Today's launch is the first step in the Shapiro Administration's initiative to reimagine how grants are administered by the Commonwealth to increase visibility of grant opportunities, lower barriers to entry, and promote greater competition for funding.
HARRISBURG, PA – Today, Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver and the Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience (CODE PA) launched a new resource on PA.gov that makes it easier for residents, businesses, non-profits, schools, and local governments to find and apply to grant programs from state agencies.
“We are working to level the playing field for state and federal dollars to benefit communities, small businesses, schools, non-profits, and many others across Pennsylvania,” said Secretary Weaver. “Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, we are working to increase participation in these programs for even greater impact across our Commonwealth.”
State agencies distribute billions of dollars in funding each year through over 300 grant programs. Previously, information about grants was scattered across numerous agency websites, making it difficult for potential applicants to know what programs are available, whether they qualify, and how and when to apply for them. The challenge is particularly acute for small businesses and non-profits that may not have the resources to identify funding opportunities on their own.
The new discovery tool allows users to search for, sort, and filter information about grants based on the type of applicant (business, individual, non-profit, public agency, school, etc.), category, application deadline, location, and other criteria. The search results include links to each program, including information on who the funding is intended for, the application process, key dates and deadlines, eligibility criteria, and where to apply.
CODE PA conducted extensive internal and external research to inform the design of the new grants discovery tool, including focus groups with over 100 external grant participants and employees in 24 agencies who administer grant programs.
“One of the themes we heard consistently throughout our interviews with grant participants was the need for a comprehensive way to discover funding opportunities across state agencies and share the information with other interested entities and organizations,” said Bry Pardoe, Executive Director of CODE PA. “This is a long-awaited tool that directly solves this problem for Pennsylvanians. CODE PA was created to build custom solutions to Pennsylvanians' problems for a fraction of the cost outside vendors would charge - and we're proud to continue delivering those solutions."
The next phase of CODE PA’s work will focus on improvements to the existing Electronic Single Application (ESA), a shared platform that manages the application and administration processes for grants by multiple state agencies. The changes to ESA will improve accessibility and provide information in additional languages, ensuring that all Pennsylvanians can take advantage of these programs. CODE PA will also work to overcome technical challenges identified by grant participants and help to streamline the management of grant programs for Commonwealth employees.
Learn more about the Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience at code.pa.gov.
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