Breaking Down Barriers in Grantmaking Through the Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund
By: Shahela Begum, Program Director Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund
Historically, there have always been concerns surrounding the availability of funding opportunities and how they get dispersed to communities. The Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund (LISCIF) seeks to bridge that gap by providing technical and financial assistance to communities conducting coastal restoration work to improve the quality and accessibility of the Long Island Sound. Technical assistance is provided throughout the application process and is ongoing throughout the duration of the grant cycle.
WHAT IS THE LONG ISLAND SOUND COMMUNITY IMPACT FUND?
LISCIF is a partnership between Restore America’s Estuaries, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Long Island Sound Study (LISS). The LISCIF program helps to address historic impacts of environmental changes for communities across the Long Island Sound region. Made possible by a partnership with the EPA, LISCIF will distribute funds to support healthy communities in the Long Island Sound area.
SHAPING GRANTMAKING FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES
According to feedback from communities, funding opportunities often do not have enough time built in from when an RFA is first released and the submission deadline. We wanted to be mindful in the design of LISCIF and provide sufficient time for applicants to digest the RFA, reach out for technical assistance, and have ample time before submitting an application. The application process was broken into two stages, a Letter of Interest (LOI) and a Full Proposal phase. Instead of overcommitting time for only one stage of an application process, applicants receive feedback for their LOI and Full Proposal by the review panel, which is made up of a range of professionals, representing New York and Connecticut. It is important to have expertise on the panel of not only program priorities but also familiarity with various communities.
The goal of building capacity for the region comes in the form of a series of technical assistance training opportunities, based on continuous input from community members in the region. Guidance and navigation of LISS’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) is extremely important in order to allow applicants who have never received a federal award be able to develop a proposal which meets the goals and metrics of the LIS partnership. Other trainings conducted focused on grant writing, creating a federal budget, fundraising, managing projects, reporting, and other programmatic day to day operations. Engaging applicants in a continuous focus group helped to evaluate trainings, identify gaps in resources, and gather feedback on the overall grant program.
LISCIF Annual Learning Exchange in June 2024. Photo by Argenis Apolinario.
LISCIF also plans to continue to hold an Annual Learning Exchange, in an effort to bring subawardees, organizations, Tribal communities, professionals, students, and stakeholders together for an in-person gathering. The first one we held in June 2024, was at the CUNY Graduate Center, which brought people together from New York and Connecticut. It proved to be an opportunity where people working in a myriad of communities can come together, network, and learn about each other’s work. The purpose of these types of in-person capacity-building gatherings is to foster and strengthen regional networks in relation to the Long Island Sound. Most importantly, the Annual Learning Exchange, along with all the training provided is at no cost to participants (whether they are an applicant or not).
The availability of technical assistance, and virtual, and in-person capacity-building opportunities will make organizations and stakeholders more successful in not only managing current grants but also in obtaining larger funding opportunities. For communities that would benefit from extra guidance, it is crucial that the mission and work can be supported and maintained. One important factor is supporting subawardees who may not have the upfront organizational budget available to start a project. A reimbursement model oftentimes can exclude applicants from putting in a proposal. For LISCIF grants, EPA has implemented the Working Capital Advance (WCA) which advances costs associated with a project for the first two months. This model helps to support subawardees who do not have a huge organizational budget and is a more equitable approach to getting funds for healthier communities.
In mindful designing of a grant program, it is important to obtain continuous community input throughout the process. Being available for support calls, and technical assistance requests, along with providing free and accessible training opportunities; builds relationships, trust, and demonstrates a commitment to the region. This approach ultimately supports the longevity of organizations with their mission, sets them up for success, and gears them up to obtain future funding opportunities for their community.
