State Funding
States have begun to experiment with different mechanisms for funding direct services workforce initiatives. In some states, budget pressures may make obtaining direct appropriations of new funding unlikely, but that does not mean stakeholders should not look to state legislatures and agencies for potential funding. States are interested in reducing the enormous expenditures associated with institutional long term care by offering more services in home and community based settings. A central task in an attempt to obtain state funding is making the case that workforce initiatives will help states build the capacity needed to provide home and community based services, resulting in both improved quality of care and reduced costs in the future.
The optimal funding strategy will depend on each state’s unique circumstances. A state’s budget situation and process will obviously be a major factor in obtaining funding and the best starting point in any state may be to look at whether there are existing funds that could be redirected to Direct Service Workforce initiatives. The makeup of the stakeholders in a state, the priority agenda items for a legislative session, and the success of similar initiatives historically will also influence the best way to pursue funding. Whether pursuing legislative appropriations or an administrative rule change to expand the permitted use of already allocated funds, advocates must be strategic about what to ask for and how to ask for it.
Advocates should also consider looking at local-level governments for funding and support. The macro-level problems of the direct service workforce may require a comprehensive statewide solution, but advocates may need to use smaller projects on the county or city level to demonstrate the benefits of a particular intervention before promoting it as a broader solution.
There are two on-line resources that include general information about state grants:
- Library of Congress’ State and Local Government’s Resource Page
- National Association of State Development Agencies
Sources of State Funding:
