As we continue to explore funding opportunities for our school safety programs, we need to look at the pros and cons of government grants. There are quite literally, billions of dollars that are being left on the table that could fund your safety programs, and they come in many forms.
As previously discussed, your safety audit and gap analysis should be the driving force behind determining your funding needs. Seeking government funding is no different; it is just another way to fund the program and plans you have already identified. Just going after a grant because it is available can be very costly in the long run. I have witnessed schools submitting grants for shiny stuff they didn’t quite understand what they were for or how to use them. So their purchases under the grant went unused, or never implemented. In some cases, this meant the school had to reimburse the government for the grant they received. I have also witnessed school grant administrators prosecuted for misuse of grant funds for the purchase of items, or used in ways that were outside the scope of the grant they received. Don’t get me wrong, grants can be a fantastic resource to kick-start your safety program, but you have to play by the rules and understand the purposes of the grants you receive.
While there are many different grants available, they generally fall into one of three categories: equipment and systems (hardware, sometimes software, but not always), specialized positions/programs and training, and reimbursement. Here is a little more information about these grants:
- Equipment and Systems: These are generally meant for schools to add or upgrade their physical security systems. They generally include safety alerting, panic buttons, emergency management applications, radio upgrades, security cameras, access control, etc. They generally do not include people, positions, or software (unless the software is part of the overall system, i.e., panic buttons need software to escalate to first responders.)
- Specialized Positions/Programs and Training: These are meant for funding special programs, usually starting them, which target specific aspects of the safety program; School safety directors, threat assessment teams, mental health awareness and intervention, training for those personnel involved in these programs, etc. These grants generally do not allow the purchase of hardware (things), but may allow the purchase of software needed to administer these programs.
- Reimbursement: As the name suggests, these grants are meant for the purpose of reimbursing entities for expenditures already made. Generally, these are in association with an event or incident and come with some very strict guidelines and parameters for usage. These may also be related to disasters or other large-scale unforeseen events: weather, fires, earthquakes, civil unrest, etc. They also typically involve an emergency declaration by a governor or the President of the United States. To be eligible for these grants, you must utilize the Incident Command System. These are also one-time grants and cannot be extended over multiple years. Meaning, you submit for your expenditures as a result of the covered incident, then they reimburse a percentage of those costs. However, you cannot resubmit for ongoing costs over time, or for something you missed in your first submission.
With the exception of the Reimbursement grants, which is a one-time grant, the other two grants are meant to be seed money to start a program or buy something that is needed, but not typically budgeted for. The terms for these grants are typically between 3 and 5 years, but uncertain conditions can be extended. That being said, these grants are not meant to sustain or maintain the equipment or programs you started with the grant funding. The grant gives you 3 to 5 years to get the program up and running, while at the same time, figure out how you are going to incorporate the sustainability and maintenance of the program into your regular budgeting process.
Finally, just because you didn’t get the grant, doesn’t mean you don’t need funding. As mentioned previously, applying for grants should be done in accordance with your identified security and safety requirements. Don’t apply for grants just because they allow you to purchase some shiny gadget that you will likely never use, as that will most likely cause more issues than it solves. Do your research, make sure all of your stakeholders are aware of your plan and you have their buy in. There is some fantastic technology out there that will help you accomplish your objectives, but make sure everyone understands its purpose and are comfortable with how it is going to be implemented and used.
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