How do you sustain healthy community efforts when grant funds end?

Helpful strategies:

• Policy and environmental changes are more sustainable than programs and services - example

• Share your work and accomplishments with the community - example

• Spend time nurturing new partners - example

• Success breeds success - funders are attracted to communities with a good track record of bringing people together to create a healthy community - example

• Develop a sustainability plan with your leadership group to guide your work - example

• Begin early and revisit the plan periodically - example

Lessons learned

At the end of a five year funding grant, the City of Moses Lake entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (WORD 63 KB) with the Grant County Health Department. The MOU outlined how the city and health department would continue to support the priorities of the Moses Lake Healthy Communities Project.

Resources

Sample sustainability template (WORD 66 KB)

Thurston STEPS to a Healthier WA Sustainability plan (WORD 127 KB)

Sustainability Toolkit: 10 Steps to Maintaining Your Community Improvements Center For Civic Partnerships

University of Kansas Community Tool Kit: Planning for Long-Term Institutionalization

                 ◄Chapter 4                                  Chapter 6► (external site) 

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