DEMONSTRATING NEED

What value will your project bring to the community? Why should your station be funded over other community organizations with similar values? These are all questions funders ask, and hard evidence helps them make those decisions. Funders are increasingly interested in seeing data behind the need for and perceived value of your proposed project. The resources provided below take you to data sets and reports providing evidence you can use to make your case. Click on the links provided to get started.

FactFinder
The Census Bureau

Do you know the current statistics on poverty, income and education in your area? This is information that you need to make your grant application compelling and tell your story effectively. The Census Bureau has launched a new demographic tool, providing users with one-stop access to census results over the past 10 years. This searchable tool makes it easy for you to document community needs and build your case. To get started, click here, and use the four search categories on the left to filter through the data most relevant to your case.

Distance Learning and Education Issue Brief
National Research Center on Rural Education Support

Are you a station providing education services to a large rural population? Be sure to check out the National Research Center on Rural Education Support (NRCRES) for information on the significant problems in rural education across the country and how they should be improved. A special report completed in May 2012, on Distance Learning and Education highlights survey data taken by school administrators about the growing use of distance learning and the continued struggle to keep it a priority. For example, the survey finds that 81% of school administrators reported they needed distance education to provide courses students wanted, and 85% of surveyed rural districts had used distance education at some time. This data can be useful as you begin documenting the rising use and need for distance education on a national level. Additional issue briefs provided address rural early adolescent learning, rural high school aspirations and targeted reading intervention.