by Sara Rowbottom, International Rescue Committee

Recently I attended one of the most practical, useful information sessions I have attended in a long time. The Staten Island Not-for-Profit Association brought Assemblymember Janele Hyer-Spencer to the Greenbelt Center to shed light on the process of nonprofit access to State-specific funding. The former non-profit Executive Director and 30-month-old Assemblymember led a candid, detailed discussion on the ins and outs of getting member-item and capital funds. Since many of you missed this event, I am sharing my notes with you here.

All elected officials have access to discretionary funds. Those funds are meant to improve the vitality and prosperity of the community that elected official serves – that is, they are available to non-profits. But you have to know how to get them...

Assemblymember Hyer-Spencer talked specifically about the following:

Member-item funds: Discretionary funds that elected officials have varied access to (some have more at their disposal than others), which are to be spent on projects benefiting the public. Member-item funds are for strictly programmatic costs, not to be used on capital projects. Requests should not include operational, administrative, or personnel/employment-related costs.

Capital funds: Discretionary funds are a separate pot of money from member-item funds. Every elected official has access to capital funds, but must go to the state and argue for them. Capital funds are meant for mass infrastructure projects costing from $250,000 to several million, such as construction of a new community center.

So, how can your organization benefit from member-item and capital monies? You have to ask. You have to ask in the right way, for the right thing, for a reasonable amount, at the right time:

Tip #1: Tailor your request to the interests and jurisdiction of the elected official you are writing to. Consider their jurisdiction - do they represent the City Council district, the Congressional district, etc.? What are their key issues? How will your work impact their constituents? They may have to argue to get these funds for you – so you need to give them every reason and all the information to do so.

Tip #2: Tailor your request to the level of access to funds of the elected official you are writing to.  Elected officials have more access to discretionary funds the longer they have been in office. Newer members – for example, those holding elected positions for less than 10 years – have access to less. Assemblymember Hyer-Spencer suggested that a reasonable request to junior elected officials (such as herself) would be around $5,000, up to perhaps $10,000.

According to the Assemblymember, in general, City Council Members have access to more money than Assembly Members, and both of those have access to more funds than Congressmen.

Tip #3: Member-item requests must be strictly programmatic.  Do not ask for operational, administrative, or personnel/employment-related costs to be covered.

Tip #4: Do NOT duplicate your requests to elected officials. I will repeat (because Assemblymember Hyer-Spencer did) do not ask for the same thing from your State Assembly Member, City Council Member, and Congressman. Even if it gets through their office approvals, this will get your request thrown outwhen it comes time for the budget to be created. Duplication is not allowed.Instead, be very specific about what you are asking for from each official – even if your requests benefit the same program, the requests must be different.

The only time that submitting a single request to several officials is reasonable is in the instance of large (multi-million dollar) capital requests, and in that case you should do so clearly and carefully, and get additional advice before doing so.

Tip #5:  Write a specific, 1-2 page proposal right away. Do not write a novel, but do not make the official have to ask you to submit more detailed information. A concise but complete proposal allows them to prioritize your project right away.

Tip #6: Submit your proposal early (by October to your State Assembly Member). Assemblymember Hyer-Spencer described the State legislators’ process: Proposals should come in September/October. They review and prioritize those they want to fund in November/December as they must submit their requests by early February. The decision making process takes time; Assemblymember Hyer-Spencer reported that the Staten Island Delegation (Hyer-Spencer, Titone, Tobacco, and Cusick) will sit together and review all the proposals they each want to fund.

Tip #7: Call your elected official a month or so before they must submit their requests to follow up and ask if they need any further information. (Call your Assembly Member in January).

In addition to these tips, Assemblymember Hyer-Spencer offered some additional important information:

·         You must be a 501(c)(3) or have a conduit that is a 501(c)(3) to receive the funds.

·         Funds do not come directly from your official; they are disbursed through the relevant disbursement agency (such as the Department of Education, the Dormitory Authority, etc.).

·         You will often have to provide more information to the disbursement agency than you provided to the elected official. You will need to stay on top of the agency to ensure your grant is processed (call your elected official and ask them to help).

·         Most grants are reimbursement grants (you must spend the money and then do all the necessary paperwork to be reimbursed).

·         For capital projects, the requesting organization must be sustainable – that is, financially able to undertake the project without the grant. Again, capital funds are disbursed on a reimbursement basis.

With all this said, there are fewer funds available for 2010 due to the economic crisis. There will be capital funding available, but Assemblymember Hyer-Spencer advised keeping capital requests between $250,000 and $500,000. There is a chance member-item funds could be cut altogether. However, make sure your requests are in to be considered for funds that are available.