Governor Gordon Lauds WY Grants Assistance Program, Announces Best Practices Webinar

Governor Mark Gordon congratulated the Wyoming Grants Management Office (GMO) today as it approaches its one year anniversary of deploying the Wyoming Grants Assistance Program (WYGAP). The occasion coincides with the announcement of the WYGAP Anniversary Webinar: Project Planning Best Practices on July 9 from 10-11:30 AM MT

 “The experienced WYGAP team plays an integral part in helping communities and individuals identify, apply for, and manage grants,” Governor Gordon said.

The Governor’s WYGAP Initiative - spearheaded by Wyoming Grants Integration Manager Dru Palmer and Grants Administrator Christine Emminger - provides valuable information and hands-on assistance to state agencies, local government, and non-profit personnel; small business and land owners; and tribal and organizational leaders seeking information on available funding opportunities. Governor Gordon also thanked Senators Barrasso and Lummis, whose support in the creation of the Wyoming Funding Summit helped pave the way for WYGAP.

“Through the initiative our Grants Management Office seeks to help communities address one-time project funding to assist with infrastructure upgrades – particularly water and sewer issues – while also addressing economic development needs,” Governor Gordon said. “This upcoming webinar marks a year of focused, valuable, and continuing efforts to seek funding that Wyomingites have already paid into the federal purse and have every right to seek to reinvest in our communities.”

Key Take-Aways:

Those who complete the interactive Best Practices webinar will gain an understanding of:

• The support services available at no cost to Wyoming’s communities and citizens, including grant research, grant writing, project planning, and compliance support 
• How to apply methods for taking a project from a conceptual stage through the planning stage, effectively using tools such as the GMO’s Project Planning Worksheet

“From the lens of a case study, webinar participants will learn best practices for creating a project design that is well-positioned for grant funding,” Palmer said.

Both Emminger and Palmer agree that hands-on training is necessary to help communities build capacity, even in the face of federal cut-backs and realignment.

“We recognize the uncertainty with federal funding but our unique GMO continues to engage with our federal partners, identifying priority programs for our state and local governments, and citizens. Investing in our communities for needs like improved infrastructure is critical to our long-term health and success,” Governor Gordon said.

Successively and with the changes in federal funding programs, the Wyoming Funding Summit Grant Training and Fireside Sessions in April showed strong support with over 225 participants attending the multi-day conference. To date, the GMO has received over 450 technical assistance requests from all 23 Wyoming counties. 

To register for the FREE July 9 Best Practices Webinar event, please use this link.