Best Practices for Obtaining Grants Gary Hughes, Grant Writer/Administrator

1. Handouts and presentations are available online at www.iowaleague.org. Best Practices for Obtaining GrantsGary Hughes, Grant Writer/Administrator East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG)

2. Topics • Grant Writing Preparing a Project & Tips • Resources Available Seeking Funds

3. Basic Types of Grants • Entitlements - if compliant, automatically awarded - usually public source (example: “CDBG”) • Competitive - based on merit (comparative evaluation) - public or private (such as foundations)

4. Basic Types of Competitive Grants • Those that fund “doom & gloom” - to address a need, alleviate a problem. • Those that fund creative innovation - to serve as a model.

5. Impress with the “Oh, My” Factor • Oh, my . . . - if that problem is not resolved, then ____! • Oh, my . . . - that innovation will _____ !

6. Impress by Economizing • Leverage resources to maximize the grantor’s “bang-for-the-buck” investment - least amount to realize achievement • Match: - how much, for what, from where & when.

7. Rule 1: Don’t Chase the Money! • Be Pro-active • Not Re-active The mission of grantors is NOT to fund your project. Rather, it is to fund a project that addresses their mission.

8. Re-active Problems: • Committing to a poorly conceived project with unrealistic expectations. • Committing resources possibly better utilized elsewhere (human / equipment / money). • Forgoing other (better) opportunity.

9. The Project Must Be a Good Investment for the Grantor • Question: “how to understand the values of the grantor so a proposal can be presented in such a way that it reinforces their mission”? • Bonus for “Best Practice”.

10. NEVER Write the Grant First! • First . . . Carefully design the project to be funded. • Then . . . Match the project to appropriate resources.

11. HOW TO DESIGNA PROJECT

12. 1. Define the Problem • What is the local problem, or need? • Don’t be misled by “indicators” (i.e., data . . . that tends to mimic problems). • Example: Are low test scores a problem? No, they are an indicator of a problem. Absenteeism, lack of parental support, poorly conducted tests, inexperienced or over-extended teachers, poor facilities or equipment, etc.?

13. Complete the Sentence: The target population, which is insert, has a problem with insert that causes insert.

14. Example: Children within our City, have a problem with lead-poisoning that impedes healthy developmentand causes disabilities.

15. Lead-poisoning in children is caused by their ingestion of lead particles or dust from lead-based paint that was manufactured and applied to houses prior to a ban initiated on January 1, 1978. Lead, although a toxic substance, was used as a base for paint because it produced superior qualities for long-lasting adhesion. Children principally swallow lead-based paint that has deteriorated and lost its original adhesion integrity, where flakes, chips, and/or dust (such as may accumulate on a sill from the friction of moving a lead-painted window) are within their reach. Breathing air-borne dust is another form of ingestion.

16. 2. List Causes and Contributing Factors • the age of housing • poor maintenance • the manner in which repair work is performed • the lack of “presence” testing • the taste of lead-based paint (which is enticing) • inadequate prevention and treatment from insufficient knowledge and education

17. 3. Eliminate Things Beyond Control • age of housing(if pre-1978) • taste of paint(already banned) • can’t entirely eliminate / abate(but may reduce / contain)

18. 4. Identify Relationships to Your Mission / Programs • If City: to assist housing rehabilitation, homeownership, and /or tenant subsidies – structural / occupancy • If County, such as Health Department: to test and treat the presence of lead – medical • If School District: to increase awareness and promote prevention - educational

19. 5. Select Causes that Make Sense to Address • Determine if causes are interrelated with, or separate from, one another. In the example, basic causes may be grouped according to property and people . . . with structural / occupancy, testing / treatment, and educational concerns.

20. Collaboration? • Grantors like to see partnerships among community interests - to share common objectives & resources and avoid duplication of effort • Identify and engage stake-holders (Early) - bystanders (letter of support) or implementers (personnel / equipment / facilities / etc.) monetary or “in-kind”

21. 6. Specify the Target Population / Clientele • Questions to ask : Who, or what, will be directly impacted? What will indirectly happen, or continue to happen, if the problem is not addressed?

22. The specific target population is low to moderate income households that occupy older housing with children under the age of 6 years. This encompasses both property, that tends to be older and less-well maintained (i.e., more likely to possess hazards where inadequate disposable resources are available for preventive maintenance), and people (i.e., children who are at a critical stage of development and have prevalent hand-to-mouth contact that promotes toxic ingestion). If not addressed, the problem will not just impede the healthy development of these children. Rather, it will also impose an added cost on society with resultant disabilities that increase medical, educational, and other needs.

23. 7. Develop a Solution • How can discrete problems be resolved? • Is there a degree of urgency or priority? • Must be believable and achievable, capable of implementation and completion within an acceptable timeframe.

24. 8. Document Evidence of Support • Verify the problem and support the resolution. Data: point-in-time. . . or trend? • Competitive grants are by nature . . . comparative! If otherwise equal, a proposal that demonstrates greater need will score comparatively higher. Example: when the incidence of local lead-poisoning is higher than average elsewhere.

25. Evaluation ~ Scoring ~ Priority • Magnitude of need (urgency / priority). • Cost-benefit & leveraging ratios. • Readiness to proceed & ability to complete. • Experience to deliver. • Capacity to administer. • Performance measures ? • Etc.

26. 9. Budget • Develop a “sources and uses” cost estimate for the project, including: staff; equipment; testing; travel; etc. (include direct implementation and indirect administration). • If hired, will staff be time-limited? • Note: Grants often require annual audit, that is not paid from funding assistance provided.

27. Important! An organization should have several projects in various stages of development * * *regardless of grant funding* * * because it creates an atmosphere of innovation that demonstrates it is ready to engage opportunities with vision in a proactive (not reactive) manner.

28. TIPS

29. Know When Opportunities Arise • Know when grant opportunities will become available and plan accordingly to make a quality (not last minute) submission.

30. Understand Requirements • Unless permitted to deviate, thoroughly comply with any & ALL stipulations. Resistance is futile, you must assimilate.

31. Things to Consider: • Printed, Typed, or Hand-written? • Margins, Headers / Headings, Footnotes? • Style and Size of Font (Black & White or Color)? • Single or Double (Lines / Pages)? • Number of Pages / Page Numbers? • Graphics (Tables / Charts / Photos)? • Appendix? If allowed, does it count toward page maximum?

32. Adapt to Requirements, Or . . .

33. Manage the Process • Designate a local project manager who will prepare, coordinate, and track an itemized outline for required content, with delegation of tasks to team members. • Develop, monitor, and adhere to a timeline.

34. Be Organized • If an outline is stipulated, follow it, and use the same (exact) headings for respective sections. • Make it easy for the reviewer to find information they’ll expect to see (because they’ll probably have their own check-list).

35. If Allowed, Compliment Narrative • Decide how information may be incorporated to supplement narrative, to convey impact. Is detailed data a good choice?

36. If Allowed, Compliment Narrative • Would generalized graphics be a better choice? Will a pie chart make a greater impression on a reviewer, than a spreadsheet?

37. Tell a Story • Narrative should “flow” and not be fragmented (no excessive verbiage). • Keep the reviewer’s attention . . . be factual, don’t become redundant. • Identify acronyms. • Prioritize.

38. Plain or Pretentious? • A thesaurus is a grant writers friend! • Be selective in choosing words to deliver strength of the message . . . but don’t try to “bluff” the “Oh, my” factor with “big” words. • Example: Regulations require that . . . (or) Regulations dictate that . . . (or) Regulations mandate an obligation that . . .

39. Be Creative • You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. • You have to be in the right mood. • What is that mood? • Last minute panic!

40. Do, or Do Not . . . there is no Try. • Use action words to describe what you will commit to do, if awarded the grant . . . not what you may possibly like to do. • Don’t overstate findings or ability.

41. Assume Many Reviewers • Keep in mind that several people may review the proposal and, more importantly, each person may not review everything.

42. Seek to Critique • Always spell check! • Have someone else review . . . who may or may not be grant “savvy” - - - both for accuracy and to see if the request is clearly understood & coherent.

43. Convey By ~ Before ~ Deadline • Avoid disaster . . . SUBMIT EARLY. • Strictly adhere to requirements (number of copies, bound or unbound, how addressed, etc.). • Electronic submission?

44. If Successful ? • Prepare for Grant Agreement Contractual Obligation

45. If Not Successful ? • Contact the Grantor and, if possible, find out how well it was reviewed / scored. • Were there technical deficiencies? • What was positive, what was negative? • How did it compare, was it scored? • What can be done for improvement?

46. Grant Resources • Handout provides a summary of links to a variety of Internet web sites for respective types of grant resources.

48. Example • Assistance to Firefighter’s Grant Application for Ladora, Iowa. • Funded!

49. The Situation • Personal protective equipment has outlived functional life expectancy. From age and use the equipment has become obsolete, torn or otherwise damaged and possesses compatibility and interoperability issues.

50. Targeted Funding • The Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) made available on a competitive basis each year by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).