3.5 Find Funding
In this Section
This is what people often think of first when they talk about sustaining a program.
Funding pays for people’s time, materials, and more. Good training, skill building, and sharing program success can help keep the funding coming in!
Challenge
Funding may be one of the most well-known challenges. It often seems as if there is never enough money or the money does not last long enough.
Suggestions
- Be creative.
- Watch for announcements of federal government funding for which you can apply. Sign up on listservs to get information.
- Learn what local foundations fund.
- Talk with people from other programs when you go to meetings and conferences. Learn about where their funding comes from.
- Set up meetings with local businesses. See what they are interested in funding.
- Look for ways to “piggyback” on other funded programs. For example, you could ask the people who run other programs if you can share their training space and other resources.
- Ask for in-kind support whenever you can.
- Stretch your funding to reach more people than are in your program. A lot can be done when people share a goal and work together. For example, a “health chain” can help keep your heart health messages going and reach more people without you needing to find more funding. For example, ask the people in your program to commit to helping at least one other person outside the group to improve her or his heart health.
- Draft a simple description of your program. Include goals and objectives, reasons your community needs your program, and any successes you can share. Then, if you run into someone who might be interested in funding your program, you will be ready with talking points.
