Grant Seeking/Writing and Funding Partnerships

RDI seeks out and applies for grants that assist funding partners in meeting their goals. RDI monitors numerous publications and Websites for public and private funding opportunities. Targeted searches are also completed using the Foundation Center database and web-based search engines. RDI refers many funding opportunities to organizations that are seeking funding for particular programs. Activities may include the following:

- Analyzing the grant application and other information on the funding source to determine if the grant is a good match to the proposed program,

- Researching to provide data for the application, such as demographics,

- Bringing together multiple agencies to collaborate on the development of the project and proposal.

- Revenue maximization

Revenue maximization is the term used for the effort to draw down the maximum amount of federal funds possible. Many federal programs require a percentage match by the state in order to drawn down federal funds. Local revenue maximization efforts attempt to use local dollars to substitute for the state match and draw the federal funds down to the local level. For example, if an agency is funding a program that provides services that could be reimbursed through the Medicaid program, then the agency's funds could be used as the match and federal Medicaid funds could be drawn down to reimburse the remaining amount.

RDI has taken the lead in coordinating revenue maximization efforts among all the CSCs in Florida. With the help of a consultant, RDI met with staff from Healthy Families and Comprehensive Services programs to explore the feasibility of billing Medicaid for Targeted Case Management (TCM), an opportunity created by the CSCs through negotiations with the state Medicaid office. Discussions are ongoing as both programs were being restructured.

In addition to the above efforts to implement Medicaid TCM billing, RDI staff worked with local DCF staff to receive reimbursement for Child Care expenses for Title IV-E eligible children.


Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allow the visual display of integrated data. The web-based GIS application developed by RDI will include health, education, and human services on Palm Beach County residents and is titled the Palm Beach County Community Resource Information and Mapping System (CRIMS). It is modeled after a system developed by the University of Pennsylvania for Philadelphia and is hosted and maintained by the Palm Beach County GIS Department.

Data from the 2000 census and data from the state health department's CHARTS is in the system and functional. Maps and tables can be created by census tract, census blockgroup, zip code, municipality, school attendance area, and CSC targeted geographic area on a variety of indicators. Child care sites and after-school programs have been added to the list of items that can be shown on the maps along with schools, hospitals and other points of interest.

Disaster Planning and Preparation

Following the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, a coalition of Palm Beach County funders coordinated efforts to help non-profit agencies recover from the disasters. This generated an interest in ongoing discussions about preparation for future disasters, and the recovery from them. RDI facilitates regular meetings of the Coalition of Funders which includes local funders from Palm Beach County.

CSC and United Way of Palm Beach County partnered with other funders in the community to make legal assistance available to non-profit agencies through Legal Aid Society to assist them with insurance claims, FEMA applications, and preparation for future disasters. In addition to helping agencies follow-up with their insurance claims and with applications to FEMA, the program provides participating agencies with an assessment of their insurance needs and recommends alternative options. The project coordinated a full-day conference on disaster preparedness in June 2006 and provides workshops throughout the county. The project built upon the existing Non-Profit Legal Assistance Project funded by CSC and United Way.

Community Outreach and Support

Although impossible to track for its financial impact, RDI also provides assistance to the general community in locating and acquiring additional resources.

Targeted Searches - RDI is frequently contacted by community-based organizations for assistance in locating grant opportunities. The resource development specialist utilizes the Foundation Center database and regularly provides funding recommendations to agencies. In addition to the searches, RDI also forwards funding opportunities to partner agencies and reviews proposal materials from the general community.

Grant Seeking/Writing Training - RDI conducts training seminars on Basic Grant Seeking/Basic Grant Writing and Intermediate Grant Writing as part of the CSC Training Calendar.