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Networking Academy Funding
Funding sources for Networking Academies are as varied
as the types of organizations that start them. Whether a high school,
college, non-profit or community-based organization, the Networking
Academy will need to identify one-time grants or allocations to offset
start-up costs and create a line item in the organization's budget
or a partnership to pay on-going expenses.
Digital Divide Networking Academies often require more funding, because
they serve students who need additional support services to achieve
their goals. Community-based Networking Academies require more funding
than educational organizations because they don't have a teaching
staff and campus facilities to accommodate a Networking Academy.
For start-up and implementation funding, a plethora of sources offer
grants for technology training programs. A good, comprehensive plan
and grant writing skills to communicate it will persuade donors to
support your cause.
Many donors look for partnerships where several organizations contribute
their strengths to the creation of a successful program. Also, leaders
of local companies often serve on foundation boards.
"Our grant included letters of support from our corporate partners,
community partners, service providers, technology employer organizations,
and the workforce investment board. I think these days that's basic
if you want them to consider funding your project."
Acte Maldonado, Dean
Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York, NY
Grant writing is an art and a skill. Some Networking
Academies have a grant writer whose job requires them to research
and prepare grants. In other Networking Academies, the director,
coordinator or the instructor has this responsibility. Grant writing
resources include workshops, web sites, and books on the topic.
If your region has a community foundation they can provide advice
as well. Some consultants specialize in finding and writing grants
for other organizations.
Cisco's site called Education
and the Internet Economy provides current information on Education
Reform, Educational
Technology, Workforce Issues, and Digital
Divide Issues. The information is kept current and can
be used to support grant requests that are working to close
the digital divide.
Some Networking Academies charge students a nominal or sliding-scale
fee to offset some of the costs of the program.
"We received a start-up grant from the Department of Education
so we have some flexibility. We asked the students what they could
afford to pay for the complete training. We received responses between
$300 and $1,000. We decided to charge $300 at $50 per month for
the six-month duration of the training. This doesn't begin to support
the program, but it helps offset some costs and gives the student
a sense of ownership. We are planning to offer the training to local
industry at market rates and use the surplus to subsidize the Empowerment
Zone program. And, of course, we plan to keep our grant writer busy."
Acte Maldonado, Dean
Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York, NY
"We charge tuition. The students are responsible for paying.
They pay through a combination of grants and scholarships such as:
Michigan's Governor's Scholarship, economic development, job training,
GLIMS scholarships, Empowerment Zone Grants and Michigan Rehabilitation
Services. If necessary, we also provide a Focus: HOPE loan (no interest,
no payments until graduation). We have been in operation teaching
for more than two years now, and we plan to apply for accreditation
so that our students will also be eligible for PELL grants."
Linda Hanks
Focus: HOPE
Detroit, MI
Some Networking Academies identify their costs as both needs and dollars.
Where they can fill a need with an in-kind service, they save donated
dollars to support the program.
"Each one of our students receives a computer for their home.
Bank One, Daimler Chrysler, Granger Commercial Equipment, and Detroit
Edison have all donated equipment. Kmart Blue Light Software provides
free Internet access. One of our companies has already agreed to
pay for the 35 students who will be taking their certification exam
in June. We have a fund provided by Daimler Chrysler for incidentals
like necessary white shirts and ties for interviewing. The City
of Detroit gave us access to the convention center for our recruitment
and screening."
Greg Murray
Communities in Schools
Detroit, MI
Once you have documented your project you are ready to identify
a funding source. It takes some research to identify investors
whose goals are aligned with yours. We have included a Grants
Guide that provides a description of major funding sources,
the population they target, the projects they are intersted
in funding, the average amounts of the awards, the funding
cycles and any important specifics you need to know before
researching further.
We have also included related sites on Grants
and Grant Writing in the Resources Section.
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