Steps In Government Funding For Community Programs

By Author: Efrain Rodriguez
Total Articles: 4762
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It is a broad topic, and one that is changing quickly as the nation battles a recalcitrant economy and seeks to recover from a recession. Still, if you have a good idea for a community program, or need additional funding for the one you are involved in already, you can still find help and get support from some government programs. Do your homework, as always, and you will find that there are probably more options and avenues than you initially thought. In fact, one of the major misunderstandings is that there are only specific sources that will fund specific enterprises. That is, if you have a community program, you are wrong to conclude that you must restrict you fundraising appeals to the Community Development Block Grants. The truth of the matter is that you can find funding for your community programs everywhere, including the Department of Defense!

Of course, before you go and make a plan to collect the money, you must clearly outline your mission, your goals and the means you will use to actualize your project. Just about every funding source, public or private, will want to see a detailed report of the problems ...
... that your program addresses, plus details about how you intend to improve the situation and exactly what resources you require.

Writing assistance, resources
The first thing you should do is find out about grant writing. The book, A Guide to Proposal Planning and Writing, by Lynn E. and Jeremy Miner, is a great resource, and if you search the Internet you will find a condensed version online that is free to read. It has everything from theory to proofing instruction. The Foundation Center (foundationcenter.org) even has a short course on proposal writing and other help for grant writing and program funding. Grantwriters.com offers many free tips on finding funds, and provides the latest news feeds from Philanthropy Digest as well as links to other, related resources.

At ProposalWriter.com you can search their directory for grant information, tips and techniques. You can also get a complete list of government agencies and find the grants they all administer. Finally, GiveSpot.com provides everything from public info to private foundation directors, and has a large cache of resources for you to peruse in your search for community program funding.

Government sources
Search for and locate the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance online, because this site contains information on over 1,300 grants, scholarships, loans, training programs and insurance offerings from the federal government. There are high profile, widely used grants available from the Department of Education, and at their dot-gov site you will find grant forecasts, news, announcements and application forms. Other grants are available at the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, HUD, the National Institutes of Health and other government departments and agencies.

Of course, the word government includes the states, counties and even local municipalities. None should be overlooked in your attempt to fund your community program. Even with the current economic malaise, important government funding programs will maintain their activities as best they can, although you are well advised to redouble your efforts (since everyone competing for funds is doing so). You have to take strong, deliberate and well-planned steps, starting with the important research and resource study that has been outlined thus far.

Persistence is key
The fact is, you can find out the steps for filing applications, submitting proposals and making cost estimates in many online resources. What is not so widely discussed, however, is the psychological and attitudinal work that you and your other program supporters need to undertake. In addition to filing forms and supplying documents to government offices, you should take a personal interest in the matter by connecting with the real people behind the bureaucratic walls. When you deal with government, whether city, county, state or federal, you are better off thinking in terms of people rather than institutions. That is, remember that there is a real person behind the form letter or at the other end of the phone line.

A crucial step in any funding exercise is determining just who is going to make the decision, and what input they will take from what parties. You may need to get a contact name at HUD's district office, or even at D.C. headquarters, so that you can follow up on any grant submissions or funding requests. Even then, you should ask who will make the final decision, and discover how to reach that person. Whether local, state or national, you will always be dealing with a human being, or several, and it would behoove you to remember that.

To recap, you must start with excellent, accurate and up-to-date information, and then find out as much about the process as possible. Take a personal interest, or find someone who will if you are too busy, because there will be more than a little massaging needed for a successful outcome. Deal with people, bureaucrats and everyone else, in a polite, professional way. If you have a good plan, a good organization, a good timeline, a good attitude and a good amount of energy and enthusiasm, you are likely to be successful in your funding hunt. Even if the first time does not pan out, you must persist until you succeed. There really is no substitute for that step, so keep taking it.
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