Financing

Many people equate sustainability with obtaining additional program funding. Although money may be required to sustain a SS/HS initiative’s positive outcomes, it is possible to sustain outcomes without any funding beyond the original grant, or with far less funding than the original grant provided. Financial planning can help assess what level of funding will be required to sustain the critical elements of the initiative.

The initial SS/HS grant funding provides an opportunity to demonstrate the initiative’s worth to key stakeholders. Stakeholders often have access to additional sources of funding such as incorporation of program components into existing local budgets, integration or coordination of initiatives’ components into existing services, public-private partnerships, or private foundations.