Grants.gov marks first anniversary

Grants.gov, the single Web site unifying federal grants, marked its first year of operations as one of the more successful of 25 Quicksilver e-government projects. Grants.gov lets applicants find and apply for federal grants online at one site.“In just 12 months, site usage has grown significantly to more than five million pageviews each month, and the momentum continues," HHS secretary Tommy Thompson said. Grants.gov, a collaborative effort led by the Health and Human Services Department, is one of 25 e-government initiatives under the governance of theOffice of Management and Budget. It is one of only two e-gov initiatives to meet OMB operational goals this year.With Grants.gov, state, local and tribal governments, colleges and universities, non-profits, research institutions and other organizations can access, find and apply for grants from more than 900 programs representing more than $360 billion in annual grant funds offered by the 26 grant-making agencies. "General awareness is building due to marketing efforts and word-of-mouth buzz in the grant community,” said Rebecca Spitzgo, Grants.gov program manager. The site lists all federal grant notices, while 60 percent of grantor agencies are now able to post application packages and accept grant applications electronically.User satisfaction with Grants.gov's comprehensive listings and simplicity ofuse is leading to repeat site visits and pass-along endorsements, Spitzgo said. For example, Jane Lopez, research administrator for the VirginiaInstitute of Marine Science, called it “grants submission for dummies."Among its accomplishments, Grants.gov has: