What is a Grant Request?

Grants are often though of as free and easy money. Nothing could be further from the truth.

A Grant request and subsequent funding is a business transaction. A transaction in which both parties benefit. Funding sources have a mission and financial resources, but not the operational resources to carry out that mission. As an agency you have a mission as well. You have the operational resources and infrastructure but not the financial resources to complete your mission. When your mission and a funding source mission align, there is the possibility of forming a mutually beneficial partnership. Exploring this potential is the grant process, from finding grant opportunities to grant award.

The first part of the process is understanding your mission. As a fire department it may seem obvious, however, each department has several missions. Refining and defining each aspect of your mission is critical to capitalize on multiple funding sources. There are various funding sources available for Fire Departments and each has a mission as well. Your goal is to align your mission and requested program with their mission. For example, as a fire department you have a mission to improve community. This may be a secondary mission to preservation of life and protection of property, however, your agency has an incredible ability to capitalize on partnering with other organizations who wish to improve community.

Second is your ability to communicate that mission. Your ability to communicate will make or break your grant proposal. That means explaining not only the mission but also how that mission is carried out, how the awarded funds will be used to further or enhance that mission. Be specific yet understandable. The goal is to demonstrate that you have the ability to carry out your mission and that your mission will fulfill theirs as well.

When you change the way you think about grant requests from free money to an investment request with a partnering agency, you will begin to explain and narrate your project differently. You begin to ask questions like, “would I invest my money in this program?” If the answer is no, you need to keep working. With this understanding you will no longer consider grants as charity or a hand out. It is a business opportunity for partnering agencies to further increase their mission abilities.

By Ray Myers, CEDCORE

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