Trying to figure out the twisty-turny, competitive world of public safety grants? These 5 must-reads about grants can help:
1. Grants – Getting Started
If your agency is flush with funding dollars, you can stop reading now. However, if your agency faces the challenge of shrinking budgets coupled with increased responsibilities, the subject of grants and other supplemental funding is probably of interest for you. Now is the perfect time to start identifying opportunities for the next budget cycle. Finding a grant for which your agency is eligible and that also meets your needs can be one of the most difficult steps in your funding process.
2. Why Grant Applications Need Letters of Support
Departments frequently ask me, “Why should I solicit letters of support for my grant applications?” So let’s take a few minutes here and discuss letters of support (LOS). It’s an important but little understood part of putting together a solid grant application.
3. Why Are You Not Applying for Grants?
Over $68 billion dollars in grant funding is available every year for public safety agencies. It never ceases to amaze me that I am continually told “we don’t have any money in our budget for equipment, staffing or training.” My follow-up question is always “Did you apply for any grants this year?” The usual response is “No.” Why is that?
4. Cowboy Up: What To Do When Your Grant Is Rejected
The letter has just arrived from the funding source! You have been sitting on pins and needles for months now, waiting to hear if your grant was funded or not. You open the letter…
But the news is bad. You’ve been declined funding. What are you going to do now?
5. The 5 W’s of Successful Grant Writing
Writing and composing a strong grant application is not difficult if you understand that the funding source must have some basic questions answered in every grant application it receives. Even before the actual RFP or Program Guidance (the grant program’s playbook) is published and released, you can start preparing for any grant by simply following the elementary school lessons you learned as a child. Answer the 5 W questions: Who, What, When, Where and Why.