Finding Organization With Similar Goals Key to Securing Grants

Debra Belt

Copyright 2002 Journal of the California Dental Association.

For those seeking grants to help fund community projects, there is a "universe" of possibilities. That is the word the Foundation Center uses to describe the approximately 50,000 private and community foundations in the United States that offer grants to nonprofit organizations. That universe expands if international organizations are included.

For funding of projects and services specifically related to dentistry, the range of options includes state, federal, national, and international sources such as the CDA Foundation, the Department of Health and Human Services, the ADA Health Foundation, and the Foundation of the Pierre Fauchard Academy. In California, there are also local organizations that offer grants, such as the Health Trust in Santa Clara County.

When it comes to the art of applying for grants, the trick is in finding the right place to apply and in making sure that the goals of the proposed project or service match the goals of the grant maker. Most foundations have specific guidelines about the type of projects they will support. For instance, the Foundation of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, an international honor dental organization representing 65 countries, has a goal to support programs that will improve the public’s access to dental care, but states in its guidelines and restrictions that it will not fund multiyear grants, research, the purchase of major equipment costing more than $1,000, or a principal project manager’s salary.

Carl G. Lundgren, DDS, vice president of the Foundation of the Pierre Fauchard Academy and grants committee chairman, referred to the Foundation’s goals and restrictions as the "golden guidelines" and said they are of high importance in the application process. "First, we ask that organizations send a letter of inquiry and then we send them the goals and restrictions," he explained. After reading the guidelines and determining if they can be met, an organization may then request an application. Lundgren added that not meeting the guidelines is the most common reason for the Foundation not to consider an application.

"We don’t have enough funding to advance every organization, so we must base our priorities on the soundness of an organization. We look for the organizations we can help the most," said Lundgren, who has worked with the grants committee for six years.

In 2001, the Foundation awarded 31 service program grants, totaling more than $266,000, predominantly to volunteer dental clinics that reach the underserved. The grants were awarded to services in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, France, Vietnam and Haiti. Nine California organizations received funding in 2001 including St. Leo’s Medical and Dental Clinic in San Diego, MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity) in San Fernando Valley, the Children’s Dental Health Association of San Diego, St. Vincent de Paul Village Dental Services in San Diego, Esperanza International of California, 1,000 Smiles Foundation of Solana Beach, Roybal-Allard Children’s Dental Center in East Los Angeles, the Sutter North Business and Community Healthcare Partnership of Yuba, and Children’s Dental Center of Inglewood. The Foundation also awards a $1,500 scholarship to a student from each of the 53 U.S. dental schools and to dental students in 20 other countries. Lundgren said the Foundation generally awards $300,000 in grants and scholarships per year and expects to announce grant recipients for 2002 in the fall.

In the process of reviewing applications and making decisions about grant awards, the Foundation works with a committee of 10. He said the committee makes an abstract and then evaluates each application, summarizing "who the organization is, who they will serve, and what they are asking us to pay for.

"The main things we help out with are small dental instruments such as hand pieces and dental supplies."

The ADA Health Foundation also offers grants and states its primary goals as "enhancing the practice of clinical dentistry while improving the oral health of the American public. It accomplishes this mission by providing grants to support dental research, education, access, and awareness programs." The ADA Foundation acknowledges that its objectives are broad and offers specific criteria about project worthiness, sound design, demonstrable need for start-up, interim or supplemental funding on a time-limited basis, and disassociation from product research and development activities of a commercial interest. The proposed project must also be based in the United States or its territories.

In 2001, the ADA Health Foundation granted more than $750,000 in funding to projects and programs across the nation including the Inner City Health Foundation in Denver and St. Basil’s Free Dental Clinic in Chicago. In California, the Vista Community Clinic received $5,000 through the Foundation’s Harris Fund for Children’s Dental Health.

Also in California, the CDA Foundation is in the process of reviewing the 23 proposals it received in May for its Healthy Californians Grant Program. The funding awarded to selected May applicants will be the first grants given by the CDA Foundation, which has been in operation for a little more than one year. The Foundation will accept grant applications again in November.

The CDA Foundation also has guidelines about the projects it will fund and offers grants to nonprofit organizations and clinics addressing one or more of the following objectives: access to care; prevention, education, and intervention; treatment programs; research; and oral health workforce initiatives. The CDA Foundation has restrictions on what can be funded and will not support overhead and administrative costs in excess of 15 percent of a total project budget; conferences and special events such as fundraising dinners; lobbying or political campaigns; capital campaigns; and organization budget shortfalls.

Jon Roth, CAE, executive director of the CDA Foundation, explained that there are several "layers" in reviewing proposals.

"The first layer is to exclude applications that are incomplete or do not follow the published guidelines," he said. "Organizations will be notified if their proposals are incomplete and will be given one opportunity to forward the requested elements within a specific timeframe."

The second layer is to determine which proposals do and do not meet the stated objectives of the Foundation’s grant program, which include access to care, prevention, education and intervention, treatment programs, research, and oral health workforce initiatives.

"There may be many wonderful programs conducted by an array of organizations that are deserving of grant funding, but they may simply fall outside of the parameters of what the Foundation is trying to accomplish," Roth said.

The third layer of reviewing proposals is the most difficult, according to Roth, who works with Foundation staff to review applications before forwarding them to the Foundation’s Board of Directors for the final determination of funding. In the third stage, the Board must look at all the qualifying proposals and make some difficult judgments and decisions about which of those proposals are the most closely aligned with the goals of the Foundation and its strategic direction.

"Unfortunately, it is not unusual for the Board to have to turn down great proposals for the simple fact that we do not have an unlimited supply of grant funds," Roth said. "It is a very difficult process. All organizations that are not funded will be invited to come back to us in future funding cycles. We will also be giving honest feedback to organizations that we do not fund so they can perhaps approach the next funding cycle with a more appropriate project or clearer proposal."

For organizations seeking funding, Roth offers the following advice: Follow directions, get the proposal in early, and pay attention to the details.

"I think that a proposal is a reflection of the organization itself," Roth said. "If the organization is organized, clearly articulates the program needs, and follows the grant guidelines, it is a very positive reflection on the organization. The opposite is also true."

In addition to international, national, and state sources of funding for community dental projects or services, some areas have the benefit of local resources. The Health Trust in Santa Clara County offers funding to community-based grassroots organizations in its region with programs supporting health prevention and wellness activities for children and their families, frail elderly, and vulnerable adults. This year the Health Trust awarded Good Samaritan Grants to 14 Bay Area nonprofit agencies including the De Anza Foundation in San Jose to help support the Foothill College dental hygiene program. The Health Trust specifies that it awards grants to health-related, nonprofit organizations with programs in Santa Clara County and northern San Benito County. It selects projects based on the scope, sustainability, and overall need in the community.

"We anticipated an increase in requests for operational support in the area of health and human services," Health Trust Program Officer Linda Appleton said. "It was challenging to prioritize the needs of our community and make strategic decisions that leveraged our available funds."

Appleton’s comment parallels statements made by Lundgren and Roth and reiterates the necessity of finding the appropriate organization when seeking funding. Fortunately, the Internet has simplified research and there is a wealth of information online (see box).

Author

Debra Belt is CDA’s managing editor. In that position, she edits and writes for the CDA Update and edits CDA Scientific Session publications. She can be reached at debrab@cda.org.

Foundations

For more information on Foundations listed in this article:

CDA Foundation: www.cdafoundation.org

The Health Trust: www.healthtrust.org

ADA Health Foundation: www.ada.org/ada/charitable/

Foundation of the Pierre Fauchard Academy: www.fauchard.org

Internet Resources for Grant Funding

National Institutes of Health Grants and Funding Opportunities: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/index.cfm

The Foundation Center: http://fdncenter.org/

Foundations online: www.foundations.org/

Michigan Community Health electronic library list of grants resources: www.mchel.org/grants/index.html

GrantsNet: www.hhs.gov/agencies