Are you well rested and back at work?  Good - while you were dreaming of sugar plums, Congress finally passed the Omnibus spending bill that will put millions of Federal dollars into circulation in the coming months.  Some highlights to watch for the coming year:

Education

Funding increases were allocated for Title I spending to assist school districts serving low-income youth; to support the start-up of more charter schools; to expand adult basic education and literacy; to strengthen minority-serving institutions; and to expand TRIO and GEAR UP programs that help disadvantaged and first-generation students to prepare for, enter and complete college.  A new high school graduation initiative targets schools that contribute disproportionately to the nation's drop-out crisis.  The Striving Readers program is to be transformed into a comprehensive K-12 literacy initiative.  And states can participate in Teacher Incentive Funds that aim to improve the quality of classroom teaching.

The US Department of Health and Human Services will release funding to train health professionals in areas, such as nursing and dental care, where demand currently outstrips supply.  A new Teen Pregnancy Prevention program will replace abstinence funding and focus on evidenced-based strategies.  Head Start is expanded.  Look also for a variety of information technology initiatives relative to health care and record-keeping.

More funding is allocated to expand the Youthbuild program for at-risk high school dropouts.  A transitional jobs program will help workers who face multiple, intractable barriers to employment.  More than 8,000 workers will be retrained for Green jobs through a new initiative, and low-income seniors will be given the opportunity to provide paid community service.

Justice

Look for more funding for crime victims, including state and local law enforcement and crime prevention grants.  There will be additional funding for the Office on Violence Against Women to prevent and prosecute domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.

If 2009 was any indication, there will be plenty of money on the street - but intense competition to secure it.  You'll want to up your game in 2010 and increase your proposal scores - and your chances of winning.

We helped our clients to win more than $50 million in Government grants and contracts last year by helping them to focus on what the agency evaluators need and want to see.  Proposal Pro writes to win - helping businesses and non-profits to secure the large-scale, multi-year contracts that ensure their growth and profitability.  We offer technical writing, complete proposal preparation and strategic consulting that gets results for our clients and have demonstrated ability to increase their scores in the competitive RFP process.

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