Strategic Funding: Aligning partner expectations with clinical priorities

Public grants and private fundraising are vital parts of any Health Care for the Homeless project. However, busy clinical schedules and competing priorities create barriers in participating or seeking out these opportunities. The expertise brought from clinical providers and staff is needed to make a strong proposal and to ensure that funding opportunities are the best fit for the organization. Using an interdisciplinary approach to fund development - integrating clinical needs and funding opportunities - ensures that your agency is well positioned to meet agency clinical priorities. The Affordable Care Act changed the way many Health Care for the Homeless programs sustain their work. Whether you are in a Medicaid Expansion state, rely heavily on public grants, or simply need more private support to fulfill your mission; most organizations are faced with brief windows of opportunity to apply for important new sources of funding while managing demanding workloads. As funding opportunities are announced, it can be difficult to prioritize which opportunities best align with the mission and goals of the organization, and which force the organization to seek funding that requires outcomes that are not useful for the organization. This combination of factors can lead to a reactive approach and misaligned priorities between funders and the organization. Using the example of the Baltimore Health Care for the Homeless, presenters will explore the challenges and opportunities that have risen when clinicians partner with public grants and fundraising staff to articulate the goals and needs of the organization. Participants will receive concrete tools and tips to engage their resources development colleagues in a collaborative process to assess and pursue funding opportunities that fit. The workshop includes strategies to overcome common barriers to developing a comprehensive case for support and tips for being involved in resource development work. This workshop is geared towards clinicians and senior leaders interested identifying, assessing, and securing funding opportunities that better align to strategic, annual, and/or quality goals.