At the last count there was almost $400 billion of federal grant money available during 2006 from many different funding sources, In addition, there were hundreds of other opportunities for securing matching grants at local, state and national level.
In fact, it is almost impossible to calculate exactly how much grant money is available overall, even after sifting through House appropriations bills, and reports from oversight organizations like the National Institute of Justice and the federal Office of Management and Budget.
What is known for sure, however, is that grant seeking is a multibillion dollar a year business. If it were a single company, it would rank at the top of the Fortune 500 list and that has never been more true than today. Grant recipients, whether at local, municipal, county or state level, have to adopt successful business and planning strategies if they are to compete successfully in the ever increasingly competitive grants environment.
With the continued budget struggles faced by state and local jurisdictions, federal grant money for homeland security appears poised to drive future law enforcement initiatives. Always attuned to the needs of the public safety community, Galls, an Aramark Company, is ready to assist departments with the grants process. We will provide some of the grant expertise needed by local departments and regional leadership to assure a more positive outcome for grant requests.
The most successful grant writing teams all have two things in common – good information sources and extremely skilled grant writers. Good information alerts you to upcoming funding opportunities quickly and the earlier you can get this information, the better able you are to prepare for it. Sophisticated information sources are essential and will become even more so in the years ahead. The most successful grants writers understand exactly what the grant funding agencies are looking for and ensure that their proposals reflect this to the letter. In the competitive grant arena, it is these teams that secure the largest funding.
When it comes to grant writing, it pays to be ahead of the field and on top of the game. If you are not, it can have serious consequences such as with one local agency in Florida that recently lost out on a major interoperability grant allocation because it failed to include one form in the budget section of the application. A large neighboring county sheriff’s department, on the other hand, with a skilled grant writing team, funds a quarter of its $100 plus million budget from grant money.
Galls, as always, is deeply committed to helping our customers in any manner we can. We understand that most public safety agencies do not employ "grant writers," or have individual staff members with the experience necessary to navigate the maze involved with finding, applying for, and managing federal, state, or private grants.
Properly researching and writing a grant can be a time-consuming process. We know that your first and primary responsibility is the protection of your community, and setting aside time for grant writing often falls to the bottom of the priority list.
That's where the Galls grant expertise can help. The Galls Grant Solutions web site is a customer service dedicated to helping all public safety professionals find their way through the maze of funding challenges. The Galls Grant Solutions staff works with you to find funding solutions by providing:
- Grant Funding Information
- Expert Grant Advice
- Grant Writing Tools
- Grant Tips and Hints
- Grant News and Updates
