General Resources

Excerpted from the National Council of Nonprofits Economic Stimulus & Recovery Special Reports, 1 and 2

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, providing new spending and tax cuts totaling $787.2 billion for the following purposes:

1. To preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery.
2. To assist those most impacted by the recession.
3. To provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health.
4. To invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long‐term economic benefits.
5. To stabilize state and local government budgets, in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services.

Economic Stimulus Funds Are There for Nonprofits, Too

Nonprofits play a vital role in working to improve the health, safety, and quality of life in local communities every day.  As core and vital American institutions meeting community needs, nonprofits should not be shy about stepping forward if you truly can use the funds as the Act intends.

• The federal government’s main website for the Recovery Act: www.recovery.gov
• Links to federal agency recovery act pages
• www.grants.gov is a central storehouse for information on over 1,000 federal grant programs, including Recovery Act grants
• Check the grants.gov blog for the latest news on Recovery Act grants
• New changes in grants processing due to high volume
  

• Initial guidance issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget 
• Latest statement issues by OMB (PDF); sweeping new guidelines strongly support equity
  
• OMBWatch summary of the Act’s accountability and transparency provisions (PDF)
  
• Coalition for an Accountable Recovery

• Short memo from the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice summarizing federal civil rights laws that may apply to Recovery Act programs and funding (PDF)
  
• Stimulating Equity: Talking Points For State Implementation of Federal Stimulus Dollars (PDF), from Tides project Center for Social Inclusion
• Working Poor Families Project principles for implementation (PDF)
• From the Kirwan Institute, Impact of the Economic Stimulus Plan on Communities of Color (published 2/18/09)
• Environmental Justice and the Stimulus: A Vision Statement, Recommendations, and Tools for Communities
  

• Act Appropriations Beneficial to the Nonprofit Sector and Key Resources for Organizations to Approach and Access Funding Sources (PDF, published 4/27/09) from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University
  
• Federal Economic Stimulus Legislation: Nonprofit Grant Opportunities (PDF, published 2/23/09) from the National Council of Nonprofits
  
• "How the New Recovery Package Benefits Nonprofits" (PDF, published 3/4/09), produced by the office of Rep. Jim Moran
• Grant Application Information, Tips, and Thoughts (PDF, published 2/24/09) from National Council of Nonprofits
  
• The Cohen Report on the Intersection of Nonprofits, Politics, and Public Policy (blog)

• Nonprofit Strategies for Tough Times: Economic Stimulus Act FAQ on PhilanTopic, PND's blog of news and commentary