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PLANNING & RESEARCH - OBTAINING GRANTS |
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How Do You Do That?
Funding Services through Grants
Information courtesy of
Capt. Brett Patterson, formerly with Planning & Research |
Seven (7) new Police Officers, one (1) Asst. Dispatch Manager, two (2) Intake Counselors for the Truancy Program, sixty (60) new computers, cameras for road sergeants' investigations, hurricane windows for police facility and other critical equipment. |
| What do all these have in common? |
They are funded by grants. In this past year, the West Palm Beach Police Department managed thirteen grants, both federal and state, totaling over $5,127,000. Currently we have two Universal grants which fund a portion of the salaries for 26 additional officers, a technology grant to replace our CAD, RMSand provide laptops to our officers in the field, a truancy grant, auto theft prevention and two Weed and Seed grants funding three civilian positions and program expenses. |
How do we obtain those grants? Unfortunately, they are not easily acquired. An agency can't simply pick up a newspaper and see law enforcement grants printed out in a neat, concise list. It takes a little detective work. Did I say little? Seriously, it takes a lot of work. Thanks to Capt. Brett Patterson, that work is being accomplished. Brett often utilizes the internet, accessing most every federal and state agency that remotely relates to law enforcement. |
| Here are some FAQs from Capt. Patterson on grants. |
| Explain the "primary purpose" of a grant? |
| Primarily, grants should be sought for programs that have been developed but require a funding source to implement. |
| Can you give an example? |
RADAR was a program I had developed. Since capital was needed to pay for overtime, contract with Juvenile Probation, and to buy necessary equipment, I checked both local and federal level for funding opportunities relative to the focus group. I was targeting and found a state byrne grant, prepared a proposal, made a presentation, and was funded. By it's second year of funding it was named the model program for statewide implementation. |
| Do any granting agencies announce grant applications to LEA? |
Most if not all grants have to be sought out, which I do via the internet, accessing most every federal and state agency that remotely relates to law enforcement. |
| What is a block grant? |
The BLOCK grant is funding based on your agencies UCR reporting to the FBI and is the only grant I know of that announces the grant application to the agencies in need. We must then apply via the net through the Department of Justice, hold a public hearing, present the proposal to an Advisory Board, announce it in the paper, submit an EEOP to the Civil Rights Board, appropriate the funding and determine the source of the "match". |
| What do you mean by a match? |
The "match" are local funds which can range from one-ninth of the award as is the case with the Block grant and routinely 25% with other state and federal funding. It is a level of commitment prescribed by the funding entity to the grantee to show a local commitment to the project. We typically utilize state forfeiture funds as our match. |
| Could you explain about appropriation of funding? |
The next step in "Grants 101" is the appropriation of funding. We go before the City Commission to accept the award and all associated stipulations and addtionally place funding into accounts to expense as determined by the grant. On a monthly or quarterly basis we complete an expense report and submit it to the granting authority for reimbursement. We then are wired or mailed a check for the reimbursement. |
| How strict do you have to comply with grant terms and conditions? |
All grants require strict compliance with the terms and conditions set forth in the grant. A grant is a contract to provide services for a given amount of funding. Written requests for budget modifications must be submitted and approved to the granting authority prior to using the fund for something other than its original proposed purpose. |
| What is the average time frame between the application and actual granting? |
The average time frame between the initial grant application and actual granting of money can range dramatically from as little as four months to as many as 12 plus months. |
| How extensive is a grant application? |
Grant applications can be as simple as several pages of "fill-in-the-blank" items to 200 page proposals. My average proposal is 20 pages. Relatively, the time it takes to complete applications can range from several hours to weeks of research, coordination, and organization and involves a Problem Statement, Methodology, Budget, Activities Implementation Schedule, and any MOU's that are needed. |
| Anything else on grants? |
I have concrete ideas prior to seeking funding. It is implausible to look for available funding and attempt to produce a comprehensive program around the grant in the limited application time allotted. |
| The difficulty with grants is the daily monitoring of expenses, ensuring grant compliance budget modifications and closeouts. |
| Definitions & Acronyms |
CAD = Computer Aided Dispatch
RMS = Records Management System
UCR = Uniform Crime Reporting
RADAR = Responding Against Delinquency and Recidivism
LEA = Law Enforcement Agency
EEOP = Equal Employment Opportunity Plan
MOU = Memo Of Understanding
Weed & Seed = WEED out crime and SEED with programs for the community.
Note: Click on the "Back" button at the top of your screen to return to Grants Profile. |
