Finances
Appropriate management of funds is critical to any organization's success. For nutrition programs, this requires an understanding of how to make the most of limited resources; how to generate revenue for your program through voluntary contributions, fundraising, and other means; how to identify and, when possible, reduce the cost of doing business; and how to make the most of limited resources. Remember, federal grant funds typically cannot be used to pay the costs of organized fundraising, including staff time; see 2CFR § 200.442.
Quick Guides
- Beginners Guide To Diversifying Funding — Inspiration from successful programs and other helpful resources for funding options
- Identifying the Total Cost of a Meal — Summary brief for meal cost calculations
- Sustainability and Revenue Generation for Senior Nutrition Programs — Summary brief
- The Roadmap to Community-Integrated Health Care— NCOA resources for pursuing complex sustainability strategies and stronger partnerships with the health care sector
- Maximizing Use of Commercial Kitchens for Senior Nutrition Programs — Opportunities
and challenges
Guides
- The Amazing Adventures of Captain Funds Finder — Captain Funds Finder leads the way in this comic-style guide to finding and securing various funding sources
- Meal Services Elements of Sustainability: Establishing a Private Pay Program — Guide to establishing a fee-for-service private pay system
- Addressing Nutrition and Food Access in Medicaid: Opportunities and Considerations— Strategies and key considerations from the Food Trust
Tools & Toolkits
- Business Planning & Sustainability— NCOA article with business plan and sustainability toolkits
- Senior Nutrition Program Spending — Resources that offer new or expanded ways to meet older adults’ nutrition, socialization, and wellness needs with OAA funds
- Tips for Fundraising in Aging— American Society on Aging toolkit on compelling campaigns
Presentations
- Looking Beyond ACL: Expanding Federal Funding Opportunities Through Creative Grant Prospect Research— NCOA webinar that will help participants understand how to find “non-traditional” sources of federal funding (free registration required to view the video)
- Building Blocks for Participating in a Coordinated Network of Community-Based Organizations— NCOA webinar series that highlights different components to serve as an effective partner in a coordinated network (free registration required to view the video)
- Medicaid Opportunities for Evidence-Based Program Sustainability— NCOA webinar series about Medicaid programming and experiences from CBOs on their journeys to Medicaid reimbursement (free registration required to view the video)
- What Your Organization Needs To Know About Applying for Grants— SCORE presentation on telling your organization’s story, articulating your need, finding funders, preparing the proposal, and reporting requirements
- Beyond Fundraising Series (YouTube) — Senior Nutrition Program fireside chats to help programs succeed in various endeavors such as enhancing collaboration to attract volunteers, sustaining grab-and-go, prioritizing participants, and setting up non-OAA-funded expansion programs to reach people with disabilities
- Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship and Implications for Sustainability— NCOA webinar (free registration required to view the video)
- Food 911: How Meals on Wheels Redefines Population Health— Discusses the frailty scale screening and a health economist’s return-on-investment analysis of home and community-based program impacts
- Creative Fundraising for Senior Nutrition Programs (YouTube)— ACL webinar exploring creative ways to sustain senior nutrition programs through fundraising efforts
- Giving Big: Trends in Philanthropic Support for Aging— NCOA webinar on the latest trends in philanthropy and their impact on the field of aging (free registration required to view the video)
- Reducing Meal Cost in Maryland — Bethesda NEWtrition and Wellness Solutions case study on meal costs
- How Nutrition Services Boost Your Bottom Line — Minuteman Senior Services 2017 presentation about how nutrition services can offer cost savings
Resources
- Top Five Ways To Prepare for a Notice of Funding Opportunity— NCOA article on using your time strategically and working with partners
- Tips for Developing a Compelling Budget Justification Presentation for a Grant Proposal— NCOA article on budget narratives
- How Attachment Uploads Can Make Or Break Your Grant Application— NCOA article on how to organize attachments for applications
- How Evidence-Based Program Providers and Accountable Care Organizations Can Work Together on Quality and Performance Improvement— NCOA resource about how these partnerships can be beneficial
- Updated Medicare Reimbursement Rule Addresses Health-Related Social Needs and Care Coordination— NCOA resource about a new final regulation that allows for reimbursement for services that address a person’s health-related social needs
- Community Care Hubs: Quality, Fidelity, and Compliance Expectations for Service Delivery Partners— NCOA resource about ensuring CCH success
- Community Care Hubs: What Evidence-Based Program Providers Need to Know— NCOA resource about how participating in a network eases burdens and enables providers to serve more people
- Tips for Sustaining a Project Beyond the Grant Period— NCOA multi-prong sustainability plan