"Competitive Grants: The Investment Process" presented by United Way at Winter 2013 NCLGBA Conference

1. Competitive Grants:
The Investment Process
Lance Edwards
Community Investment Director
United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County
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2. Presentation Overview:
• Rationale for strategic investment
• Preparing for strategic grant making
• Defining specifics
• The investment process
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3. Rationale for Strategic Investment
• Many of our community’s needs and issues are as great as ever
• Application reviewers need a model that enables them to work towards
improving specific community conditions
• Potential strategic partners need a clear and logical explanation of
United Way's investment priorities
• Donors need and deserve a clear explanation of the unique value (and
impact) of United Way’s investment strategies
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4. Where We Were
Funding Council
Vision Statement
Program
funding
Adapted from UWA materials by
ChangeWays
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5. Preparing for strategic grant making
1) Surveyed the community for input
2) Compiled and reviewed local, state, and regional demographic data
3) Collected data from other United Ways that have completed a similar
refinement process
4) Recruited volunteers to specific Focus Areas based on expertise
5) Determined focus for investment using resources referenced above
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6. Defining the specifics
Goal:
Shift mindset from funding an assortment of direct services to
investing in specific results that can be logically connected to
improving specific community conditions
How
Identify a limited number of specific issues that are well defined and
measurable
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7. Defining the specifics
Focus Area
more specific
still more specific
Even more specific
Specific
results
Adapted from UWA materials by
ChangeWays
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8. Defining the specifics
Focus Area
Vision
Barrier(s)
Communitylevel Results
Programlevel Results
A strong, caring community
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9. Health
Vision: We envision a safe community where everyone has the
knowledge, resources, access and opportunities to be healthy.
Barrier #1: Not all people, homes
and communities are safe.
Community-level Results
M People and the
community increase
their power to prevent
violence and abuse
N People experiencing
trauma from violence or
abuse increase their
likelihood of recovery
Barrier #2: Many people do not have
quality support for preventive health
and wellness.
Barrier #3: Many people do not
have quality primary and
behavioral health care.
Community-level Results
Community-level Results
O People have increased
awareness of and opportunities for
wellness, prevention, and early
detection
Q Seniors and people with
disabilities have the support they
need to remain independent and
in good health
P Children, families and those at
risk of poor health increase their
physical activity and healthy eating
R People increase their use of
effective primary, behavioral and
dental health care regardless of
ability to pay
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10. Program-level Results
M - People and the community increase their power to prevent violence and abuse - $154,430
• Participants increase knowledge of the signs and progression of violence and/or abuse
• Participants have the knowledge and skills to increase safety
• Participants improve ability to reconcile conflicts/crisis without violence
O - People have increased awareness of and opportunities for wellness, prevention and early detection - $57,981
• Participants increase knowledge and skills to be healthier
• Participants increase understanding of their health condition(s) and risks
• Participants have increased access to wellness, prevention and early detection opportunities
P - Children, families and those at risk of poor health increase their physical activity and healthy eating - $20,975
• Participants increase their physical activity
• Participants improve their eating habits
• Participants’ core health indicators improve
Q - Seniors and people with disabilities have the support needed to remain independent and in good health - $177,429
• Participants increase their ability to live independently
• Caregivers increase skills to support senior(s) or person(s) with disabilities
• Caregivers reduce their stress
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11. The Investment
Process
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12. The investment process
• Release Request for Proposals (RFP)
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Provides eligibility guidelines, timeframes and contact information
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Contains specific details on what we will invest in (the triangles)
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Include parameters (501c3, service area, Standards of Excellence, etc)
• Orient Applicants (in person)
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Who, what, when, why, where, how (more detail than RFP)
• Orient Volunteers (in person)
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Who, what, when, why, where, how
• Provide Guidance to applicants
(until deadline)
• Accept, Review, Score and Discuss programs
• Make investment decisions
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13. Key Elements
• Focused plan (why are we investing these dollars?)
• Clear communication
• Concise application that lets you know:
1) what measurable results you will be buying
2) the likelihood of success
• Knowledgeable volunteers
• Focus on measurable results
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14. Results
• Changes in program clients’
knowledge, skills, behavior or condition
• Measurable
• The return on the investment
Examples – improved grades, gained
employment, reduced high blood pressure
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15. unitedwayabc.org
ledwards@unitedwayabc.org
828-255-0696
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