Question

To what degree is it possible for an agency to maintain its commitment to a central mission when funding patterns change and new types of activities are supported? How would you deal with a situation in which you could get funding only if you changed the basic focus of your agency’s programs?

Answer 1

In my opinion, it becomes very difficult for an agency to maintain its commitment to a central mission when funding patterns change and new types of activities are supported. This is because the whole set of priorities and focus of central mission is on new types of activities and original set of activities take a backseat, which essentially means that the funding to the original set of activities is also significantly reduced thereby making it difficult for the agency to maintain its commitment to the central mission due to lack of support and funding.

I would deal with a situation in which I could get funding only if I changed the basic focus of my agency’s programs by first highlighting the issues and priorities to the central mission for the requirement of agency support to address specific issues and concerns. If the central mission still is adamant to provide funding only for specific programs, then I need to change agency's focus by providing adequate training and information regarding the new program and making the agency understand that proirities have shifted and entire focus must be put on the new program as finding is available for that. Hence agency alignment towards the program is important to ensure its success.