Finding money to support family involvement AVENUES FOR FUNDINGMany family involvement activities can take place with little or no cost. Sometimes, however, a special project or program may require more funding than is available, even if it's planned on a shoestring budget. Luckily, schools and families do have several avenues of funding help they can turn to. This list of suggestions is just a starting point!
Whether you are seeking fifty dollars or five thousand, whether you are asking a corner store or community foundation, here are some basic guidelines that may contribute to your success: Be clear about what you want to accomplish and why. How will your program or project directly or indirectly help children learn? What are your specific goals? Why is this project needed? Plan carefully. Have a well-developed, realistic plan in hand when you seek funds. Know what you plan to do and when, what you need and why. Be able to show the commitment of your volunteers and, if applicable, other contributors too. Make sure that you also address how you will evaluate what you have done. Be positive. Janet Wakefield, a parent in Indianapolis schools, offers a good mindset for fund-raising. "You are not going around with your hand out begging," she says, "you are giving an opportunity for people to get involved." Be specific. Ask for exactly what you want and for no more than you need. For example: 35 printed t-shirts at cost for children in an after-school writing program, $75 to purchase reusable materials for Family Math and Science workshops, 125 pencils to give out at a fun fair, free copying of 500 flyers announcing a parenting class, or $4,880 to open a family resource room. A detailed budget shows contributors your seriousness. Coordinate efforts. Know who in your group is asking for what from whom. A funder may legitimately question whether you have your act together if overlapping requests come from the same school or parent group. Be yourself. Speak from your heart, share your enthusiasm. Follow up. By all means, make sure that you recognize your donors, privately, and, if appropriate, publicly. List their names on programs or posters. Send thank you notes. Provide updates if your project is long-term or on-going. Comply with any reporting requirements they might have. Let funders know how your event or project turned out. If possible, send a picture or newspaper clipping. Follow-up is important not only because it helps funders feel positive about their contribution, but also because it keeps the doors open for future support.
All communities have a variety of potential funding sources. Many are well-known and obvious. For those that are less visible, use your network of parents, teachers, and others to brainstorm possible funders with whom they might have connections, such as employers, religious groups, organizations and clubs, or merchants. Try to match your needs with the interests and assets of these groups. In many instances, "in-kind" contributions (actual goods or services) are just as valuable as money--and often easier to get. Some suggestions for where to look: Your own school or school corporation. Start close to home. If your school has a parent organization, do they have money to support your project? If it is the parent organization itself that is looking for money to do a specific thing, what kind of fund-raising could be done to raise the necessary funds? Can you invite a nearby school to join you-for example, splitting the costs of an excellent speaker for parents? Or try bringing your larger school corporation aboard as a partner, i.e., Title I may have funds to contribute if the families of Title 1 students will also benefit. Businesses. Look at the businesses located near your school or serving the families from your project. Talk to the places where you personally do business-your grocery store, pharmacy, dry cleaners, gas station. Consider inviting businesses to cosponsor an event with you. A hospital could fund a well-known speaker; a radio station could provide lots of free publicity; a fast food restaurant could supply refreshments. Some employers will match employee donations or volunteer hours with dollars. Others may offer small grants to support special projects or programs in which their employees are involved. Plan ahead by finding out from national chains or bigger businesses how they donate to the community. What is their application process? How much lead time is needed for funding requests? What format do you need to use? Are there certain things they do or do not fund? When is the best time of year to ask for funding? The religious community. Many church or synagogue congregations embrace opportunities to support children and families, especially those in nearby neighborhoods or in need. Some have social action committees which direct funds to various community projects. Others may link their members' talents or inkind donations with your needs. Government. Money is often available through local, state and national governments. Your city may award funds to neighborhood or other groups from community development block grants. Parent groups may be able to access state funds through their local Step Ahead Councils. Consider joing with schools or nonprofit agencies to apply for health or education grants. Many federal grants require the active participation of parents in planning and look favorably on projects that include parent partnerships. Groups and organizations. Many United Way agencies set aside monies for new grassroots projects. Well-known groups such as Kiwanis, Lion's Club, Rotary or Junior League may offer funds for specific programs or projects which support their goals. Look for support from smaller social, service, or philanthropic groups as well. Foundations. More and more counties in Indiana are creating community foundations to serve their local needs. Find out how they work. Some areas are also beginning education foundations, specifically focused on innovative programs or projects that help children learn. Check out the current edition of Directory of Indiana Donors by the Indiana Donors Alliance at your public library. It lists by county all the publicly-registered trusts or foundations who do grantmaking, along with information on when to apply for funding, whom to contact, program interests, grant ranges, proposal guidelines, and geographic priorities. "Groups who have put time and effort into knowing who they are, where they want to go, and how they are going to get there have the advantage when it comes to seeking funds." -"Seeking & Receiving Grants," Step Ahead of St. Joseph County 1995 - This information sheet was developed by The Family Connection for Family, School & Community Partnerships, Marion College, 3200 Cold Spring Road, Indianapolis IN 46222. It may be copied in part or in whole to further advance the involvement of parents in their children's education, providing credit is given to The Family Connection of St. Joseph County, Inc., and to the Family, School & Community Partnerships, Marion College, as sponsor.
|
HOW TO ASK FOR FUNDING