Raise Funds for After School Programs
Use Online Resources to Support Your Organization's Budget
Dec 11, 2008
After school programs provide an important service for families and communities. Frequently, these programs must find funding through a variety of sources, including publicly funded grants and foundation funding. Use these resources to help support your fund raising efforts.
Finding Funding Resources
Two nationally known organizations located in New York City, The Partnership for After School Education (PASE) and The After School Corporation (TASC), have teamed up to create an online database of funding resources for after school programs. The PASE/TASC Youth Funders Database provides information on a wide variety of funding resources such as academic enrichment, community service, drop-out prevention, mentoring, and youth development. You can search by type of funding (public or private), purpose, geographic eligibility, and ages served.
Another useful site, Federal Resources for Faith-based and Community Organizations is provided by the Department of Health and Human Services. This website has a variety of resources to help community based organizations including a grants guide that identifies the types of organizations that are eligible to apply. You can also access a White House catalog from their website, listing more than 170 federal programs to help small, faith-based and community based organizations.
Some states provide similar resources online – try using a search engine to find what your state has to offer. For example, the New York State Office for Children and Family Services has teamed up with the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to develop an online Faith and Community Based Resource Center. Use an online search engine to find out what services your state offers that can assist your program.
Tips on Getting Funded
You should assume that any large grant opportunity, whether publicly or privately funded, will involve a highly competitive process. If this is your first attempt to obtain grant funding, start small. Local government funding sources, community foundations, fraternal organizations, or small family foundations that serve your community are a good place to start.
Begin by contacting the funder to find out what opportunities they provide and what their priorities are. Make sure that you put your best foot forward by submitting a well conceived and designed proposal. Whether you complete the proposal in house or use a consultant, follow best practices for ensuring that your application meets the requirements of the funder. See Writing Successful Proposals for Non-Profits for more information on how to write a winning proposal.
Providing high quality after school programming requires an ongoing commitment to securing stable funding. Foundations and government grants can be an important component of a diversified funding plan to maintain these important services for children and families.
