Discover a new grant opportunity in our webinar

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Join us for a new webinar series

Save the Date! January 25th: Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grant Webinar

Please join us next Thursday, January 25th at 1pm ET for a webinar with a national federal grants expert to learn more about a new grant opportunity and the steps that elections officials will need to take to submit an application.

We understand that as you wait for elections appropriations, doing your own research about additional grant opportunities can be labor and time intensive. That's why we're hoping to take some of that work off your plate through a new webinar series. Starting next week, we'll be providing our understanding of a new federal grant program released by FEMA and supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The “Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities” or BRIC program presents an exciting opportunity for state and local election officials to seek federal funding to improve elections operations. The BRIC program is investing $1 billion in public infrastructure funds across the country, including $701 million in competitive grants to ensure that local jurisdictions can increase resilience of critical services from natural hazards. As a core element of government function, elections are a critical service and eligible for this government funding. These webinars will cover the application process, and will include sample content, as well as inspiration for what the grant funds can be used for.

The first webinar in this series kicks off on Thursday, January 25th. The grant deadline is February 29, 2024. We'll follow up early next week with more details on how to register. But if you're interested to learn more now and save your spot, please reach out to colline@techandciviclife.org.

About the Presenter

Dan Meuse is the founder and principal of Olden Street Advisors, a firm dedicated to person-centered public policy and program design. Olden Street has engaged with state and local officials across the country to implement novel approaches to government services in health care, social services, climate resilience, and election modernization, with more than $350 million in funded projects now in operation. Dan serves as a fellow with the Institute for Responsive Government and is a faculty member at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs. An experienced facilitator and strategist, Dan guides clients through industry jargon and government bureaucracy while ensuring that those with lived experience can inform the process to achieve lasting change.

Reporting Back from Last Week on Capitol Hill

In related news, last week marked an important milestone in our continued commitment to advocate for reliable election infrastructure funding. As part of the Election Center’s Joint Election Officials Liaison Conference (JEOLC) in Washington, D.C., we supported 89 meetings between election officials and Congressional offices. During these meetings, election officials had the chance to highlight the innovations they are employing in their offices as well as the most pressing challenges they are facing heading into this major election year.

The day was a tremendous success, with multiple Congressional offices expressing their intent to provide local election officials with meaningful support as they prepare for a costly and intense election season. For many of the JEOLC participants, it was their first time coming to the Hill. Thanks to our coaching and logistical support, local election officials were able to build their skills, hold productive meetings, and carry themselves with confidence. We're looking forward to broadening our partnership with The Election Center and building on this new tradition in coming years to further develop this skill set among the elections community.