Guidance from our Howard R. Green Company Funding Specialists on making the most of available funding sources.

Creative Ways to Satisfy Funding Match Requirements
All too often, capital projects are delayed because the community has a tough time finding local resources to satisfy a funding match requirement associated with a grant program – even when the community can leverage 70 percent or more from outside resources. This article focuses on breaking down the barriers of meeting funding match requirements and shares ideas you can apply to satisfy local funding match. >>Read the full story.

Don’t Chase Money: Develop a Strategic Approach for Your Capital Projects
Developing a successful funding strategy is about more than just researching and writing grants. Too often communities fall into a hit-and-miss process of learning about a grant, deciding to prepare a proposal and simply mailing it off. >>Read the full story.

Grassroots Fund Raising – It’s More Than Check Cutting!
Neighborhood parks, school playground equipment and related facilities suffering from neglect often face significant challenges to becoming a high priority for local capital improvement plans. Frequently, these projects become the responsibility of concerned parents, neighborhood associations and representatives from an affected school. Many times these situations require local fund-raising efforts such as pancake breakfasts and fish fries, accompanied by the ubiquitous donor boards resembling thermometers perched outside the park or school to tell the world how much money is needed to achieve the funding target. >>Read the full story.

How EPA Programs and other Governmental Initiatives Facilitate Lenders’ Participation in Brownfield Redevelopment
The Government Accounting Office estimates that between 400,000 and 600,000 environmentally impaired (otherwise known as “brownfields”) properties plague communities across the country. Brownfield properties are generally abandoned gas stations, industrial buildings and commercial businesses that used hazardous materials or chemicals. The existence of these contaminated or underutilized sites frequently has a ripple affect on adjacent properties and neighborhoods. It also forces development to occur on the urban fringe where the chances of encountering a brownfield site are less likely. Unfortunately, this frequently has the consequence of converting productive agricultural land into urban development plus adds to the cost of providing services to a larger land area. >>Read the full story.

Prioritizing Projects through Capital Improvement Planning
The fall always seems to be the time of the year for cities and counties to start the budget process. The annual ritual of identifying capital improvement and equipment needs and connecting budget assumptions with timetables are common occurrences. However, not all communities prepare capital improvement plans (CIPs). This column provides an overview of the importance of CIPs and introduces basic concepts that can help you create a plan that prioritizes physical improvement projects that are in line with your community’s long-term goals. >>Read the full story.

Tapping into Transportation Enhancement Funds for Community Improvement
Utilizing transportation enhancement (TE) money is one of the most effective ways to fund surface transportation projects. In the past, these monies have financed pedestrian and bicycle trails, landscaping treatments and scenic beautification projects; mitigated environmental pollution; and maintained habitat connectivity. So how can your community secure these versatile funds for your own projects? First, you need to understand the ins and outs of transportation enhancement funds. >>Read the full story.

Tapping Private Foundations to Construct Local Community Facilities
The design and construction of community-based facilities are frequently driven by public funds. Local option sales tax, tax increment financing, general obligation debt and user fees are common funding mechanisms for communities building sporting venues and other facilities. While it is common practice for capitalizing these facilities with public funds, more and more communities are recognizing private foundations to provide some level of financial support. >>Read the full story.

Turning Out the Vote for Public Referendums
Today’s American communities are facing tough challenges when it comes to locating outside funding sources for public improvement projects. Among these challenges is the fact that capitalizing these projects is increasingly requiring voter approval. >>Read the full story.