SANMAR Grant Writing Workshop February 8, 2013 Amy Russell Gloria Martinez-Ramos Joe Kotarba

Overview Grant writing tips Multi-level impact and sustainability Collecting outcomes to strengthen your application Help with your application Examples and Help Terms

Grant Writing Tips Consider using words in your grant application that reflect: Competence/ Expertise Sustainability Outcome Measures/ Efficiency Essential needs Individualized services Adjustment and modification Community engagement/ Grant team/ Partnerships Fidelity

Grant Writing Tips Ensure application complete, add appendices Clarity in goals and objectives Clarity in why you’re a good fit and what you’ll be doing with the money Make sure to address: Project purpose Feasibility Community need Funds needed Accountability Competence

Suggestions to HSAB Grant Application Criteria and Ranking with Formula Suggestions The primary suggestion for increasing ease, precision, and objectivity is to create a HSAB- specific ranking system of grant applications. Suggestions for the ranking items are listed below, based on the current applications and grantees’ social services funded by the HSAB.

Suggestions to HSAB Essential services provided by the agency. These would be services that include basic needs to help lift residents out of poverty, such as cash assistance, housing, food, etc. Multi-level impact. This would include agencies that perform outreach in volunteer services that provide services at low cost or for free. This would include mentorship, which not only assists the mentee, but the mentor.

Suggestions to HSAB Outcomes measurement and accountability to HSAB after annual funding cycles. This would include program evaluation and service delivery statistics to ensure HSAB monies are spent as agreed. Quality of the application. This would include any expansion, improvement, and enhancements as noted by the applying agency.

Suggestions to HSAB Sustainability. Agencies revealing sustainability would reveal increases in volunteer services, external and varied funding applications or grant writing endeavors that seek monies beyond those received by the HSAB. Targeting demographic populations that are living in poverty or have high-risk need in the city, such as single mothers, disabled children, seniors, persons and families living in poverty, Spanish-speakers, persons receiving government assistance (SSI), immigrants, etc.

Suggestions to HSAB Accountability. Agencies that have a funding history with the HSAB would show quality improvements and accountability to the HSAB in their annual reports in outcomes measures and improvements in their programming. They would also be specific and unique in their reporting of service delivery, including budgeting. Expansion of Services. This would include capacity to increase client service delivery and innovation in times of limited funding.

Suggestions to HSAB Feasibility. Agencies applying for funding would consider increases in cost, living wages if requesting salary, and the potential of serving their client population. This item ranking is best described by capacity an agency has to deliver what they are proposing. This includes conducting outcome evaluation when it is the least disruptive. Utility. Agencies would show the social service they are proposing to deliver, or do deliver, is serving the needs of those most at risk in the City of San Marcos. This includes providing useful data when reporting evaluation outcomes.

Collecting outcomes to strengthen your application Many funders require grant recipients to show outcomes prior to funding This can be in the form of pilot data, or data collection and analysis that is developmental The great thing is that all agencies have data ‘lying’ around, it is just getting to it to organize and analyze it that is the challenge Outcomes reveal agency accountability and efficiency for funders to first grant then continue awarding social services

Your Application: Suggestions Show how you measure your outcomes and evaluate your service Provide examples of data-driven change Demonstrate how you are making it work efficiently and how much greater it would be with more funding! Promote your social service and the essential need it delivers to a medically underserved community Use and explain trending terms like sustainability, accountability, and fidelity Use the list of words at the end of this presentation BELIEVE YOU WILL RECEIVE THE FUNDING!!!

Your Local Resources Center for Social Inquiry, Texas State University: Dr. Joseph Kotarba, for city needs assessment information Richter Research Institute, School of Social Work, Texas State University: Dr. Amy Russell, for grant writing and program evaluation, liaison with partnerships Program Evaluation graduate research class, Fall semester, for secondary data analysis and outcome measurement, scale development School of Social Work Faculty, for community engagement, grant writing, partnerships, and scholarship

Logic Model

Concept Mapping