Funders are interested in supporting industry accepted best practices for capital infrastructure projects.

• Technology – Incorporating green technologies or other emerging technologies into your project is easiest done in early phases of the design and construction process. Incorporating these technologies into your project may also be an opportunity to develop a partnership with a research institution, power company, or environmental group, thus boosting your project’s fundability
• Environmental Stewardship – Capital and infrastructure projects almost always impact the environment in some way. It is worth making the effort to minimize any negative impacts and/or maximize positive impacts to the environment. Environmental stewardship is both the right thing to do and will also increase the fundability of your project. In general, funding agencies want to fund projects that exceed what is minimally required by regulation.

Making your project more appealing to funders does not have to involve dramatic changes. In many cases, highlighting what you are already doing and formalizing existing connections will increase the fundability of a project without much effort. Other elements, such as incorporating industry best practices, can be easily included if you start thinking about increasing your project’s fundability early in the design process. There are many ways in which you can increase the fundability of a project, making it as appealing to funders as possible.

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Depending on the project, the number of stakeholders can be very small, or can include entire geographic areas. The following is a list of examples of possible project stakeholders:

• Surrounding neighborhood, city or geographic region
• Governing bodies of tribal groups
• Funding agencies, creditors or shareholders
• Nonprofit organizations or environmental groups
• Prospective customers or users
• Professional groups, unions or trade groups

Almost universally, funders want to see that your project has stakeholder support. To have a truly competitive project proposal, it is imperative that you identify and involve project stakeholders. Additionally, by involving stakeholders, you are able to get a more varied perspective on your project. This will help you to anticipate potential problems and develop creative ways to address them proactively.

It is natural to be nervous about involving stakeholders in a project. There is often a fear that by bringing more people to the table, the process will become more complicated. However, it is better to think of project stakeholders as potential allies that can help your project to succeed. Through the involvement of stakeholders, you have the opportunity to build your project’s credibility and ultimately strengthen your proposed project.

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