GEM$ Initiatives and Current News

This page contains information on current GEM$ initiatives as well as grant related announcements. If you would like to post a grant related announcement, please use the Feedback link to send us the information. Include all the pertinent details of the announcement in your correspondence. We will also need your e-mail address so we can contact you if there are questions.

Current GEM$ Initiatives

Common Application Pilot Project - The Iowa Grants Network is partnering with Iowa Interactive, which offers eGovernment solutions, to to develop a web based grant application/review process for state agencies and local governments to use when awarding grants.

Iowa Interactive will work with 5 state agencies. The pilot agencies are:

Department of Cultural Affairs
Department of Education
Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Office of Drug Control Policy
Department of Human Rights

There will be no charge for the development or usage of the system
Use of this electronic grants tool will be voluntary. An agency will also be able to choose which grants to use it for and can switch to paper at any time.
When complete, the process will include a:

grant form - customizable to meet the needs of individual agencies;
mechanism to identify qualifications of applicants as a first step in the application process;
on-line grant evaluation process;
on-line scoring system which also allows for re-scoring;
bulletin board to allow evaluators to share comments;
process for the electronic distribution of letters to applicants; and a
process to manage the grantee reporting requirements and evaluate the reports