Know the Flow of Government Funding Streams

“Funding streams” is the Grantbuilder? term used to describe the routes that government money travels through, from grantmakers, to grantseekers.?Learning about funding streams is advantageous to applicants seeking government grants.?Knowing where grants originate and the routes they take, makes it easier to identify funding opportunities available from federal, state and local government agencies.?

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Federal grants originate at 26 government agencies and usually range from the $10,000’s to multi-million dollar amounts and flow to a variety of entities, including 1) Other federal agencies, 2) Government entities at state and municipal levels, 3) Nonprofits and 4) In limited instances, to individuals (most commonly in the arts, and to researchers affiliated with a higher education institution).? Some federal grants are available to foreign governments and their charitable programs.

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A portion of funding that state and local agencies use to offer grants, flows from the federal government.??Grants.gov is the starting point to identify the federal agency associated with the type of program seeking grants.?For example, the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) is the place to start for public schools and nonprofits offering arts and cultural programs that serve high school-aged youth.?Next, determine if there is a similar agency at the state level that awards grants.?Continuing with this example, similar agencies in three states are the Arizona Commission on the Arts (https://azarts.gov/), Minnesota State Arts Board (https://www.arts.state.mn.us/), and Texas Commission on the Arts (https://www.arts.texas.gov/).?Finally, determine if similar municipal government entities offer grants (county, regional, city, etc.).?Once government sources have been identified, review applicant criteria for current and upcoming funding opportunities.?The Government Funding Streams illustration provides a visual of how grants funds flow from different levels of government to various entities.?

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Some government grants are available annually and others for limited time periods.?Understanding the funding stream helps direct grant research.?Learning how to navigate the streams begins with asking the following series of questions.

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1.????What is the primary category of service your organization provides?

2.????Which federal department (or agency) is directly associated with the category?

3.????Is there any other government agency that has some affiliation or involvement with the category?

4.????What are the equivalent agencies at each level of government (federal, state and local)?

5.????Which of these agencies have grant programs? and What is the application criteria?

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Answering these questions will guide you to opportunities that are the most appropriate fit, which will position you to prepare applications that are highly competitive.