After$chool Funding: The relationships that matter

Check out the afterschool funding worksheet to identify afterschool stakeholders in your community and potential new funding sources to support your afterschool program.

The finished worksheet will provide you with a sense of where your program ranks with the various afterschool stakeholders and who among your inner circle of supporters may be connected to potential funding sources.

For example, 

• Your school principal, superintendent, or Title 1 Coordinator has input on different parts of federal Title 1 funds. These significant funds are provided to help support youth from families with low incomes.

• Your county social services director is a resource to learn about regulations for potential federal child care reimbursements, or TANF (temporary assistance for needy families) funds. 

• Your mayor or their youth or education lead could fund programs for the city. 

Using the results, create action plans to further your relationship with selected stakeholders. Begin with the top 3-5 targeted stakeholders and funding sources, and then move on to a longer-term strategy that continues to add more stakeholders to your outreach and sustainability plans.

A next step example: If you have ranked the mayor as "1. Know who this person is but have not contacted," your next action step may be to contact the mayor's office to arrange a meeting with staff and plan for a future site visit. For assistance in contacting elected officials and engaging community leaders, visit Building Relationships with Policymakers.

It is also important to develop a schedule that includes time to work on the sustainability plan each week. Also, set up a time for your sustainability committee to meet again. Each program will be different, but you might consider holding a conference call to update the team after three months and scheduling another in-person meeting in six months to update the worksheet and identify even more stakeholders.

TIP: If you are not sure what some of the funding sources listed are, go to our newly updated Funding Database to learn more!