In 2006, Clearfield's, Mayor Patty Gilliland, in analyzing the Borough's needs, learned that there would be a grant opportunity to address downtown revitalization made available by the County Commissioners.
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THE BACKGROUND
One million dollars would be awarded for grant submissions that addressed the Commissioners priorities. However, in learning of the specifics of the funding opportunity, she needed the assistance of a grant writer familiar with non-profit municipalities. A successful grant writer specializing in non-profits was referred to the Mayor and the two began focusing on how to best match grant requirements and PA Wilds – streetscape needs as they existed locally. The grant identified several local priorities which could be funded by the effort, and they included sidewalk replacement, landscaping, and street lighting, and asked for priorities to be shown.
The Mayor and I reviewed the grant guidelines, and reached an agreement on how to best match the requirements of the grant to the operational needs of the Borough. Clearfield Borough, about twenty years ago, installed attractive street lighting, but as time passed, the street lights aged. With the state-wide initiative prioritizing this area of the Commonwealth, PA Wilds, thought was given to identifying a streetscape concept that would focus on a new area of the Borough needing attention and would contribute to resident and business safety. Also, by implementing these concepts, tourism would be stimulated, and more regional visitors would see the benefits of traveling to Clearfield. Clearfield County awarded the Borough $109,000 and the Department of Community and Economic Development matched this amount, making the total $218,000!
THE CREATIVE SOLUTION
As most grant guidelines do, this County grant required specific examples of how and when the grant dollars, when awarded, would accomplish the goals set forth. In our grant narrative, we took particular pains to identify a specific leading-edge solution that would both comply with the grant guidelines and, at the same time, provide significant cost containment results for our community. Specifically, we included in the grant narrative that LED compliant lighting components be included in the new lamps along the designated area of the community. You might ask ‘what kinds of results were achieved with the installed lighting?’
The street lighting committee selected attractive fixtures that were compatible with the design objectives previously set forth, AND the new LED lighting fixtures, reduced the annual electrical costs for the downtown lighting fixtures by over 50%. It was a two fold accomplishment:
- new fixtures were paid for by grant funds,
- and the annual lighting bill was reduced for the next ten years simply by identifying the new technology that was approaching, and writing that type of lighting into the grant narrative.
Equally important, the new lighting made Third Street safer and more attractive, and in the end, both the County Commissioners and the Borough were winners!
THE LESSONS LEARNED…
The lessons learned were three: to be successful in obtaining grant funds,
- local leadership must monitor and be aware of grant opportunities that are either soon to be available,
- and someone at the local level must then partner with a creative grant writer who can match funding opportunities with local operational needs that require attention in the here and now.
- One final and critical item to consider: continuing success with grants works best when planning and groundwork are completed and on file. As grant opportunities present themselves, the homework required to take advantage of new grant opportunities will have already been completed. From that point, the timely and effective grant submissions will go smoothly and success will be assured!
By: William I. Armstrong, MBA, RSBA
West Side Grant Writing & Consulting Services
bca07@atlanticbb.net
