Many private providers in the Valley are small and have limited administrative capacity to apply for and manage grants. In addition, because families are so spread out in the Valley, it is often difficult for individual service providers to serve large enough numbers of families to justify large grants. The Coalition now provides training in grantwriting and has created a grantwriting group, which has begun to seek and receive collaborative funding. Finally, Coalition partners are using technology to bridge the long distances that separate providers in the Valley. The Coalition maintains a Web site that includes Coalition member and activity information, and provides a forum for information sharing.
Members provide in-kind support such as administrative support and public relations.
The Coalition boasts over 460 active members. Coalition leaders see increased collaboration among service providers as the Coalition s most important achievement. This collaboration gives members increased ability to impact decision-makers and generate new funding. In addition, policy-makers are increasingly coming to the Coalition for input on human service issues. For example, Coalition representation was sought out for the Advisory Board overseeing implementation of the new Workforce Development Board.