Hey Jason,
WoooHooo! Congrats! That is awesome news!!!
At work (not for CC), I deal with big (aka pain in the) ass fed and
other gov’t. grants. Yep, they require lots o’reporting, but
a few mostly simple things you can do to make em less of a pain:
1.
Track everything. I assume that you had some specific goals tied
to getting the funds – make sure you keep track of em – most grants
want outcome reporting ie. If your goal is to get 200 bikes into the community,
they wanna know if (and sometimes how) 200 bikes got out
2.
But it’s also ok if you didn’t meet a specific goal
as long as you have backup ie. We only got 180 bikes out b/c we didn’t
think abt xyz being a barrier –but on the other hand, now, we’ve
learned that xyz is a prob so we’re taking this measure to make a change.
Oh and if you tend to set “wimpy goals” and you way over exceed the
expectation without altering the goal from year to year then they’re
gonna bug ya abt that too.
3.
Most grants will wanna know how you spent your (er, their) $ esp
if you provided a budget stating $X goes to program, $X go to admin, $X to
supplies, etc -so keep track of your budget. Usually they aren’t as
nitpicky as wanting receipts, but it doesn’t hurt to hang on to em. If anything
they help with (watch out I’m gonna use the A word) accounting. If
you did give em a specific budget, it usually doesn’t matter if you shuffle
funds here and there, but they’ll be a little peeved if they see oops,
actually $x didn’t go to supplies, it went to admin or something super
off.
4.
Depending on when the reporting period is – some are
quarterly, others biannual, others once a year, etc…take a look at your
numbers, goals, etc every few months and make sure you are on track. Being off
or over is normal, but keep in mind how it’ll all look at the end of the
funding term.
5.
Know what they expect and have a plan for what you’re
doing (which I’m sure you do already) then turn all your shit back to em
on time
6.
Oh and if you don’t get something or aren’t sure. Ask.
Better to get it right than screw it up b/c you didn’t ask.
And now, we all know that I am a little bit of a nerd on the
topic…but seriously, for all the shit and stress it can be, if it’s
funding your project and you are doing what you love, believe, wanna spread to
others then it’s not a big deal. It’s only around reporting and writing
grants that you have a few hours/days of wanting to tear out your hair and
remove your fingernails with a cone wrench
Ok, seriously, it’s not all that bad/hard…if you
spend a whole lot more time doing than thinking/worrying/fussing abt what you
gotta tell the feds about their $$$ then you’ll be fine.
Good luck and enjoy!!! wanda
Wanda Pelegrina Caldas
Community Cycles,
Boulder's only non-profit bike shop
Sponsor an Earn-A-Biker for $100 today.
Use our secure online donation
form. Thanks!!
From: thethinktank-bounces@bikecollectives.org
[mailto:thethinktank-bounces@bikecollectives.org] On Behalf Of Jason
Tanzman
Sent: Friday, September 11, 2009 2:37 PM
To:
Subject: [TheThinkTank] Community Partners Bike Library
Hey everybody,
I just wanted to send an email and let folks know about an exciting project
that Sibley Bike Depot (St. Paul, MN) is beginning. Sibley received
funding in full on Tuesday for a $200,000 program to run a Community Partners
Bike Library! The funds were approved by Transit for Livable Communities,
a not-for-profit transit advocacy group in charge of allocating a $21 million
federal Non-motorized Transit Pilot program in the Twin Cities.
This funding will allow Sibley to build up a fleet of 200 bicycles –
outfitted for transportation purposes with a rack, fenders, lights, lock, and
helmet – to lend out to community members for up to six months. The
bike lending will be coordinated through Community Partners – other agencies,
such as affordable housing organizations, job placement centers, homeless
shelters, and more – who will help identify patrons who will benefit from
reliable transportation. Through this program, Sibley hopes to increase
the availability of bicycles within working class and poor communities, thus
helping to increase access to bicycles and diversify the bicycling movement in
the Twin Cities!
I am interested to hear any thoughts/feedback/suggestions from anyone who has
1) coordinated a bike library program; or, 2) handled large federal or other
government grants (rumored to be a tremendous pain in the ass).
Jason Tanzman
--
Sibley Bike Depot
Volunteer Coordinator
612-232-2737 (cell)
651-222-2080 (shop)
www.sibleybikedepot.org
Sibley Bike Depot's mission is to be an open, accessible space to educate and
empower people to use bicycles as transportation, helping to build a
sustainable environment and community. Volunteer with us to help build a bicycling
movement in the Twin Cities!