Grants provide opportunities for agencies to move in directions they might otherwise not have been able to because they lacked the resources needed to proceed on their own. However, grants require a significant planning effort in order to be successful. With that in mind, many grantors require a minimum level of planning to be disclosed during the application process – and may require additional planning efforts to be detailed in the associated deliverables.
The planning process for matching a grant to an agency usually falls into three stages, each of which can be represented by a question, worded more or less as follows:
Stage 1 – Is the Grant "a Good Fit"? Every grant requires that minimum criteria be provided in terms of the type of agency requesting the grant, the specific area of government involved, and/or the mission to be accomplished. The agency has to "fit" the grant, of course. But of greater importance is the fact that the grant not only has to fit the agency but also should enhance the ability of that agency to carry out a specific mission. If the answer to this "Stage 1" question is "No," the agency probably should look elsewhere for a more appropriate grant.
Stage 2 – What Will It Take to Implement the Grant? This stage isentical in many respects to the planning stage of any project. The agency requesting the grant should start with a well defined goal and draw a clear path or "road map" from the current status quo to that goal; obviously, though, the path may be broken into sections or milestones to make it more manageable. Using the path as a guide, the planning agency can and should prepare a budget and any other implementation documentation required by the granting agency. The implementation documents of a plan in the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) field, for example, would usually include some medical protocols – i.e., the specific rules and procedures that govern the ways, and limits, in which paramedics and emergency medical technicians must operate. Those protocols spell out the details that determine how and when a treatment can be used – and, not incidentally, provide the legal foundation that allows EMS staff to follow those rules. (Here it should be noted that, in addition to new plans and documents, all current plans and documents should be periodically updated to include new types of treatment and equipment items.)
One of the most important, but often overlooked, aspects of planning involves the "change" or "implementation" plan. This section details: (a) the steps that must be completed prior to full implementation of each milestone; (b) the training that is required; and (c) the specific guidelines that spell out not only the deadlines established for each milestone in the implementation process but also the evolution of the plan if those milestones are not met by the deadline(s) projected.
Stage 3 – What Are the Estimated Continuing Costs of the Project? All grants have a functional end date after which the agency seeking the grant cannot or at least should not expect the allocation of additional funds. It is vitally important, therefore, that agency managers consider how to continue the "enhancements" after the original grant funding runs out. This is particularly true in the EMS field, which straddles a middle position between the emergency-response and medical communities. It is very difficult, after a specific treatment capability is implemented, to degrade the response provided back to what it was in the pre-grant state. In some cases, in fact, it may be better to turn down an upgrade that cannot be sustained rather than have to abandon it later.
A granting agency that is willing to provide equipment to an EMS agency is by any definition a boon to that agency. However, before accepting such a grant, consideration must be given to several planning concerns – e.g., the cost and maintenance of new equipment; the replacement of equipment at the end of its life span; and the purchase responsibility for the consumable products required for operation of the equipment needed. In this way, grants resemble donations in some but not all respects.
The bottom line is that grants are not and should not be considered simply as "free money." In order to successfully apply for, obtain, and properly use a grant, considerable hard work and careful planning are required. However, for planners who are willing to put in the necessary effort, grants can help agencies reach capabilities that might otherwise be unachievable.
_________________________ Joseph Cahill, a medicolegal investigator for the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, previously served as exercise and training coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and prior to that was an emergency planner in the Westchester County (N.Y.) Office of Emergency Management. He also served for five years as the citywide advanced life support (ALS) coordinator for the FDNY - Bureau of EMS, and prior to that was the department’s Division 6 ALS coordinator, covering the South Bronx and Harlem. Much in demand as a speaker – he has addressed venues as diverse as the national EMS Today conferences and local volunteer EMS agencies – Cahill also served on the faculty of the Westchester County Community College’s Paramedic Program and has been a frequent guest lecturer for the U.S. Secret Service, the FDNY EMS Academy, and Montfiore Hospital.