Funding: Answers to Common Grant Questions

Funding questions abound, and knowing the answers can mean the difference between receiving a federal grant and watching it go elsewhere. Julian Gilman spent a lot of time as a grants administrator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, learning the process of competing for federal funding.

He is now a preparedness officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency for Texas and New Mexico, where he works with state and local governments to help them understand the process. We enlisted his expertise for a brief Q&A on a few of the issues surrounding the grant process.

Q: What are your thoughts on regionalization?

A: Regionalization is a good thing when all parties involved benefit from the arrangement. For example, very few people would argue against a regionalized hazardous material unit because they are expensive and have a very specific training regimen. Generally the incidence of need is such that one or two teams can cover most, if not all, of the normal activity.

I also recommend a flexing regional composition, so you can join with other local governments that need the type of project/outcome you need to achieve and not joining with another local government because they are in your defined region on a map. A "flex" arrangement allows a local government to achieve synergies that exist with different partners when it makes sense to combine assets and personnel. This should extend to local governments outside of your defined geographical region when it achieves the desired outcome.

Q: How do you recommend rural areas compete against the more urban areas of a state for funding?

A: This problem shows up everywhere at one time or another, and you must make a good case to win funds for your area. You need to remember that a terrorist attack is most probable in high-population areas, but rural areas aren't immune and need some attention too. A good example is the shooting at Virginia Tech; though not a foreign attack, it was an attack that had to be dealt with.

A well thought-out proposal and project should get attention and funding ... the key is a good proposal with solid arguments.

Q: When is the announcement usually made about the latest round of homeland security grants?

A: The new homeland security grants are announced in the latter part of each calendar year. You should watch for this announcement, so you'll have the background information you need to deal with your homeland security management team in indicating your desired projects and funding needs. Don't forget, you've already developed your investments/projects for this round of grants. All you need to do now is fine-tune and evaluate them to determine which investments/projects you'll be able to proceed with, once you find out the amount of grant funding you'll receive.

Q: Should jurisdictions have joint projects with others within the same county?

A: Of course, and they make for good proposals as they represent more people that the project will benefit. You generally should know the people you need to discuss joint projects with, as the emergency community is fairly small and close-knit. Don't be afraid to reach out, you'll find common interest exists for all types of projects. You'll receive praise for developing joint projects; they should save funding and achieve the synergies of a cooperative project.