What is a federal grant - Case Study Example

Running Head: ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE Part IV: Organizational Change James Jean Barry March 28, 2008 Planning Phase The first thing that I would do is begin grant research for St. Luke's. Grants are not benefits or entitlements. A federal grant is an award of financial assistance from a federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United States. Federal grants are not federal assistance or loans to individuals. A federal grant may not used to acquire property or services for the federal government's direct benefit. The 26 federal agencies offer over 1,000 grant programs annually in various categories. More than 1,000 grant programs are offered by the 26 federal grant-making agencies, and these programs fall into 21 categories. I would put together a grant committee and elect any of the categories below to learn more about specific grants and agencies. (Gebo, 2006) Some agencies may be listed in multiple grant categories. Agriculture Arts Business and Commerce Community Development Disaster Prevention and Relief Education Employment, Labor and Training Energy Environmental Quality Food and Nutrition Health Housing Humanities Information and Statistics Law, Justice and Legal Services Natural Resources Regional Development Science and Technology Social Services and Income Security Transportation 2. What I Would Do To Protect Myself And My Clients I would be on the grant writing committee while I was continuing my duties as a therapist on the outpatient unit. Indeed, it is my experiences on the outpatient unit that would allow me to present a convincing grant application. At this juncture, I do not require protection. The key here is to have the time for the committee and my clients. My clients come first, so I would stay after hours to effectuate the application. In applying for our grant I would have the committee begin a Letter of Intent which would cover the areas as explained below. (Gebo, 2006) A letter of inquiry clearly and concisely describes the project, its aims, its significance, its duration and the amount of funds required. The document should not be an excessive one, but it should include the following points: What problem does your project address Why is this issue significant What is the relationship of the problem/issue to the Grantor's current program interests What strengths and skills does St. Luke's organization and personnel bring to this project What makes your organization the right one to conduct this project Who will lead the project I would identify key personnel and attach resumes. What does St. Luke's outpatient unit intend to demonstrate or prove We would intend to prove that therapy for the outpatient clinic is far more meaningful to the client and the therapist when there is a full staff of therapists. What means will St. Luke's use The means to be used by St. Luke's would be the funding and trained retired social workers. (Gebo, 2006) I select retired social workers because they would have not only the certification and training for this project, they would have the time! What outcome does St. Luke's expect, both immediate and long term Thus, I am assisting with the grant letter of intent on my breaks between therapy sessions. 3. Persons that I Would Include On My Action Team and the Capital That They Bring I would bring in the Director of Finance, the Director of Administration and the Head of the Outpatient Program. The Director of Finance can specifically state what monies are needed and how they can be applied. The Director of Administration can discuss how to implement the money to the program so that the outpatient program gets the direct benefit of the grant. The director of the outpatient program is crucial because they know precisely how the grant should be applied to the program. They know at what points extra staff need to be hired and they know what credentials they require in the additional staff. (Gebo, 2006) 4. The Task of the Action Team In the Planning And Implementation Phase Grant opportunities won't come to St. Luke's, unless a person in Administration is organization is assigned and dedicated to be on the alert for funding opportunities from private & government sources. Now would be a good time to work with other programs for grant availability such as other joint education programs, community agencies, higher education State-wide, regionally and nationally. Collaboration opens opportunities for longer-term & larger grant requests to involve a more extensive constituency. Preparing grant proposals should be a team effort with each member's responsibilities defined. It's difficult to write a grant proposal on your own. (Gebo, 2006) Accordingly I would: Develop a Vision Develop a Plan Create Partnerships List Internal & External Resources Assign Tasks Organize Meetings & Internal Deadlines-for completing tasks Every funding agency requires that you submit your Mission Statement with your grant proposal. St. Luke's organization's Mission Statement should include and reflect the outpatient treatment program's commitment to use educational technology & telecommunications to meet our goal goals. We further must disclose the purpose of the St. Luke's grant request. For Example: What's the problem The problem is that St. Luke's outpatient is severely suffering from lack of therapists during the college breaks and as a result the program is overpopulated with clients and under populated with therapists available to provide treatment. Why is it a problem It is a problem because battling the demons of addiction does not take a spring break. Therefore, the clients need constant care. Moreover, a therapist cannot be expected to provide meaningful therapy to a client when there is a waiting room full of clients who have not been seen. There are only so many hours in a day and the therapist also will suffer from being burnt out. How will you solve the problem The grant will allow us to solve the program because St. Luke's will be able to hire retired social workers to assist with staff in treating the clients while the interns are on their college break. Because the grant money is going to the social workers whom are already trained and certified, there is some but not the majority of money spent on training programs and the like, thus the money goes directly to those it is intended to benefit (the patients). The Plan The plan represents a timeline for implementation. This can demonstrate weekly, monthly or bi-monthly targets. The Plan demonstrates how you will meet / achieve your Project goals. The Plan also shows each person's responsibilities for completing tasks. Personnel Includes Project Director, Trainers, Subject Matter Experts, Administrative Staff, Technical Personnel, Consultants and the Evaluation Team. Here is where administration must demonstrate their support... Include a Budget Narrative This explains each item for which St. Luke's is requesting funding as well as any in-kind & matching contributions. St. Luke's must be forthright about equipment costs.reviewers usually are savvy about costs! 5. Supporting Forces That I would Use In Agreeing on A Strategy and Gaining Support of Critical Actors Clarity and consistent communication, from mapping desired outcomes to designing performance measures, seem to be essential to success. Successful leaders have often engaged their teams by simply telling the story of their shared vision, and publicly celebrating large and small wins, such as the achievement of milestones. To ensure that the vision is shared, teams need to know that they can test the theory, voice opinions, challenge premises, and suggest alternatives without fear of reprimand. (Gebo 2006) Implementing strategic plans may require leaders who lead through inspiration and coaching rather than command and control. Recognizing and rewarding success, inspiring, and modeling behaviors is more likely to result in true commitment than use of authority, which can lead to passive resistance and hidden rebellion. The team must come together to review, discuss, challenge, and finally agree on the strategic direction and key components of the plan. Without genuine commitment from the senior team, successful implementation is unlikely. (Gebo 2006) Strategic group members must challenge themselves to be clear in their purpose and intent, and to push for consistent operational definitions that each member of the team agrees to. This prevents differing perceptions or turf-driven viewpoints later on. A carefully chosen, neutral facilitator can be essential in helping the team to overcome process, group dynamics, and interpersonal issues. 6. Strategies I Would Implement To Minimize Restraining Forces A common way to begin is to review the organization's current state and future possibilities using a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat) analysis. This involves identifying strengths and core capabilities in resources, people, and clients. These are what St. Luke's is best at, and why it is in business. Using SWOT, once strengths and core capabilities are defined the next step is to identify weaknesses or vulnerabilities. This is usually the most difficult for organizations and leaders to assess. The identification of gaps is often threatening. In some organizations it is not considered safe to admit to weakness; but an honest appraisal can make the difference between success and failure. Again, reviews should include a look at products, services, resources, customers, and employees. Do the right skills exist in the current staff Are there enough resources to invest in areas of critical need Are the appropriate systems and structures in place to support the needs of the team Does the culture reinforce and connect with the mission and vision of the organization (Gebo 2008) 7. Pert Chart ET=ESTIMATED TIME AND AT=ACTUAL TIME 8. Handling Retrenchment - Evaluation Strategies This is a multi-faceted plan with two kinds of reporting instruments. (Gebo 2006) These are: Formative Evaluation This report occurs once (or a few times) during the life of the Project grant. The Formative Evaluation provides feedback to the Project Team to be certain that the Project is proceeding in terms of its Goals & Target dates. Summative Evaluation this is the final documentation that is presented to the Project Team & the funding agency. The Summative Report should indicate the research conducted during the Formative Evaluation. Be sure to include a Dissemination Plan for this report including print, on-line & conference presentations. An appropriate Evaluation Instrument can include these components (Gebo 2006): Curriculum Appropriately Matched to Delivery Mode Assess how well the curriculum was delivered. Teacher / Trainer Effectiveness How well did the trainer handle the equipment, meet each lesson's learning outcomes & engage students in effective modes for interactivity Student Interaction This can occur on-site to assess how participants engage in collaborative & peer learning as well as off-site to evaluate how students use the equipment to interact with each other & with the teacher. Technical Evaluation This is an often over-looked component & should assess that the equipment is appropriate to the project & functioned as you envisioned. Gebo, Lisa (2006). Generalist Practice with Organizations & Communities. 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