Securing grants for community development projects requires creativity and persistence, and although the competition for limited funds can be intense, grant writers never know when an application might come to fruition.
For Katharine Spadacenta, Main Street program manager for the City of Camden, success came when she had been on the job for only four months — Camden won a Community Challenge grant from the AARP Livable Communities initiative, which it used to build out improvements in a downtown alleyway.
The city had earlier developed the Town Green, a dedicated downtown green space, but the area connected to the Broad Street thoroughfare only by a long, poorly lit alleyway that many found concerning at night. The grant — combined with a match from the city, mostly through in-kind contributions — allowed for the installation of lighting, seating and planters. The Town Green alley has since been the site of public art projects and even dance events, Spadacenta said.
Spadacenta was one of several Main Street directors to present their grant-writing experiences at a Main Street South Carolina training session in Orangeburg in September. She advised those interested in grants to have projects in mind, or at least categories in which they want to improve their cities, when writing grants. In her case, she looks for grants involving health and wellness, or arts and culture.
"If you're interested, if you don't even really know where to look, I would say to subscribe to as many email lists as you possibly can," she said.
William Freeman, director of Main Street Kingstree, described his efforts to find grants, including a successful application for a Duke Energy Water Resources Fund grant and Pee Dee Land Trust grant, to go towards the city's purchase of land along downtown and on the Black River. The vision for the property is to improve recreational opportunities — things like a boardwalk, amphitheater and playground. He learned about the Duke Energy grant opportunity from one of many contacts he has built in the course of his job.
Freeman noted the importance of going after individual grants that may cover just one part of a much larger vision. He said that grant writing does not require "an English major," but rather someone who can advocate like a salesperson, and who has a passion for the targeted project, as he has for building a better connection between the riverfront and downtown Kingstree.
"It's what I think will really boost our economy, is tying our downtown into our Black River," he said.
Elisabeth McNiel, Bennettsville's director of tourism, parks and recreation, as well as Brittany Jones, assistant director of tourism, parks and recreation, discussed their grant-writing efforts. These efforts centered around improving access to parks for all residents as well as using park facilities, even dog park facilities, to lure in beach travelers who might otherwise pass by Bennettsville.
Jones advised subscribing to many newsletters to find grants. She noted that one of the successful grant efforts highlighted, a 10-Minute Walk Planning Grant from the National Recreation and Park Association, became possible only because of an email forwarded to them just in time. That grant in particular is part of a national effort to spread the availability of parks within a 10-minute walk of residents' homes, and Bennettsville is using it towards the development of a city park master plan.
Jones also echoed Freeman's advice about pursuing grant opportunities for those projects for which staff members have passion.
"As long as you really care, and can convey that you care — and your community cares — about what you're applying for, it's going to go a long way," she said.