Key Strategies for Reducing CBO Barriers in the Grant-Making Process

In examining potential solutions to these challenges faced by CBOs in navigating state grantmaking systems, it is important to acknowledge there is no one “perfect” solution for administering settlement and other grant funding that balances fairness, timeliness, innovation, compliance, and reducing the risk of waste and fraud. In some cases, legislative or regulatory changes may be necessary to make longer term reforms to grant-making or procurement processes. However, in many cases, practical strategies can be implemented using policy levers and flexibilities within existing legal frameworks. Working closely with legal counsels and other state-level procurement and contracting partners can help identify potential strategies and inform a plausible balance of administrative obligations while increasing the accessibility of funding opportunities for CBOs.

Across conversations, both state and community leaders shared innovative and promising practices that have been successful in bridging barriers between state agencies and communities. Key themes and strategies for states that emerged from these conversations include:

1. Build community engagement into every step of the grant-making process: Engaging communities and CBOs early as grants are developed and throughout the process can help ensure that resources are targeted and effective and can help states get ahead of potential challenges.
2. Consider partnerships with trusted intermediary organizations: Partnering with trusted community-based nonprofits, foundations, or other intermediaries can be a bridge to community and help build organizational capacity, and it may allow for more administrative flexibility than traditional state-administered grants.
3. Prioritize communities at highest risk of overdose and poor outcomes in programs and grants:Using data to prioritize communities and/or populations with worse outcomes, as well as building community voices into grant review and scoring, can help target resources and prioritize effective strategies where they are needed most.
4. Improve access to information on funding opportunities: Improving accessibility and readability of information, as well as hosting regular forums for communication, can help get opportunities out to organizations that might not otherwise hear about them.
5. Empower communities to define their own needs and measures of success: By allowing communities flexibility to define their own priorities and relevant measures of success, CBOs can prioritize delivering needed services and simplify the data collection necessary to share their stories.
6. Address pain points in the grant-making and procurement process: Streamlining and reducing complexity of state procurement rules, grant application processes, or administrative reporting where possible can enhance the value proposition for CBOs to apply for state funding opportunities. State administrators can work with CBOs, legal counsels, and procurement offices to identify opportunities to simplify processes and reduce unnecessary burdens.
7. Adjust grant timelines to improve uptake: CBOs operating on thin financial margins may not have sufficient financial resources to apply for grants, hire staff, or provide services without cash in hand. State administrators can consider strategies to address these financial pressures by adjusting the timing of grant payments or promoting lower-barrier options such as planning or “microgrants.”
8. Provide resources to build CBO infrastructure and capacity: CBOs are often funded to provide direct services, with limited funding earmarked for staffing, building administrative capacity, and other grant management deliverables. State administrators can provide planning resources, direct technical assistance, or support learning communities to help strengthen CBO capacity.