Do it right. It's what your parents told you, and by now, you know your parents were right about 90+% of the time.
When you're writing a grant, I can't think of a maxim that would fit better. For most people, completing a grant application is not fun. It gets easier the more of them you submit, but it will never be a pleasurable experience. The fun is getting all that money!
Just because writing a grant is not going to bring you all that much pleasure, it doesn't mean that you should put less than 100% effort into that application. When you're submitting competitive grant applications, it may take that 100% and then some.
Here are a few things you need to make sure you do:
1) Research the grant being offered. Make sure your situation and your problem matches very closely with the purpose for which the grant is being offered. I can't overemphasize this one. People waste a huge amount of time submitting applications to organizations that would never fund a grant for their particular needs.
2) Follow the directions of the grantor. If they say submit a letter before you apply, submit one. If the deadline is on August 15th, don't mail it on August 16th. If they say use 12-point type, make sure your word processor is set on 12-point type. If you can't follow the simple directions that grantors give you, chances are you won't be receiving their grant money.
3) No fluff. Grant applications are not about impressing anyone. Your application doesn't have to be boring. It can express your enthusiasm for starting a new program or solving a problem, but stay focused. Lay out your needs, support your case with statistical information if you have it, and address how you’ll put your plan into operation if you get the money you need to fund it.
4) Don't leave any part of an application blank. If you don't understand parts of the application or what information is being sought, pick up the phone and get clarification. People from granting agencies would much rather answer your questions than read an inappropriate application.
5) Proofread, proofread, get someone else to read your application, and then proofread it again. Typos and downright mistakes are distracting when you read grant applications. It's easy to tell when an application is completed and proofed appropriately.
It's time to start writing those applications for fall grant money. Take your time and do an excellent job when you apply for grants. You will be rewarded for your extra effort.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Check it Out: New Grant Opportunity!
Grant Name: PTA Healthy Lifestyles Grants
Funded by: PTA
Description: PTA Healthy Lifestyles promotes good nutrition and regular physical activity in order to address the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic. One-third of American children and youth are either obese or at risk of becoming obese. Increased access to high-calorie good-tasting, inexpensive foods, along with increasingly sedentary lifestyles, has contributed to the rise in childhood obesity. In addition, the reduction and elimination of recess in as many as 40 percent of U.S. school districts has limited students’ physical activity during the school day. The obesity epidemic may not only decrease quality of life with the onset of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases but also reduce the life expectancy of today’s children. Further, consistent findings show that obesity is often associated with poor levels of academic achievement.
Program Areas: Health/PE
Recipients: Public Schools, Private/Charter Schools
Proposal Deadline: 9/10/10
Average Amount: $1,000.00
Telephone: 800-307-4782
Email: HealthyLifestyles@PTA.org
Website: http://www.pta.org/pta_healthy_lifestyles_award.asp
Availability: All States
Funded by: PTA
Description: PTA Healthy Lifestyles promotes good nutrition and regular physical activity in order to address the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic. One-third of American children and youth are either obese or at risk of becoming obese. Increased access to high-calorie good-tasting, inexpensive foods, along with increasingly sedentary lifestyles, has contributed to the rise in childhood obesity. In addition, the reduction and elimination of recess in as many as 40 percent of U.S. school districts has limited students’ physical activity during the school day. The obesity epidemic may not only decrease quality of life with the onset of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases but also reduce the life expectancy of today’s children. Further, consistent findings show that obesity is often associated with poor levels of academic achievement.
Program Areas: Health/PE
Recipients: Public Schools, Private/Charter Schools
Proposal Deadline: 9/10/10
Average Amount: $1,000.00
Telephone: 800-307-4782
Email: HealthyLifestyles@PTA.org
Website: http://www.pta.org/pta_healthy_lifestyles_award.asp
Availability: All States
Check it Out: New Grant Opportunity!
Grant Name: National Grant Program
Funded by: Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
Description: The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy is pleased to announce our 2011 National Grant competition. The Foundation's grant-making program seeks to develop or expand projects designed to support the development of literacy skills for adult primary care givers and their children. A total of approximately $650,000 will be awarded; no grant request should exceed $65,000
Program Areas: Library, Reading
Recipients: Public Schools, Higher Education, Other
Proposal Deadline: 9/10/10
Average Amount: $6,500.00
Telephone: 202-955-5890
Website: http://www.barbarabushfoundation.com/site/c.jhLSK2PALmF/b.4344681/k.66AC/National_Grant_Program.htm
Availability: All States
Funded by: Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
Description: The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy is pleased to announce our 2011 National Grant competition. The Foundation's grant-making program seeks to develop or expand projects designed to support the development of literacy skills for adult primary care givers and their children. A total of approximately $650,000 will be awarded; no grant request should exceed $65,000
Program Areas: Library, Reading
Recipients: Public Schools, Higher Education, Other
Proposal Deadline: 9/10/10
Average Amount: $6,500.00
Telephone: 202-955-5890
Website: http://www.barbarabushfoundation.com/site/c.jhLSK2PALmF/b.4344681/k.66AC/National_Grant_Program.htm
Availability: All States
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Do You Research Your Grant Opportunities?
Most grants are competitive. That means you may have to beat someone else out to get the grant money you need. When you play the grant game, there are winners and losers. One of the very best ways to make sure you get your grant funded is to do research on both the grant itself and the grantor involved.
Whether you get your initial information about a grant in a grant database like the one provided for you by Discount School Supply, a newsletter, or a blog such as this one, you never get complete information about the grant in the brief glimpse that’s typically given. You have to do some research. The better your research, the better your chance of getting grant money.
Your very best source of information about an individual grant is the grantor’s website. Almost all of the organizations that give grants these days have a website. Most of them are very good about giving pertinent information about their organization and the individual grant or grants they give.
Your research should start by focusing on a few key points. You must make absolutely sure that your school or organization is eligible for the grant you’re researching. You might not be in the right region, state, area, or city to qualify for the grant. Some grants are very restrictive. Being a public school might disqualify you. Being a private school might disqualify you. You might have to be a 501(c)(3) organization to qualify for the grant (even though schools often still qualify when grantors post this qualification – call or email the grantor to be sure).
Once you’re sure you qualify for a grant, you need to make absolutely sure you know the deadline for submitting your application. Sometimes grantors require you to submit a letter of intent or have you take a qualification quiz weeks before the application is due. If you miss the deadline for those types of pre-qualifiers, the actual grant deadline date is unimportant because your application will not be considered anyway. Read all of the information on a grantor’s website to make sure you do not miss any type of deadline that might be posted.
You should next do research to see how closely your reasons for needing grant money and the grantor’s reason for giving grant money match up. If the grantor gives money for quality after-school programs, but you have a reading problem, the question then becomes can you tailor an after-school reading program that will benefit your students and raise their test scores. If you can, you probably have a match. If you can’t work the reading program you need into a quality after-school program, you should just look for another grantor.
Finally, make sure you jot down the contact information for the grantor, especially the grant contact person. Get both the email address and phone number if they are available. I would never write a grant without having a conversation with that contact person first. That exchange itself is an important piece of research. You should be able to get some type of indication from the contact person whether or not you should submit an application. The contact person will not tell you whether or not you will get grant money, but you can often tell from that person’s responses if it is worth your time to actually apply for the grant.
So, after you use the Discount School Supply free grant database, you still have some work to do. If you find a grant that looks like a good fit for your school or organization, it is then time to put on your researcher’s hat and start digging on the grantor’s website. It’s absolutely worth your time to do this research before starting to write any grant application.
Whether you get your initial information about a grant in a grant database like the one provided for you by Discount School Supply, a newsletter, or a blog such as this one, you never get complete information about the grant in the brief glimpse that’s typically given. You have to do some research. The better your research, the better your chance of getting grant money.
Your very best source of information about an individual grant is the grantor’s website. Almost all of the organizations that give grants these days have a website. Most of them are very good about giving pertinent information about their organization and the individual grant or grants they give.
Your research should start by focusing on a few key points. You must make absolutely sure that your school or organization is eligible for the grant you’re researching. You might not be in the right region, state, area, or city to qualify for the grant. Some grants are very restrictive. Being a public school might disqualify you. Being a private school might disqualify you. You might have to be a 501(c)(3) organization to qualify for the grant (even though schools often still qualify when grantors post this qualification – call or email the grantor to be sure).
Once you’re sure you qualify for a grant, you need to make absolutely sure you know the deadline for submitting your application. Sometimes grantors require you to submit a letter of intent or have you take a qualification quiz weeks before the application is due. If you miss the deadline for those types of pre-qualifiers, the actual grant deadline date is unimportant because your application will not be considered anyway. Read all of the information on a grantor’s website to make sure you do not miss any type of deadline that might be posted.
You should next do research to see how closely your reasons for needing grant money and the grantor’s reason for giving grant money match up. If the grantor gives money for quality after-school programs, but you have a reading problem, the question then becomes can you tailor an after-school reading program that will benefit your students and raise their test scores. If you can, you probably have a match. If you can’t work the reading program you need into a quality after-school program, you should just look for another grantor.
Finally, make sure you jot down the contact information for the grantor, especially the grant contact person. Get both the email address and phone number if they are available. I would never write a grant without having a conversation with that contact person first. That exchange itself is an important piece of research. You should be able to get some type of indication from the contact person whether or not you should submit an application. The contact person will not tell you whether or not you will get grant money, but you can often tell from that person’s responses if it is worth your time to actually apply for the grant.
So, after you use the Discount School Supply free grant database, you still have some work to do. If you find a grant that looks like a good fit for your school or organization, it is then time to put on your researcher’s hat and start digging on the grantor’s website. It’s absolutely worth your time to do this research before starting to write any grant application.
Science and Technology Grant Opportunity
Grant Name: American Honda Foundation Grants
Funded by: The American Honda Foundation
Description: Organizations working in the areas of youth and scientific education may be eligible for grants from the American Honda Foundation. Our policy is to seek out those programs and organizations with a well-defined sense of purpose, demonstrated commitment to making the best use of available resources and a reputation for accomplishing their objectives. The American Honda Foundation will make grants in the field of youth and scientific education to: Educational institutions, K-12. Accredited higher education institutions (colleges and universities). Community colleges and vocational or trade schools. Scholarship and fellowship programs at selected colleges and/or universities or through selected national, non-profit organizations. Other scientific and education-related non-profit, tax-exempt organizations. Gifted student programs. Youth educational or scientific programs or institutions. Educational radio and/or television stations or networks. Films, movies, film strips, slides and/or short subjects concerning youth and/or scientific education. College, university or other non-profit laboratories engaged in scientific education. Private, non-profit scientific and/or youth education projects. Other non-profit, tax-exempt institutions in the fields of youth and scientific education. Programs pertaining to academic or curriculum development that emphasize innovative educational methods and techniques.
Program Areas: General Education, Science/Environment, Technology, TAG
Recipients: Public Schools, Private/Charter School, Higher Education, Other
Proposal Deadline: 8/1/10
Telephone: 310-781-4090
Website: http://corporate.honda.com/images/banners/america/AHF_brochure.pdf
Availability: All States
Funded by: The American Honda Foundation
Description: Organizations working in the areas of youth and scientific education may be eligible for grants from the American Honda Foundation. Our policy is to seek out those programs and organizations with a well-defined sense of purpose, demonstrated commitment to making the best use of available resources and a reputation for accomplishing their objectives. The American Honda Foundation will make grants in the field of youth and scientific education to: Educational institutions, K-12. Accredited higher education institutions (colleges and universities). Community colleges and vocational or trade schools. Scholarship and fellowship programs at selected colleges and/or universities or through selected national, non-profit organizations. Other scientific and education-related non-profit, tax-exempt organizations. Gifted student programs. Youth educational or scientific programs or institutions. Educational radio and/or television stations or networks. Films, movies, film strips, slides and/or short subjects concerning youth and/or scientific education. College, university or other non-profit laboratories engaged in scientific education. Private, non-profit scientific and/or youth education projects. Other non-profit, tax-exempt institutions in the fields of youth and scientific education. Programs pertaining to academic or curriculum development that emphasize innovative educational methods and techniques.
Program Areas: General Education, Science/Environment, Technology, TAG
Recipients: Public Schools, Private/Charter School, Higher Education, Other
Proposal Deadline: 8/1/10
Telephone: 310-781-4090
Website: http://corporate.honda.com/images/banners/america/AHF_brochure.pdf
Availability: All States
Math & Science Grant Opportunity
Grant Name: 7-12 Math and Science Grants
Funded by: Toshiba America Foundation
Description: The mission of Toshiba America Foundation is to promote quality science and mathematics education in U.S. schools. Grants are made for programs and activities that improve teaching and learning in science and mathematics, grades K-12. The Foundation focuses its grant making on inquiry-based projects designed by individual teachers, and small teams of teachers, for use in their own classrooms.
Program Areas: Science/Environment, General Education, Math, Technology
Recipients: Public Schools, Private/Charter Schools, Other
Proposal Deadline: 8/1/10
Average Amount: $9,500.00 - $17,000.00
Contact Person: Laura Cronin, Director
Email: foundation@tai.toshiba.com
Website: http://www.taf.toshiba.com
Availability: All States
Funded by: Toshiba America Foundation
Description: The mission of Toshiba America Foundation is to promote quality science and mathematics education in U.S. schools. Grants are made for programs and activities that improve teaching and learning in science and mathematics, grades K-12. The Foundation focuses its grant making on inquiry-based projects designed by individual teachers, and small teams of teachers, for use in their own classrooms.
Program Areas: Science/Environment, General Education, Math, Technology
Recipients: Public Schools, Private/Charter Schools, Other
Proposal Deadline: 8/1/10
Average Amount: $9,500.00 - $17,000.00
Contact Person: Laura Cronin, Director
Email: foundation@tai.toshiba.com
Website: http://www.taf.toshiba.com
Availability: All States
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