Writing grants for your school or classroom is an honorable endeavor. Typically when you receive grant money, you are able to improve student performance in some problem area. Both students and teachers benefit from the grant money you were responsible for getting. You feel good about your part in the process because you are giving something back. In fact, you probably became an educator so you could give something back.
But do you and your school also teach students to give back? Do you give them the opportunity to feel good about deeds they do solely for the benefit of others? That quality is not taught in most homes these days. Maybe you could get grant money to start such a program at your school.
When I was a middle school principal, we initiated a program that made me more proud of our students than any other – and it had absolutely nothing to do with test scores. Our community services classes were a tremendous way to teach our students to give something back to their small town.
Every day students who were enrolled in our community services classes went to the primary and elementary campuses, nursing homes, sheltered workshops, and a variety of other environments specifically to volunteer, to help other people.
Yes, it took a lot of scheduling, and permission slips, and a good faculty sponsor, but the benefits to those students and to those they helped was immeasurable.
It seems our world is filled with a “me, me, me” mentality. That’s why I was so surprised by the huge popularity of this program, and the responsibility that so many students learned to shoulder without any gripes or complaints. In fact, this program was so well received by our students and the community that it was also put in place in our high school, and it is very unusual for a high school to adopt any program that is initiated in a middle school. We were so proud.
Are you teaching your students to give back? We are beginning to post more and more grants that can help you with the process. You will find a couple of them listed below. Don’t overlook an opportunity to give your students one of the greatest gifts you could ever give – that wonderful feeling we get when we sacrifice our time and ourselves for the good of others.
Write a few grants. Start a good program. You’ll be glad you did.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Check it Out: Grant Opportunity!
Grant Name: The Green Heroes Grant Program
Funded by: Green Works and Roots & Shoots
Description: In 2010, The Green Heroes Grant Program will give green to those who do green. Through this initiative, the makers of Green Works® natural cleaners, with help from Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, will award $60,000 in grant funding to individuals, organizations and schools that are making their communities a greener place.
People can nominate green community projects and their leaders for a Green Heroes grant by submitting a photo and short essay about the project or person at www.facebook.com/greenworks. The Green Heroes Grant Program will begin accepting nominations beginning on January 19 through February 18, 2010. A $15,000 first prize and a $5,000 runner-up grant will be awarded in each of the three categories:
• School Organization: This category will recognize innovative environmental programs that are coordinated by a school or teacher. In addition to the grants, winners will receive a special educational experience from Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots for their school.
• Youth Leader/Organization: Individual youth leaders - aged 13 to 17 - and youth-led non-profit organizations
• Adult Leader/Organization: Individual leaders - aged 18 and over - and non-profit organizations
Following the online nomination period, a panel of judges from the Green Works team and the Jane Goodall Institute will review all submissions to determine five finalists in each category. From March 18 through April 18, 2010, the public can vote online (www.facebook.com/greenworks) for their favorite Green Hero. The top two vote recipients in each category will receive the Green Hero grants.
The final six Green Heroes will be announced on April 22 - just in time for Earth Day.
Program Areas: Community Involvement/Volunteerism, Science/Environment
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School, Other
Proposal Deadline: 2/18/10
Average Amount: $5,000 - $15,000.00
Web Site: www.facebook.com/greenworks
Availability: All States
Funded by: Green Works and Roots & Shoots
Description: In 2010, The Green Heroes Grant Program will give green to those who do green. Through this initiative, the makers of Green Works® natural cleaners, with help from Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, will award $60,000 in grant funding to individuals, organizations and schools that are making their communities a greener place.
People can nominate green community projects and their leaders for a Green Heroes grant by submitting a photo and short essay about the project or person at www.facebook.com/greenworks. The Green Heroes Grant Program will begin accepting nominations beginning on January 19 through February 18, 2010. A $15,000 first prize and a $5,000 runner-up grant will be awarded in each of the three categories:
• School Organization: This category will recognize innovative environmental programs that are coordinated by a school or teacher. In addition to the grants, winners will receive a special educational experience from Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots for their school.
• Youth Leader/Organization: Individual youth leaders - aged 13 to 17 - and youth-led non-profit organizations
• Adult Leader/Organization: Individual leaders - aged 18 and over - and non-profit organizations
Following the online nomination period, a panel of judges from the Green Works team and the Jane Goodall Institute will review all submissions to determine five finalists in each category. From March 18 through April 18, 2010, the public can vote online (www.facebook.com/greenworks) for their favorite Green Hero. The top two vote recipients in each category will receive the Green Hero grants.
The final six Green Heroes will be announced on April 22 - just in time for Earth Day.
Program Areas: Community Involvement/Volunteerism, Science/Environment
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School, Other
Proposal Deadline: 2/18/10
Average Amount: $5,000 - $15,000.00
Web Site: www.facebook.com/greenworks
Availability: All States
Check it Out: Grant Opportunity!
Grant Name: Pay It Forward Mini-Grants
Funded by: Pay It Forward Foundation
Description: The purpose of the Pay It Forward Mini-Grants is intended to fund one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to carry out to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must enclose a "pay it forward" focus - that is, they must be based on the idea of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results increasing exponentially - to be considered in the grant making process.
Program Areas: Volunteerism/Community Involvement, All Other
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School, Faith-based, Other
Deadline: 2/15/10
Email: director@payitforwardfoundation.org
Website: http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/educators/mini-grant.html
Availability: All States
Funded by: Pay It Forward Foundation
Description: The purpose of the Pay It Forward Mini-Grants is intended to fund one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to carry out to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must enclose a "pay it forward" focus - that is, they must be based on the idea of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results increasing exponentially - to be considered in the grant making process.
Program Areas: Volunteerism/Community Involvement, All Other
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School, Faith-based, Other
Deadline: 2/15/10
Email: director@payitforwardfoundation.org
Website: http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/educators/mini-grant.html
Availability: All States
Thursday, January 14, 2010
It's All in the Numbers
I firmly believe that almost anyone can get grant money. It’s all in the numbers. Fortunately for most of us, you don’t have to be a mathematician to get grants. You just have to understand how numbers impact your chances of writing successful grants.
First, the more grants you find that apply to your problem area, the greater your chance of getting grant money. That’s where a good grant database comes into play. You should use a grant database regularly until you find several grants that match the needs of your school or classroom. The closer you can match your needs to the grantor’s purpose for giving a grant, the greater your chance of getting the grant money.
Second, as I’ve written several times before, the more quality grant applications you submit, the more grant money you will receive. That sounds simple enough, but many people just write one grant. They either win the money or they don’t. Then, they just quit. If you really want to impact your classroom or your school with grant money, you need to apply for multiple grants, not just one. Write two, three, or four grants. If you have a large problem, you may need to apply for multiple grants to get all the money you need.
Third, the more statistics you use in your grant application the better. These statistics need to apply directly to the problem you’re having. They should show exactly what the problem is and how bad it is. You might show that 60% of your 4th graders are reading 1.5 years below the national average by using the data from your last standardized tests. You might also include that the at-risk students from this group are reading 2.5 years below the national average. These statistics show that you know your problem, and you know that you have to fix it.
Finally, you will use numbers in the budget you submit with your grant application to show that you understand the solution to your problem, and you know what it will cost to fix it. The budget will detail the materials and/or personnel you will need to get the type of growth you expect. Again, this will show the grantor that you thoroughly understand the problem you have, but you also understand what you will need to do to fix that problem.
You may not be great in math, but you should be able to use numbers well enough to understand how greatly they impact your success in getting grants. Use a database to find as many grants as you can that match your problem. Write multiple grants to address your problem. Use statistics to show the depth of your problem. Use the budget in your grant application to show you understand what you will have to spend to correct your problem.
Writing grants is a numbers game. Be sure you understand those numbers and use them to get the grant money you need.
First, the more grants you find that apply to your problem area, the greater your chance of getting grant money. That’s where a good grant database comes into play. You should use a grant database regularly until you find several grants that match the needs of your school or classroom. The closer you can match your needs to the grantor’s purpose for giving a grant, the greater your chance of getting the grant money.
Second, as I’ve written several times before, the more quality grant applications you submit, the more grant money you will receive. That sounds simple enough, but many people just write one grant. They either win the money or they don’t. Then, they just quit. If you really want to impact your classroom or your school with grant money, you need to apply for multiple grants, not just one. Write two, three, or four grants. If you have a large problem, you may need to apply for multiple grants to get all the money you need.
Third, the more statistics you use in your grant application the better. These statistics need to apply directly to the problem you’re having. They should show exactly what the problem is and how bad it is. You might show that 60% of your 4th graders are reading 1.5 years below the national average by using the data from your last standardized tests. You might also include that the at-risk students from this group are reading 2.5 years below the national average. These statistics show that you know your problem, and you know that you have to fix it.
Finally, you will use numbers in the budget you submit with your grant application to show that you understand the solution to your problem, and you know what it will cost to fix it. The budget will detail the materials and/or personnel you will need to get the type of growth you expect. Again, this will show the grantor that you thoroughly understand the problem you have, but you also understand what you will need to do to fix that problem.
You may not be great in math, but you should be able to use numbers well enough to understand how greatly they impact your success in getting grants. Use a database to find as many grants as you can that match your problem. Write multiple grants to address your problem. Use statistics to show the depth of your problem. Use the budget in your grant application to show you understand what you will have to spend to correct your problem.
Writing grants is a numbers game. Be sure you understand those numbers and use them to get the grant money you need.
Check it Out: Grant Opportunity!
Grant Name: ING Foundation Educational Grants
Funded by: ING Foundation
Description: As part of their commitment to educators, ING honors excellence in education through a series of programs and sponsorships.
Program Areas: Arts, At-Risk/Character, Community Involvement/Volunteerism, General Education, Health/PE, Math, Reading, Science/Environment, Social Studies, Vocational
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School, Higher Education
Proposal Deadline: 2/1/10
Average Amount: $250.00 - $400,000.00
Web Site: http://www.ing-usa.com/us/aboutING/CorporateCitizenship/index.htm
Availability: All States
Funded by: ING Foundation
Description: As part of their commitment to educators, ING honors excellence in education through a series of programs and sponsorships.
Program Areas: Arts, At-Risk/Character, Community Involvement/Volunteerism, General Education, Health/PE, Math, Reading, Science/Environment, Social Studies, Vocational
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School, Higher Education
Proposal Deadline: 2/1/10
Average Amount: $250.00 - $400,000.00
Web Site: http://www.ing-usa.com/us/aboutING/CorporateCitizenship/index.htm
Availability: All States
Check it Out: Grant Opportunity!
Grant Name: Disney Friends for Change Grants
Funded by: Disney
Description: Disney’s Friends for Change is a program that encourages kids everywhere to take steps together with their friends to help the planet. The Friends for Change Grants will fund kid’s projects that help the environment and will look to engage children ages 5-18 as leaders in their communities. Disney, working with YSA, will award 150 $500 grants throughout 2010. Disney’s Friends for Change Grants are open to schools, organizations and individuals planning service projects and will focus on projects implemented by children and youth ages 5-18. The goal of each grant is to inspire children to work with their families, friends, schools and communities to address critical needs in their local, national and global communities.
Program Areas: Science/Environment, Volunteerism/Community Involvement
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School, Other
Deadline: 1/29/10
Website: http://www.ysa.org/grants/announcements/friendsforchange
Availability: All States
Funded by: Disney
Description: Disney’s Friends for Change is a program that encourages kids everywhere to take steps together with their friends to help the planet. The Friends for Change Grants will fund kid’s projects that help the environment and will look to engage children ages 5-18 as leaders in their communities. Disney, working with YSA, will award 150 $500 grants throughout 2010. Disney’s Friends for Change Grants are open to schools, organizations and individuals planning service projects and will focus on projects implemented by children and youth ages 5-18. The goal of each grant is to inspire children to work with their families, friends, schools and communities to address critical needs in their local, national and global communities.
Program Areas: Science/Environment, Volunteerism/Community Involvement
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School, Other
Deadline: 1/29/10
Website: http://www.ysa.org/grants/announcements/friendsforchange
Availability: All States
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Make Your New Year’s Resolutions – and Keep Them!
While I know that many people don’t follow through on their New Year’s resolutions, I still think they are important to make at this time of year because they help to give us focus. Since most of you reading this article are not full-time grant writers, writing down your school's grant goals for the year can be extremely helpful.Following are a handful of sample resolutions that you might adapt in order to create your own:
1) I will write three grants for my school this year.
2) I will write grants until I get $100,000 for my school during 2010.
3) I will subscribe to a good grant database so I can spend more time completing grant applications and less time looking for grants.
4) This year, I will establish a grant committee that will be charged with finding and writing more grants.
5) I will establish one new program in my school this year and write grants to finance it.
6) I will thoroughly evaluate current programs at least twice during the year to determine which ones need to be fixed and which need to be expanded.
7) I will take a course in grant writing this year to ensure that I am submitting the best possible grant applications.
This is not a comprehensive list of grant-writing New Year’s resolutions. It might, however, help you to think about and plan a course of action for the new year. If you don’t have a plan, you are likely to end this year with the same sad results you had last year -- few grants written and few grant dollars received.
Of course any planning and any resolutions you make are better than none, but I encourage you to focus on the first three resolutions I listed above. The first two relate to the number and value of grants you plan to write. I’ve always said that writing grants is a game of numbers. The more quality applications you submit, the more grant money you will receive. You might want to set a goal to write a specific number of grants so you won’t falter after writing just one or two.
Similarly, it is always good to determine the amount of money you will need from grants and go after that amount regardless of the number of grant applications you need to complete. You might go after one or two large federal or state grants, or you might decide to write more foundation grants for smaller amounts of money. Either will work because your goal is to receive a certain amount of grant money.
My third resolution above -- investing in a subscription to a grant database -- is directly tied to the other two. A good grant database will enable you to quickly and easily pinpoint the federal, state, and foundation grants for which you are eligible. Without a comprehensive, up-to-date grant database, you will spend a huge amount of time scouring the Internet looking for possible grants when, instead, you could have been completing grant applications.
Because I’m a firm believer in planning, I’m a firm believer in making well-documented New Year’s resolutions. Make one, two, or even three this week. Write them down and put them in an accessible place so you will review them at least once each month. Doing this will make you a better, more efficient grant writer in the new year. It will get your school the grant money it needs. And the programs you offer students will be better because of the resolutions you made as you planned for this promising new year.
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