TORRINGTON – In a first-time offering, staff of the Goshen County Economic Development Corporation presented an hour-long program Tuesday noon on successful grant writing. About 50 people from as far as Scottsbluff heard the best advice available on securing grants.
“Have a solid vision, and a strategy for your project before you apply for a grant,” GCED CEO Ashley Harpstreith told her listeners. “Missing information can cost you a grant.
“Get your vision started and growing before you come in,” she advised. “It will be less terrifying.”
According to Harpstreith, the goal of Wednesday’s workshop was to educate the community about what resources are available.
“Grant writing can be daunting and confusing so we wanted to be able to concisely explain how funding works,” she explained. “We sponsored this event so the public knows we are here to help them put their best application forward to write winning proposals. The response was well received. As you could see, the room was full.”
During the hour-long session Harpstreith and staff reviewed the six grant programs available through their office. These include three Progress options: Capital Matching, Community Enhancement and Infrastructure. The Lodging Tax Grant is for advertising local events, and the Community Pride grant is to promote local youth activities. There also are several miscellaneous grants that are worth checking into.
Each grant has its own set of guidelines and goals, from promoting local athletics for children to drawing nationally known bronc riders and calf ropers, and offering theatrical presentations.
The Progress Community Enhancement fund is intended to assist communities and nonprofit organizations working to create, improve and strengthen the quality of life by promoting and enhancing job development. Award levels can be as high as $10,000 or as determined by the GCEDC board of directors.
The Progress Infrastructure Investment fund utilizes the one-quarter cent sales tax funds to provide funding for publicly owned infrastructure that serves the needs of businesses and communities. All Goshen County municipalities are eligible to apply. Awards can be as much as $20,000.
The Progress Capital Matching Fund is intended to help new and existing businesses to succeed, make their property more attractive, and make the community more attractive to new businesses, employees, residents and visitors. Award levels can be as high as $10,000 or as determined by the GCEDC board of directors.
For those interested in obtaining Progress grants, contact the GCEDC office at 307-532-5162, or email progress@goshenwyo.com
Lodging Tax grants must be used to attract visitors to Goshen County, and will promote tourism within the county. Funding information is available from Sandy Hoehn, Community Development Director, at the Goshen County Chamber of Commerce office, 307-532-3879, or email sandy@goshenwyo.com
Community Pride Foundation grant proposals must address at least one of these youth activities: Arts, Athletics/Sports, Education, Leadership. Awards typically range from $500 to $2,500, but grants for other amounts will be considered. Funding for youth activities is limited to $10,000 per year. Funding information is available from Sandy Hoehn, Community Development Director, at the Goshen County Chamber of Commerce office, 307-532-3879, or email sandy@goshenwyo.com
Funding for the Goshen County Recreation Board Project awards is raised through an additional one mill tax levy on Goshen County property. Contact the GECDC office for more information, and the one-page application form.
“The comments we received were all positive in that it helped them understand which grant was applicable for their project,” Harpstreith said. “We made additional appointments with entities to further discuss their projects in more detail. So, I would say this event was 100 percent successful! We hope to host this event once a year.”
Harpstreith’s advice to those interested in obtaining one of these grants is, “Start with us. It’s free.”
