The Fund Finder News
Public Safety Grants Consulting
The Fund Finder News
A Bi-Weekly Grants News and Information Update By Kurt Bradley
Issue 3, June 2, 2004
"Alternative Funding"
Many public safety agencies go in search of grant money for specific projects or equipment. They desperately try to find a grant that will allow them to build a new station house, buy vehicles, fund new radio systems and a fund a myriad of other items.
During this search they often discover that there never seems to be a source available that will fund those items, when they need them. Grant deadlines may have passed or be too short to react to, or previous programs which held hope for these types of awards have been discontinued. People become frustrated at the system and give up much too quickly.
One of the strategies I frequently use to get around this is what I refer to as "alternative funding". Using this method can sometimes mean the difference between going without, or being a resourceful and innovative thinker and obtaining the funding you so desperately need. It works like this:
Study Budget Before Researching Grants
Get a copy of your budget for this year or the proposed budget for the coming year. Look specifically at the line items in the budget and identify what items you have already been approved for. You will probably find that you may have money set aside or budgeted for computer replacement, new radios or vehicles to replace an aging fleet. Many departments have specific accounts and funds for "building and growing" the capital needed in future years to replace these types of items.
Identify those items for which money has already been appropriated in that budget.
Now it's time to go shopping! Let's use an example that follows this line of thinking.
TASER, Cruiser or Both?
Assume for a moment that your department has appropriated $30,000 to buy a new vehicle for this year. You would also like to buy TASERs to equip your officers with the latest in non-lethal technology and reduce your liability factor in the department. Your initial search for money to buy the TASERs revealed that there are no grants currently out there to purchase this equipment. You now have a dilemma to resolve.
Let's back up a bit here. Go back to the research you did while trying to find the grant for the TASERs, and to your analysis of the department's budget. Money has already been allocated for a vehicle purchase – but while looking for grants, did you happen to take notice of any grants for vehicle purchases?
If so, we have to do some good communication and a little reshuffling of things.
First you need to immediately determine that you are in fact eligible to apply for the grant to receive a new vehicle. (Let's say that you are, and that this particular grant will require the department to pay 25% of the vehicle cost, in this case $7500.) Once you have determined that you are eligible, immediately schedule a sit-down with your mayor, city manager or city treasurer.
Keep in mind that you have already received tentative approval in your budget for $30,000 to buy that new vehicle. Inform your governing official that you still would also like to purchase TASERs for your officers, and that you have devised a plan which will work but requires the cooperation to accomplish it.
Inform them that you are cognizant of a grant which might allow you to get the new vehicle for only 25% of what the budget has already set aside to purchase it with. Tell them you are going to apply for this grant and try to gain an award to purchase the vehicle. Ask them to leave this line item alone for several months, until you can get a firm yes or no about getting the grant for this vehicle. They must agree not to "raid" this item from your budget.
If you do not get the grant, you still have this item in your budget, pre-approved and can still obtain the vehicle. However, if you are successful in obtaining the grant award, you have just accomplished several important things:
- They got a brand new vehicle for $7500 instead of $30,000, saving the city $22,500
- You have freed up $22,500 which you can now use to purchase the TASERs with.
- You will not need to ask for this budget line next year, which means no new taxes for the citizens.
A Good Plan
The logic behind this is flawless. It does require that you use a little creative thinking and keep an open mind while searching for grant monies but, it is nonetheless an "alternative funding" method which you can readily use. It requires everyone to know what the plan is and to agree to stick to the plan. Communication with everyone here is critical, as all of you must be reading from the same page.
Remember that the ultimate goal is to arrive at the destination – however, there are always alternative routes by which to arrive at that same destination.
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