Broadband Grant Writing in Demand, Ads Show
The $7.2 billion federal broadband stimulus already seems to be stimulating jobs in one profession: grant writing. Several technology companies and temporary employee placement firms are advertising on the Internet for broadband stimulus grant writers to help with the paperwork.
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For instance, Synerfac, a temporary technology staffing company says it’s looking for someone to write a “single consolidated grant application” for the competitive Broadband Technical Opportunity Program. The application must be “very broad-based and will seek funding for a number of wired and wireless broadband solutions,” said the ad. A call to the company was not returned. And Resource Associates, which specializes in writing grant proposals for non-profit organizations, has received numerous inquiries about helping with broadband applications, a spokesperson from the company said.
Although NTIA and RUS are still working on how to give out the federal funds, a large number of potential applicants have begun assembling the necessary data to be ready for the Notice of Funding Availability that’s expected by the end of June, we're told. Others have sought legal advice on how to prepare an application without actually knowing the rules.
Many applicants are going forward particularly carefully because they view the funds as a “a product of legislation, policy and rules of law, yet to be promulgated,” said a lawyer who’s helping public and private organizations with the stimulus application process. The lawyer, whose firm is both writing grant proposals for clients and advising third- party grant writers, said the uncertainty of how the rules will come down makes legal assistance especially helpful.