Written by Lori Riggs
The goal for any funded strategy is to sustain programming. It is best to concentrate on your strong programs and partnerships. Federal, state, and local funders will typically post funding opportunities and guidelines on their websites well in advance of submission deadlines.
But, how do you find these funding opportunities? Using the databases below and others like them, you can search for “grant funding opportunities” in your specific region, or, at some sites, you can register for daily notifications.
Accordingly, the following five Federal funding sites should be checked frequently or you can register to receive updates at your e-mail address or other social media accounts. However, it is important to narrow your search to specific areas or you may be inundated with information.
Site #1–Grants.gov Most federal agency grants are posted on this single source site. Here is an overview of the site from the “ABOUT GRANTS.GOV” page.
“Grants.gov is a single source for finding and applying for federal grants online. The site offers access to grant opportunities from more than two dozen federal agencies that oversee more than 1,000 programs. Answers to frequently asked questions and other application aids are also provided. You should log onto this website to request an up-to-date, comprehensive list of federal opportunities.”
Once there, select from the categories, which are of interest to your collaborative and register for e-mail alerts.
Agriculture
Arts
Business & Commerce
Community Development
Disaster Prevention and Relief
Educations
Employment, Labor and Training
Energy
Environmental Quality
Food and Nutrition
Health
Housing
Humanities
Information and Statistics
Law, Justice and Legal Services
Natural Resources
Recovery Act
Regional Development
Science and Technology
Social Services and Income Security
Transportation
It is important that your organization is registered through grants.gov before applying for a specific grant. There is a tutorial for registration. (You may want to seek assistance from a local registered site or work with the grants department of a community college or university.) Also, be aware that your organization must renew your registration annually.
Site #2 – Office of Justice Programs—www.ojp.gov
This includes:
BJA – Bureau of Justice Assistance
BJS – Bureau of Justice Statistics
National Institute of Justice
Office for Victims of Crime
OJJDP – Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking
*Type “funding opportunities” in the “Search OJP” box at the top right of the website.
QUICK TIP: Take a quick tutorial before you start your funding searches at the Grants 101 Web Page which aids applicants for OJP (Office of Justice Programs) grants: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/grants101/. (This site also offers information on funding types.)
Site #3 – Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention—www.ojjdp.gov. Once you’re on the site, click on “Funding – Funding Opportunities.
Site #4 –Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)– Building Drug-Free Communities Provides substance abuse prevention, treatment, recovery and mentoring program grants and webinars—www.cadca.org.
Site #5 – The U.S. Attorney’s Office in your region. Contact them and ask to be added to the notification list for upcoming grant opportunities via the Office of Justice Programs. http://www.ojp.gov/BJA/funding/current-opp.html
They may have a notification service which will provide information such as this:
“Open Grant Program Solicitations from the Office of Justice Programs
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. In this capacity, OJP administers the majority of the Department of Justice grant funding as appropriated by Congress.
In an effort to keep United States Attorneys informed of current, available grant funding, we are providing information on the following open FY 2012 grant programs.
FY 2012 Grant Program Solicitations
Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJ A)
BJ A, Wrongful Conviction Review Program
BJA, Capital Case Litigation Initiative
BJA, Justice and Mental Health Collaboration State-Based Capacity Building Program
BJA, Protecting Public Health, Safety and the Economy from Counterfeit Goods and Product
Piracy: The Intellectual Property Theft Enforcement Program
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
BJS, State Justice Statistics Program for Statistical Analysis Centers, 2012
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
OJJDP, FY 2012 National Intertribal Youth Summit
Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
OVC, FY 2012 State Victim Assistance Academy Initiative”
Also, if you are not ready to take on a federal grant at this time, try a Google search of your local community foundation. Many of their funding opportunities are in line with community driven initiatives comparable to your Weed & Seed strategies.
By using these sites and some of the strategies shared here for maximizing them, you should be able to find grant funding appropriate to your programs and ongoing initiatives.
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