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Issues Mobilization Grants

The Issues Mobilization Grant, which is part of NAR’s Campaign Services, provides financial assistance to state and local REALTOR^® associations to support effective advocacy campaigns on public policy issues that affect REALTOR^® interests. Issues Mobilization Grants may not be applied for, nor may any portion of an awarded grant be used for, any activities related directly or indirectly to candidate elections*, electoral mechanics, or legal action, or for any campaign activities that have been completed.

Before submitting an application for an Issues Mobilization Grant, associations are encouraged to discuss issue campaigns with NAR’s Campaign Services staff. Staff can assist you in developing a campaign strategy and suggest tools to use, including: polling, direct mail, phone calls, grassroots mobilization, advertising (online, print, radio & TV), and websites/social media. All of these services are provided by NAR through our contract consultants at a discounted cost.

Review the campaigns funded by an Issues Mobilization Grant to get an idea of the type of campaigns funded in the past.

* NAR’s Independent Expenditure Program provides each state with funds that they can use to support candidates for political office who support REALTORS^® and the real estate industry.

Application Process & Criteria

State and local REALTOR^® associations must complete and submit an Issues Mobilization Grant Application. Before submitting a draft application, review the Guidance Document detailing Application requirements and procedures. NAR staff will review the Application, discuss it with you, and request additional information if necessary. Applications that do not adhere to the Guidance Document or do not include the required information - including a budget, signatures, etc. - will not be considered for review by the State and Local Issues Mobilization Support Committee.

Once an Application is finalized, the Committee will review it during one of their scheduled meetings. Monthly Committee meetings are held in-person during the two annual NAR governance meetings and the REALTOR^® Party Training conference, and otherwise via teleconference. Applicants must make a presentation and be available to answer questions from the Committee during the meeting.

Additional information is applicable to requests of $25,000 or less and to requests of $100,000 or greater:

Applications $25,000 or Less

These Applications will be reviewed, as they are submitted, by the Committee’s Advisory Group (Committee Chair, Vice Chair, Past Chair, a regional representative, and a REALTOR^® association staff representative). These Applications do not need to be reviewed by the full Committee at a meeting.

Applications $100,000 or Greater

A Grant Application of $100,000 or greater approved by the Committee must also be reviewed and approved by: NAR’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors, when the Application is considered at meetings held during NAR governance meetings; NAR’s Leadership Team, when the Application is considered at a Committee teleconference meeting or at the meeting held during the REALTOR^® Party Training Conference. NOTE: review of an Application by NAR’s Leadership Team may take several weeks to schedule.

Grant Application Requirements

On Grant Applications of $100,000 or greater, NAR’s Campaign Services contract pollster must conduct or review Polling in advance of Committee consideration of the Application. The Committee may waive this requirement on a case-by-case basis due to exigent circumstances.

All Grant Applications must meet the following Contribution Standards that equate to a percentage of the amount requested from NAR: Applications of $25,000 or less…minimum 10% association contribution; Applications between $25,000 and $1 million…minimum 25% association contribution; Applications greater than $1 million…minimum 50% association contribution. Both financial and non-financial (in-kind) contributions may apply toward meeting the requirement. The Committee may waive the Contribution Standards on a case-by-case basis with a 2/3 majority vote, but such Application approvals require subsequent approval by the NAR Leadership Team.

Committee Actions & Notification of Decisions

After reviewing and discussing an Application, the Committee, or Advisory Group, will take one of the following actions:

Approve the request in full.
Grant a portion of the funding request.
Approve all or a portion of the funding request provided special conditions are met.
Postpone a decision until the Committee receives and evaluates additional information.
Deny the request.

In making a decision, the Committee considers the following Criteria:

Importance of the public policy issue
Scope of impact of the public policy issue
REALTOR^® involvement in the public policy issue
Winnability of the public policy issue
Extent of community support for the REALTOR^® position

Applicants are notified by NAR staff regarding the outcome of the Advisory Group, Committee, Leadership Team or Board of Directors decision shortly after their decision is made.

Funding and Reporting

For approved requests, NAR staff will coordinate disbursement of funds with grant recipients. Beginning in 2015, NAR will disburse grant payments through submission of vendor invoices to NAR. Upon completion of the campaign, grant recipients must submit a Post-Campaign Report to NAR staff describing the issue campaign, support provided, and outcome.

In situations where a payment-by-invoice approach is not possible or practical, NAR will make a lump-sum payment. Upon completion of campaigns in which lump-sum payments are made, grant recipients must submit – along with a Post-Campaign Report - an accounting of fund expenditures and return any unused funds to NAR staff.

Funding support for large and/or lengthy campaigns may be approved incrementally (i.e., multi-phase campaigns). In such situations, a campaign Progress Report and an accounting of fund expenditures must be provided to NAR staff at least twenty (20) days prior to the date of Committee consideration of each subsequent increment of funding, and any unused funds must be included in the Application for the subsequent increment of funding.