Reflection
Steven911
MYPOST.docxMY POStS
Why Foundations Fund
Every year, hundreds of billions of grant dollars are awarded. In your response, identify three types of grant money sources and summarize why foundations award grant monies. Evaluate the motivations driving grant agencies to award grants. Analyze how understanding these motivations help guide you as a grant writer.
My POST for the Question
Generally, there are various types of sources for grant money that are used to support different projects. These sources provide financial support to fund seekers to run their project. The primary purpose of this article is to identify and discuss different types of grant money sources.
Corporate grant is one of the primary sources of grant money available in the United States and other parts of the world. Corporate donations are given by corporations that are committed to supporting corporate social responsibility (Maxwell & American Library Association, 2013). Corporate organization donates funds to help in establishing community development to improve the quality of life of the locals. Besides, corporate sometimes give out grants money to assist building industries in achieving corporate goals.
Secondly, government grants are other sources of grant money. Usually, the United States governments provide grants under the authority of the Congress or state legislature to support different projects that aim at improving the quality of life of Americans (O'Neal-McElrath, 2013). Such grants are primarily given to achieve public goals by providing social services and eliminating barriers from accessing public services.
Foundations award grant monies because agencies that seek such funding have a common aim of meeting corporate social responsibility objectives. Also, foundations give out grant monies to help to solve social issues affecting members of the society (O'Neal-McElrath, 2013). Typically, there are various reasons why grant agencies give out grant awards to different institution and individuals. Improving the quality of life of members of society is one of the vital motivation why grant agencies such as the government give out grants. In most instances, the Federal government gives out donations to organizations that aim at improving the quality of life in the United States. Another critical motivation why grant agencies provide grants is the content of grants request and the purpose for seeking for support. Analyzing the motivation for grant support is useful because it enables fund seekers to know how to draft a grant request.
References
Maxwell, N. K., & American Library Association. (2013). The ALA book of library grants money. Chicago: American Library Association.
O'Neal-McElrath, T. (2013). Winning grants step by step: The complete workbook for planning, developing and writing successful proposals (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-B
WEEK 2 DISCUSSION
Networking
Successful grant writers know that it is not enough to have a great idea and a well-crafted proposal. To get funded, it is necessary to find funders whose needs and/or mission aligns with your particular proposal idea. This requires getting to know potential funders beyond what is provided on their website.
In your response, list and evaluate at least two practical and inventive ways in which you might network with representatives of potential funders. How, specifically, would you go about creating opportunities to learn more about the funding agency’s needs, goals, and mission and to give its representatives information on your organization?
My Post
Fund networking is the process by which individuals and organization connect with funders to get financial support to run their programs. Generally, fund seekers need to know the various factors that donors consider before giving out grants. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate practical and inventive ways that fund seekers should network with potential funders.
Start-up launch platforms are inventive ways through which fund seekers can network to connect with funders and their representatives. Starting up a launching platform will enable them to share their proposals with donors more efficiently. Besides, such platforms are capable of creating convenient channels for locating potential funders or their representatives (Can, Özyer & Polat, 2014). Furthermore, creating launching platforms is essential because it enables fund seekers to learn ways of winning funders trust to get financial support for their projects. Practically, fund seekers have been starting up launch platform to meet many potential donors who can provide financial assistance to their projects.
Angel network is another way of connecting with funders by fund seekers. It involves various steps that comprise of different activities. Angel networks enable fund seekers to meet with many potential donors or their representatives and share their project ideas. Before meeting potential funders, fund seekers should have well broad goals, needs, and mission that can win the trust of potential investors (O'Neal-McElrath, 2013). Additionally, fund seekers should give relevant, accurate, and non-contradicting information to convince funders about the validity of the project. Currently, most fund seekers have angel networks where they meet potential donors to support their projects.
Crowdfunding sites is another way through which fund seekers meet potential funders. These sites provide seekers with access to many potential funders from different backgrounds. It is a public platform which offers opportunities for all fund seekers to meet potential donors (Can, Özyer & Polat, 2014). Presently, most fund seekers use this way to connect with potential funders because it is not expensive like other ways.
References
Can, F., Özyer, T., & Polat, F. (2014). State of the art applications of social network analysis.
O'Neal-McElrath, T. (2013). Winning grants step by step: The complete workbook for planning, developing, and writing successful proposals (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Week 2 - Discussion 1
Your HSO and Grant Proposal Idea
Share the HSO (including its web address/URL) and grant proposal idea you outlined in your Week One writing assignment with your classmates. Identify why you chose this particular HSO and grant proposal idea. Discuss the process you went through to identify your selected organization and describe any challenges you encountered along the way.
MY POST
HSO Search
The human service organization selected to for the completion of the final project is Fort Bend Women’s Center, Inc. Established in 1980, Fort Bend Women’s Center is a human service and non-profit organization that involves in offering various programs that assist sexual assault and domestic violence survivors escape abuse as well as become self-reliant in the community (FBWC, 2019). The organization is located in Richmond city, Texas State, in the United States. The enterprise’s web address is https://www.fbwc.org/ (Links to an external site.). Moreover, the mission of FBWC is to assist survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence as well as their children in attaining self-sufficiency and safety while advocating against gender-based violence especially against women (FBWC, 2019). In other words, the organization aims to provide an alternative and better life to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. The organization focuses on achieving its mission through the provision of crisis intervention services, non-residential services, and housing programs to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Proposal Idea
The focus of the grant would be on expanding the homelessness and housing services. The program will entail providing permanent supportive housing, emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services to the community in Richmond city. Focusing on this area will improve the ability of Fort Bend Women’s Center to meet the needs of the community efficiently. Typically, the proposed idea is to expand the homelessness and housing services of FBWC to meet the needs of the city.
Besides, the community needs that the idea or program will address include homelessness and other supportive services. A recent report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (DUD) indicated that homelessness is still a critical issue in Richmond and Texas as a whole. It is estimated that over 19,000 people were homeless in 2014 in Texas, which equals to seven out of ten thousand persons in this state are homeless (Frame, 2017). Moreover, domestic violence and sexual assault are identified as among the significant factors that contribute to this problem. Therefore, there is a need to improve homelessness and housing services to address the community needs more efficiently.
Following the improvement of the organization’s ability to address homelessness, homeless individuals will be able to get permanent housing, become self-sufficient, and attain emotional stability (Woodhall-Melnik & Dunn, 2016). Also, survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence will get shelter and other supportive services such as legal representation in the court of law. Violence against women will reduce, thus enhancing the position of women in the community. Moreover, to achieve this community situation, the organization will first research to establish the need in the city through getting the statistics of homeless persons, survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, and those at risk of being affected by these problems. FBWC will also incorporate efficient leadership, efficient financial procedures and management, and the establishment of healthy relationships with the community to attain the set goals.
Furthermore, to determine whether the organization’s program is successful, the management will conduct a look-back analysis where the actual outcomes will be compared against the set goals and objectives. Typically, the program would be said to be successful if the objectives would have been attained, and a failure of the organization fails to achieve the targets of the program. The implementation committee will be responsible for this role.
References
FBWC (2019). About Us. Retrieved from https://www.fbwc.org/ (Links to an external site.)
Frame, C. (2017). HUD: Homeless Population On Rise In Texas. Retrieved from https://www.tpr.org/post/hud-homeless-population-rise-texas (Links to an external site.)
Woodhall-Melnik, J. R., & Dunn, J. R. (2016). A systematic review of outcomes associated with participation in Housing First programs. Housing Studies, 31(3), 287-304.
Week 2 - Discussion 2
Types of Grants
Review the websites listed under the Required Readings section of this week’s introduction. Discuss the various types of government and private foundation grants that exist. Identify at least three categories of private grants and three categories of government grants. Briefly describe the purpose or intent of each category.
MY POST:
ypically, government grants entail the funds that the federal government provides to foundations or non-profit organizations to help them to achieve their purposes (O'Neal-McElrath, 2013). Private foundation grants comprise funds offered by private foundations to non-profit or charitable organizations to enable them to achieve their mission. Besides, the three types of government grants include competitive funding, Pass-through funding, and continuation funding. Competitive grants entail the ones that are often up for grabs and funding is based on the application merits of the recipients. The purpose of this grant is to support organizations to achieve their mission. Pass-through funding entails a kind of government grants that the federal government offers to the states for further distribution to the local governments (Islam et al., 2018). This funding aims to make sure that organizations in the local government receive adequate support to achieve their objectives. It also focuses on enhancing the equal distribution of national resources. Lastly, continuation funding is a type of grant that allows current recipients the option to renew their awards for the following year. This grant aims to continue supporting and strengthening in-progress programs that are benefiting the community.
Moreover, regarding private foundation grants, the three known types include funding for start-up costs, general support grants, and capital grants. The funding for start-up costs comprises a type of grant that is usually offered to cover the start-up expenses for a new enterprise or program (Wisegeek, 2019). The purpose of this funding is to enable organizations to rise from their start-up costs to be in a better position of achieving their goals. The general support grants are usually given to charities that that share a similar purpose and mission. The aim of the grant is often to provide additional funds to charities to allow them to attain their objectives. Lastly, capital grants comprise the type of funding that is offered to organizations that need to remodel or construct new facilities.
References
Islam, M., Fremeth, A., & Marcus, A. (2018). Signaling by early stage startups: US government research grants and venture capital funding. Journal of Business Venturing, 33(1), 35-51.
O'Neal-McElrath, T. (2013). Winning grants step by step: The complete workbook for planning, developing and writing successful proposals (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wisegeek (2019). What are the Different Types of Private Foundation Grants? Retrieved from https://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-private-foundation-grants.htm (Links to an external site.)
Week 3 - Discussion 1
Researching Goals and Objectives
For this discussion question, you will research and identify two different organizations funded by grants. Make sure you select organizations that serve a completely different purpose from the organization you have selected for your final grant proposal.
Discuss the purpose or mission of each organization and identify one goal and one related outcome objective applicable to each organization. What does each organization seek to do in order to reach its goals or achieve its mission (process objectives)? Find, identify, and summarize one goal, one related outcome objective, and one related process objective from the organization’s program logic model or from a funding proposal. (This may be from the donor page of the organization, and not necessarily from a submitted grant proposal).
·
MY POST:
The organizations selected for this discussion are the Texas Inmate Families Association (TIFA) and Elijah Rising. The mission of TIFA is to break the cycle of crime by strengthening families through education, support, and advocacy (TIFA, 2019). One goal of this organization is to provide support to families of incarcerated individuals in Texas State. The organization believes that families left behind by jailed or incarcerated individuals tend to undergo a lot of psychological and economical problems because of the separation from their loved ones. As a result, they require appropriate support, and this is what TIFA seeks to fulfill. The related outcome objective applicable to TIFA includes reduced emotional challenges among the families of incarcerated individuals. Besides, TIFA aims to do various things (process objectives) to accomplish its goal or reach its mission. The organization provides updates concerning the Texas Legislature. It also locates imamates that have been transferred and inform the anxious families. TIFA also facilitate the sending of holiday cards between inmates and their families. Lastly, they provide counseling to inmate families.
Moreover, Elijah Rising’s mission focuses on ending sex trafficking through awareness, prayer, restoration, and intervention in Houston (Elijah Rising, 2019). One goal of this organization is to create awareness and education to individuals about sex trafficking. Elijah Rising seeks to share more information about sex trafficking to help in ending this practice. Besides, the related outcome objective is increased understanding of sex trafficking and its impacts among individuals in Houston. Nevertheless, the organization seeks to carry out various activities to attain its goal. One of such things includes arranging van tours around Houston city. It also arranges tours of the museum to reveal the brutal realities of sexual slavery. The organization also shows documentaries about global sex trade to expose the lies that hide behind sex trafficking.
References
Elijah Rising (2019). About Us. https://www.elijahrising.org/about (Links to an external site.)
TiFA (2019). About Us. Retrieved from https://tifa.org/about/
Week 3 - Discussion 2
Theory of Change or Logic Model
Review Resource C: “Logic model resources,” in O’Neal-McElrath (2013). Identify and post the theory of change or logic model used by your organization. Include any graphic representation of the model or theory. Summarize the theory or model.
A logic model is a tool that is used to visually and systematically present a planned program or project with its underlying theoretical framework and assumptions (Culclasure et al., 2019). Its components comprise inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impact. Fort Bend Women’s Center uses this logic model in its program to help sexual assault and domestic violence survivors to attain security and self-independence. Typically, the inputs entail the resources that the organization requires to make an impact or achieve its mission. In the case of FBWC, the inputs entail program participants, funding, facilities, program partners, and staffing. The activities involve what the organization or program does with the inputs or resources. The events of FBWC include educational outreach programs, domestic violence program, sexual and assault program.
Besides, the outputs comprise the measurement indicators of the program’s progress (O'Neal-McElrath, 2013). The outputs tend to show that the inputs are put into use, and the activities are being carried out efficiently. Fort Bend Women’s Center’s outputs include the number of participants, educational programs offered, training program provided, the community served, sexual assault and domestic violence survivors helped, and the number of interested partners. Moreover, the outcomes entail the results of the program activities. FBWC’s outcomes include increased self-reliance among sexual assault and domestic violence survivors, reduced homelessness, and reduced gender-based violence. Lastly, the impacts comprise the proposed change that will result from the program activities after seven to ten years. In this case, the impact of the FBWC program entails the appreciation of women’s abilities in society. I have attached a graphic representation of the logic model of Fort Bend Women’s Center.
References
Culclasure, B. T., Daoust, C. J., Cote, S. M., & Zoll, S. (2019). Designing a Logic Model to Inform Montessori Research. Journal of Montessori Research, 5(1).
O'Neal-McElrath, T. (2013). Winning grants step by step: The complete workbook for planning, developing and writing successful proposals (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Week 4 - Discussion 1
Organization Background
Step 9 in the text provides an overview of the organizational background component. In 200-300 words, write up a background on the organization you have selected for your project, addressing some of the following components (addressed on page 88 of the text):
a. A brief description of the organization and its mission and vision, as well as a description of how it came to be (its history).
b. The demographics of the community your organization serves, followed by the ways in which both the board members and the staff reflect those demographics. This information is growing steadily in importance to funders, as they want to make sure that the nonprofit is in the best position to truly understand and connect with the community it strives to serve.
c. A description of the organization’s position and role in the community. Who are the organization’s collaborating partners in the community?
d. A discussion of the ways the organization is unique in comparison to others providing similar services.
MY POST
Fort Bend Women’s Center, Inc. is a human service enterprise located in Richmond City, Texas State. FBWC's mission focuses on helping sexual assault and domestic violence survivors to attain security and self-independence while fighting to eliminate gender-based violence (FBWC, 2019). The vision of this enterprise is to bring healing and hope to sexual assault and domestic violence survivors. Founded in 1980, FBWC started as a crisis hotline to address sexual assault and domestic violence issues in Fort Bend County. The hotline offered referrals and emergency counseling. As the organization continued to grow, additional services such as educational programs and housing programs were integrated to facilitate the achievement of the mission and vision of FBWC. Today, FBWC is among the prominent nonprofit enterprises in Texas and the U.S. as a whole providing a range of services and programs to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Regarding the demographics that the enterprise serves, FBWC concentrates on women and children suffering from sexual abuse and domestic violence as well as homeless residents within Richmond City. Besides, the organization holds a vital position in the community as it provides help to the hopeless survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Through its services and programs, these survivors can become self-reliant in their lives. Besides, the collaborating partners of FBWC include community members, donors, volunteers, and the government (O'Neal-McElrath, 2013). Lastly, FBWC attains its uniqueness from its ability to provide humane services since its foundation in 1980. The organization has remained to its mission of assisting domestic violence and sexual assault survivors to become self-dependent. Impartiality in service provision also makes FBWC stand out among its rivals in Fort Bent County and Texas State.
References
FBWC (2019). About Us. Retrieved from https://www.fbwc.org/ (Links to an external site.)
O'Neal-McElrath, T. (2013). Winning grants step by step: The complete workbook for planning, developing and writing successful proposals (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Week 4 - Discussion 2
The Grant Writing Process
Search the Internet and/or the online library for articles on the “how-to’s” of writing grants. Summarize the article you select in 150-200 words. What key points should a grant writer keep in mind in order to successfully persuade potential funders with a well-formulated grant proposal?
MY POST
The article selected was “Top 5 Tips for Successful Grant Proposal.” In this article, Neurbauer and Herbert (2014) focus on the fundamental dos in writing grants. They highlight five tips that can enhance the success of grant proposals. Firstly, grant seekers should conduct extensive research to determine the right funders to work with that can support the mission of the organization. Secondly, in the statement of need section, proving a solution to the problem or demonstrating an existing opportunity can convince the funders to consider the grant proposal. Including the outcomes and timelines are also critical. Thirdly, the grant proposal should describe what the enterprise is doing as well as its capability to address the problem highlighted in the statement of need (Neurbauer & Herbert, 2014). Showing also how the organization understands the needs of the community it serves as well as the skills and experience of leaders is essential to convince the funders. Fourthly, all the narratives should be reflected in the budget to enhance credibility. The budget is the first thing that funders look at, thus should be crafted excellently. Finally, grant seekers should establish good relationships with funders to make sure that their proposals are addressed promptly.
Reference
Neurbauer, S., & Herbert, C. (2014). Top 5 Tips for Successful Grant Proposal. Retrieved from https://grantspace.org/resources/blog/top-5-tips-for-successful-grant-proposals/
Week 5 - Discussion
Evaluating the Evaluation Component
In Step 6 of the text, you learned about the importance of the evaluation component to both the grant-seeking organization and the funder. There is some debate as to whether the evaluation function is better performed by the grant-seeking organization (i.e., internal evaluation), or by an external evaluator.
Search the Internet and/or the online library for articles about the pros and cons of using internal versus external evaluators. In your discussion response, share your thoughts on which you think is more appropriate (internal or external evaluation), and include an advantage and disadvantage for each. Be sure to make reference(s) to the article(s) or website(s) you identify to support your points. Identify which type of evaluation you would recommend for your grant proposal and why
My POST;
The article selected for this discussion is “Choosing an Evaluator: Matching Project Needs with Evaluator Skills and Competencies.” In this article, Mercussen (2019) focuses on the fundamental considerations for selecting an appropriate evaluator for an organization. She notes that both internal and external evaluators have advantages as well as disadvantages. Based on the explanations of the author, internal evaluation has specific pros for the entity to consider before deciding which type to use. The first advantage is that internal evaluators understand the structure and culture of the organization, thus able to conduct the evaluation process efficiently. They know the program and the program team which can ease their work. As such, there will be no need for training and induction as in the case when an enterprise decides to employ external evaluators. Secondly, internal evaluation is cheap since evaluators come from within, and the corporation does not need to pay them a lot of money to carry out the assessment processes (Mercussen, 2019). However, internal evaluators might focus more on outcomes and fail to identify underlying problems in the program, thus give misleading reports. Also, internal evaluators are likely to be caught up in internal politics which might affect the entire process adversely. Regarding the external evaluation, one pro of this choice is that the evaluators are usually objective and do no focus more on the program outcomes but each of its details (Bryson, 2018). The approach also avoids supervisory conflicts because the evaluator can operate from home. However, external evaluators are expensive, and the enterprise might not be able to afford their cost. Therefore, from these analyses, I would recommend an external evaluation because it is more objective and can give an extensive assessment of the program. Using external evaluators will also not interfere with the normal operations of the organization, thus allowing the enterprise to remain on course to achieve its targets.
References
Bryson, J. M. (2018). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. John Wiley & Sons.
Mercussen, M. (2019). Choosing an Evaluator: Matching Project Needs with Evaluator Skills and Competencies. Retrieved from https://www.informalscience.org/evaluation/pi-guide/chapter-3 (Links to an external site.)
