HOW TO APPLY FOR AN IDA GGRANT - ed

1 HHOWOWTOTOAAPPLYPPLYFORFORANANIDA GGIDA GGRANTRANTUSC CENTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY ANALYSISYou have probably read our paper titled "Why should a postsecondary institution consider partner to offer an IDA?" andhave decided that your institution/organization would like to APPLY for an IDA grant. This document will provide you withthe resources to both begin and carry out the application process. Then we offer some key adviceto consider when APPLY -ing for an IDA when in the education sector. We close with some challenges and ways to overcome them. We gainedmuch of this information from an education organization's experience (the Foundation for Independent Higher Education- FIHE) which was the first education organization to APPLY for a there are multiple federal IDA funding resources, here we will highlight Assets for Independence Act(AFI) because they hold the largest amount of IDA money.

2 Next we will also introduce you to the Corporationfor Enterprise Development (CFED) website, which has a gamut of resources for applying for a grant includinga 200-page handbook. Then we discuss the Center for Social Development (CSD) which has listings of stateIDA policies for funding. Lastly, we will talk about the private IDA FORINDEPENDENCEACT ORAFIAFI grants are administered by the Department of Health and Human Services Administration of Childrenand Families in the Office of Community Services. They are the most widely used IDA grant applied for andused by IDA practitioners because they have the most money in the IDA field.

3 The following website is forprospective grantees to learn more about applying: of the resources in this website include: AFI Resource Center - You can request an application kit and ask your questions! Send an email to or give them a call on (202) 401-4626. Assets for Independence Program Funding Opportunity Announcement - The official request forproposals that describes the Assets for Independence Program and application requirements. - Use this website to learn about the application process and submit an application. Required Standard Application Forms - Download the required forms for submitting an application.

4 A Guide for Planning an AFI this primer was written especially for organizations that are planning to APPLY for an AFI project grant. The guide provides information about the AFI Program and covers major topics on planning an AFI requires that each federal dollar granted must be matched by a non-federal dollar. Organizations can raisepublic or private funding to match the federal dollars. For example, public funding could be from your local orstate government (if they have IDA policies) and private money could be from a college foundation. In the nextsection we will highlight an organization that can help you find IDA state funding in your FORENTERPRISEDEVELOPMENT ORCFEDCFED believes that expanding economic opportunity to include all people will bring greater social equity, alle-viate poverty, and lead to a more sustainable economy.

5 CFED is a leader in economic development and has alarge section of their website dedicated to information on IDAs: first document you will want to review on this website is the CFED IDA Program Design Handbook: AStep-by-Step Guide to Designing an IDA Program (2000). You can order the CD-ROM for $ at: The 200-page handbook covers topics like feasibility assess-ment, program management, fundraising, and program financials. CFED also has a resource library that offers many of the resources most commonly requested and consulted byIDA practitioners: Program Design - Resources to assist in designing and implementing IDA Training - Training curricula and other resources to promote homeownership, microenterprise development, postsecondary education, and job-related training.

6 They also include asset-specific resources for youth. zFinancial Education - Money management curricula, financial calculators, budgeting tools, publica-tions, and other resources for children, youth, and adults. zFunding - Grant writing tips and foundations that are currently investing in IDAs. zAsset Policy - Resources for promoting asset building policies at the state and federal levels. zSpecific Populations - Recommendations on adapting asset building strategies to specific addition to reviewing these documents, you may want to participate in CFED's IDA training.

7 As part ofNeighborWorks America Training Institutes, CFED provides a two-day training for people interested indesigning, improving, or expanding an IDA program. For upcoming trainings, visit the following link: will also want to join the IDA Network listserv, which is an e-mail forum for IDA practitioners to exchangeinformation on IDAs. This is a good place to ask any questions you may have on the application process. Theparticipation in the forum is high and practitioners are open to share their experiences and FORSOCIALDEVELOPMENT ORCSDCSD is a research and policy center based at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, WashingtonUniversity in St.

8 Louis. Since 1994, CSD has focused on social development research that informs how individ-uals, families, and communities increase capacity, formulate and reach life goals, and contribute to the economyand society. In all cases, CSD's principal focus is on families and communities at the bottom of society. A majorarea of work has been asset building. On their website they have a list of state IDA policy: The third table is especially important since it detailsthe office/department to contact in your state to APPLY for state funding. For example, the state of Connecticuthas a request for proposal process through their Department of Labor.

9 So, if you were located in Connecticutyou could APPLY for an AFI grant and match the grant with state IDA money and even raise more match throughprivate funders. This process may bring up additional questions and concerns, and in the next section you willlearn more about an organization that applied for a organizations have offered IDAs through private funders, such as private and bank foundations. The FordFoundation, Jim Casey Youth Opportunity Initiative, and Citigroup Foundation, for instance, are among the fewfunding the SEED American Dream Demonstration was funded by Charles Stewart MottFoundation, Levi Strauss Foundation, Fannie Mae Foundation, and Citigroup Foundation, to name a opening a private IDA the operational organization(s) can have community partners APPLY to their programand the organization also makes the rules of the program.

10 Basically, there are no restrictions on what an IDAlooks like conceptually; the restrictions come from the funders (federal, state, or private). The following is a listof the many benefits to having your own private funding when offering education IDAs:21 See the Center for Economic Development website for more information about SEED: Dream Demonstration website: SStudents' SSavingszYou could increase the total amount each student could earn in AFI restrictions, there could be more flexibility in the timing of the project - making itmuch easier to have students participate and be able to use the money with a lower chance of having to return unused requirements for eligibility regarding financial need can severely limit the ability to serve thosewho could really benefit from an IDA.