There is a myriad of books and journals that list grants that have been awarded by foundations and corporations. Many of the journals have different kinds of information so it is essential to check out a number of different ones. The purchase price of these books is expensive so to save money, it is advisable to borrow the books from the library rather than purchase them.

An excellent resource for discovering such a funding library is the Foundation Center of New York. They will provide callers with a listing of Network of Funding Resource Centers across the country. There are 200 such libraries and the number is 212-620-4230.

Funding for programs to eliminate the health disparity has grown tremendously over the last decade. Both private foundations and governmental agencies have increased the funding for community agencies working on the health disparity. Whether you are able to attract funding for your program or not often boils down to relationships, networking and the generation of media attention.

Private funding sources fall into three categories—individuals, private foundations, and corporate foundations. Individuals donate when there is a relationship and a history of considerable networking. Annual community programs must include potential donors on their guest list. Private foundations have missions and set initiatives and guidelines that are adhered to closely. Corporate foundations want their names to be connected to some activity that is positive and nourishing to the community.

Private, corporate and governments propose what they want and often distribute a request for application or request for proposal, like for efforts to eliminate the disparity. These RFP and RFA’s take a long time to write and demand a large amount of information about the project and about the group requesting the funding. The essence of the perfect proposal is that it shows how and where it will enhance the community on a level beyond the program period suggested in the proposal. Taking on ownership by the community is a goal of every initiative. Examples are needed of program independence from the original funding source after the funding period is complete. Also, the budget requests must be reasonable and fair.

Please go to www.nmhm.org to review a sample of budget line items, a comprehensive list of other strategies to expand your resources and a descriptive list of web addresses with funding capabilities.