Clay Township Police Department

How Funding Navigator helped a small department turn a long-standing safety goal into reality

  • 100%

    funding for ballistic shields

  • The department

    Clay Township Police Department in Ohio is a small, rural department with limited time and staffing to find and apply for grants.

  • The problem

    They needed to prioritize officer safety, but securing funds for ballistic gear was difficult. The department spent years searching without success.

  • The solution

    Chief David Birk used Funding Navigator to secure a grant that fully covered the cost of ballistic shields for each patrol cruiser.

The department

Clay Township Police Department serves a large rural area with just seven full-time officers. Like many small departments, they face tight budget constraints and often juggle multiple responsibilities with limited staff.

When Chief Birk joined the department after a 28-year career in a larger city, one of his top priorities was improving officer safety through better equipment. But with few resources and no dedicated grant staff, finding the right funding remained an ongoing challenge.

The problem

Department needs

The department had no ballistic shields, an essential tool in high-risk situations like active shooters or barricaded suspects. But grant applications often required time the team didn’t have. Despite years of seeking opportunities, they couldn’t find the right fit. Without a dedicated funding source, the department struggled with acquiring the gear to keep officers safe on the job.

The solution

  • Grant target

    The Dayton Foundation

  • Grant awarded

    $4,300

Background

Chief Birk entered the project details into Funding Navigator and matched with The Dayton Foundation. Although the foundation initially declined the request, it reversed course within days.

Thanks to Funding Navigator’s guidance and grant matching, the department secured full funding for five rifle-rated ballistic shields — now installed in every cruiser — providing officers with added protection during high-risk situations.

The platform’s simple interface and targeted recommendations helped Birk bypass a traditionally time-consuming process and quickly get his small team the support they needed.

How Funding Navigator Works

  • Onboard your data (one time only)
  • Get help building your application
  • Submit application
  • Secure your grant

Outcome

The department received a $4,300 grant from The Dayton Foundation, fully covering the cost of five rifle-rated ballistic shields. The gear is lightweight, covers the torso, and offers rifle protection, making it ideal for high-risk responses in rural areas. The equipment was delivered and installed in every patrol vehicle within two weeks of receiving funding approval.

For Chief Birk and his team, the new shields provide more than just physical protection — they give officers confidence and peace of mind when responding alone or in dangerous situations.

Customer reflections

Customer reflections

“The dashboard just makes the process so user friendly that anybody can do it. It just makes the process so smooth. To me, it’s a match made in heaven.”

“There are always new grants coming up, and staying on top of deadlines is hard when you’re a volunteer. Funding Navigator keeps everything organized and saves us so much time. It allows us to look for grants more often and keep on top of them so we can apply for as much funding as possible.”

“Volunteer fire departments know what it’s like to have limited time and having to do a lot of things by yourself. Using this takes one more thing off your shoulders so you don’t have to worry as much about it.”

“It explains, step by step, the whole application process, which I really love,” Beans said. “Sometimes, the application itself can be harder than actually writing the grant narrative. Funding Navigator puts it all in a format of what to do, where to put the information, and what details to include.”

“They provided excellent customer support,” he said. “It could take me some time to fill out applications, and the people [at Funding Navigator] would call to check in and make sure I didn’t have any questions.”

Going forward

For small and rural departments like Clay Township, having access to targeted grant support can turn long-standing goals into real outcomes.

Chief Birk is already exploring new opportunities through Funding Navigator, including a potential grant for a drone to support township operations.

“It’s so painless that I’ve already reached out about another possible funding project,” he said.

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