Quick Tips for Getting More Grant Money

Here are 25 quick tips for getting more grant money:

1.      Follow application directions carefully. All of them.

2.      Stay focused on your need for grant money. Don’t add fluff or filler to your application.

3.      Use a grant database to find grants quickly and easily.

4.      Before you write a grant, visit the grantor’s website.

5.      Be persistent. The more applications you complete, the greater your chance of getting grant money.

6.      Determine your school’s most pressing problems that could be aided using grant funding.

7.      Apply for less popular grants for less money. The competition is not usually as great.

8.      Don’t try to artificially match your needs to a grant. It’s usually a waste of time.

9.      Before you write a grant, get in touch with the grant contact person.

10.  Make sure you list all the money and resources on your application that you have available locally.

11.  Write multiple grants for a single project to make sure you get all the money you need.

12.  Competition can be fierce. Make sure your application is of the highest quality.

13.  Complete every section of an application as if it were the only section.

14.  If you are not good with budgets, get a partner to do the financial part of the proposal.

15.  Don’t focus on money. Focus on student achievement.

16.  Collect all pertinent student data (economic status, failure rate, dropout rate, race, gender, etc.) before writing your needs assessment.

17.   Apply for local and regional foundation grants. There is usually less competition.

18.  Have very clearly in your own mind what your school needs before you begin to describe it to a grantor.

19.  Develop a program that is measurable and replicable.

20.  Have a strong evaluation component that precisely measures the amount of improvement the grant money helped you achieve.

21.  Planning is extremely important in grant writing. Plan first, then write.

22.  Read your finished proposal as a grant reader would. It might surprise you.

23.  Establish a timeline for applying for grants. Never miss a deadline.

24.  Get help from those with the data you need. Don’t try to do everything yourself.

25.  Make sure you let your computer check for spelling and grammar errors.