Nowadays, construction and improvement projects undertaken by local governments are commonly funded to some extent by grants.
Whether those grants are provided by larger government entities or private organizations, they must be secured by way of formal request. “Grant writing,” as it is often referred to, is somewhat of an art, because it requires close attention to detail and what are sometimes very specific guidelines and factors.
When a request for a grant is submitted, it’s often one of many requests for that same money. The subsequent evaluation process is, in effect, a competition and determines who gets the cash.
When the City of Houston has a project that requires grant funding, it turns to its resident grant writer, Elaine Campbell, director of development for the non-profit organization Downtown Houston, Inc.
A retired educator who spent 35 years serving in that field, Campbell is known for having significant success in securing grants she goes after. She said part of the trick is in being aware of where the money is.
“When you have a need in your community, you find something that fits that niche, and you apply for money for it,” Campbell said.
The best way to build and maintain that awareness is by keeping tabs on announcements and releases by agencies and organizations that have been allocated money for grants, like the Missouri Department of Transportation, Missouri Department Conservation, and others. Once an avenue for obtaining a grant has been identified, the next step is to effectively follow the right path to the desired end result.
“They will provide you paperwork with an outline of questions you need to answer,” Campbell said. “When there are a lot of people requesting the money, it goes to whoever best addresses those questions. You have to answer them thoroughly, and you can’t assume any of them aren’t important.”
Fortunately, grant providers often offer workshops designed to inform grant seekers of just how to give those answers.
“You’re basically asking them, ‘Please, may I have your money?’” Campbell said. “They tell you what’s important, and you write it their way.”
Once a grant has been approved, the process doesn’t stop there. After the money comes in, it must be concisely managed and administered. Campbell does that for Houston, too.
“I make sure everyone gets paid on time and work closely with all the people involved,” she said. “Sometimes there are a lot of hoops to jump through, but everyone likes to get paid for their work, and I like to make sure they do.”
Campbell’s career in grant writing began while she was still teaching, and money became available for $5,000 grants for individual classrooms. She applied for and was awarded the money, and the ball was rolling for good.
Since then, Campbell had written dozens of grant requests for a wide range of subjects, including housing projects, park projects and host of other forms of community development. Her office in the Houston City Hall houses numerous binders and notebooks containing hundreds upon hundreds of pages detailing past, present and future grants.
This year Campbell has worked on about a half dozen grants. It’s safe to say grant writing and administration has become a passion for Campbell, and she doesn’t take her role in the process lightly.
“I haven’t gotten all the grants I’ve ever applied for,” she said, “but I’ve gotten a lot of them.”
In fact, she figures she’s gotten more than 80-percent of them.
Campbell’s grant writing prowess eventually landed her on the other side of the process, and she has worked in grant evaluation for the state, the MDC, and other entities. Having first hand experience on both sides of the game only made her stronger as a grant writer.
“You learn from what other people do,” Campbell said. “You see what works for them.”
Houston mayor Don Tottingham has seen grant money come in for numerous causes, including improvements to the city’s sewer system, sidewalk system, and various industrial development projects. He said it’s no accident the city is awarded a high percentage of the grants it seeks.
“I’ve known Ms. Campbell a long time, and I can tell you we wouldn’t be nearly as far along as we are on grants,” Tottingham said. “I’m sure we would have gotten some of them, but we’ve gotten a lot of them because of her expertise.
“And grants have been good for Houston. The comments we receive from people who come in from other cities and communities are always positive, and they praise us for the activity in our city.”
Many grants require a percentage of a given project’s funds to be provided by the community. Ensuring that money exists takes a fair amount of management and foresight.
“The previous mayor and the city council have been real good about making sure they had money set aside each year to accommodate those requirements,” Tottingham said.
The grant evaluation process isn’t all done by phone calls, paperwork, and emails. Representatives of organizations that have grant money up for grabs also get out in the field and visit the communities vying for their money.
“How those visits are handled is very important,” Campbell said. “You want to have all your ducks in a row beforehand.”
Along with several other city hall employees, Campbell also deals with auditors who look at the city’s books on a yearly basis.
“There are a lot of things you need to have in order,” Campbell said. “But they’ve always been pleased with us.”
As the years have gone by, Campbell has noticed some changes in the grant process, primarily having to do with available sums and open hands.
“It’s tougher than it used to be; 20 years ago there seemed to be more money out there and fewer people asking for it,” she said. “With one recent grant available from the CDBG (Community Betterment Block Grant Program) that had to do with demolition, they only had about $500,000 available. There were 37 towns that requested it.
“But when I write a grant, I just write it the best I can. If I don’t get it, I know there are certain reasons. My heart sinks a little bit, but I just go on to the next one.”
Campbell said that as she performs her duties in the grant writing realm, she has a little something personal in the back of her mind.
“I live 17 miles out of town, and I come to Houston almost every day,” she said. “But someday I might have to move here and live here, so I want it to be the best.”