title: Maximizing resources with mini-grants: enhancing preparedness capabilities and capacity in public health organizations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Illinois Preparedness and Response Learning Center engages in efforts to develop and maintain a competent, sustainable, and prepared public health workforce in Illinois. Training, education, and technical assistance activities are driven by assessments conducted to identify preparedness gaps, needs, and priorities of public health organizations and the communities they serve.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Many public health organizations face limited resources to engage in activities they identify as essential to building preparedness and response capabilities and capacity. In response to this challenge, the Illinois Preparedness and Response Learning Center adapted a mini-grant program to support short-term, targeted preparedness-related activities for which there was a need but no discretionary resources available.
  
  
  METHODS
  A mini-grant program was implemented on the basis of a request for proposals, with projects funded for a 6-month period. An evaluation was conducted at 6 and 12 months to assess the impact of the local project on the capabilities and capacity of the organizations that participated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen projects were funded in local health departments and other organizations in a variety of communities across Illinois. Evaluation results indicate that these short-term projects contributed to the organization's preparedness efforts and local partnerships 6 and 12 months after funding ended.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even relatively small amounts of funding can assist public health agencies and their community partners in improving capabilities and building organizational and community capacity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (1) The mini-grant program model can help develop and cultivate preparedness partnership between academia and practice to achieve positive outcomes despite limited funding. (2) Funding self-assessed needs of organizations through a mini-grant process may have value for larger programs without the staff resources or time to provide customized preparedness services to a large target market/service area. (3) There appear to be benefits to channeling small amounts of funding to address targeted needs and gaps identified by organizations.
authors: Illinois Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center (Mss Wiebel and Aglipay and Dr Welter), and MidAmerica Center for Public Health Practice, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health (Mss Wiebel and Aglipay, Dr Welter, and Mr Rothstein).
authors: Victoria
authors: V
authors: Wiebel
authors: Christina
authors: C
authors: Welter
authors: Geraldine Sanchez
authors: GS
authors: Aglipay
authors: Jason
authors: J
authors: Rothstein
mesh_terms: D057191:Capacity Building / Q000191:economics; D002959:Civil Defense / Q000191:economics* / Q000193:education*; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000191:economics*; D040381:Education, Public Health Professional / Q000191:economics*; D005381:Financing, Organized; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D020380:Needs Assessment