AARC Grantsmanship
Securing grant and loan assistance for
community projects and services is another primary service provided
to local governments by regional councils. The term "grantsman"
began as a description of persons who were skilled at securing
federal "grants-in-aid." "Grant"
has become a generic word including gifts and loans secured
from any federal, state, local, or private resource. It is
common for today's grant to require significant amounts of
private investment in development projects. Also, private
foundations are routinely being requested to finance community
projects.
The "range of services" goes significantly
beyond writing a grant application. In many cases, tasks include:
- Advising local governments on the type of
project to undertake
- Providing information on the current availability
of funds
- Providing statistical data to the applicant
or preparing complicated applications on behalf of the recipient
- Securing cooperation and synchronizing funding
from multiple sources
- Negotiating degrees of participation and/or
loan rates of multiple improvements to "package"
a complete project
- Managing construction and compliance reporting
Obviously, the scope of work now extends from preliminary
stages to evaluations following project completion. Regional
councils routinely prepare applications for submission to
the Appalachian Regional Commission; State of Alabama Community
Development Block Grant Program; Economic Development Administration;
Department of Housing and Urban Development; USDA, Rural Development;
Environmental Protection Agency; and the Small Business Administration.
Grant requirements and reporting are becoming
more strict and complicated with each passing day. Knowledgeable
regional staff members can assist local governments in managing
their grants in compliance with the many complicated federal
restrictions. The fee for grantsmanship services provided
by regional councils is "at cost" and traditionally
well below the fees charged by for-profit firms.
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