Central Grants Office
Address: ANNOUNCING NEW PROGRAM:
999 Broad Street Bridgeport Advancing Capacity Together (ACT)
City Hall Annex
Bridgeport, CT 06604 ACT Round 1 - Request for Application
Tel (203) 332-5662
Fax (203) 332-5657
Contact E-Mail:
Central Grants Office
Department Information:
The Central Grants Office seeks alternative sources of income, administers grant-funded programs, and serves as a funding resource center so that City departments and locally based non-profit agencies can improve, expand, or enhance programs and service delivery without increasing the burden of the City’s taxpayers. Central Grants reviews, prepares and submits grant applications to various funding sources and monitors the budgetary and financial aspects of grant use for compliance.
Links to Grant Opportunities
Central Grants and Community Development is now accepting applications for PY36. The application for CDBG, ESG, and HOPWA can be downloaded through the link below. If you are interested in a HOME application, please contact the office at 576-8144.
PY36 Application
Central Grants Office Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What kind of grants do you have?
The Central Grants Office mission is to assist City Departments and locally based non-profit agencies to secure alternative sources of revenue to support key projects and new or expanded services without increasing the burden on the City’s taxpayers.
Therefore, we are not a direct granting organization. Instead if you are a local agency looking for funding or to collaborate with a city agency on a project or are interested in applying for a grant opportunity you have identified please call our office and we will determine how we may be able to help you. You can reach us at 203-332-5662. We generally do not fund programs directly. We assist City Departments and agencies to identify funding sources and to apply for grants already identified.
Does Central Grants give out money to local non-profits?
The Central grants office is not a granting organization. However, an essential component to the mission of the Department is assisting local non-profits is locating funding opportunities. Please call us at 203-332-5662 to set up a meeting with Department staff.
How can my organization become aware of grant opportunities from government and private sources to support our mission?
There are a number of websites and electronic newsletters and the Central Grants Office is constantly researching grant opportunities for City departments and local nonprofit organizations.
The website grants.gov (www.grants.gov) has a searchable index of all available federal funding. In addition, they have a electronic daily newsletter (http://www.grants.gov/ReceiveGrantOpportunityNotification) which sends an updated funding availability list to your e-mail box daily.
If you are a nonprofit looking for funding, please feel free to set up a meeting with Department staff (call 203-332-5662) to register your areas of interest. After this initial meeting, we will keep you informed of future funding opportunities that meet your organization’s needs.
The Greater Bridgeport Area Foundation’s Nonprofit Resource Center (www.gbafoundation.org) contains many books on funding opportunities as well as The Foundation Center’s Foundation Search and the Connecticut Council on Philanthropy’s software. Please contact them to set up a tour of the Center and training on the software.
Your federal representatives – Congressman Himes (http://www.house.gov/himes/), and Senators Dodd (http://dodd.senate.gov/) and Lieberman (http://lieberman.senate.gov/) have staff to assist local organizations in locating federal funding.
Can the Central Grants Office give me money to renovate my home?
No. The Central Grants Office has no grant funds available to renovate homes but you may be eligible for grant or loan programs for this purpose. If you live in Bridgeport, call the Community Development Administration at 203-576-7134 or Human Services Department at 203-576-7110 to ask about funding available.
You can also check with local non-profits, faith-based and community groups who often have volunteer programs that assist seniors or low-income homeowners with small repair jobs. Two groups to check are Americorps at 860-240-3287 or Americares at 1-800-486-HELP (4357).
Can Central Grants give me money to start my own business?
No. The Central Grants Office does not provide specific funding for business start up costs. Some resources to check if interested in starting a business in the local or Greater Bridgeport Area are listed below.
City of Bridgeport Office of Planning and Economic Development (OPED) 203-576-7760
Bridgeport Economic Development Corporation (BEDCO) 203-335-3800 (http://www.bridgeport-econ.org/)
Community Capital Fund 203-335-1562
Bridgeport Economic Resource Center (BERC) 203-335-1108
Small Business Administration 860-240-4700 (http://www.sba.gov/ct/)
Can Central Grants give me money to go to school?
No. You should first contact the financial aid office for the school you want to attend to find out about education grants and loans available. You can also check the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation website at www.cslf.com and the U.S. Department of Education’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid website at www.fafsa.ed.gov for more information.
Also, the Greater Bridgeport Area Foundation (www.gbafoundation.org) or Career Resources One Stop Center (www.careerresources.org) may have scholarship information available.
What grant resources are available in Central Grants or on the Internet?
Federal Grants: http://www.grants.gov/ReceiveGrantOpportunityNotification
Private Foundation Grants: http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/
Local Community Foundations: www.gbafoundation.org and www.fcfoundation.org
How come I can’t apply online for a grant with Central Grants?
The Central Grants Office assists City Departments and local agencies by identifying federal, state and other funding opportunities that may be appropriate for key projects or expanded services. We are not a direct funding source so we normally don’t “make” grants. In the future, we hope to provide a registration form on our website where local agencies can submit online their information and interested areas of funding needs that we will use as a database to contact agencies when funding sources have been identified that meet your needs. Until that happens, please call us at 203-332-5662 to set up an appointment to meet with a grant writer to discuss your agency or program and how we can assist you.
