Keys to Successful Grant Writing

Tammara A. Coleman, M.EdTammara A. Coleman, M.Ed

GrantWrite ProductionsGrantWrite Productions

Introductions

Welcome!

Keys to Successful Grant Writing is designed to help you:

Learn grant vocabulary & types

Create and draft basic grant proposals

Access grant resources

Overview What do you know?

Why write grants?

Vocabulary

Funding strategy development

5 W’s and an H

Resources

Activities

Survey

What do you know?

Why write grants?

Obtain resources for classroom or school projects.

Purchase or upgrade equipment

Supplement classroom budgets.

Provide additional learning opportunities to students and yourself.

Increase student outcomes. (In proposals this is always the best reason!)

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Award: A formal document notifying an agency of its receipt of a grant.

Deadline or Target Date: The final date for proposal submission, either by hand delivery to the funding agency or to the post office for mailing (with date established by postmark, so send your proposal Certified and get a dated receipt!).

Grantee: The agency (rarely an individual) to whom the grant is formally made -- school district, university, non-profit organization, etc.

Vocabulary

Grantor: The company dispersing the grant funds.

Guidelines: Directions specifying, minimally, what an agency is interested in funding, what applications must contain, how they should be prepared, and how they will be evaluated. (*Pay close attention to these up front.)

In-Kind: Some grants require matching funds. In-kind are materials and services already in use at your school that can be counted as matching funds.

Vocabulary

Letter of Intent (LoI): A letter of intent is a letter telling the Grantor your organization intends to apply for the grant.

Matching Funds: Money that the grantee’s organization is required to match if funded.

Objectives: Incremental steps that clearly state how you will reach your goal.

RFP: Request for proposal

Vocabulary

Stakeholder: A person or group that has an investment, share, or interest in something, as a business or industry. Your stakeholders may be your classroom, parents, and community surrounding your school.

Timeline: States the specific time each objective will be implemented and when the goal will be reached.

Funding Strategy Development

Why a funding strategy?

An effective funding strategy:

Helps identify needs and resources.

Builds upon mission and goals within your school.

Addresses the gaps in resources.

Increases chances to grant funding success.

Developing a Strategy

Strategy Development

Develop and project idea. This needs to be done early.

Assess capability to seek funding.

Research funding sources. Is there a grantor that matches you?

Developing a Project Idea

Project Idea Development

What programs/ activities are you planning for the next 2-3 years?

Which is compatible with the mission and purpose of your organization?

What community need does the program/activity address?

Project Idea Development

What members of your community would support your program/activity?

Is this service already being provided by another entity?

Do you have the expertise to take on the project/activity?

Assessing Capability to Seek Funds

Assessment of Fund Seeking Capability

When seeking a grant, ask yourself:

What makes my program competitive?

What is you and your school’s reputation in the community?

Are prior funders satisfied with your performance?

What is the financial impact?

Are matching funds required?

Assessment of Fund Seeking Capability

Do you have the expertise within your organization to implement the project being funded?

What is the capability of staff?

Do you have to seek assistance?

Do you have support systems within the district?

5 W’s and an H

5 W’s and an H

Who: Stakeholders

What: Program/Activity

Where: Location

When: Timeline

Why: Purpose

How: Implementation

Who

Who: Identifies the stakeholders

Identify yourself as a teacher.

Identify your school & community partners.

Identify your audience. ( K-12 students are always the focus and always relate to student outcomes!

DO NOT ASSUME THE GRANTOR KNOWS YOU!

What

What: What is the project or program you

are requesting funding for and stating your goals?

Strategic mode: Philosophy and theory that should be tested and have researched peer-reviewed data directly linked to increased student outcomes and best practices. You must do research !

What

Goals:Outline your GOAL and state the objectives that

will help you reach your goal. State, “We intend to accomplish a,b,c.”

For example, a school can say that a grant will help it:

have all first graders reading by the end of the year;

have one-third of its ninth graders taking algebra; improve retention rates by 50% increase classroom computer use by one-quarter.

Where

Where: Define location of audience & community to be impacted.

When

When: Timeline- 3 year, 3 months, 30 days

Grantors will want to know:

When implementation of the program will begin.The duration of the program being funded.Assessment schedules.

Why

Why:

When stating the WHY, be sure to tell the grantor how it will improve and change the lives of your K-12 students. Grantors want to feel they are impacting their communities!

How

How:

Tactical mode: This is how you will accomplish tasks a,b,c that you outline under ‘what’ in your strategic mode.

How

Objectives are stated like:

State your objectives in quantifiable terms. State your objectives in terms of outcomes, not

process. Objectives should specify the result of an activity. Objectives should identify the target audience or

community being served. Objectives need to be realistic and capable of being

accomplished within the grant period.

How

Objective Worksheet:

What Grantors Seek

Grantors Seek

5 W’s and H

All guideline requirements have been met

Clear and simple language

Well defined assessment tools to measure success

If in doubt, call the grantor and ask questions!

Most Common Mistakes

Not following directions Trying to say too much and being redundant Writing in a negative tone Not drawing a clear link between need, plan, and budget. Incomplete and flawed budgets. Assuming the reader knows you or your field Not addressing funders questions or requirements. Not proofing or editing your proposal.

Researching Grants

Types of Grants

Public (Government) City County State Federal

Private Grants Community based National Special interest Family Corporate

How will I know a grant is right for me?

When mission statements and goals align between the grantor and grantee. The grantors are looking for this alignment as they filter applicants.

Your project timeline fits the funding timeline. Your project is being implemented after the grantor is dispersing funds.

You have read all guidelines and requirements for the grantor and can easily meet their expectations before and after funding.

What happens after I get funded?

Make sure to meet the reporting requirements of the grant. Know these prior to committing to a grant.

Always send a thank you and progress reports. It is nice to include the students;grantors like to see their impact.

SUGGESTION: Short Videos copied to a DVD work well for Thank you’s and progress reports because they allow grantors to see the impact they are making in your classroom. Grantors will be more likely to keep the grant alive and donate in the future.

The Waukegan Schools Foundation

Foundation Purpose: For the improvement of instructional practices and methods in instruction.

Date: March 17th, 2010 Amount Request: $1000.00 Schools Name: Greenwood Elementary Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=aVpEr3kfWjc&feature=player_embedded

The Waukegan Schools Foundation

Project: The Organic and Sustainable Victory Garden Project

Research supporting project: Michelle Obama’s south lawn garden

Yielded over 1000 pounds of vegetables.Elementary students helped in the garden.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory garden

Purpose of project (What): To teach green concepts to

special needs students through a hands-on experience of

growing a garden.

The Waukegan Schools Foundation

Curriculum (HOW): Lessons will be taught as students read “Our

Generous Garden” by Anne Nagro which tells the story of elementary students producing 900 pounds of produce and donating it to their food bank.

Lessons will include the following content areas:ScienceHealthMathPhysical education

The Waukegan Schools Foundation

Assessment:

Students will be given a pre and post test on 20 learning objectives they are expected to know by the end of the unit.

Expected learning outcomes: Students will be able to retain at least a 70% of learning objectives in the

post unit test.

Students will create a portfolio to be used as authentic assessment.

Portfolio will contain: learning materials, planting information, planning sheets, performance task data, and a journal.

The Waukegan Schools Foundation

Budget: $1,000.00 (19 line items and retailer listed)

Home Depot6 Rakes @ $9.97 = $59.826 Hoes @ $15.97 = $95.82

3 Spades @ $24.97 = $74.913 Shovels @ $9.97 = $29.97

Territoral Seed CompanyVarious Seeds @ = $188.03

The Waukegan Schools Foundation

Timeline:Implementation will begin in Fall by getting the

garden ready for a spring planting. Students will start seedlings growing at the end of winter term. Seedlings will be planted at the beginning of spring term.

Impact:Currently there are 30 special needs students

enrolled in our program. This number may increase or decrease due to enrollment and student/teacher population ratios.

Grant Resources

Teachersnetwork.org (Winners and projects posted)

Grants4teachers.com (Searchable database)

Grantwrangler.com (Searchable database)

Grantsalert.com

Donorschoose.org (register your classroom and get matched with donors.)

Grant Resources

Digitalwish.com (Register to have grantor paired with your

request)

Educationworld.com

Eduscapes.com

Grant.gov

Keyword Search: ‘grants for classroom teachers’

Questions