This study examined different funding methods for financing public education in order to solve the problems associated with large numbers of school districts and great disparities in property wealth without abandonment of property tax as the major revenue source. Using enrollment and State Property Tax Board data for the 1,061 school districts in Texas in 1986-87, four alternative funding plans were studied to compare the equity and fiscal impact of each on public school finance in Texas. The state and local shares of the total cost of education were computed using a combination of three per-pupil expenditure levels and four funding formulas. The per-pupil expenditure levels used were $3,850, $4,200, and $4,580. The formulas used were representative of a full state funding plan, a percentage equalization plan, a power equalization plan, and a foundation school program plan. Since each of the four plans used significantly higher per-pupil expenditure values, all required a greater monetary investment on the part of the state. However, all plans were found to be equalizing in nature if set per-pupil expenditure values were maintained and no local enrichment was permitted. In addition, each of the four plans, as studied, met the fiscal neutrality standard of the 1987 Edqewood v. Kirbv case. The percentage and power equalization plans required less monetary investment on the part of the state than either full state funding or the foundation school program. As a result of the study, it is recommended that the state consider a combination of plans. For example, the state could employ a full state funding model up to the $3,850 per-pupil expenditure level with added permissible local millage being limited and power equalized. In addition, while each of the plans studied reduces inequity, the increased cost of an adequate public school education suggests that the state consider other sources of revenue to fund public education. These could include personal or corporate income taxes.

Esta dissertação aborda a temática do financiamento da política educacional brasileira, tendo como objetivo principal a análise do contexto e dos processos políticos que resultaram na aprovação da meta de investimento público do II Plano Nacional de Educação (II PNE) (Lei 13.005/2014). O estudo conta com três principais fontes de informação, quais sejam, i) a revisão bibliográfica acerca da temática do financiamento educacional e da planificação da área, ii) entrevistas com atores da comunidade educacional, além de iii) análise de registros públicos do processo de construção social e tramitação legislativa do plano. O modelo de coalizões de defesa orienta as análises desenvolvidas, aliado à literatura sobre projetos políticos e instrumentos de políticas públicas. Foram identificadas duas coalizões que defendiam interesses, ideias e propostas sobre o tema, tendo influenciado a versão final da meta de investimento público em educação. A primeira coalizão, descrita sob o lema ampliação de recursos públicos para a educação pública, defendeu de maneira preponderante a maior destinação de recursos para as políticas de educação ofertadas exclusivamente pelo setor público, tendo influenciado centralmente a aprovação dos dois principais dispositivos trazidos pela meta 20, quais sejam, a vinculação de recursos como projeção percentual do PIB, o Custo Aluno Qualidade Inicial (CAQi) e o Custo Aluno Qualidade (CAQ). A segunda coalizão, identificada sob o lema ampliação de recursos públicos para a educação, aliada à gestão, defendia uma maior destinação de recursos para a área, contemplando a oferta educacional realizada por atores não-públicos, desde que aliada ao aprimoramento dos mecanismos de gestão do gasto. A análise do processo de construção do plano aponta a existência de múltiplos atores, governamentais e não-governamentais, que buscaram influenciar a formatação final do II PNE, no qual a temática do financiamento teve destaque. O texto final normativo é reflexo desta construção e, embora represente um extensivo e intensivo processo de racionalização decisória, produziu contradições que acabam por prolongar e intensificar a disputa no campo do financiamento educacional / This dissertation discusses the issues of public education funding in Brazil, and aims to analyze the context and political processes related to the approval of the public investment goal stablished by the II Plano Nacional de Educação (II National Education Plan) (Lei 13.005/2014), based on the identification of actors, strategies, interests and ideas in dispute. The study is based on three main information resources, that is, i) bibliographic research related to the theme of education funding in Brazil, and educational planning, ii) interviews carried out with actors from educational community, besides iii) public documents from the process of social and legislative construction of the II National Education Plan. Advocacy coalition framework guides the presented analysis, along with political project and public policy instruments literature. There have been identified two coalitions defending interests, ideas and propositions to the theme, having influence to the final version of the education funding goal. The first coalition, defined under the term, enlargement of public resources for public education, defended a broader destination of resources to educational public policies carried out exclusively by the public sector, having influence to the approval of two main instruments of the 20 goal, that are, linking resources as a percentage of the PIB (GDP), the Cost of Initial Quality Education per Student (CAQ) and the Cost of Quality Education per Student. The second coalition, identified under the term enlargement of public resources for education, allied to management, defended a broader destination of public resources to the area, including the policies offered by non-state institutions, as long as connected to the enhancement of quality expenditure mechanisms. The analysis of the process points out the existence of multiple social actors, governmental and non-governmental, which sought to influence the II PNE, process in which the education funding theme was central. The final version of the plan reflects this construction and, although represents an extensive and intensive decisional rationalization process, it has produced contradictions that end up prolonging and intensifying the dispute in educational funding arena

The purpose of the quantitative study was to analyze the staffing patterns, organizational structures, funding resources, practice of resource allocation, technology use, size of alumni population, size of institution enrollment, and age of the institutions at senior public colleges and universities in the southeastern United States. These institutions were derived from the membership of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education [CASE] during the academic years 2010-2012 in the United States District III region, generally the Southeast to lower Mid-Atlantic states. The study was further limited to public, comprehensive institutions as determined by the Carnegie Classification system. Data were collected through an online internet survey to test 11 research questions and gather demographic information relevant to the study. Of the 100 potential institutions for response, 16 completed surveys were received. The overall results of the tests reflect that 3 of the 11 results were statistically significant. Specifically, resource allocation scores were significantly higher than funding resource scores. Also there were strong positive correlations between technology use and age of institution and between size of alumni and the size of the institution.

The defunding of higher education at the state and national level following the 2008 recession created the need for administrators of public higher education institutions to develop and implement funding strategies to maintain organizational sustainability. State government administrators reduced spending approximately 26% per student across the nation, leaving higher education administrators challenged with adjusting organizational budgets to compensate for the reduction in state monetary support. A multiple case study design was used to explore funding strategies that community college business leaders used to support budget decisions that maintain organizational sustainability. Four leaders from 3 community colleges in Central Texas participated in semistructured interviews. Interviews were triangulated with reviews of historical school board documents. Data analysis included documents review, member checking, coding data by participant, and electronic data analysis software to determine the most frequent responses. The theory of organizational change was used as the conceptual framework for exploring strategies community college business leaders use for sustainable futures. Two themes that emerged from the analysis were business-focused planning and student success identifying that community college business leaders need to focus on offering affordable education that meets stakeholders' needs while implementing funding strategies to support budget decisions for organizational sustainability. The findings may impact social change when budget decisions are made with a focus on affordable and quality education that improves the lives of individuals, meets local workforce needs, and promotes economic development within communities.

Nonprofit organizations are essential in providing goods and services to the under-resourced in the community. Nonprofits have experienced a growth rate of 47% in 2014 and yet 53% of nonprofits reported less than 3 months cash on hand needed to meet the demands of their clients. This explorative and descriptive study analyzed nonprofit fundraising strategies for providing sustainable quality services. The purpose of this study was to determine what strategies successful nonprofits used to increase funding as it relates to the delivery of quality sustainable service and what conditions influenced fundraising effectiveness. The methodology consisted of a qualitative, thematic research design. The sample consisted 19 participants who held executive level positions in their organizations. Data were collected through a series of recorded in-depth interviews and analyzed using a contrast-comparative qualitative thematic analysis of the recording and written transcription and the NVivo Software Data Management Program. The findings of the study revealed that leaders with transformative attributes and demonstrably connected to the mission drive the fundraising success of the organization by influencing donor relationships, strategies, and performance. The implications of the study include sustainable delivery of service by the development of effective leadership models for the internal stakeholders thus, positively influencing donor behavior and improved quality of life for the under-resourced over a sustained period. Future research using the mixed methods is recommended for examining how leadership styles may influence funding sustainability.

Individual donors are an important source of revenue for nonprofit organizations. However, there is limited information on the attraction and retention of individual donors in nonprofit organizations. This single-case study addressed strategies 3 nonprofit leaders in the Northeast United States use to attract and retain individual donors. The conceptual framework was Kaplan and Norton's strategy map and the 2015-2016 Baldrige Excellence Framework used to evaluate organizational performance. Data collection included semistructured interviews; review of company documents; analysis of data available via GuideStar, an online provider of information on U.S. nonprofit organizations; analysis of data available about U.S. agencies; and review of data and information from other publicly available sources with information on nonprofit organizations. Data analysis included coding of collected data and use of thematic analysis. Four themes emerged from the study: strength in fundraising processes, operational alignment of strategy, opportunities in documentation of processes, and systematic evaluation of programs' effectiveness and organizational learning. Findings may assist nonprofit leaders in aligning organizational strategies with key processes and focusing efforts on the achievement of organizational goals. Nonprofit leaders may use the results to improve access to funds from individual donors and to create valuable community services such as increased access to schools and affordable housing in underserved urban areas.

Although growth in U.S. community colleges has been exponential, a major challenge accompanying that growth has been the source of funding, which has consisted of shifting proportions of tuition, local taxes, and state aid. The shift away from state aid toward fundraising, profit-oriented research, sophisticated financing, and higher tuition presents challenges and unintended consequences. This shift could threaten the community college access mission and contribute to a perception of higher education as a private good rather than a public good. With a framework of academic capitalism and resource dependency theories, the purpose of this basic qualitative interview study with 7 leaders from executive teams in community colleges was to explore strategies used in adapting to the changes in funding models. Participants were recruited using snowball sampling, and interview data were analyzed to identify recurring themes. Findings indicated a need for strategies to replace state funding; grants and fundraising were not considered sufficient. Strategies such as working cash bonds, prioritization studies, and differential tuition programs were reported to have long-term potential, but their efficacy remained to be confirmed. Restoring state funding would require that colleges align interests with legislators and donors, research and develop bold initiatives, craft successful communication and marketing strategies, and facilitate a culture shift within their institution that embraces the need for alternative revenue streams. This study raises awareness that rising tuition and education costs in general may threaten the community college mission, limiting access to higher education for students, especially for lower SES students who cannot afford the debt to fund the higher tuition.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for approximately 50% of the world's gross domestic product. However, these economic agents suffer from inadequate access to liquid funds to finance their operations. The liquidity gap has led to early bankruptcy and liquidation, stagnant growth and development, and fewer employment opportunities. The problem under study was the effect of funding limitations on SMEs' business operations and growth. The purpose was to examine the impact of multilayered capital systems as alternative funding for SME growth. This study was informed by Gilbrat's law and the theory of financial exclusion. The research questions addressed the use of a multilayered capital market as a substitute for the conventional methods of funding for SMEs. A survey instrument was used to collect data using a stratified random sample of 54 small-scale business owners and finance professionals. These participants were identified from U.S. Census Bureau data between 2009 and 2014 across the information technology, service, and manufacturing sectors. Multiple regressions and correlation analyses were used to analyze the data. The results showed that age, credit score, average turnover, and total assets have significant impacts on obtaining funding, especially total assets. Moreover, results showed that growth rates correlated with funding from multilayered capital systems. This study contributes positively to social change by highlighting alternative means of funding SMEs, leading to reduced dependency on government, less crime through gainful employment, and improved corporate social responsibility due to better interactions among community members

The research for this thesis started just before the TVNZ Charter was released in 2001. It followed the discussion regarding the new direction for the broadcaster to follow a more public service role. The data gathering was conducted through to post Charter implementation and captured the uncertainty surrounding the shift in policy. Although the aim of the TVNZ Charter was to raise the standards of public service broadcasting the introduction of this new policy was marked by confusion as to how this would be achieved, funded and monitored.The TVNZ Charter was introduced with the prescription that TVNZ find a balance in achieving public service needs in television as well as maintaining the revenue from advertising. This was because the government was not willing to provide sufficient funding for a non-commercial service and hence the result was always to be a hybrid model. It was frequently emphasized that Charter programmes should rate well and there was strong stress on the importance of retaining and attracting audiences.The core changes leading to the introduction of the TVNZ Charter owe their origins to the major policy turning point of 1989/1990, when broadcasting was deregulated in New Zealand. The free market provided programmes with a focus on entertainment and the previous dictum that they should also educate and inform was no longer spelled out in the Broadcasting Act. As only one of the traditional principles of television was being satisfied, there was a measurable decline in programmed diversity and it is argued, quality. The freedom of deregulation allowed TVNZ to pursue the goal of earning as much advertising revenue as possible. Therefore, the TVNZ Charter was hailed as a significant change of direction to ensure that public service needs were met.Even though it can be argued that many positive changes have resulted since the TVNZ Charter was mooted, it is argued that the drive to reposition TVNZ as a public service broadcaster seems to have resulted in a very diluted form of public service broadcasting. A major shift in direction has been compromised by a fear that significant changes in programming would result in a dramatic loss of vital advertising revenue.

<p>Background: Growth oriented entrepreneurial businesses need funding for the development of their idea, technology, product etc. However, for the businesses in the very earliest stages of development, access to funding is very limited. Growing young ventures are important job creators and positively affect growth in an economy. Bridging the gap of funding to these companies is therefore on the agenda of governments around the world. </p><p>Purpose: To describe the situation facing seed stage investing venture capitalists. I will emphasize difficulties and evaluate venture capitalists ability in addressing them. Effects of the difficulties in form of access to financing for entrepreneurs and a possible need for government intervention will be examined. </p><p>Method: Empirical information from seed stage investing venture capital organizations have been collected in the form of face-to-face interviews, email- questionnaires and a telephone interview. Organizations from Sweden, Denmark and Germany are included in the study. </p><p>Result: Several factors make seed stage investing unattractive compared to later stages. Important difficulties are higher risks, high costs for fund management, goal incongruence in the investor – venture capitalist relation and lack of bargaining power for seed venture capitalists. Environmental factorsthat have an impact on seed investing are the deal flow, the investment climate and access to soft funding. Seed stage investing is a very challenging business and the difficulties are to a large extent hard to overcome. The investors more likely have to accept them and I conclude that long term profitability of seed funds is unlikely, at least in absence of government support in form of soft funding towards the entrepreneurial businesses.</p>