Accessing the private grant funds

Private funding is slowing being garnered for project implementation in the field of law enforcement. Some departments have learned how to reach out to the community to address many areas of need which require a response from both the police department and the non-profit resources. One good example of this is the Drug Free Communities project, which address drug demand reduction with a partnership of 12 community resources, including law enforcement. Grants in the areas of juvenile justice, senior fraud and abuse, courts, corrections, victims have already established nonprofit partners which serve the same populations addressed from the law enforcement perspective. Working together to approach the private foundations which serve your jurisdictions makes good sense. Especially if you develop a project is maximizing private, state and federal funding resources together. These projects take planning, strategic thinking and coordinated efforts but usually result in a more effective approach to community problems.

The US Office of justice Programs has had working relationships with this community of service and funding for a long time.  Recently they have put together the Partnership Resource Network to provide information to the field of justice to use as examples of projects with a private partner in focus.  This network list was developed by a proactive engagement between the federal and private communities.  One example is a partnership between the MacArthur Foundation and OJP jointly funding a $2 million dollars in project funding to support juvenile justice reforms. By partnering together government and the private nonprofits can work together to maximize private. State and federal resources to aid in meeting community need. This website connects you to the community programs who submitted these fundable projects.  A review of this list may lead you to some innovative partnerships in your community. Or it may provide you with a model program to replicate in your community.

Private foundations are always seeking applications from those community networks that have discovered a gap in their community between needs and resources. Approaching private funding sources to meet this need takes research and development time.  To begin, start by researching your private foundations which fund your geographic location, then by topical area.  Partner with your nonprofit and local government service providers to locate possible funding sources.

The Foundation Center has all the resources and step-by-step instructions to research all of the foundations in the U.S. Guidestar is another sound resource for research private funding as well as Community Foundations by State.  The information is easy to locate but it takes some time to identify a prospective funding. 

In addition, if you live in a rural community, the USDA has a detailed funding list. The Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships is also a good resource for identifying private funding.

Private funding is in every community. You just have to find it. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce or your local nonprofit community. They have many resources already identified within your community. As the government funding resources continue to merge, change or disappear altogether we all need to seek alternative resources with innovative solutions for resolving the problems we face each day in our communities. Hopefully some of the resources listed in this article will provide you with a new pathway for located critical funding.