GRANT WRITING FOR MUNICIPALITIES

Transcription

1 GRANT WRITING FOR MUNICIPALITIES Beginner Training Thursday, August 30, 2012 Trainer: Natasha M. McCoy, NM2C, LLC Louisiana Municipal Association, Incorporated Louisiana Municipal Advisory & Technical Services Bureau Corporation

2 Logistics General overview of training schedule Location of bathrooms Scheduled breaks Scheduled lunch Please turn all phones to vibrate Parking Lot for questions

3 Icebreaker Name Municipality Existing grant situation (Yes or No)? What would you like to learn from this course?

4 Training Objectives Provide basic overview on Grants, Grant Writing, Grant Preparation and Grants Management Provide tips for developing a competitive application Practice developing narrative for common grant sections Learn about existing opportunities

5 GRANTS 101

6 Grants 101 A grant is a type of funding assistance used to achieve a particular purpose Not free money Not a gift (donations)

7 Why do Grants Exist? Standardized way of distributing taxpayer dollars or donated funds to charitable causes or causes not addressed by government or industry operations Provides ability to transfer funds from one agency to another Connect hundreds of individual projects to a dedicated goal or set of objectives

8 Legislation Donor-advised Community-centric Emergency / Disasters Formation of Grants

9 Block grants Types of Grants Large grants provided at federal and state levels for one primary purpose or a group of related activities Project (categorical) grants Grants given for a particular cause; research, health, etc. Formula grant Funding provided based on standard set of data (e.g. census data) Charitable grants Funds provided by foundation or social fundraising activities for a specific purpose

10 Federal Grant Making Process Federal funds appropriated by Congress Funds are transferred from the U.S. Treasury to the respective federal agency Federal agencies carry out competitive grant process or use funding for special projects

11 Grant Making Process State grants (via state government agencies) Budget approved by Legislature and Governor Funds transferred from state general fund to state agencies or fiscal intermediaries Most state agencies have programs that serve as a pass-through for federal funds

12 Foundation Grant Making Process Solicited grant making (competitive process) Unsolicited grant making Funding given for a charitable cause

13 Who can Receive Grants? Varies by funder Grants are developed with an intended target audience in mind Must check the grant maker s program guidelines and respective funding application for this information

14 Federal grants How to Find Grants? State grants Check the specific state government agency Foundation grants The Foundation Center GrantStation Fundbook

15 GRANT PREPARATION

16 Grant Preparation Tips Locate funding opportunities Internet Phone Library Develop grant writing team and meet regularly Assign a grant writing lead Ensure compliance to applicable laws

17 Last Year s Model With grants, never get comfortable with last year s model grant makers have the ability to change the grant application process, what types of projects are funded and how programs are selected every year to meet a new or existing need as long as it continues to comply with overall objectives Read every application as if it s your first time reviewing it

18 Tips for Competitive Proposals Plan Ahead Collaborate Be Innovative Follow Directions

19 Plan Ahead RE: Grant preparation and writing Drill down to the root cause of your problem Get to know the funders and their respective funding opportunities Plan your project in advance, but don t let it collect dust on the shelf! Problems versus projects

20 Collaborate Collaborate when collaboration makes sense Seek ethical and mutually beneficial partnerships Engage and get the community involved to the extent possible Public meetings Community assessment

21 Be Innovative Innovate within reason Give the grant reviewer something to remember you by Historical information Vision for the future Capacity Budget

22 Follow Directions Give the grant maker what they re asking for Follow grant application guidance Ask questions for clarity during available question and answer periods

23 Inverted Pyramid Style of Writing Key points Information to support key points General information

24 Writing Style Use active rather than passive voice Simple sentences Provide headers and subheadings Do not use jargon or acronyms, provide explanations if necessary Write from the prospective of the beneficiaries Focus on the funder s needs Source: Foundation Center. The Proposal Process

25 PRIORITIZE NEED

26 Prioritizing Need Will dedicate time, energy and money to the proposal writing and grant acquisition process Important to ensure that the need, given this level of attention, is of utmost importance to residents and municipal officials

27 Prioritizing Needs Sources for Identifying Municipality Needs Municipality s Consolidated Plan Community Assessment Public Meetings Public Records Emergency and/or Disaster Federal, State or Local Objectives

28 PLANNING & PROPOSAL WRITING

29 Project Notebook Physical or virtual notebook used to track the project from concept to completion Helpful for keeping and tracking all relevant items Meeting minutes Contact information Quotes Request for proposal / funding announcement Completed funding application

30 Obtain Consensus Obtain final agreement on the problem, mission, strategy and objectives Can be difficult to have a change of mind or change of heart based on securing and providing accurate information and buy-in on a particular strategic direction

31 Developing Your Proposal Commit your ideas to paper Thoroughly describe your program Create a concept paper State the goals and objectives of your program Construct a timeline Estimate costs for staff, materials, and equipment Plan for an evaluation of your program Write job descriptions for program staff Source: Foundation Center. Guide to Funding Research.

32 Developing Your Proposal Commit your ideas to paper

33 Grant writing team Commit Ideas to Paper Gather necessary resources Identify best practices or industry practices Refer to necessary content experts or specialists for guidance Develop different options and scenarios Assign roles

34 Developing Your Proposal Commit your ideas to paper Thoroughly describe your program

35 Describe your Program Statement of Need How you intend to address the particular need or issue Supportive information Best practices

36 Statement of Need Direct statement identifying the following: Issue to be addressed / resolved Parties involved Historical information Other relevant information May not always be a generally defined problem Funding sought to enhance student learning through Junior Municipal Governance Program Understand how funders want the problem explained

37 Quantitative Information Derived from statistical data collection and analysis Actual numbers

38 Qualitative Information Data that is relevant but described narratively Focus group information captured with open ended questions

39 Developing Your Proposal Commit your ideas to paper Thoroughly describe your program Create a concept paper

40 Concept Paper Options to address the need

41 Write a Scope Statement A scope statement describes what you re trying to achieve and to what extent

42 Mission Statement A mission statement defines the what and why of the project Follow typical structure of: Problem to be addressed or goal How you intend to resolve the problem or goal Be concise Focus on the outcome the project seeks to achieve

43 Develop a Strategy Strategy is the high-level how of the situation Gives a very general understanding of what you intend to do to address the situation Strategy is typically followed by defining the tasks and logistics of the situation

44 Developing Your Proposal Commit your ideas to paper Thoroughly describe your program Create a concept paper State the goals and objectives of your program

45 Develop a Work Plan Work plan defines: Goals Objectives Relevant activities / tasks Who s responsible for completing the tasks Resources needed

46 Goals and Objectives Goal is a concise statement addressing the intended outcome of the project

47 Objectives Want to ensure development of S.M.A.R.T. objectives S- Specific M Measurable A Accurate R Relevant T - Timely

48 Address the following: Who What For whom By when Where How much or to what extent Objectives

49 Developing Your Proposal Commit your ideas to paper Thoroughly describe your program Create a concept paper State the goals and objectives of your program Construct a timeline

50 Timeline Can be included in work plan or separate scope of work document Determine length of time needed for each activity When you expect to complete certain milestones When you expect to complete all anticipated activities

51 Timeline Important to understand that not all projects will have a concrete timeline Economic development Health Crime prevention In these situations, the timeline must adhere more to evaluation measures that will relate to the ultimate steps taken to address the issue> For example, a childhood obesity project looks at time to complete projects that will ultimately address children s physical activity and nutrition habits.

52 EXERCISE #1 Divide into groups using speaker instructions

53 Exercise #1 In your respective groups, develop a project plan for your community project

54 EXERCISE #1 Five (5) Minutes to Review and Designate the following: - Team Reporter - Note Taker - Time Keeper - Instruction Lead

55 EXERCISE #1 Fifteen (15) Minutes to Develop Plan: - Mission - Strategy - Work Plan - Timeline - Costs

56 Exercise #1 In your respective groups, develop a project plan for your community project

57 Lunch 12:00 12:15 = Lunch Served 12:15 12:45 = Guest Speaker 12:45 1:00 = Post-Lunch Break

58 EXERCISE #1 Group Report Back

59 MORNING RECAP

60 Grants 101 Grant Preparation Proposal Writing Tips Morning Recap

61 Developing Your Proposal Commit your ideas to paper Thoroughly describe your program Create a concept paper State the goals and objectives of your program Construct a timeline Estimate costs for staff, materials, and equipment Plan for an evaluation of your program Write job descriptions for program staff Source: Foundation Center. Guide to Funding Research.

62 Developing Your Proposal Commit your ideas to paper Thoroughly describe your program Create a concept paper State the goals and objectives of your program Construct a timeline Estimate costs for staff, materials, and equipment

63 Budget Statement of projected costs

64 Standard Budget Components Personnel Fringe Benefits Travel Equipment Supplies Contractual Other Direct Costs Administrative Costs (Indirect Expenses)

65 Developing Your Proposal Commit your ideas to paper Thoroughly describe your program Create a concept paper State the goals and objectives of your program Construct a timeline Estimate costs for staff, materials, and equipment Plan for an evaluation of your program

66 Evaluation Determining how you will measure successful completion of the project and intended outcome

67 Evaluation Develop a set of process questions Develop a set of impact questions Determine what is available or will need to be developed to collect information to properly answer both questions

68 Developing Your Proposal Commit your ideas to paper Thoroughly describe your program Create a concept paper State the goals and objectives of your program Construct a timeline Estimate costs for staff, materials, and equipment Plan for an evaluation of your program Write job descriptions for program staff Source: Foundation Center. Guide to Funding Research.

69 Organizational Structure Management and partnership structure Typically shown as an organizational chart Mayor Assistant Project Manager Fiscal Officer Communications Specialist

70 Organizational Information Opportunity to describe your municipality to the funder Discuss organizational capacity (ability to do the work) Present information on decision-making structure Share information on key staff, consultants, contractors and partners

71 Conclusion Not a requirement for all grants Should be used to reiterate your project mission or the vision for the future

72 GRANT SOLUTIONS

73 Finding the Right Grant Fit

74 Key Things to Consider Funder s Priorities Funder s Objectives Funder s Strategy Eligibility Criteria Method for Releasing Funds Grants Management Close-out

75 Direct payment Reimbursement Revolving loan fund Funding Mechanism

76 EXERCISE #2 Review Request for Funding Proposal

77 Grant Proposal Components Executive Summary Statement of Need Project Description Budget Organizational Information Conclusion

78 Letter of Inquiry/Intent Indicates request to apply for an available funding opportunity Letter of Intent Requests ability to submit a proposal for a project that has not already been identified by the funder but may fit the funder s priorities and objectives Letter of Inquiry

79 Letter Contents Be concise Include key project information What do you intend to do? Who will benefit? How do you plan to execute the project (strategy)? What is the cost? What is the timeline? Who is responsible? Include funding opportunity reference

80 Executive Summary Provides an overall summary of the project and funding request Can provide more information than the letter of intent Should cover all areas discussed in the grant proposal but in a summarized fashion

81 Statement of Need Who is the project s intended audience? What is the project s intended target? What type of information is available? Quantitative Qualitative

82 Project Description Vision, mission and goal statements Objectives Methods Timeline

83 EXERCISE #3 Project Description

84 EXERCISE #3 Ten (10) Minutes to Develop Project Description using information from your group s proposed project

85 Project Description Align your project with the funder s requirements Ensure format is the same as the format proposed in the grant application

86 EXERCISE #4 Evaluation

87 EXERCISE #4 Ten (10) Minutes to Develop Key Set of Evaluation Questions based on Population and Project

88 GRANTS MANAGEMENT Post-provision of funds

89 Project-Specific Administrative Fiscal Funder Grants Management

90 Project-Specific Project implementation phase Assemble partners Acquire resources Implement plan

91 Municipal serving as lead Administrative Set up as official municipal project Appropriate fiscal management system Chain-of-command Expectations of mayor, council or mayor-council

92 Fiscal Adhere to municipal accounting principles Municipalities are required to following federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-87: Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments Properly show how money is spent Keep applicable receipts (Remember: project notebook)

93 Funder Requirements Progress reports (Monthly, Quarterly or Annually)? Plan for site visit? Level of involvement in process Sponsor Partner

94 AFTERNOON WRAP-UP

95 Training Objectives Provide basic overview on Grants, Grant Writing, Grant Preparation and Grants Management Provide tips for developing a competitive application Practice developing narrative for common grant sections Learn about existing opportunities

96 In Conclusion Develop the project Find appropriate funding Use tips provided to develop a competitive application Ensure necessary oversight for proper grant management

97 Louisiana Municipal Advisory and Technical Services Bureau Corporation Grant Writing for Municipalities Training Series Series of grant writing training and technical assistance workshops provided in partnership with NM2C, LLC Schedule Intermediate Training: October 4, 2012 Advanced Training: November 1, 2012