The Grants Ballgame: You Can't Win, If You Don't Play

Many departments, and particularly volunteer departments, fight a continuous and ongoing battle in funding their existence. Shrinking tax bases, poor economies and swings from the budget axe take their toll on all departments daily and have become the norm, instead of an occasional problem area. Most fundraising activities are marginally successful and generally allow us to keep fuel in our vehicles or keep the lights and phones turned on at the station. So how do we continue to wrestle with this beast and serve our populations?

One answer to that question is through the use of grant strategy. Planning, researching and applying for grants. The grants ballgame is very much like playing the lottery and simply stated," If you don't play, you can't win". So, why do so many of us refuse to get in this game?

OVERCOMING THE UNKNOWN
In my conversations with Chiefs and departments, during the past ten years, I hear the same old excuses, time and time again. "I don't know where to find a grant" or "I don't have time to apply for them". I also frequently hear "I didn't know we were eligible to apply for a grant" or "I tried once and got rejected, so I quit applying."

Maybe part of this problem lies in not understanding exactly what a grant is or what is required to get a grant. Let's examine these two issues and see if a little knowledge can tear away the frightening mask that covers the face of this imaginary "boogey man."

GRANTS AS "SOLUTIONS"
Mr. Webster defines a grant as being: "to allow fulfillment of a request"; "to bestow or transfer formally" or "giving to a claimant or petitioner something that could be withheld". In the world of public safety it means; a gift or monetary award to perform certain deeds or services and to achieve certain goals while solving a particular problem(s) exclusive to our agency and our served populations.

Applying for, and being awarded a grant, is not just simply saying," I need money" and then sticking out your hand. In that scenario, the only thing likely to be placed into your hand will be a rejection notice.

All grant programs are offers to fund solutions to problems that exist for your community and, for which no other source of funding is available. Grants are, in essence, a program / project to resolve community problems. Please pay particular attention to the use of the word "program" here.

Without exception, a grant is offered to resolve or assist a particular problem in your community. The "funding source" may be a private or corporate giver such as Wal-Mart, Sears or MicroSoft. On the Federal or State level it could be FEMA or the Dept of Homeland Security. Amongst them, there are billions of dollars yearly to fund programs that solve these social problems in our society. Many of these problems are public safety issues, of which you are a part.

BEHIND THE POWER OF THE INTERNET
So, how do I get in this ballgame, you may ask? Well, the first step is to do your research and find out "who funds what"? Most of us have the most innovative research tool ever devised right at our fingertips, the Internet. Public information, the Freedom of Information Act, websites ( http://www.chiefgrants.com , http://www.volunteerfd.org/grants.php ), and eGrants processes are all activities published and updated on the Internet daily. You can sign up to subscription services from Grants.gov, the Federal Catalogue of Domestic Assistance and the Federal Registry and receive emailed bulletins everyday, which spell out what grants are available and what programs they support.

STUDY YOUR PLAYBOOK
So how do I get in on this game? The next step is to prepare yourself in advance. Do your homework! Remember a grant is a "program or project" and as such, you will be asked to lay out a plan of action. There are several main things asked for in every grant application. These are published in the guidelines or RFP (Request for Proposals) / NOFA (Notice of Funding Availability). This is your playbook? The rules of the game are published here, and you need to follow them to the letter. Research this first, and keep your information fresh. It is information that you will be asked for in almost every application. Now, when a grant becomes available to apply for, you are already way ahead of the pack in terms of submitting a proper, well-conceived and written grant application.

PAINT A COMPLETE PICTURE
Research is the most time consuming element in a grant application. It is also the one that keeps us from applying for and being awarded a grant. A grant writer must be an artist. You are providing the funding source, or "grantor", with a picture of your community, its problems, your department's problems, and the proposed solution. Many times I have received grants for review and am presented with what amounts to a black and white picture describing the proposed program. What is needed is an 8 x 10, color glossy, 5 mega pixel digital image. The problem with them is they lack sufficient detail. A person sitting on a review panel should not be left with unanswered questions about your proposal when they are finished reading it.

There are usually several elements asked for in any grant application:

1. The Problem Statement – This defines the problem you are experiencing in your department. Why does it exist? What have you done to try and correct the problem yourselves? Why haven't you funded this project yourselves? How many runs or calls did you answer last year? How many of them were for mutual aid? How big is your service area? How many people live there? What is the primary economic structure of your community? What is the median income for a resident of your community? This is all statistical data which is published and available on the Internet or through your own records. You will generally need three years average and the most current yearly figures for the grant application. This is also the area where you should tug at the emotions of the reader. Grant writers call this the "make em' bleed, make em' cry factor." It is critical to grab the attention of the reader and impress upon them that you need outside help to solve this problem.

2. Statement of Financial Need – Here is where you need to know where your budget is derived from. How much was it last year? How much did you spend on the lights, building mortgage, maintenance of vehicles, fuel, equipment repair etc.? Why can't you fund this yourselves? Did you even bother to ask your City Commission? Did the voters turn down the last tax referendum? Did you have two major corporations shutter their plants and move to Mexico? Why are you in need? These are the questions you need to answer or tell the reviewer about in your grant application. You have to provide hard facts here, so start digging up those statistics and newspaper articles about why you can't fund these activities with your current budget.

3. Cost Benefit - Otherwise known as "bang for their buck." All grantors, or givers, want to know that the most people will benefit from the least amount of money spent. They don't give away money to be spent willy-nilly or to benefit just your individual department. You must show that the community and other surrounding agencies as well (think Mutual Aid here) will benefit from your good fortune and their generous gifts.

4. Project Description - This section is where you get to sell your idea to the reviewer. You must paint a very, clear, concise picture for them. It should show good thought processes as to how you have approached this problem and your proposed solution to resolve this issue. It must state objectives, goals and the timelines needed to achieve these goals. This is not a place to exaggerate your goals. You should always under-report and over-achieve here. It is much better to report that you gained 15% and when you originally stated that you would gain 10%, than to report 15% and only gain 10%. This is part of what they are referring to when they use the term "performance based grants". There must be a clearly defined set of goals for you to achieve and a way for them to measure your success at achieving them.

5. Budget – Bring in the "bean counters and number crunchers" amongst your members here. This is not a place where you should be short sighted. It takes experience to put an accurate budget down on paper. Most of us do not have this skill, it is one that is taught and this is an area where you should call upon the first rule of proper management, "surround yourself with competent people and listen to them." If you do not have a budget expert amongst your staff, seek one out. Most communities are happy to lend the expertise of their city treasurer, a bank loan officer or similar type person to assist you in preparing a proper and accurate budget.

The grants ballgame is a winnable one, if you join in and play. Following the rules of the game is the key to successful grant applications. So don't just sit on the bench, learn the rules, step up to the plate and hit a grand slam for your department in the grants ballgame.

Kurt Bradley is a retired (30 year) law enforcement administrator and professional grants consultant, certified by the National Grant Writers Association. He is the consultant for CHIEF Grants, a customer service division of CHIEF, one of the leading suppliers of equipment for public safety agencies in the US. They offer public safety grants consultation services at NO CHARGE to these type agencies.

http://www.chiefgrants.com