This is why we need a full-time grant writer

Every year, thousands of dollars in grants are offered by state and federal agencies. It's staggering the amount of money that Kansas City is missing out on because we cannot compete with organizations that employ professional grant writers. The grants we do receive are applied for by motivated City employees who take time to educate themselves on the grant writing process and make the application for their particular department. Something as important as obtaining funding should not fall to an ad-hoc process. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is offering $10,000 grants for loose scrap tire covering projects. Playgrounds, running tracks, walking trails and other surfacing projects using rubber mats or pour in place materials are eligible. Public schools, some private schools, parks, non-profit day care centers, other not-for-profit organizations and governmental organizations other than state agencies are eligible to submit applications. Kansas City has a lot of playgrounds. Because of cost, our Parks and Rec has taken to putting down wood chips under playground equipment. I know wood chips are better to land on than the asphalt or concrete surfaces we had when I was a kid, but wouldn't eight inches of rubberized material be better? Even one full-time grant writing position would pay for itself. Most major municipalities have an entire development organization that does nothing but research and compete for grants. In this particular case we're missing out on $10,000 for a nice safe playground surface. What else are we missing out on? It's a long list.