GOSHEN COUNTY – Understanding grants is something the Goshen County Economic Development Corporation can help with to be successful in starting a business or restarting a business.
GCEDC hosted a round table discussion Sept. 11 on grants. Topics discussed included how to apply and write a grant and what a grant can be used for. The GCEDC had just been approved for a $3 million grant for the Goshen County Care Center development that will need a total of $7 million.
Federal level grants become more detailed with more regulations that the receiver must follow and becomes cumbersome. Chief Executive Officer Ashley Harpstreith said the first thing to know is that applying for grants is time consuming.
“Grants are not free money,” she said. “You pay with your time writing, reporting and all the research to apply for a grant.
“First thing is to come into our office, where we will help to align the right funding we are aware of,” Harpstreith said. “The easiest money to align you with is local funding.”
Grants are like research projects. Most are a reimbursement-only.
“You never want to cram in a project or make the project fit the money,” Harpstreith said. “You want to have your vision, your project dialed in, then you find the money to fit the project. You want to always stand behind your project.”
With reimbursement-only grants, project managers must prove the project was completed as planned, she said. With a capitol matching grant, funding agencies reimburse a set percentage – typically half – of the money spent on the project.
Because most grants are from tax payer dollars the use of grant money must be approved for any use beyond the grant plan.
Asking for a grant is a competition when individuals and towns are looking for money to improve their community. There is only so much money to be given to needed projects.
This is one of the reasons grant-seekers should contact the GCEDC, Harpstreith said. The group can help review applications and make sure goals and objectives are well stated.
“As a business, if you are going to use the capitol matching dollars here locally for a sign that is a $1,000 sign, you have to show that it is paid for,” she said. “Then you will get reimbursed $500.”
To date, local Progress Fund monies have helped 168 businesses and groups in Goshen County, funded through the county’s 1/4-cent sales tax. The tax has made more than $700,000 available in funds and grants, GCED Marketing and Operations Director Sondera Dent told the group.
The Capitol Matching Grant is used for store front remodeling, landscaping, exterior demolition and clean up. It has been used for sidewalks, parking lots, signage and ADA accessibility, Dent explained. The community enhancement grants are designed for non-profits helping with community development.
