Montgomery County Intergenerational Center Meeting:
Finding Grants
On September 29, 2009, representatives of Maryland and Montgomery County public and private organizations with an interest in intergenerational programs attended the first 2009-2010 Montgomery County Intergenerational Center meeting at Interages. Among the attendees were Austin Heyman, Interages Board member and founder of Interages, Interages Executive Director Carol Croll and Interages staff, and the following individuals: Sandra Cobb, Chief Administrator for Federal Programs, Maryland Department of Aging; Marcy Drodzowicz, Executive Director, OASIS at Macy’s Home Store; Carlos Falcon, Recreation Specialist, Montgomery County Department of Recreation; Liesel Flashenberg, President, TKKD; Derek Johnson, Service Coordinator, Springvale Terrace, representing Barbara Crawford; Pat Myers, Intergenerational Programs Coordinator, OASIS at Macy’s Home Store; Tara Parks, Sunrise Senior Living, Fox Hill; David Richman, GROWS; Kelly Shuggars, Recreation Assistant, Genesis Health Care Layhill Center; Sheri Stenig, Generations United; Kathleen Stobie, Director, RSVP; Selma Sweetbaum, Senior Adult Director, Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington; Kathleen Thrower, Program Manager, Rebuilding Together Montgomery County; and Margaret Arutiam, Student, Montgomery College Takoma Park.
Some of the attendees participated in the Center’s meetings in the past; others attended for the first time. Carol Croll, Executive Director of Interages, welcomed attendees and briefly described the history and purpose of Interages. Participants then introduced themselves by name and organization.
Mr. Eric Brenner, Director of the Maryland Governor’s Grants Office, was the featured speaker. His is the first Director of the Maryland Governor’s Grants Office and modeled the Maryland office after a similar office he developed for the Governor of Illinois. Only five States have a Governor’s grants office. Mr. Brenner’s work has focused on the creation and implementation of public policy in a number of areas, including human services, health care, and community revitalization. In addition to serving as Director of the Maryland Governor’s Grants Office, Mr. Brenner has served as the National Governor’s Association (NGA) representative on the NGA’s Policy Academy on Engaging Older Adults, along with representatives from the Maryland Department on Aging, the Maryland Governor’s Office of Service and Volunteering, County Offices of Community Partnerships, and the Baltimore Community Organization. Intergenerational issues were part of the discussion in the Policy Academy.
Mr. Brenner spoke of the work of the Governor’s Grants Office and of funding information and training sources available in Maryland. The Governor’s Grants Office website (www.gov.state.md.us/grants ) shows funds as they come in to Maryland as well as information on 23 counties, Baltimore City, and local contacts. Federal money generally funds the State and the State in turn awards funds at the County level (e.g. public schools). The Governor’s Grants Office website (www.gov.state.md.us/grants ) has a link on its homepage to Maryland private foundations, where information on foundations’ tax filings can be found. The Urban Institute maintains the information at this link.
Mr. Brenner suggested sources for researching grant funding. One source is the Foundation Center in Washington, D.C . (www.foundationcenter.org/washington). The Foundation Center allows research for a fee; the Rockville Public Library maintains a cooperative collection and one can research Foundation Center information for free and in more detail than at the Foundation Center. The grants person at the Rockville Public Library is the person to see about searching the Foundation Center data.
Another source of funding information, www.USASpending.gov, which shows, within 30 days of award organizations are receiving Federal grants or contracts. Subcontracts are also shown at this website.
The Governor’s Grants Office offers free training on grant writing. Information on the training is available on the Governor’s Grants Office website (www.gov.state.md.us/grants). Carol Croll, Interages Executive Officer, asked if Mr. Brenner’s office would be able to provide grant writing training in Montgomery County. The suggestion was made to contact the grants librarian at the Rockville Public Library to arrange space for training. (Note: we have since learned that the Foundation Center is offering free grants writing training at the Rockville Library during the fall.) Details on the Rockville training sessions can be found on the Foundation Center website at http://foundationcenter.org/washington/training/RockvilleSeries.html
Pat Myers from OASIS invited those present to the October 15, 2009 event featuring Dr. Jerry Weast, Superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools. Dr. Weast will speak to OASIS and Interages Volunteers, Montgomery County Intergenerational Center Members, other invited guests and members of the general public on “The Seven Keys to College Readiness.” The “Keys” are achievement goals for successive grade levels, geared to increase the likelihood of students’ entering college and completing a college degree. New members of the group then briefly described the purpose of their organizations to the rest of the group.
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