IDENTIFYING NEED FOR GRANTS: THE IMPORTANCE OF DATA

1.  IDENTIFYING NEED FOR GRANTS: THE IMPORTANCE OF DATA Stacy Ruble February 27, 2014

2. Topics Today • Why proving need is important • What is good data? • Determining what data you need • Where to find data • Examples of data sources • Creating your own data

3. Why Proving Need is Important And how data can help you

4. You Must Prove Need for Your Project • This is a competition for dollars • Everyone has a need, or else there wouldn’t be a grant program • So how is your need greater? Unique? • Don’t make assumptions that your reviewers know your need • It may feel like “well, duh” of course this is a problem • You are not just proving your need, but your understanding of the need

5. Why Do I Need Data? • Good data provides reliable proof of the problem • Anecdotes are fine, but anyone can create an anecdote • Outside data shows someone else agrees that you have need • Using your own data shows you analyze your progress • Using your data also specifically shows how the community/national need is reflected in your own agency • Data allows you to provide a quick visual of your need

6. What do you mean “good” data? • Local • Valid • Reliable • Timely Directly relates to YOUR objectives and the FUNDER’s identified problem

7. Make sure your data source is… • Free of bias • Not created to make a specific point • Trustworthy • Objective • Respected • Accurate

8. Check to see if the data is: • Actual • Sample • Estimate • Projection • Not based in reality/guess

9. Determining Your Data Needs

10. Operationalize Your Need • Safer lives • Improved health • Happier children • Improved parenting skills • Increased earning potential • Less violence What does that mean? How would you measure it? This will help you identify what data you want to prove your need. “Safer” – so need to show they are unsafe now. What data do you need to prove that?

11. Keep in Mind • How you define your need will impact your objectives • The data you use now will be reflected in the data you collect later to measure your objectives • Be realistic on the impact you can make

12. Questions to Ask Yourself • What case am I trying to prove? • What problem am I trying to fix? • What facts would support the need for my project? • What data did the funder use to prove need for grant program?

13. Example Project: To provide financial literacy classes to women who are indigent to help move them out of poverty. So, what do you need to prove? Post your responses in the pod

14. Some Possible Responses – Want to Prove: • Increased financial literacy helps move people from poverty • Success rates of financial literacy classes • Women who are indigent will come to financial literacy classes • There are poor people in the community you serve • Those poor people will come to your classes • May need to prove why focusing on women

15. Remember, Operationalize Project: To provide financial literacy classes to indigent women to help move them from poverty. What terms do we need to define? Answer in the question pod

16. Answer: Project: To provide financial literacy classes to indigent women to help move them from poverty.

17. Questions?

18. Where to Find Data It is out there!

19. So many possibilities… • Local, state, federal government agencies • Foundations (Annie E. Casey, local community foundation) • Research hubs (Rand Corporation, Urban Institute) • Internally • Grant reports • Need assessments • Surveys • Observation

20. Let’s Look at Some Examples

21. Urban Instituteurban.orgVariety of topics: poverty, children, unemployment, immigration, education, health, and intersection among them.

25. Quote from that study “One of the earliest signs that children are not doing well is their school performance. Several studies have documented lower math scores, poorer school attendance, and a higher risk of grade repetition or even suspension or expulsion among children whose parents have lost their jobs. For example, Stevens and Schaller (2011) find that parental job loss increases the chances a child will be held back in school by nearly 1 percentage point a year, or 15 percent.”

26. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation www.countyhealthrankings.org County and state health ranking information

30. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics www.bls.gov Labor statistics, wages

33. Annie E. Casey Foundation Datacenter.kidscount.org

36. Can try to do Searches • “Uniform crime report” plus “your state”

38. Some sites have data on specific populations LGBTQ - http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/

41. Other websites • www.census.gov - Demographics • www.cdc.gov - Health • www.ed.gov - Education • www.huduser.gov – Housing • Childtrends.org - children

42. Local, state sites • United Way • Community foundations • State agencies

44. What are other sites have you used and would you recommend? Post your responses in the question pod.

45. Remember… • Make sure the data source is reputable • Note if the website is citing another source, or their own data • Be clear if the data is: actual, sample, estimate, projection, guess • Write down, pin, bookmark the site so you do not lose it. • You will need to cite the source.

46. Activity Project: To provide financial literacy classes to indigent women to help move them from poverty. Where might you look externally for data? Post your response in the question pod

47. Questions?

48. Creating Your Own Data No, not the fictional kind

49. Internal Data • Your own data can complement external data • Internal data can be used when external data is not available (but this is not best practice-you still want some kind of external data) • May involve collecting information from community partners (and can be done quickly) • Can be collected directly from the people you serve

50. Ask Your Partners • Entities you refer clients to • Entities you get clients from • Funders • Other agencies that provide similar services • Other agencies that provide services to your population • Task force members