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Q: We are starting a neighborhood
association. Can you tell me where I can go to get help with what I
do?
See the neighborhood
association tool kit available from the City
of Phoenix. It's online. It will give you step-by-step help in
how to establish and lead a neighborhood association.
Q: We have heard that neighborhood
associations around the country are inventorying the resources of their
neighborhoods. Can you tell me where to get help in how to do this?
There
are now many different approaches to inventorying resources. Some call
this "asset mapping." The group that is
most known for their work in asset mapping is the Asset
Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University.
They have asset mapping inventories online. We suggest that you start
there. Also see the Community Services section of the National
Civic League for additional help. The US
Department of Housing and Urban Development also has helpful mapping
resources.
Q: Our outreach committee of
our church has decided we need to get more active in the neighborhoods
surrounding our church. Can you point us to resources we can use to
educate our group about what various groups are doing? Who should we
get to know?
Many of the major denominations have very helpful materials.
Some are listed here. Also World Vision USA has some very good resources
for churches wanting to begin local involvement in community building.
See their Churches
at Work section and local
involvement sections. See the "Role of Church and Faith-based Organizations
in Community Development" at our Institute's Our Day site for
many additional links. In addition to checking with the national or international
headquarters of the faith-based organization with which you are affiliated,
we suggest you check the resources available from the following organizations:
Bethel
New Life
Christian Community
Development Association
Evangelicals
for Social Action
Habitat for
Humanity
National Congress
for Community Economic Development
Reformed Church
of America
Sojourners
World Vision
Your
Day site
Q:
Several of our agency leaders in town want to form a coalition
or partnership so that we better meet the needs of our community.
We recognize our services are not very coordinated, often overlap
and are duplicative. Where do you recommend we start?
These sites are all rich in leadership resources for
building coalitions and collaboratives.
Coalition
for Healthy Communities
The Community
Toolbox
Health
Care Forum
Sustainable
Communities Network
Q: Our neighborhood association
wants to write a grant for some of the work we are doing. How do we
write such a thing? Who should we apply to?
Developing a sound financial base for your organization
should be a priority concern of association members. The financial
base of the association needs to be diverse in order to weather the
ups and downs of gifts and grants. Getting grants is just one of several
paths to financial stability. If you are not a 501C3 organization (an
legally registered non-profit), you are not able to have grants from
foundations or government sources. This fact however is not a compelling
reason for your group to form a 501c3. Doing so may sidetrack your
group and its vision because there is a lot involved in managing a
nonprofit that is compliant and functioning properly.
You are able to write grants and benefit from additional resources, if
you form a partnership with an existing, well managed nonprofit
in your area who will act as the managing agency. They should be
brought to the table in discussions during the planning stages
of the grant, not after you already have the grant written. The
nonprofit will be legally responsible for any default of your group.
The nonprofit will be offering accounting resources to you, perhaps
more. Usually the nonprofit will want some benefit out of the relationship.
All these discussions and agreements should be thoroughly discussed
before submitting the grant. Generally the granting agency leadership
will insure you have had such discussions and may actually help you develop
written agreements among parties to help you avoid problems down the
road.
Below are the major sources for public and private grant
opportunities. Most are set up so that you can type in a few key words
to see if there are any current grant or contract opportunities available.
Catalog
for Federal and Domestic Assistance
Chronicle
of Philanthropy
Foundation
Center
The Grantsmanship
Center
Grantsnet
GuideStar
Hoover's
Online
National Association
of Fundraising Professionals
Philanthropy
News Network
We suggest you start with the Foundation Center's
site.
If you have other questions you want covered on this page
contact lydia@clemson.edu
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