Safety Funding in Your Future? Learn the Grant Cycle

All of the agencies shown above can help your public Safety program, not only in the area of school violence, but also in the very relevant area of COVID-19 identification and prevention.

These agencies have cycles or windows you need to use to apply for the grants they offer, and these grants can range from a few thousands to hundreds of thousands in funding to help your schools.

The grant process is not as hard as folks think, once you understand the grant cycle and what your school needs to do during each phase of the cycle. For starters, having a dedicated and focused individual who can collect the information the grant agency wants and show how they meet the requirements. More importantly, your school will want to explain why you really need the funding, and with CrisisGo’s grant team, you can do it now much easier than before. 

Though applying for grants can be a pretty easy process, the process can be lengthy, and even go from one to three years in most cases. There are, however, plenty of resources available to keep track of your grant application and funding. After you are awarded the funding, there is even a brand new government site called JustGrants.gov that allows your finance person to enroll and designate who has control over the account that the federal government deposits funds into, which is after you send them an invoice for the work you asked to be done and then you pay the contractor after the Federal Grantor pays you so there is no risk to your funds. Then there is the site of the agency that simply needs the status of your grant in simple reports put on.  

With all of the grant opportunities available with varying stipulations, it’s important to note and understand that some require the Awardee to pay 25% of the award you are given but some do not require any contribution. Saying that, the ones that require Awardee funding often award more agencies, so you have a better chance of success. 

Often organizations do not want to apply for funding because they think it is too difficult, but that should not be a reason you give up on seeking grants to improve the safety of your schools. What schools need to successfully pursue grants is a dedicated project person that works with the finance person to gather the information and write the narrative and fill out the forms. There are numerous examples and tools to help schools along the way, and a dedicated grant project manager, whether internal, external, or both, can help find the resources needed and keep everything organized along the way. 

Schools may also be worried about the timeline to fill out everything, but if you start when you hear about the grant, the one to three months is enough time to get it all done. Don’t forget that the process includes both doing the grant application and also researching a grant that fits your needs and also matches to requirements the grantor has for applying. There are also a lot of state efforts that can give you grants from the state or they are given federal money to send out to the districts.  

While you can get help through different companies, there is generally a fee associated with those services. These fees can also be incurred even if you do not win a competitive grant award, which means several organizations apply for it, but all do not receive it. CrisisGo is one of the few organizations that helps you get through the entire process free of charge, so there is no risk to you. CrisisGo’s grant personnel can assist with your safety grant needs. Set up a consultation to discuss what you need from technology to security training and equipment.