Abstract

Many available public and private funding sources remain untapped because program administrators don't have the time or program staff doesn't have the ability to write grants. In Pima County, Arizona, a team of grant writers and program evaluators was formed to write grants for the human service organizations in the area at an "at-cost" basis. The Pima Prevention Partnership has raised in excess of $8 million for these organizations over the past four years. The Pima Prevention Partnership shared this effective practice during the 2001 National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Issue

Grant writing services are not always affordable or accessible for small and large human service organizations to harness needed funds for constituent services. As a result, many available public and private funding sources remain untapped when they could contribute to solving community problems and meeting community needs. In addition, many organizations don't have the skilled staff available to develop proposals with the likelihood of being funded. Oftentimes, program specialists or administrators end up writing proposals for their agencies, which takes them away from field work.

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Action

The Pima Prevention Partnership in Pima County, Arizona, assembled a team of grant writers and program evaluators with top-notch program development and writing skills. They informally market their grant writing services at an "at cost" basis. The earned income from this service is used to cover all costs of the Partnership, including reinvesting in computer technology and staff training.

The Partnership offers a complete spectrum of grant development services, including:

• Project conceptualization
• Research and background
• Approaches and methodologies
• Project management plans
• Budgets and narratives
• Process and outcome evaluations

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Context

The practice is used in Tucson, Arizona and across Pima County, which shares a 70-mile border with Mexico. Half of Pima County includes the Tohono O'Odham Reservation. The Partnership has expanded its services to northern Arizona, specifically to the White River Apache Tribe.

The Pima Prevention Partnership is a community-based, nonprofit organization established in Tucson, Arizona in 1991 by a multicultural coalition of leaders from local and county governments, human services, Native American tribes, law enforcement, business, and grassroots community groups. In its nine-year history as Pima County's leading substance abuse and delinquency prevention coalition, the Partnership has provided policy leadership, program development, youth prevention services, grant writing, planning, and evaluation services to promote community development.

As of 2001, the Pima Prevention Partnership has secured ongoing, annual grant writing contracts with the following agencies:

• The Pima County Health Department: $50,000
• The Pima County Attorney's Office: $17,500
• The Pima County Sheriff's Department: $17,500
• Pima County Community College: $50,000
• Tucson Unified School District: open contract based on unit costs, without a cap

In addition, they continually write proposals for agencies such as:

• Tucson Urban League
• White River Apache Tribe
• Tohono O'Odham Nation
• Pascua Yaqui Tribe
• Juvenile Services Coordinating Council

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Outcome

Agency representatives are more in tune with emerging funding opportunities. Collaborations are usually formed to access grant funds and to better leverage existing local resources. That means more organizations with congruent missions are working together to solve local problems.

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Evidence

The Partnership has raised in excess of $8 million for these organizations over the past four years. The annual operating budget has grown to $160,000 per year. The effectiveness rate for securing funding is approximately 65 percent (i.e., for every five proposals they write for agencies, they get a minimum of three funded).

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Related Practices

• Writing a successful grant proposal
• Training new program coordinators to analyze their grant
• Finding funding opportunities online

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