How to Start a Treatment/Recovery Program With Grants

Governments and foundations provide thousands of grants every year in support of treatment and recovery programs for a host of social problems including alcoholism, drug abuse, mental health issues, HIV/AIDS, rehabilitation therapies and many more. It is not easy to identify all the possible funding sources, and harder still to apply for and get grants to start a new treatment or recovery program. But with careful planning, you can increase the odds of receiving grant money to get your efforts started.

Instructions

• 1

  Clarify your focus. Before seeking grant funding, articulate what you want funding for. Grant-giving organizations generally have a fairly narrow focus for the types of projects they support. It's important to clarify for yourself--and ultimately, for potential funders--exactly what your project is all about.

  For instance, one funder may be interested in supporting a feasibility study for a new program, but would not be willing to provide funds for construction of a new facility. Another funding group may have just the reverse orientation. One funder may support substance abuse treatment programs, while another supports HIV treatment.

  The better you can clarify what you want to do, where you want to do it, and who you want to help, the better you can focus your fundraising efforts. Clarifying your project will also help clarify the amount of money needed to get it up and running.

• 2

  Know your strengths. Funding groups have more requests for money than they have money to give. It's necessary to convince them that your effort outshines the others, and is seriously worth their commitment of grant dollars.

  Be prepared to highlight your organization's strengths. What experience, expertise, administrative and management talent, research skills or other assets do you bring to the table? What sort of awards, recognition and press coverage have your efforts received? Who has funded your activities in the past?

  Fundraising is no time for modesty. List out all your assets and put your best foot forward.

• 3

  Define your affiliations. Funders are also considering your connections. Is there a university researcher on your staff? Does a member of local government sit on your board? Is your organization connected in any way to similar treatment/recovery groups around the country or around the world? As with your organization's strengths, your group's affiliations are a vital part of who you are and how you will be perceived by potential funders. The time to consolidate this information is early in the process, before actually beginning your fundraising efforts.

• 4

  Begin your search. Grant funding comes from three primary sources: government, private foundations and corporate grant-making groups. Be sure to explore all three.

  The federal government provides hundreds of billions of dollars in grants every year and are the largest single source of funding in the nation. Use the centralized website for federal grants to begin identifying programs that are a possible match to your organization. Be sure to use a variety of search strategies, including searching by keywords and browsing by categories as well as by individual agencies. A link to the website is included in the References section of this article.

  The Foundation Center is another indispensable resource for exploring grant opportunities. They have a very comprehensive database of thousands of foundation and corporate grant-making institutions, with detailed descriptions of the types of projects and institutions they support, the amounts of money they give out and important parameters such as geographical considerations, application procedures, deadlines and so on. You can use their database for free at any one of hundreds of locations around the country. You can also access it online for a fee. A link to their website is included in the References section.

• 5

  Ask for money. Now that you've defined your treatment/recovery project, articulated your strengths and affiliations and identified potential funding sources, there's only one thing left to do. Ask for a grant.

  Most grant-making organizations have a formal grant-request process, involving application forms, deadlines and perhaps interviews. A few are less formal, and will accept letters of request at any time, or may even discuss grant opportunities over the phone or in a person-to-person meeting.

  Whatever the process, adhere closely to the steps expected by the grant-making group. While there is never a guarantee that a grant will be forthcoming, it would be a shame to miss a granting opportunity simply because you didn't follow the proper procedures.