Government Technology - September 2008 - (Page 42)

funding S TAT E | L O C A L | F E D E R A L j j Synopsis: Grants .gov offers a Web conferencing function for making the federal grant application process more accessible. the B Y A N D Y O P S A H L | F E AT U R E S E D I T O R Finding Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Technologies: Web conferencing. Contact: Michael Pellegrino, management analyst officer, Grants.gov, 800/518-4726. Money Grants.gov workers make themselves available via Web conferencing to aid the federal grant seeking process. Grants.gov users participate in the Web conferences from their desktops or watch in classroom settings with other grant seekers. The Web conferencing feature isn’t clearly advertised on the site, which could explain the lack of state and local government participation. To schedule a Web conference, click the “Applicant Resources” link on the Grants.gov home page. Then click “Outreach Request Form.” Fill out the form and e-mail S SEPT_08 tate and local governments seeking federal grants could be missing an opportunity. Grants.gov is the central access point for finding and applying for grants from all 26 federal grant-making agencies. Most grant seekers in state and local government likely know that. However, as of this writing, none of them utilize the Web conferencing function offered by Grants.gov, which is designed to make the bureaucracy-laden process more accessible. The site was established as part of President George W. Bush’s fiscal 2002 Management Agenda designed to improve government services. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services assumed control of the site’s management. Federal grant seekers began requesting Grants.gov representatives to speak nationwide at seminars about navigating the complicated site. The staff attended events near Washington, D.C., but regularly traveling across the country wasn’t in the budget. To satisfy the demand for clarity, Grants.gov implemented a WebEx conferencing tool in 2007. Nonprofits and governments, if they accept the invitation, can set up meetings with Michael Pellegrino, management analyst officer of Grants.gov, for guidance in plain language on using the site. “It has a camera so the audience can see me. We walk through a standard presentation, and then we go live into the Web site. The sessions are interactive; we answer any questions the audience may have,” Pellegrino said. “They can submit questions in the chat area. There is also a conference number where they call in. I prefer, for the most part, we answer them verbally. I’ve done a small session with two people. I’ve done [sessions with] upwards of 225.” it to support@grants.gov. According to the site, someone from Grants.gov will contact you. Grants.gov has seen a 25 percent increase in grant applications since deploying the WebEx function last year. Pellegrino said he couldn’t necessarily attribute the increase to the Web conferencing, but it has helped. He has conducted 16 Web conferences so far in 2008. 42 http://Grants.gov http://Grants.gov http://Grants.gov http://Grants.gov http://Grants.gov http://Grants.gov http://Grants.gov http://Grants.gov http://Grants.gov http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - September 2008

Government Technology - September 2008 Contents Point of View On the Scene Big Picture Four Questions for... Up Close Fork in the Road On Time and On Target On the Record, Off the Charts Government’s Greatest Asset? Easy Access Finding the Money Security in the Wireless World The Case for Mobility Spectrum Products Two Cents signal:noise Digital Communities Contents A New Government Paradigm News is Now Transformation Web 2.0 Style Protecting Community Media Thinking Regionally Government at La-Z-Boy Speed

Government Technology - September 2008

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