Blending and braiding are terms that are often used, but rarely defined and explained in detail because there is no single model for blending or for braiding, and each model must account for the needs of the community it serves. Planning for a blended or braided model is not just a fiscal process. Rather, it’s a process of identifying what a community or group of client needs, what funding can support and the desired outcomes.

Successful funding coordination requires: a clear vision of financing goals; engagement in collaborative planning; an understanding of resources; development of a strategy to maximize those resources; a focus on outcomes; engagement of families and consumers as leaders; and data collection to provide feedback on the strategies.

The tools on the website will help you to think through some of the critical questions involved in developing successful blending and braiding strategies and to decrease some of the fear and uncertainty that often accompany fiscal conversations. Most importantly, the tools tie together the fiscal work with the vision and programmatic design to best meet the needs of your community and clients.