Federal Grant Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

W.Va. Afterschool Programs To Receive A Boost From Federal Grant

The money is part of the 2024 Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant.

Six organizations in West Virginia will be awarded federal grant money to support afterschool programs.

The money is part of the 2024 Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant.

The six organizations include:

World Vision in Barbour County
Boys and Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle in Berkeley County
Southern Educational Services Cooperative in Fayette, Summers and Webster counties
Step By Step in Kanawha County
Marion County Schools
Playmates Preschool and Childcare Centers in Wayne County

Funds are renewable for up to five years, as long as there’s continued support from the U.S. Department of Education.

The six awardees will offer learning and development support, homework assistance, tutoring, assistance in obtaining state educational standards and enrichment activities that complement their regular academic programs during out-of-school times, according to a news release.

Grantees are also required to engage with parents and caregivers in their children’s learning.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting reached out to the West Virginia Department of Education for dollar amounts for each of the six organizations, but they did not respond before this story was published.

Appalachian Highway In W.Va. Gets Funding Boost

Construction of a portion of Corridor H in West Virginia is getting a federal funding boost.

Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito and Rep. David McKinley on Tuesday announced $37 million in funding for work this year on the project from President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure deal. It will provide nearly $200 million over the next five years for the four-lane highway.

Corridor H is among the last uncompleted sections of the Appalachian highway system proposed more than 50 years ago in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

The highway is intended to run 130 miles from Interstate 79 at Weston to the Virginia border. Proponents say it would open the rural region to economic development.

Five W.Va. Health Centers To Receive $8.3 Million In Grants

Five health centers in West Virginia will receive a total of $8.3 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

West Virginia’s two U.S. senators, Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Shelley Moore Capito, announced the funding.

“Providing the resources these facilities need is a crucial component to maintaining operations and helps our health professions do their jobs safely and efficiently,” Capito said in a news release.

Manchin said the centers need adequate funding to provide care for West Virginia residents, especially as the coronavirus pandemic further strains providers.

The awards are $2.2 million to Cabin Creek Health Centers; $1.9 million to Wirt County Health Service Association, $1.8 million to Lincoln Center Primary Care Center, $1.2 million to Valley Health Care and $1.19 million to Belington Community Medical Services Association.

West Virginia University Receiving Funds To Study Rainforest

The National Science Foundation has awarded more than $150,000 for ecology research at West Virginia University to study the interaction of trees and soil water in the Amazon rainforest.

The $152,649 in funding was announced last week by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

The project is also expected to create a science outreach program connecting West Virginia students to data and scientists in the Amazon rainforest, Manchin’s office said in a news release.

“Not only will this project help preserve and protect natural forests in the Amazon rainforest, it will give West Virginia students hands-on learning opportunities,” Manchin said in a release from his office.

More Than $6 Million Federal Loan To Fund W.Va. Hospital Expansion, Kids Club

West Virginia will receive $6.5 million in federal loans for a youth facility and the expansion of a hospital.

The financing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is meant for rural development. It will fund a $5,700,000 expansion and renovation of Pocahontas Memorial Hospital in Marlinton, according to a news release from Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito’s office.

It will also provide $800,000 to purchase a facility in Berkeley Springs for the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle.

“The additional support for the Boys and Girls club in the Eastern Panhandle provides childcare services our families rely on, while the expansion of the Pocahontas Memorial Hospital will lead to increased access to vital health services for the entire county,” Capito said in a statement.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said investing in “rural communities is essential to growing our state’s economy and workforce, as well as enriching the lives of West Virginians.”

Four W.Va. Counties Receive Federal Dollars To Boost School Safety Measures

More than $800,000 has been awarded to four county school boards in West Virginia to help with school safety needs.

Grant, Pocahontas, Upshur and Marshall County Boards of Education will see a portion of an $824,774 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

West Virginia U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito made the announcement in a joint press release this week.

The funding can be used for training opportunities for local law enforcement, such as preventing student violence, or for purchasing metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures at schools.

The funding may also be used for enhanced technology to more quickly contact police during an emergency.

“Our students deserve to be safe, especially while they’re in their classrooms and on the playground,” Manchin said. “And as our students face the challenges of attending school during the COVID-19 pandemic, we should work to provide as much safety as possible.”

“It is great to see this funding from such a competitive program awarded to our law enforcement community and schools in West Virginia,” said Capito. “Ensuring the safety of our kids and the peace of mind for our parents is critical.”

Grant County will see $390,069 of the grant; Pocahontas County will see $167,915; Upshur County will see $146,230, and Marshall County will see $120,560.