A 2004 presentation on Grants for Distance Learning and Telemedicine

1. Grant Programs for
Telemedicine &
Distance Learning
Kent Brooks & Associates
December 15, 2004

2. Public Telecommunications Facilities
Program (PTFP) –National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce - Focus = Equipment
Distance Learning and Telemedicine
Grant Program (DLT) –Rural Utilities
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Focus = Equipment

3. Public Telecommunications
Facilities Program (PTFP)
Distance Learning Grants

4. Distance Learning Grants
• Activate Telecommunications Facility
• Extend Telecommunications Facility
• NOT “IMPROVE” (replace equipment)
• Must have television (video) component
• Videoconferencing equipment supported
• NOT JUST INTERNET TEXT-BASED
LEARNING

5. Variety of Technologies
• Satellite Interconnection
• ITFS; Microwave
• Fiber; DS3; Telephone Lines
• Internet; ATM/SONET
• Cable channel
• Portion of Digital Broadcast Signal

6. Distance Learning &
Telemedicine
Grant and Loan Programs
Telecommunications Program
Rural Utilities Service
U. S. Department of Agriculture

7. Program Purpose
The Distance Learning & Telemedicine
Program is designed to encourage and
improve distance learning and telemedicine
services in rural areas through the use of
telecommunications, computer networks,
and related advanced technologies.

8. Applicant Eligibility
• Deliver or proposing to deliver distance
learning or telemedicine services
• Be an incorporated organization or
partnership
• An Indian tribe or tribal organization;
• A state or local unit of government, a
consortium; or

9. Applicant Eligibility
• Other legal entity such as a private
corporation either not-for-profit or for
profit
• Be operating a rural community facility
• Be delivering distance learning or
telemedicine services to entities at rates
that ensure that the economic value and
benefits of the DLT grant are passed on to
other entities or to residents of rural areas
• NOTE: RUS electric and
telecommunications borrowers are eligible
for loans only

10. Rurality Requirement
Rurality is significant in two ways . . .
1. For project eligibility to qualify for the
DLT Program
2. As a scoring criterion to rank eligible
projects

11. Rurality Requirement
To Qualify for the DLT Program . . .
A project must meet a minimum eligibility
of 20 points based on a rurality calculation
that determines the extent to which a
project serves rural areas.

12. Rurality Requirement
As a Scoring Criterion . . .
Once it is determined that a project serves a
rural area, the project may be awarded points
based on the relative rurality of a project’s
service area.

13. Rurality Requirement
Calculation & Considerations
• Each end-user site will receive points.
The final score is the average score for all
end-user sites included in the project.
• If the hub is utilized as an end-user site &
hub – the hub must be included as one of
the end-user sites for the rurality
calculation
• A project’s rurality calculation must be
based on the 2000 U.S. Census data

14. Rurality Calculation Table
• Exceptionally Rural 45 points
(population 5,000 or less)
• Rural Area 30 points
(population: 5,001 - 10,000)
• Mid-Rural Area 15 points
(population: 10,001 - 20,000)
• Urban Area 0 points

15. DLT Grant Program
• Seven Scoring Criteria
4 Objective & 3 Subjective
• Competitive process based on
points scored
• Total possible points - 225

16. Grant Program
• Objective Scoring Criteria
– Comparative Rurality of the Project Service Area (Up to
45 Points)
– Ability to Leverage Resources
(15 % minimum match) (Up to 35 Points)
NOTE: Although 15% makes you eligible it will take 50% to
be competitive
– Economic Need of the Applicant’s Service Area as
estimated by the National School Lunch Program
(NSLP) (Up to 35 Points)
– Project Participation in Enterprise Zone/Empowerment
communities (EZ/ECs) and Champion Communities
(Up to 15 Points).

17. Grant Program
• Subjective Scoring Criteria:
– Innovativeness (Up to 15 Points)
– Cost Effectiveness of the System
(Up to 35 Points)
– Need for Services and Benefits Derived
from Services (Up to 55 Points)

18. Grant Eligible Purposes
- Acquiring (lease or purchase)
eligible equipment. Eligible
equipment means:
• computer hardware and software
• audio or video equipment
• computer network components
• telecommunications terminal equipment
• data terminal equipment
• inside wiring
• interactive video equipment

19. Grant Eligible Purposes
- Acquiring instructional programming.
• Educational material, including computer
software, which would be used for educational
purposes in connection with eligible
equipment but does not include salaries,
benefits, and overhead of medical or
educational personnel.

20. Grant Eligible Purposes
Limited to 10% of the Grant
− Technical Assistance
• Assistance in learning to manage,
operate, or use equipment or systems
• Studies, analyses, designs, reports,
manuals, guides, literature, or other
forms of creating, acquiring, or
disseminating information.
• Instruction for using eligible equipment,
including any related software

21. Grant Eligible Purposes
Limited to 10% of the Grant
- Developing instructional
programming
- Providing engineering or
environmental studies relating to the
establishment or expansion of the
phase of the project being financed
with the grant.

22. Ineligible Grant Purposes Include
• Salaries, wages, or employee benefits to
medical or educational personnel
• Salaries or administrative expenses of the
applicant or the project
• Acquisition, installation, or construction of
telecommunications transmission facilities
• Site development and the destruction or
alteration of buildings
• The purchase land or buildings or for building
construction

23. DLT Grant Program
FY 2005
• Application Window

Closes February 1
• Competitive Application Process
• 15% Required Matching Contribution
50% needed to be competitive
• $50,000 Minimum/$500,000 Maximum

24. Grant Program
FY 2003
• 266 Applications received
• 234 Eligible for review
• 84 Grant Recipients - $32.5 million
• 57 Educational & 27 Medical Projects
• 42 States Benefit

25. Grant Program
FY 2004
• 329 Applications received
• 274 Eligible for review
• 66 Awards $24 million

26. KBA 2003 Grant Cycle
Successes
• 3 out of 5 Oklahoma USDA Awards
• All of Arkansas USDA Awards
• 2 Additional Department of Commerce
Educational Projects

27. KBA 2004 Grant Cycle
Successes
• 10 RUS projects were funded
1. 3 Arkansas
2. 2 New Mexico
3. 2 Texas
4. 1 Missouri
5. 1 Iowa (Teleradiology)
6. 1 Oklahoma
All RUS awards can be viewed at:
http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/dlt/awards_index.htm

28. KBA 2004 Grant Cycle
Successes
• 2 Additional Department of Commerce
Educational Projects announced Sept 23,
2004
• 2004 Commerce awards can be viewed at:
– http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ptfp/Projects/2004/ptfpf
actsheet_2004.htm

29. My/Our History?
1. Kent Brooks background is in IT management at the community college
with a special interest in video conferencing/ distance learning
2. Began writing institutional grants in 1993 (contract work in 1997)
3. Began writing USDA grants in 1998 (contract USDA work in 2002)
4. Vendors and other institutions noticed my budget coffers were always full
and began to ask why (simply grants changed that job for me forever).
5. Contract work requests began prior to 2001 funding cycle, however, many
issues converged the largest of which was being furloughed 1 day per
week during difficult state budget times following 9/11. Although I still had
a great job the ‘furlough factor’ more than any other item encouraged me
to start Kent Brooks & Associates to take greater advantage of
opportunities for grant consulting and training.
6. Until 2003 success rate with USDA was 100%
7. In 2003 success rate was 50% (We chose a few risky projects)
8. In 2004 success rate was 50% (Competition was tougher than ever)
9. Our success rate with Dept of Commerce PTFP is still 100%
10. We write mostly telecom related grants, but occasionally try something
else such as our 2003 Aline-Cleo (OK) Foreign Language Grant which
was funded

30. Why us? or Why are we successful?
1. Providing opportunity for rural America through telecommunications
technologies is my passion and thus the passion of this company
2. We don’t take projects which we don’t think have a chance
3. We have a formula and we stick to it
• Position project as best as you can through demographics
• Make a case for the need of a project
• Make the narrative simple and yet interesting
4. Grant Experience. We are very familiar with this grant.
• Trends and past history for funding
• Political trends
5. Technical Experience I can do the telecom part
6. We are motivated to look for ways to put you in the best possible
position to be funded because we don’t get paid much unless you get
funded.

31. Where From Here?
• What is your vision
• Survey info
• Commitment and Support Letters
• Equipment Specs and pricing
• Budget
• Government Obligation Documents
• USDA = paper application
• Commerce = paper + electronic

32. Kent Brooks & Associates
1509 N Main #177
Altus, OK 73521
kentbrooks@kentbrooks.com
celianippert@kentbrooks.com
chadwiginton@kentbrooks.com