Community Tool Box - Section 15. Acquiring Public Funding Table of Contents >
Chapter 46. Planning for Long-Term Institutionalization >
Section 15. Acquiring Public Funding >
Acquiring Public Funding |
Tools & Checklists | Contributed by Phil Rabinowitz Edited by Bill Berkowitz |
Checklist
Here you'll find a checklist summarizing the main points of the section.
What is public funding?
You know that public funding is:
___ Funding from the public treasury, i.e. taxes and other government revenues.
___ Federal funding
___ State funding
___ Local funding
Why should your organization apply - or not apply - for public funding?
You know that among the advantages of public funding are:
___ Public funding often represents the largest amount of money available to fund organizations and initiatives.
___ Public funding is often more reliable and more long-term than private funding.
___ Public funding is often appropriated specifically for what your organization does.
___ Public funding gives your organization more credibility in the community.
___ Public funding may make it easier for your organization to gain funding from other sources.
___ Public funding is subject to advocacy, and therefore you may have some influence on how much of it is available.
You know that among the disadvantages of public funding are:
___ Public funding proposals may be extremely time-consuming and difficult to write.
___ Public funding may come with lots of conditions attached.
___ Public funding requires strict accounting and audit procedures.
___ Public funding, because of its restrictions, may not allow you to do what you want to do, or may conflict with your mission and philosophy.
___ Public funding may be administered by a bureaucracy that is unresponsive, ignorant of the important issues for your organization, rule-bound, and/or difficult to deal with.
___ Public funding payments may be slow in coming, either because funding agencies are inefficient or unresponsive, or because the government isn't getting money to them.
___ Public funding can get cut or run out if the economy is bad, or if fashions in funding change.
How do you find out about the availability of public funding?
You know that:
___ Federal, state, and local agencies usually send notices of funding possibilities to everyone on their mailing lists.
___ The Federal Register, a weekly publication, publishes all federal grant notices , with appropriate information and deadlines.
___ Check federal, state, and local government websites.
___ The newsletters and journals (print and electronic) of professional associations , community coalitions, and other groups often publish funding information.
___ Establishing and maintaining contact with individuals at potential funding agencies and town and county offices will ensure that you get information.
___ Becoming part of a larger network of community-based, non-profit, and other organizations and agencies will gain you funding information.
How do you position your organization to acquire public funding?
___ You know how to become eligible:
- 501(c)(3) tax status
- Appropriate administrative and organizational structure
- Staff with appropriate credentials and training
- Proper financial management, bookkeeping/accounting, and audit procedures
- Compliance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations
- A good track record
___ You understand the need to establish relationships
- Establish relationships with federal and state legislators and/or their aides, and local officials
- Establish relationships with individuals at agencies that might fund you
- Attend meetings, conferences, etc. where you'll meet others doing the same work you do
- Join coalitions and collaborate whenever you can
- Volunteer for committees and task forces you're interested in, and take (and carry out) responsibility.
How do you apply for public funding?
___ You pay attention to the information in the Request for Proposals (RFP).
- Services or programs desired
- The amount of money available
- Who is eligible to apply
- What the deadlines are
- What information the applicant needs to submit
- What the proposal should look like
___ You conceptualize the proposal
- Study the RFP
- Get creative with what you propose
- Be true to your mission and philosophy
- Assemble a reasonable budget for what you're proposing
___ You write the proposal
- Find a good proposal writer
- Respond to the RFP precisely as it asks you to
- Answer questions as directly and clearly as possible
- Follow format rules
- Be as brief as you can and still get your message across accurately
- Be explicit about what you want to do and how you'll use the money.
- If possible, allow plenty of lead time to complete the proposal
- Check any numbers several times for errors
- If a checklist is provided, use it; if it's not, make your own
___ You assemble the proposal
- Start planning when you first read the RFP
- Assign tasks as you conceptualize
- Do everything you can beforehand
- Make sure you have enough time, space, hands, and equipment to assemble and check the proposal, and deliver it on time
___ You celebrate after the proposal has been delivered
If you're successful
___ You understand the mechanics of the grant or contract, and be sure you can make it work financially
___ You understand any legal agreement fully, and negotiate any questionable points before you sign it
___ You make sure you understand and can live with the funder's required financial and reporting procedures
___ You negotiate the scope of work if necessary, to be sure you can deliver what 's promised
___ You diversify your funding