Sustaining community schools involves building a constituency and creating a common vision and strategy. By working together, you should already have a multitude of supporters and funders for your community schools initiative. Finally, sustainability is much more art than science, as much political as programmatic. Leadership provides fuel and direction. Initiatives that last are led by people who know where they want to go, and have the position, personality and power to make others want to come along.
Money buys time.
It ensures that new efforts are large enough to attract attention and last long enough to build constituency. When the political environment is ready, they may seek direct support from state and local governments, and in some cases directly from the voters. Initiatives have a better chance of lasting when sites are chosen carefully and given an opportunity to develop leadership and capacity to meet the initiatives expectations. Visibility is the best form of outreach and the first step in building a strong constituency. Initiatives that survive embrace their role as advocates.