Clearly identify the project(s) you wish to fund with your community block grant funds.
When Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle received federal stimulus money, he knew where every dollar would go: foreclosure counseling, income tax credit assistance, health services, business and job development and neighborhood redevelopment. Similar programs across the nation are following suit, pinning their hopes and dreams to community block grants. If you'd like one, begin by assessing your worthiness and needs before following application procedures fastidiously. Do the job right and your community will enjoy the benefits only an infusion of money can bring.
Instructions
1. Form a diverse committee of community leaders to choose the types of projects you're seeking to complete should your group qualify for block grant program monies. Fill your list with demonstrable projects such as building public facilities, launching or enhancing health- and safety-related projects and job/business creation initiatives, and you'll provide state grant administrators with the ammunition they need to approve your request.
2. Visit your state's website and/or go directly to the agency your state has designated as the administrator of block grant funds, as whether the money is coming from the federal or state budget, it's going to be administered by your state. Obtain a packet of information that includes a formal application for a block grant, a list of guidelines stipulating the types of documentation you'll be required to submit with your application and, most importantly, deadline dates for filing your application. Anticipate downloading PDF-formatted or Microsoft Word documents via the website.
3. Hunker down with your committee to outline your block grant application goals and objectives. Make certain you meet nonprofit or municipal government guidelines. Turn to committee people with legal, accounting, grant writing and government backgrounds to handle the fact gathering. Spread the work around (e.g., make the accounting heads responsible for projected budgets and draft profit-and-loss statements, economic projections and other financial data). Save your grant writing expert for the end so she can shape the data contributed by specialists into a compelling and well-written document.
4. Ask committee legal eagles to comb through the completed application form and accompanying documents. Make a copy of everything for your files. Beat the filing deadline by getting your community block grant application to the agency early. Prove that your objectives are firmly fixed by being one of the first to file your grant request--unlike those whose application packages are hand-delivered on the deadline date.
5. Monitor the progress of your community block grant. Advise committee members the moment you receive news---positive or negative--and broadcast your success story to the media so the community is aware of the outcome of your efforts. Don't hesitate to get filing deadlines for the upcoming year once you've survived your first experience applying for a community block grant. Keep this in mind: the first filing is the hardest and you'll probably have learned some valuable lessons along the road that will make future application efforts a breeze.
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