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October
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Finding Government Grants for Business Simplified

Until recently, anyone who looked into getting a government grant for business was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of agencies and programs; often overlapping in purpose and application. With so many sources, each with their own rules and regs to be obeyed and conditions to be met, many a business owner has given up in despair.

But that may have changed a bit with the introduction of http://www.grants.gov. Managed by the U.S. Department Health and Human Services, grants.gov is a sort of clearing house for searching (and finding!) grants through searches. The website has a Basic Search, where you can search by keyword, Funding Opportunity Number (FON) or Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number. You can also Browse by Category or Agency. There is also Advanced Search that allows you to search by more specific criteria such as funding instrument type, eligibility or sub-agency.

Grants.gov was established as a governmental resource named the E-Grants Initiative, part of the President's 2002 Fiscal Year Management Agenda to improve government services to the public. From the website, you can download the application packages for the various grants as an editable PDF file. You can view a flash tutorial with audio narration on how to complete a grant application package. From the tutorial, the application process appears to have been streamlined and standardized, which should remove some of the confusion and frustration from the process.

After completing the package offline, you can then submit the package online using buttons built into the PDF.

Senate Vote Could Give Tax Relief to Stores

WASHINGTON, September 18, 2008 -- The National Retail Federation (NFR) urged the Senate to approve a tax extenders package scheduled for a vote today, citing support for provisions on retail depreciation rules, Alternative Minimum Tax relief and mental health parity. NRF also urged support of energy tax relief expected to be handled in a separate vote.

NRF said a provision renewing the 15-year depreciation period for remodeling done at leased stores and expanding it to include owned stores for the first time was particularly important for retailers.

“In the current economic climate, some retailers look at remodeling as a way to revitalize a failing store, but the anticipated return has to pay for the costs involved,” NRF Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Steve Pfister said in a letter to senators. “During this past year when retail sales have dropped so dramatically, retailers made investments based on the assurances of many members of Congress that these depreciation provisions would not be allowed to expire at the end of 2007. When the costs must be written off over 39 years, it is much more difficult to make the decision to remodel the store.”

The 15-year period expired at the end of 2007 and will revert to the previous 39 years if not renewed retroactively. Pfister said retailers typically remodel every five to seven years in order to maintain customer interest and compete with newer stores.

The Senate is expected to vote today on a substitute version of HR. 6049, the Tax Extenders and Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008 passed earlier this year by the House. Among other provisions, the bill would extend the 15-year period for leased stores through the end of 2009 and extend it to owned property placed into service during 2009. Improvements at owned stores are currently depreciated over 39 years. (source)

Quick Industry News

(San Diego, Ca.) -- San Diego-based Global Product Resources, Inc. (GPR), a leading designer, manufacturer, and distributor of home decorative products, heats things up this fall with the anticipated debut of Deco Heat™.

The new collection of decorative portable heaters is the newest addition to the firm's popular Deco Breeze® collection of designer fans. By combining function with high design, Deco Heat™ offers a new way to beat those winter chills in style! The innovative Deco Heat™ portable heaters are offered in an array of top selling Deco Breeze® fan styles with a compact design for easy placement in the home and office. Because of their decorative appeal, the portable heaters can easily become a permanent part of any desk, vanity, bedroom, bathroom or other personal space décor ensemble, adding a decorative dimension and making it easily accessible for frequent use. (more)

New items featuring Santa's suit are tailored to fit customer's budget

An adorable, new gift package coupling plush peas and "Eat Your Peas" gift books in one!