Intro to the grant shuffle follow up

Sorry we’re a little late sharing this one.

Between covering Windy City Smokeout, preparing for upcoming events, and everything else we’ve had going on (trial), this follow-up to The Grant Shuffle got buried in our backlog.

Better late than never.

Sometimes, as Mike likes to say, the only way to solve a problem is to figure out how to put the toothpaste back into the tube.

This article isn’t about reaching conclusions.

It’s about asking better questions.

After filing a FOIA with the Illinois Department of Human Services, we received a response that answered one question… while creating several new ones.

If award determinations weren’t final…

How did organizations already know they had won?

How did others already know they had lost?

And if applicants were already filing appeals…

Appealing what?

Those aren’t accusations.

They’re timeline questions.

And timeline questions are often where investigations begin.

That’s how we approach every story at F’nAround. We don’t start with a conclusion, we start with curiosity, documents, and a lot of coffee. If the records explain everything, great. If they don’t, we’ll keep reading until they do.

Read the full follow-up: The Grant Shuffle: Wait… We Thought the Awards Were Already Announced?

www.fnaround.com/articles/tgs2

We’ve got a lot happening behind the scenes.

Our coverage is expanding, our projects are growing, and now F’nAround will be covering stories beyond the United States as our audience continues to grow.

Thanks to everyone who’s been following along, sharing our work, sending tips, and challenging us to keep asking questions.

Now, if you’ll excuse us, there’s probably another 347 pages of documents waiting to be read.

(Thanks, Hooked on Phonics.)