The Independent Fiscal Office and state Department of Revenue have released August revenue reports. For the month of August, state General Fund collections totaled $2.5 billion and were $247.7 million (10.8 percent) higher than anticipated. The increase was largely due to the sales and use tax and personal income tax.  Personal income tax collections for August were $876.1…

The Energy Programs Office of the state Department of Environmental Protection is accepting grant applications under the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program to improve the air quality in Pennsylvania and reduce consumption of imported oil through the use of homegrown alternative fuels. The department is seeking applications for innovative,…

Students in grades 9-12 are invited to participate in the state Department of Transportation’s PennDOT Innovations Challenge, which encourages students to solve real-world transportation challenges in a competition with their peers. Submissions are due December 18.  This year’s challenge asks students…

The “Pick Up Pennsylvania” campaign of litter cleanup events will take place September 1 through November 30. The state Department of Environmental Protection, the state Department of Transportation, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, and other partners are sponsoring the program. Organizers of…

The Commonwealth Financing Authority has approved more than $8 million in additional funding to support H20 PA Flood Control projects, high-hazard dams, and water, sanitary sewer, and stormwater projects. Many of these awards were to townships or the authorities that serve them.   To learn more about these grant…

The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) board of directors has approved a new funding opportunity for repairs and short-term construction for lower-cost water, wastewater, non-point source, and stormwater improvements.   Small Project Initiative funding has a maximum loan amount of $500,000 for projects that…

The Commonwealth Financing Authority has approved 276 new PA Small Water and Sewer Program grants worth a total of $61 million across the commonwealth, many of which are township projects or for the authorities that serve their residents.   This program helps municipalities and…

The Federal Highway Administration requires each state to annually collect local government revenues and expenses for transportation, including roads and bridges. This includes all funding sources used for transportation expenses, not just liquid fuels funds. Pennsylvania also uses the data to see state trends and identify local highway needs and…

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced that applications for $660 million in hazard mitigation grants will open on September 30 and it will accept applications through the FEMA Go Portal until January 29, 2021. These programs are the Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant and the Building Resilient…

Homeowners, renters, and businesses impacted by the civil unrest in Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties may be eligible for low-interest disaster loans if they suffered damaged or destroyed property. These loans are specific to damage from protests that occurred May 30-June…