AED Grants for Schools – What’s an AED program and is there any way for a school to get grants for AED program? The AED stands for the Automated External Defibrillation, which is basically a term often used in communities and schools for a program that provides defibrillator. Today you will learn tips and steps on how to get funding for AED program.
To start your quest, you need to have a proper estimation on the costs of the program, annually. Start by adding the costs for the devices, peripheral equipment, maintenance, training, program management, documentation, quality assurance, CPR training, and insurance too. This step is very important because you want to really show that you have done a thorough research on this matter.
Now that you’ve got your data, start by searching for local opportunities for schools’ AED program funding. For example, you can simply go to your city council and ask if there’s a budget provided for such program and how to apply. There are many city council that are already aware of the danger of sudden cardiac arrest in their community and put some budget to deal with this problem.
If you cannot find direct funding, you can start looking for grants. The grants are available from various possible sources, including corporations, organizations, foundations, government, or public charities.
AED Grants for Schools Program
If you’re living in the region where a national headquarters of a company is available, you may be able to contact them and ask for AED assistance for schools. It doesn’t have to be companies that focus on healthcare services and products, but you have a higher chance of getting one if that is the case. Check our reference sections to see a list of corporate grantmakers available. The list is pretty big, and chances are you can find one near you. Some examples of potential companies that may be able to help are the Medtronic Foundations in Minneapolis, Prudential, The Asmund S. Laerdal Foundation, etc. It is a big help if you can find the names, titles and contact info for the decision makers for the funding.
Aside of getting funding from corporations, you can also ask from local civic organizations such as American Legion, Lions Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, Elks Clubs, the Masons etc. We recommend you to find the local headquarters of the civic organizations and ask for information there.
You can also visit the Foundation Center website (fdncenter.org) to see another non-governmental source of funding for AED program in your school. They have a huge list of possible private foundations, organizations and public charities that are concern about the cardiac arrest. You can find good, valuable information there.
Last but not least, there are some assistance opportunities available from the government. Through their Health Resources and Services Administration, the government provided financial help for rural communities in various health-related aspects, including the emergency response and the AED training. This often includes giving out AED devices for communities, including schools.
Aside of the federal government, you can also ask for your state government for help. Typically there is some funding available to help communities such as schools. Usually, you only need to make an appointment, explain your cause, make a presentation in a county council meetings to explain the benefits (and the cost-effectiveness) of the AED program for your school, community and ultimately the state.
Believe me, getting the AED grants for schools just might not as hard as you think.
References:
- Foundation Center – Knowledge to Build On
- The American Legion
- American heart Asociation
- Image: coheartsmart.com
