Grant Participation Part II 2
Grant Participation Part II The Salvation Army’s Alegria Program provides services to families who have a member living with HIV/AIDS and do not have any other housing options. Initially the program is set up in three phases. The first phase is emergency housing, and if need be clients then transfer into the transitional housing phase, and upon further stabilization (as well as vacancies) families then move into the third phase, which is permanent housing. The Salvation Army was seeking to fund 16 transitional housing units, and as a result applied for a government grant through LAHSA (The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority). The role of this writer was to contact appropriate departments in order to obtain certain documents so that they may be submitted along with the RFP. This was somewhat challenging because departments were inundated with requests from other programs due to the submission of grant renewals and quarterly reports . This writer had to make several attempts to obtain some of the paperwork. Departments contacted included: the finance department, in order to request copies of financial audit reports, as well as assurances, IRS paperwork demonstrating proof of nonprofit status, the development department in order to obtain information on current donations from donors, etc. This writer also had to communicate with the grants manager as well as the executive director of social services, and the executive director of the Alegria program in order to provide timely updates. This writer assisted the executive directors in reviewing line item budgets, and information on previous outcomes, as well as current quality assurance practices. This writer was also allowed the opportunity to attend meetings alongside the grants manager, executive director of social services, executive director of the Alegria program, financial manager, and the L.A. Area Command Officer. The
Grant Participation Part II 3 purpose being, to discuss the process of the grant application and to provide updates as to the paperwork that was pending, as well as the paperwork that was received. This writer was also allowed the opportunity to review the needs statement, cover letter, and project description and provide feedback on any changes in wording, terminology and/or phrases. This writer also became more familiar with LAHSA’s overall mission, purpose, grants opportunities as well as expected outcomes. The purpose of this was to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the funding opportunity The Salvation Army was seeking, and to become more knowledgeable as to the expected outcomes, as well. Being able to partake in the aforementioned activities was vital to the overall completion of the grant. For example, if for some reason the paperwork was incomplete, the grant may have been thrown out altogether thus placing more strain on The Salvation Army to seek out other funding opportunities to sustain the project. Along the same line, if some of the paperwork was provided close to the deadline there may not have been as much of an opportunity to thoroughly review the completed grant before submitting it. It made this writer realize the important role clear communication and persistence play in gathering all the necessary information. It was somewhat challenging, as an intern, to assert my position and role in this process but with support from the executive directors information was obtained in a timely manner. The opportunity to review the paperwork and actual completed proposal was beneficial because it allowed this writer the opportunity to understand the scope of the problem/ need, and why funding was been sought after. It also allowed opportunities to gain a more fundamental macro and mezzo perspective in regards to the roles the community, clients, and collaborators play in bettering the conditions of vulnerable populations, as a whole. This writer was able to
Grant Participation Part II 4 understand the inner workings of the Alegria program, as well as the community they serve. It was apparent that direct and indirect services are imperative in order to contribute to the overall well being of the client, and the grants manager was able to clearly describe potential partners in delivering said services. Although there was little written as to how services would be monitored by said collaborators, and as to how quality assurance would be tracked through said partners. In order to protect the privacy of each client it is important for the program to include information as to how services provided by outside collaborators will be monitored. If collaborators have access to client charts it is necessary that the program safeguard clients’ personal information and in the process avoid becoming vulnerable to possible HIPAA violations. Although The Salvation Army is very well known for the services they provide in assisting individuals and families meet their needs, it was an eye opening experience to be involved in the grant process because it allowed for a more comprehensive understanding as to how impactful their services are to the community at hand. Although the grant was completed and submitted on time, it may have been more beneficial to have created a timeline as to when certain things need to be completed and/or gathered in order to reduce some of the pressure. For example, if such a timeline were created it may have been able to be submitted to the appropriate departments in order to assist them in preparing the necessary paperwork so that it would be ready as soon as it was requested. This writer realized that some of the most vital components of the grant writing process are creating a viable program budget that demonstrates sustainability if, and when, funding runs out. Also, being able to demonstrate every expense the program would incur, helps to create accountability and thus having various individuals review said budget and provide input was also of
Grant Participation Part II 5 importance. The grant writing process is a large undertaking and working together with a team of individuals that can offer input and/or clarity is crucial in seeking any type of funding. Although it is somewhat difficult, in the future, utilizing consumer feedback in order to write out goals and plans for implementation, as well as monitoring said program, can play a key role in ensuring that programs uphold appropriate quality assurance standards. In turn this may play an important role if the organization decides to seek other funding opportunities. The Salvation Army engages in multiple fundraising events in order to sustain their various projects (i.e. holiday kettle drives, holiday galas, auctions etc.). Since the organization is immense, much of their programs are sustained by grants and/or contracts. They have very few corporations they partner with, and have very few foundations they receive funding from. Having a clear vision and goal of the amount of funding that needs to be raised for the year in order to sustain the organization may play an important role in tracking types of funding activities that need to be carried out. It may also help the organization in being more selective as to grants they seek, in order to not compromise their vision and mission statement. The Salvation Army has a separate development and fundraising department. The development department is, for the most part, in charge of working with donors and the fundraising department is mostly in charge of large events and/or media exposure. The development department currently has 2-3 individuals working within said department and subsequently has had difficulty making contact with all donors. It may be beneficial for the organization to conduct an analysis as to the overall effectiveness of both the development and fundraising department and cost cutting strategies that can be incorporated, within said departments, in order to support a more comprehensive fundraising plan. If needed, upon further evaluation, the two departments may then possibly
Grant Participation Part II 6 merge together and the organization may then look into restructuring employee roles and/or responsibilities, as well as allocate appropriate funding in order to carry out the organizations fundraising vision. Having the aforementioned methods in place is important especially when writing grants because it may help grantees have a better understanding as to how programs will be sustained, as well as demonstrate fiscal responsibility. An appreciation luncheon for major donors may also help in the sense that the organization can not only show their appreciation for said donations but also utilize it as an opportunity to share what has been done with the donated funds and the essential role donor contributions have in sustaining various programs. These opportunities may be useful in encouraging donors to provide more donations or assist the organization in connecting with other possible donors. As part of a fundraising plan, the organization can also put together an outreach team that can dedicate part of their time to attending community meetings, conferences, and/or community fairs in order to obtain further exposure and possibly identify other donors and/or partners. Presentations on the number of people the organization has served as well as success rates upon exiting programs and/or sharing success stories may also enhance opportunities to partner with more corporations and/or foundations. Also being able to further develop their website and promote donations via the internet may help in obtaining further funding from certain age groups. The organization can also arrange focus groups, with employees, throughout the year in order to obtain input as to the effectiveness, or awareness, of said funding strategies and possibly obtain information as to innovative ideas for further funding, or as to how current fundraising methods can be improved. It may also be important to identify employees who are skilled in grant writing so that they may lend assistance in applying for future grants.
Grant Participation Part II 7
Unfortunately the grants manager, along with his assistant, carries much of the responsibility in writing grants for the L.A. area command and thus involving others may help the organization seek more funding, or avoid missing out on funding opportunities. It may also be beneficial to evaluate whether, or not, clients should be charged a sliding scale fee in order to offset program costs and further contribute to sustaining said programs. Demonstrating to funders that programs can sustain themselves appears to be vital criteria when being evaluated for a grant. It is apparent that fundraising plays a large role seeing that funders may not always have financial means to continuously offer the same amount of funding, or any funding at all, year in and year out due to various unpredictable factors (i.e. economy, budget cuts etc.). Being able to demonstrate fiscal responsibility may also help evaluators feel at ease that the organization is fiscally sound and services may potentially go uninterrupted if funding decrease in the future. Although contract grants play a pivotal role in sustaining programs within non-profit organizations it is essential that organizations develop a clear vision, and plan, to carry out fundraising activities in order to demonstrate sustainability. Programs that engage in implementing a multitude of fundraising strategies may be able to continue to provide ongoing services to vulnerable populations without a disruption in services.

Running Head: GRANT PARTICIPATION

Sheryl Huezo
Grant Participation Part II
Azusa Pacific University
Spring 2011