FINDING FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES
Grants provide critical finances for projects
By Kay Kruse-Stanton
I
t starts with a vision: revitalizing a downtown, removing a dam, or providing an alternate
water supply. The list of possibilities is as diverse as this country’s communities. Too often,
however, these visions never progress past planning documents because of insufficient
funds to progress to the next step.
There are tens of thousands of potential funding sources. The key is determining which
grants and low-cost loans match the planned project, coordinating them to maximize their
impact, and successfully navigating the application process for each funding source – one of
the many services that Ayres Associates provides for communities across the country.
“We are specialists at finding funding opportunities and working out strategies to make the
most of that funding for our communities,” said Scott Wilson, an Ayres vice president. “We
look at how the project works from initial concept through project completion. Communities
hire us to help them strategically combine all potential funding sources to make their visions
come alive.”
Ayres has helped clients receive more than $164 million in grant and low-cost loan funding
for projects, from planning through construction. A quick summary of three projects
8│ TRENDS