Stakeholder Power vs Interest: A Helpful Grid

For any project, it is important to generate a wide base of support from stakeholders. Identifying what types of stakeholders are affected by your project is key to a successful project. Each of your stakeholders should be classified in one of four categories.

Low power/low interest stakeholders are only indirectly affected by your project. Information needs to be available to them but active involvement is not necessary. Low power/high interest stakeholders care deeply about your project’s outcome. As such, they need to be actively informed. It is important to show them consideration as you move forward. Your high power/low interest stakeholders may not be particularly interested in your project but it is important to keep them informed, as they do have power over your project’s success. Try your best to keep these stakeholders satisfied so they do not use their power to negatively impact your project. Lastly, high power/high interest stakeholders are the most important as they have the biggest impact on your project. Engage with them regularly and work to maintain a positive relationship. They will need to have the opportunity to provide direct input into the project and may be involved in key decision-making.

Download this grid and divide up your project’s stakeholders into each box. From there, assess how to move forward with your stakeholder relationships.

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Authorization vs. Appropriations: What You Need To Know

When it comes to federal funds for water infrastructure grants, the difference between authorization and appropriation is essential. Sometimes the definition of one is confused for the other. Here’s what you need to know about both terms and what it means for water grants.

Authorization is Congress dictating that money can be spent on a specific item and appropriations allow agencies to spend money that has been authorized previously. Oftentimes, excitement surrounds authorization, such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (which provides $55 billion in new funding over five years to help with drinking and wastewater problems). The issue is, additional legislation must be passed in order to appropriate where that money will be spent. Therefore, grant programs for water infrastructure will not receive any additional funds until they are appropriated.

Sometimes the process of funds trickling down to individual projects takes years. While this can be frustrating, it can also be used to your advantage. Do you have a project that needs to be
funded in the next few years? Keep an eye on where money is being appropriated and which
grants will be boosted because of that. This could be helpful when deciding which grants to
submit applications to years in advance, bettering your chances of success.

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downloadable resources, and grant alerts. Sign up for our email newsletter here.