Community Economic Development Grant Program Application Readiness Workshop

Complimentary Session Sponsored by The Community Reinvestment Organizing Project In collaboration with The Illinois African-American Family Commission In-Kind Funding from the Marquette Bank Grants Funded by Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Pat Quinn, Governor Presenter: Valerie F. Leonard

Disclaimer: Valerie F. Leonard, Expert in Community and Organizational Development, has been retained by the Monroe Foundation to provide a complimentary informational workshop to help prospective grantees strengthen their proposals to the Illinois African American Family Commission (the Commission). The suggestions made herein are based on Ms. Leonards own experience writing and peer reviewing grant proposals and industry best practices. Attending this workshop, and following the hints contained herein, will not provide any points in the Commissions proposal evaluation process. This workshop has been developed independently of the Commission, and the information should not be construed as their instructions or opinions.

Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following persons and organizations for making this event possible. (In alphabetical order) Community Reinvestment Organizing Project Illinois African American Family Commission Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Marquette Bank Monroe Foundation Governor Pat Quinn

Hint: Review the entire application first, and highlight important sections.

Get a Tax ID Number

http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&Self-Employed/How-to-Apply-for-an-EIN

Get a DUNS Number

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do

Get a CCR Number

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/orga nization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html

Food for thought: If this applies to your business, make sure you respond to every question. Make sure you can demonstrate your plan for working through the situation, getting stabilized and back on track for sustainable growth over the long term.

Food for thought: Make sure you respond to every question asked and point raised above. It may be easier for you as the respondent to respond, and the evaluation team to score your application, if you create a separate section for each of the points raised above. As you think about your unique services, think about your competitive advantage in the market place (ie, a patent, copyright, strategic partnerships and relationships, loyal customer base, low cost, etc.

Sample

This sample, as well as the first table on the following page, are taken from What is a SWOT Analysis? by Tim Berry, Founder of Palo Alto Software.

Thinking Through the SWOT Analysis

Food for thought: Complete the SWOT analysis worksheets provided in the workshop. You should allocate the lions share of your energy, time and resources on those strategies, programs, goods and services that allow you to capitalize on your strengths in the most favorable environment possible.

Food for thought: Be sure to answer every part of the question. If you are using the funds to purchase new equipment, describe how the equipment will increase productivity and/or efficiency, where applicable. If the funds are being used to hire staff, identify sustainability strategies to ensure that you can continue to pay for the grantfunded staff after funding is gone. Describe how hiring staff translates into increased productivity or sales. Will the increased revenue pay for the additional employee once the funding is gone? Make sure this section is consistent with your project budget and budget narrative.

Helpful hint: Make sure you address every point in the question, and include a rationale for your decision to target this particular group. You should be able to back it up with demographic statistics and market trends. Your business plan will provide an opportunity to go into more detail.

Note: This section is for a budget of how the funds you are requesting from the State will be used. This is not the same as your companys budget, which will include a budget for the day to day operations for the entire company. It is helpful to show how the project budget relates to the overall company budget. This may be done by showing the companys budget as it stands now on one worksheet, and a project budget on another worksheet, and a third worksheet with the combined budgets to show the overall impact of the project to the company, and how the project

will be integrated into the companys operations.

Note: The budget narrative is for the project only. It is helpful to prepare the budget first, and then provide a written description of what the numbers represent, why the expenditure is necessary in order to complete the project, and any detailed calculations. Any numbers cited in the budget narrative should equal the numbers outlined in the project budget. If you are also providing a business plan as a separate attachment, make sure the numbers in your project budget and budget narrative are the same for the project costs outlined in the business plan.

Where Can I Get Incorporated?

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/busin ess_services/home.html

Questions?
Questions regarding this presentation may be addressed to
Otis Monroe CEO, The Monroe Foundation 773-315-9720 omonroe@themonroefoundation.org

Valerie F. Leonard Expert, Community and Organizational Development 773-521-3137 consulting@valeriefleonard.com