Phase II – Strategy and Planning
Step 2 – Identify Funding
Identify and Seek Funding and Resources
Work with your partners to brainstorm funding opportunities, including in-kind resources. Use a variety of strategies to support your coalition efforts. Identifying funding and resources helps you to clarify the priorities and activities that are feasible for your initiative.
Identify and Seek Funding Worksheet
Take Action! Types of Funding and Other Resources
Keep in mind that there may be restrictions on how you can raise funds depending on the structure or partners in your coalition.
Grants
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- American Cancer Society
- State Department of Health
- Health systems
- Foundations
- Pharmaceutical companies and medical technology companies
- Insurance companies (e.g., Blue Cross/Blue Shield conversion foundations)
Direct Fundraising
- Direct mail/email to individual donors/survivors
- Corporate sponsorships
- Amazon Smile donations
- Events:
- Races/walks
- Golf outings
- Black tie galas/dinners
- Items:
- Gift basket raffles
- Create a calendar for sale
- Special collection at your place of worship
In-Kind Resources from Partners
- Administrative staff
- Technical staff
- Meeting rooms/donated space
- Videoconference hosting
- Grant writing
- Communications
- Advocacy/Lobbying
Virtual Fundraising
- Birthday challenges on Facebook
- Virtual walk/runs
- Silent auction or raffle using a web platform
- Converting in-person events to virtual events
Tips and Troubleshooting
This section provides insights from coalition leaders on how to overcome common challenges related to identifying funding.
Common Challenge
- There is an eagerness to start the initiative, but funding is hard to find.
Insights
Identify in-kind resources through your partners to get things going. Here are some examples:
Hospitals, state health departments, and non-profit organizations can donate the time of clinicians and subject matter experts to work on the initiative.
Donated administrative staff time can be used to help plan, conduct, and follow-up on meetings (sending emails, scheduling polls, drafting agendas, securing/reserving virtual platforms, sending reminders, writing minutes/action items).
Space can be donated for meetings or outreach events from community partners with aligned goals: FQHCs, community centers, churches – anywhere near the populations that you are trying to reach.
Research cores at your academic medical center can help by sharing equipment or other resources (usually requires membership, which tends to be attainable if working on a goal related to funder).
Vendors or consultants can be willing to do tasks on a volunteer basis in exchange for providing credit for their work.
Policy expertise can come from pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, insurance companies, or nonprofit partners.
Medical students, residents, and other learners often seek out internships and community projects. There is usually a course/project/internship director that you can put your name/project in with. List initiatives as potential internship projects and offer to serve as a preceptor.