind, fuel cells, bio-fuels, geothermal, hydro-technologies, etc.)
  
  
• Conservation and demand response (building use, grid management, delivery & transportation, resource mining, extraction and refining)
  
  
• Enabling technologies (power electronics, storage systems and batteries, cables & wires, sensors & instrumentation, control systems, materials & manufacturing technology)
  
  
  
• More efficient & effective use of hydrocarbons (hybrid cars, cleaner use of coal, more environmentally friendly oil recovery methods, CO2 sequestration)
  
  
  
• Integrated Systems (sustainable design & integrated clean energy applications)

The deadline to apply is in February of 2008.

You can apply via their website.

Calling All College Students!

Would a $100,000 grant award help you and your team develop a new technology-related project? Do you have a business plan for a project or business to help bring more education and/or awareness to the community?

These are just 2 of the requirements for eligibility that are needed for a grant program that was started last year! Business plans submitted have been funded as part of the early process and all vie for the final grant award of $100,000.

Already one project submitted involves rap music where besides using it as a self-promotion for its own artist, the rap music itself is being used as a teaching tool!

Another project involves the developement of a gaming device that others can use at parties and social gatherings.

Another project partially funded is being developed by a team of college students who want to create a better and less "prejudiced" version of Digg!

The finalists will be given the opportunity to pitch their ideas to executives who may fund their projects!

Another For-Profit Business Receives A Government Grant From The SBA!

So the Small Business Administration doesn't have grant programs - huh?

Steve Shivvers' chance at making a difference in the world did not come without perseverance.

After nine years of research, design trial and errors and relentless pursuit of funding for his work, the Corydon businessman was able to create an energy-efficient grain-drying system through his family company, Shivvers Manufacturing. His invention, which he hopes to introduce commercially next year, was funded in part with federal grants. "Without government grants, we never could have done this project," Shivvers said.

Shivvers is one of dozens of Iowa entrepreneurs who have tapped into federal agencies in recent years for grants to fund research and develop products at manufacturing companies.

The federal government will offer more than $2.2 billion this year through grant programs to U.S. businesses. The programs target innovative technology projects at manufacturing companies with 500 or fewer workers.

Andrew Peek said his company was able to use a $100,000 grant from the government to fund research on ribonucleic acid, or RNA, which is used in gene therapy. Peek, director of bioinformatics at Integrated DNA Technologies Inc. in Coralville, said the grant funded four researchers who worked on the project for four months.

Integrated DNA Technologies, which produces and ships tiny strands of synthetic DNA to labs around the world, identified three federal agencies that offered the grants for which the company might qualify. It applied to government agency in particular because it had the largest pot of money, giving the company a greater chance of winning a grants, Peek said.

The laborious grant-writing process took more than a month to complete because of all the information that was required. The company plans to submit a second proposal for additional grants next year to further its work on RNA.

Iowa companies received $4.7 million in grants this year, which was up from $3.5 million in 2006

Part of what I do is to help individuals and companies write and review grant applications. It is an added service of mine that I have now added to my other list of sevices because people and businesses that want to apply for grants need to know the basic ins and outs of the process involved in applying for grants.

Massachusetts and California receive "hundreds of millions of dollars each year" in government grants, and they rank among the top states obtaining the federal funds. Iowa is ranked 45th but that rank is increasing in number. There is enormous potential for Iowa companies to receive grant money.

Lack of awareness and support for submitting grant proposals are reasons why more companies don't take advantage of the programs

These grant programs were created to stimulate technology innovation and increase private sector commercialization of those innovations. Companies are eligible for up to $100,000 for a six-month project or $150,000 for a 12-month project. During the second funding phase, companies can receive up to $750,000 for research and development of a product over two years. After that, companies are expected to bring their products to the marketplace.

Shivvers has applied for 10 grants and received four, totaling $415,000, from two government agencies to fund development of his energy-efficient grain dryers. He has also applied for $350,000 in additional funding to further develop his product.

These government grant programs can enable companies to bring out products that would have great benefits to society.

The key is persistence

Federal agencies offering the grants have different deadlines, submission and review processes, topic areas and funding levels.

The best advice that can be given about applying for these grants is to read the solicitations from agencies carefully and following instructions to the letter and that will help improve your company's chances of being seriously considered for the grants.

Johansen said the payoffs, once awarded a grant, are substantial. The other benefits of receiving a government grant include:

• No payback because the programs provide grants, not loans.
  

• Brings recognition, credibility and visibility to companies.
  

• Can act as a leveraging tool to attract other sources of financing.
  

Getting Investors

I see a lot of "investors wanted" posts all over the Internet. Somebody has an idea for a great invention and they need investors so they post to the Internet. I used to think that this was a very futile kind of thing to do but in the back of my mind was always the thought "you never know". Its one of the things that I talk about on my consultation page - about the fact that you never know where your opportunities may come from.

So tonight I was watching this program about a man who invented a different kind of sneaker and what was so surprising to me was that an investor sought him out instead of it being the other way around where he went after investors. Did you know that he got a check from his investor for $150,000!

So this kinds of puts things in a new perspective as far as those who are looking for investors go. If you got a good invention and you need investors - SPREAD THE WORD! You never know who's listening!