Seeking a Community Service Grant? What to Do Before You Write One

The first step before even considering the content of your community service grant is to conduct careful research about your project idea and to uncover potential funding sources.  If you have a dream to improve after-school opportunities for at-risk students, for instance, you’ll need to be able to define every aspect of your ideal project.  Who will you serve?  What kind of community support can you rely on? Where should be funding come from? How much will you need? These are just a few of the goals that must be thoroughly explored as you prepare to write.

Jen Heneberry at Community Power Finance Forum

Photo Credit:  mars_discovery_district

Developing a Grant Proposal

The more work you put into planning your proposal, the more likely your project will be funded.  Before you start looking to foundations or federal agencies for grant money, define your project mission.  To do that, answer the question, “What is the purpose of my project?”  Next, survey the community you wish to serve to find out if there is truly a need for your project.  Are there other non-profit agencies already in place that receive grant money to accomplish the same goals?  If so, you need to refine your mission and be able to point out how will your project be different. Continuing with the “after school program” example, identify a portion of the student population that is not able to benefit from existing services. Or propose a mentoring program in an under served field — such as English and writing  — to call attention to the unique nature of your project.

Where to Find Funding and Support

If your community service grant is intended to serve your local area, it is best to search for foundations closer to home. A community services grant is most likely to find funding in the area that will be served by the project. Corporations often make donations or even fund a project partially or in full through their community outreach offices.

It is possible to receive a grant for an individual, but most are awarded to non-profit organizations.  If you are looking for sources to fund your small, one-person community project, you can find them listed in the Foundation Center’s publications.

Whether you are seeking a community service grant from a corporation, a local foundation, or a federal grant, garnering support from key community leaders and from those in leadership positions within organizations that could benefit from your project is essential.  Search for academic or professional or even political leaders in organizations to get their support.  Letters of support are often required for federal grants.

• There are two main internet resources to review when looking for funding sources. The federal government operates Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) and the Foundation Center, which is a clearinghouse for funding organizations both private and corporate.

•  There are various Congressional Research Service reports that provide useful information for grant seekers, including CRS Report RL34012.

•  CRS Report RL32872: Community Services Block Grants Funding and Re-authorization provides information about the availability of federal block grants.

Preparing to Write the Proposal

Many people find it helpful to attend a grant-writing workshop before they start to prepare the proposal.  If you have never written a grant before, a workshop could assist you in crafting your message to meet the criteria of the funding agency.

Be careful to target your idea to the foundation’s interests so that you optimize the potential for getting your proposal funded.  Before you start, ask the foundation you have found for a grant application kit.  If one isn’t available, ask for information that describes what the foundation is looking for so that you can more closely target your message to their needs in the appropriate format.

After you feel confident that you have fully defined your project and focused it on services that are needed in the community, you can develop a preliminary paper, referred to as a concept paper that will prepare you to write the actual proposal.  The following points should be summarized in your concept paper:

• Who will benefit from your service?
• What are your project goals?
• Who will implement your project?
• How much time is needed to meet the goals?
• How will success be measured?
• What are the future plans beyond the scope of the immediate grant?
• What is the budget for completing this project?
• How do your project objectives relate to the foundation’s or agency’s stated purpose?

Some foundations and governmental funding agencies will agree to read your concept paper and provide feedback to you before you start the official community service grant writing process.

Finally, before you start writing, take a look at some sample proposals to learn more about the sections will need to cover:

• You can obtain sample proposals from the website Non-profit Guides.

• If you want to write a grant to serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, or a particular subset of the student population, see sample proposals at K12 Grants.
• The Minnesota Council on Foundations provides grant writing advice on their website.

Thorough research and a well-defined project are the necessary building blocks for a focused and relevant community service grant proposal.  Be sure to talk to corporate and governmental leaders whose support you will need.  If you can put together a concept paper that summarizes your project, budget and future plans, you are on the way to writing a winning grant proposal.

Court Order Community Service – Five National Non Profits to Consider

When you are ordered by the courts to perform community service is always mandated what services are acceptable in the courts eyes. The courts do not accept companies that are profit orientated companies to have service performed because of the profit that is involved which makes it against the law to do so. If an individual is ordered to do community service and does through a profit orientated company and does not have it approved by the courts chances are it will be rejected as community service. Therefore when doing your community service make sure before hand you are doing it for a company or organization that is approved by the courts as community service. Typically only nonprofit organizations are the only ones that are allowed to have community service performed other than working for state or city municipalities.

Throughout the United States of America there are literally thousands of nonprofit organizations that qualify as places to perform your community service. However some organizations do not request community service to be performed by individuals that have been ordered by the court and this is their rights to do so. Therefore make sure that you are approved by the organization to work for them under a court order to perform community service and that they will make knowledge to the courts that you have performed services for them.

The American Red Cross is a national nonprofit organization that you may consider to work for through your court order community service. This organization was formed in the late 1800s and has stood the test of time with help and support to others. Many today recognize it as a plasma (blood) donation area that assists hospitals in the supply of plasma to patients that are in dire need and that is just one area that the American Red Cross participates in. They have a vast network of support to individuals throughout America and are usually one of the first organizations to respond to individual needs after disasters yet big or small but a disaster to an individual.

Habitat for Humanity is a national nonprofit organization that does allow individuals to work off their court-ordered community service. This organization is fairly new compared to most nonprofit organizations but has been time-tested with its help towards others. This organization with the help of volunteers create living environments (homes) for families that are unable to afford a home and have been living in homeless shelters for extended periods of time and have nowhere to turn. The organization makes the home and gives it away to the needy family at no cost to them other than working on their own home.

The YMCA yes is a nonprofit organization that has been in existence within the United States for over 150 years. Standing for the Young Men’s Christian Association its initial sole purpose was to help young boys stay away from drugs and alcohol within their depressed areas that they lived. Today the Association is open to all men and women, Christian or not to help mentor individuals and families to cope with problems within a friendly safe environment of enjoyment.

Another nonprofit organization throughout America that has been in existence for quite some time is the Salvation Army. With the help of volunteer individuals and donations of all types their purpose is to supply goods to individuals at a free or a considerably reduced rate. The goods range from clothing, furniture, appliances, and many other daily living materials that a family or individual may need. Throughout the year they collect funds to help their cause that no child be without a present for Christmas that they distribute to thousands of families in need throughout the country.

The Boys and Girls Club of America is an organization that helps to mentor boys and girls to become stronger well rounded individuals in society. We’re schools lacked the funds the Boys and Girls Club of America takes on the challenge in helping the children not to be left behind, not to be left out, and to grow as individuals.

This is just in some of the national nonprofit organizations to consider for your court ordered community service but these organizations and many others in today’s times are in dire need of community help be it financial or volunteering. In searching the area that which you live, you are sure to find nonprofit organizations that will be more than happy to take your help so they may continue their good will towards others.