I recently attended a legislative breakfast in my school district.  A legislative breakfast is a chance for schools within the district to put forward special funding appeals and have these requests be heard and presented to the public. On that day, attendees completely filled a school gym that had been outfitted with a delicious buffet and tables for seating.  Each table was prepared with packets of information that had a dedicated page for each school located within the district.  Packet pages showed the name of each school with its associated mascot or crest, a notable quote, a paragraph on self-identified areas of need, the actual funding request (without dollar estimates),  a few school demographics not including ethnicity and gender statistics, and finally the school contact information.  The only thing that gave me pause was the handful of requests that did not appear to reflect well on actual needs that the schools might have.  Some requests were mis-matched to their own self-identified statements of need while others felt more like pie in the sky requests that were disconnected from service to the students.  Sadly, I could see that for some, the moment was a missed opportunity.  With that being said, here are the top 5 ways to maximize your school’s funding requests.

One. The number one piece of advice is to remember that timing is everything. The worst feeling in the world is to have the experience of asking for money only to have a potential funder say – “Oh, our deadlines for funding applications and requests was last month, or last week.”  Please pay attention to your timelines for discretionary funding.  It’s worth it to do the research on this.  For example, the state budget passes in April – therefore these legislators are best approached in January.  Don’t go to city officials in June for money in the next school year that begins in September – you’re a bit too late!  March is the best time.  The takeaway here is: your approach for money is the timeliest whenever budget plans are in the works.  Even private donors might be on a timetable.  The only exception to this rule is if your school funding request pertains to money needed to complete basic staffing needs.  This is a special type of request that needs to be declared as soon as the need has become apparent.

Two. The second way to maximize your school funding requests is to consider stakeholders’ input.  Who are the stakeholders you ask?  Your stakeholders will be your students, the families of your students, the local communities within which your school exists, school administrators, and parent leaders at all levels. Internal stakeholders are more likely to be in tune with school needs in ways that can truly inform funding requests.  External stakeholders in the larger community such as those on your community board or local chambers of commerce, might also be able to donate, or give input on additional donors and community resources that can provide financial assistance even if it’s an in-kind donation. 

Dr. Jackie Cody the Executive Director of Cody Cares for Kids, Inc. agrees and says that “Parents are free to [speak regarding] schools [in ways] that New York City Public School employees might not be able to. To put it briefly, [parent members of] the school leadership team provide firsthand knowledge of what is going on, what is needed, and how they can help ensure that students succeed. Working together, stakeholders can also inform their local legislators, businesses, and the community about the precise needs in order to secure funding and resources.  Also, community education councils (CECs) are supposed to hold quarterly meetings with parent teacher association (PTA) presidents in their district therefore, it would be most advantageous for CECs to host legislative events during the fall so PTA presidents and principals can meet and speak directly with local legislators prior to their votes on the budget.”   

Three. Utilize all avenues for city, state, federal, and private options. School budgets are blended with a mixture of funds from many allocation categories.  Those allocation categories are either backed with city tax levy dollars (city funds), state, or federal funds and possibly private donations.  Each of those levels of government (city, state, and federal) can and probably want to give some earmarked funds to schools over and above allocations that are already legislatively mandated. The key is to firmly ground your needs with current funding priorities. Another approach is to match your ask with potential funds if you are made aware there’s money out there for the taking.  Learn who the desired recipients might be, learn what types of needs or projects are likely to be funded and don’t be afraid to throw your hat in the ring.  If capital funds are available, make a capital request. If mental health funds are available let your request reflect that.

Four. Differentiate between needs and wants. Your school may want a hydroponic garden however, the students may need to improve reading scores.  To be fair, we all understand that schools are more attractive when they have those special little things, but should you consider investing in student achievement?  Of course, absolutely!  You will want to take into account the reality of an investment with a one-time infusion of funds.  Think about it in terms of how you can get the most bang for the buck especially if the money may only be available on this one occasion. Another tip: don’t forget to make the little requests – you don’t have to swing for the fences every single time. Twenty books for a classroom library may mean more than a brand-new gymnasium.

Five.  And finally, ask anyway despite a perceived “closed door”.  As mentioned earlier, a successful approach can be to seek matches between your needs and funders’ current priorities however, sometimes you may be surprised to find that funding could be granted just by virtue of the fact that your school stated its need – and that alone is sufficient.  I’ve also seen cases where a funder did not even know they wanted to donate until the school asked for help.   Anyway, it never hurts to ask because if the answer is “no” nothing is lost, but everything could be gained if the answer is a surprising “yes”.

Dr. Jackie Cody is an Educator and National Education Advocate.  If you would like additional information or guidance on how to ensure that your School Leadership Teams and other parent groups mentioned above are functioning efficiently reach out to her at NANEDCommittee@gmail.com.