Mike Wallace is President of Spectrum Research & Consulting, and holds a PhD in Mass Communications from Florida State University. Dr. Wallace serves as editor of The First Shot. He can be reached at
spectrumresearch@earthlink.net.
In addition to serving as editor of the CMP’s new on-line magazine, I spend much of my time researching, writing and submitting grants for different organizations. Grant writing is a time consuming business, and for some, the prospect of dedicating hours of time in front of a computer screen is less than inviting. The range and number of projects and activities funded each year, however, are extensive. Furthermore, grant dollars can make a small endeavor into a large success, and open doors to activities we might never attempt without outside assistance.
Which leads to an important question: Are local junior marksmanship and firearm safety programs missing out on funding opportunities?
The answer is probably “yes.” The problem is how to find, qualify and apply for funding.
Prerequisites to applying for most grant funding
There are a number of necessary elements to successful grant writing. They are:
1. Non-profit status
2. A viable program that fulfills some public need
3. Time
4. A tolerance of paperwork
Applying for the non-profit 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service is enough to scare most people off. Most government, foundation and corporate funding sources, however, require it.
There are exceptions to this rule. For example, the NRA Foundation, which itself has non-profit status, does not require groups applying for funds to have this IRS designation. Still, the Foundation in maintaining it’s own non-profit status does require that proposed projects be “open to the public” and “demonstrate and document some measurable public benefit.”
A way around this requirement is to partner with a non-profit organization. Groups such as the Boy Scouts of America and Boys & Girls Clubs have non-profit status and may partner with other groups to sponsor activities. Public schools and local governments are also, by definition, non-profit organizations and can apply for grant funding.
Projects and activities have to also be defined in terms of their benefits to the community and to society. You may think, for example, you are simply seeking money to pay for sending your junior marksmanship team to state competitions. In grant terminology, you are assisting in the development of better, more productive citizens.
Grants also require considerable lead time. For example, grantors such as the United Way maintain a regular application, review and funding schedule based on a defined fiscal year. In my area, United Way grant applications are submitted in February, reviewed during a three month period from March through May, and funds are disbursed over a yearly contract period starting in October.
There is also the issue of paperwork—and it doesn’t end with landing the grant. Grantors will want documentation that the funds they provided made a difference. This could include monthly, quarterly and/or annual reports, site visits, outside performance evaluation, and financial audit.
Where to look
Looking just in my own area (North Florida), there are a number of potential funding sources, some which I have previously tapped for other programs.
> The United Way: In my area, local government and the United Way have collaborated to form a “community human service partnership” that annually funds over 70 different organizations to provide 13 separately defined public services. This includes “youth recreation/character building.” While United Way funds probably couldn’t be used to purchase firearms and ammunition, allowable expenditures include instructional materials, contracted coaches and instructors, and travel. Funding is also substantial (both youth programs that I write for annually receive over $50,000 from this source), and once in the funding cycle, grants are easily renewable.
> Safe & Drug Free Schools: Over the past decade, the Federal government has placed considerable emphasis on creating “safe” schools. The Safe & Drug Free Schools program is a federally-funded program, with dollars being passed from the Federal government through state governments to individual school districts. Each school district has discretion in implementing “drug prevention education and violence prevention initiatives.” These dollars probably couldn’t go towards funding student participation in a marksmanship event. It may, however, present an opportunity as a point-of-entry for educational outreach (i.e., a firearm safety program conducted in the schools and sponsored by a local marksmanship program), and may pay for a special “firearm safety” instructor.
> Tourist development: This type of grant may be unique to states with tourist-based economies. My area has a Tourist Development Council funded by a local hotel bed-tax. The minimum amount of the Council’s grant allocations to area organizations is, in this case, determined by the estimated number of hotel rooms occupied by visitors coming to specific public events. Grants range from $500 to $10,000. A club planning to host a regional J.C. Garand match or other large event could look to this source for seed money.
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