Comments on: Bicyclists - The Future is Now http://urbanvelo.org/bicyclists-the-future-is-now/ Bicycles in the urban environment. A magazine about urban cycling. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:35:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Derek http://urbanvelo.org/bicyclists-the-future-is-now/#comment-2526 Derek Tue, 13 May 2008 16:19:07 +0000 http://urbanvelo.org/?p=1187#comment-2526 Ok, thanks for the clarification. I completely understand a 20% administrative overhead for a $100,000 grant, or even a $1m grant. I was just shocked at the $5m price tag. I suppose red tape is expensive ;) Ok, thanks for the clarification. I completely understand a 20% administrative overhead for a $100,000 grant, or even a $1m grant. I was just shocked at the $5m price tag. I suppose red tape is expensive ;)

]]> By: David Hoffman http://urbanvelo.org/bicyclists-the-future-is-now/#comment-2516 David Hoffman Mon, 12 May 2008 21:36:54 +0000 http://urbanvelo.org/?p=1187#comment-2516 It isn't as bad as it seems. Most grants have a portion of the funding set aside for "overhead" or "administration" - in other words, a way to pay the staff that is actually running the program. They typical "administration" for most grants is 20% - that goes for non-profits, too. In fact, in the non-profit advocacy world folks need to -count on- that administration portion of the grant as a way of paying staff. For example: if a grant for $100,000 is given to an organization to purchase and install bike racks, $80,000 would be set aside for buying and installing them - the remaining $20,000 could be used to pay a staffer to source, find locations for, work on permitting issues, and oversee installation of the racks. Of course, they don't have to use all $20,000 for that - if funding was left over, it could be used to purchase more racks... It isn’t as bad as it seems. Most grants have a portion of the funding set aside for “overhead” or “administration” - in other words, a way to pay the staff that is actually running the program. They typical “administration” for most grants is 20% - that goes for non-profits, too. In fact, in the non-profit advocacy world folks need to -count on- that administration portion of the grant as a way of paying staff. For example: if a grant for $100,000 is given to an organization to purchase and install bike racks, $80,000 would be set aside for buying and installing them - the remaining $20,000 could be used to pay a staffer to source, find locations for, work on permitting issues, and oversee installation of the racks. Of course, they don’t have to use all $20,000 for that - if funding was left over, it could be used to purchase more racks…

]]> By: Derek http://urbanvelo.org/bicyclists-the-future-is-now/#comment-2514 Derek Mon, 12 May 2008 18:06:34 +0000 http://urbanvelo.org/?p=1187#comment-2514 "The four pilot communities are Columbia, MO, Marin County, CA, Minneapolis, MN and Sheboygan County, WI. Each community is receiving $25 million dollars to spend over four years. Approximately $5 million in each area is used to administer the Federal grant, making $20 million available for actual in-ground improvements and programs." David, do you care to elaborate why $5 million dollars is spent simply to administer the grant? That seems outrageous and wasteful. “The four pilot communities are Columbia, MO, Marin County, CA, Minneapolis, MN and Sheboygan County, WI. Each community is receiving $25 million dollars to spend over four years. Approximately $5 million in each area is used to administer the Federal grant, making $20 million available for actual in-ground improvements and programs.”

David, do you care to elaborate why $5 million dollars is spent simply to administer the grant? That seems outrageous and wasteful.

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