Secured School Safety GrantApplication period now openIDHS is accepting applications for the Fiscal Year 2025 Secured School Safety Grant (FY24 SSSG). The application period will close July 1, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. EDT. No late or incomplete applications will be accepted. The Notice of Funding Opportunity for FY25 SSSG includes all the information necessary for a successful grant application for the SSSG program. Before submitting your application:
The period of performance for the FY25 SSSG will be Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2025. Since 2014, Indiana has awarded more than $163 million in SSSG grants to support school security. Last year, 474 schools received more than $29.8 million in awards. Click here for complete information on the SSSG program and the history of awards distributed. What is an allowable expense for the FY25 SSSG?The program supports a dedicated state grant fund that provides matching grants to school corporations, accredited non-public schools, charter schools or a coalition of school corporations and/or charter schools applying jointly to:
For more information, submit your questions to the Grant Management support ticket. |
Indiana State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla released her first State of Indiana’s Financial Report today to highlight the solid fiscal standing of the state as published in the 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), the official, audited record of state finances.
“Indiana’s ACFR provides tangible evidence of our state’s strong financial position,” said Comptroller Nieshalla. “In sharing Indiana’s low debt, low pension fund liability, healthy cash reserves, balanced budget and AAA credit rating, we are reminded how good it is to be a Hoosier.”
The Comptroller’s Office annually produces the ACFR, which is audited by the Indiana State Board of Accounts. The ACFR provides an in-depth analysis of all state expenditures, cash flow, debt administration and other financial information.
“The State of Indiana’s Financial Report offers Hoosiers a quick tool to better understand our state’s economic well-being and how Indiana manages taxpayers’ dollars, based on the 300 pages of reporting in the ACFR.”
Highlights from the report include:
• General Fund revenue of $21.9 billion compared to $20.9 billion in fiscal year 2022.
• Assets (cash, investments, capital assets, etc.) exceeded our liabilities (payables, pension liabilities, etc.) by $25.6 billion.
• Total reserves are $2.9 billion, which is 13% of the current budget.
• Indiana ranks seventh lowest in debt among states in the U.S. at $366 per capita.
The State of Indiana’s Financial Report is a summary of the 2023 ACFR – the current ACFR and previous years are all available electronically on the Comptroller’s website. Indiana’s ACFR has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the last 30 consecutive years.
Senators and Aging Committee members Mike Braun (D-AZ) and Mark Kelly introduced the Delivering for Rural Seniors Act, a bipartisan bill to support the delivery of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), commonly known as the "senior food box.”
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is a federal food assistance program that provides monthly food boxes to low-income seniors. However, seniors living in rural areas, seniors with disabilities, and those without reliable transportation often do not receive home delivery services from food banks participating in CSFP. The Delivering for Rural Seniors Act would address this gap by creating a pilot program to fund grants specifically for the delivery of CSFP to these underserved populations.
The bill marks a significant step toward addressing food insecurity among seniors and improving the effectiveness of the CSFP through innovative delivery methods.
“No senior in America should go hungry. This bill will help rural seniors and those with disabilities get access to food bank services to help cut down on the issue of food insecurity among older Americans,” said Braun, who serves as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research.
“Our seniors have worked hard their entire lives and deserve to have access to nutritious food without facing barriers due to mobility or transportation,” said Kelly. “This bipartisan bill will help ensure that low-income seniors in Arizona receive the essential food they need directly to their homes, improving their health and quality of life."
BACKGROUND:
St. Mary’s Food Bank has provided home delivery for seniors, including those not enrolled in CSFP, since fall 2020. During that time, they have made more than 6,000 deliveries per month. From July to September 2023, St. Mary’s completed nearly 18,000 deliveries, with CSFP deliveries representing approximately 44 percent.
In addition to Kelly and Braun, this bill has broad bipartisan support in the Senate. The House version was introduced by Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY-19) and is co-sponsored by 16 Democrats and 13 Republicans.
See what advocates are saying about the Delivering for Rural Seniors Act:
“As the oldest food bank in the nation, we have an unwavering commitment to serve communities in need. Recent COVID restrictions and safety protocols highlighted the need for home delivery services to reach our most vulnerable, homebound neighbors. During the pandemic, no contact home delivery models laid the groundwork for our continued work in this space. As economic pressures build, our neighbors with fixed incomes, high-risk health conditions, and limited access to reliable transportation are disproportionately impacted. Home delivery has given us an avenue by which we can serve hard to reach communities. We believe that the Delivering for Rural Seniors Act will help expand our work in delivering CSFP boxes and, in turn, reach more seniors with vital food supplies,” said Marcos Gaucin, Chief Programs Officer, St. Mary's Food Bank.
“The Delivering for Rural Seniors Act is a common sense answer to a distinct question: ‘How can food banks and state agencies ensure that a senior who is homebound or otherwise lacks transportation and support get access to a CSFP food box, especially when they live in one of Arizona’s many rural communities?’ AzFBN partners with food banks across the state, and hears the same message repeated from both food banks and the clients they serve—if a food box can’t be delivered to a vulnerable older Arizonan, that person won’t receive support. This Act will help food banks help more seniors. If passed, the impact will be dramatic and immediate,” said April Bradham, President and CEO, Arizona Food Bank Network (AzFBN).
“No one should face hunger in their golden years. Yet, every state is home to seniors who experience food insecurity. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program is critical to helping seniors with low incomes access the food they need to maintain good health. But the program doesn’t reach all eligible individuals, due to insufficient funding and a shortage of delivery options. The bipartisan Delivering for Rural Seniors Act introduced by Senators Kelly and Braun would help more seniors keep food on the table, especially in rural areas, by expanding access to delivery services. We urge Congress to help seniors facing hunger by including this important legislation in the final 2024 Farm Bill,” said Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer at Feeding America.
“Senior citizens are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity with one-third reporting cutting back on meals, buying cheaper and less nutritious foods, or skipping meals altogether. Transportation is an even greater impediment in rural communities that typically have no public transportation options at all. Addressing senior hunger in rural communities is complex, and we support efforts to promote food security and the health and well-being of seniors,” said Fred Glass, President, and CEO of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana.
“NCSFPA supports efforts to improve the ability to provide food packages to eligible individuals, including those proposed in the Delivering for Rural Seniors Act. Some seniors who cannot get to food distribution sites depend upon the delivery of food packages to them and are in need of this assistance,” said the National Commodity Supplemental Food Program Association.
- INDOT To Host Public Meetings For "Charging the Crossroads" Program
- Salem Water Rate Increase Discussed Again, Then Tabled
- IN AG Warns Local Leaders: Immediately Rescind Illegal ‘Sanctuary City’ Policy
- Indiana Recognized For Work To Strengthen Families With In-Home Supports, Reducing Number Of Children Entering Foster Care
SalemLeader.com
Leader Publishing Company of Salem, Inc.
P.O. Box 506
117-119 East Walnut Street
Salem, Indiana. 47167
Phone: 812-883-3281 | Fax: 812-883-4446
Business Hours:
Mondays through Fridays, 9:00am - 5:00pm
News:
news@salemleader.com
Office:
office@salemleader.com
Publisher:
publisher@salemleader.com
Business
- More Business News
- Go To Guide
- Business Directory
- Auctions
Education
- More Education News
Opinion
- Editorials
- Letters to the Editor
- Columns
- Unsung Heroes
- Days Gone By
- In the Garden
- Guest Columns
- Reader's Poll
- Salem Leader Forum
- Questions and Answers
Church
- Bible Aerobics
- Church News
- Church Directory