APTS FORUMS

With the demise of PTFP and currently fewer technology grant opportunities through the CPB, what approaches are you taking to secure funding for your stations technology needs? Are you approaching local community foundations, private foundations, individuals, launching mini capital campaigns?

While I can't speak specifically about grant opportunities for technology needs, I can tell you that I've applied for (and been awarded) several grants from corporate and community foundations for our Ready To Learn service.

I've found that these foundations list the specific initiatives they will fund. I think that corporate and community foundations are a good resource for funding. You'll just need to confirm that technology needs fits with their guidelines.

So far here in Indianapolis, we've been somewhat fortunate to have a few larger foundations that are still willing to kick in additional funding over the past year or two for capital-related needs. One of them is Lilly Endowment, one of the top 10 largest endowments in the world, which recently awarded WFYI Public Media a fairly sizeable grant to help us kick off our "Amplify the Voices of our Community" campaign, designed not just to provide additional funding for capital improvements, but also to help substantially bolster a significant under-funded endowment run by the WFYI Foundation. We've also received some capital funding for more "concrete" needs, if you will, successfully convincing the locally-based Allen Whitehill Clowes Community Foundation to assist us with funding for drastically needed repairs to our four-story covered parking facility located just behind our new station here at the corner of North Meridian and 16th Street in the near-north downtown neighborhood of Indianapolis.

And there are some other potential local surprises, too. For example, don't forget the corporate foundation angle! I'm trying to get my bosses here to try to help me determine if the Subaru of Indiana Foundation (yes, the car company) would be willing to kick in about $7,500 to help fund a small project associated with our Amplify the Voices campaign. I'm hopeful that I can still at least get an application in to propose funding something by the foundation's September 30th deadline. Wish me luck!

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Jim Brown
Grant Specialist
WFYI Public Media, Indianapolis
jbrown@wfyi.org/317-614-0487