Submitted by Martha Stanley, NBCT, Tallahassee, Florida
Idea posted August 26, 2003
I've gotten several grants from our local school foundation. I've written more than I've received so I have some ideas on what to do and what NOT to do...
You've gotta figure out what the grantors want, exactly what you want (equipment, etc.), and how you can deal with both while keeping your sanity in the classroom.
What grantors want:1. Read their blurb really thoroughly. If it's geared toward Title 1 schools and you're a rich-kid school, stop now. If the grantors are wanting something that is in a niche that fits your school/kids/needs, keep reading.
2. Look carefully at what they want as proof of accomplishment. Figure out how you will be able to provide that evidence.
3. Look at what they will provide and what they will NOT provide. Sometimes food and field trips are okay, sometimes, no way. Sometimes technology is okay, sometimes not.
4. Do they want something linked into your state standards, district standards, school improvement goals, your own professional growth? Know this one! This is often where people fail.
Okay... so you've figured this out so far. Next.
You know what they want you to do with their money and you know what you want to spend it on. You know WHY you want it.
NOW, you figure out a way to do something creative that uses the equipment (or whatever) you want IN A WAY THAT LINKS TO YOUR STANDARDS, BENCHMARKS, ETC., and in a way that you just can't do now (sound pitiful here) due to lack of whatever you're asking for.
Please remember these things:Thing 1: The more tie-ins you have to both YOUR standards and the classroom standards, the more value the grantor will perceive. So look at how your desires also help with goals for 2nd graders in language arts and social studies. Actually GO LOOK AT THE CLASSROOM STANDARDS - get the actual number. Don't just say, well, it's good for phonemic awareness. Dazzle them with your erudition. Airy-fairy will not cut it. Brain research, best practices, standards - THAT'S all good stuff.
Thing 2: You'll have the equipment for longer than the grant period unless you're buying consumables. So if you have to do something that is a little uncomfortable or maybe not your favorite thing in order to get that stuff, suck it up and do it. Then again, since YOU'RE creating the grant, create it in a way that pleases you if there's any way you can.
I am using Orff instruments I got with a grant almost 20 years ago. My sound system is almost 10 years old and it's still primo. I have equipment and supplies left over sometimes that linger around for a couple of years. The stretching my mind had to do in order to make my grant idea attractive to the grantors was worth it!
Thing 3: Follow the directions on the grant application. DO NOT FUDGE. Many grantors send your applications to committees of evaluators who evaluate using a point system. You will lose points if you don't do it THEIR WAY. So, if they ask for two pages, double-spaced, and the font has to be either 10 or 12, do that!! (Hint: the smallest windows font at 12 is Garamond. Many national board folks know about that because we had very specific guidelines about formatting we had to follow. If they require only Arial, don't use Comic Sans!) You would croak if it turned out that you lost out on your grant by 1 point because you forgot to edit things out to shorten your application to two pages or your margins were too narrow.
Thing 4: Do it well in advance. Last minute writing is nearly always not your best. Example: I'm gonna submit another grant this year. I already know it's due Sept. 30. I already know the format, etc., because I've been on the web site to check. I already know which three products I want, the best sources at the best price, and a "hook" that incorporates classroom standards, school improvement standards, and a bunch of music standards. I've already contacted the grants coordinator to ascertain that the equipment is allowed under the grant. I already have some sample lessons in mind because they WILL ask for concrete examples of what the students will be doing in the grant.
I haven't begun writing the actual thing yet. I'm still in the pre-writing stage, mulling and thinking. But I will start writing soon. I have discovered that I submit my best proposals when I have everything completed about 10 days ahead of time. I finish it and then ignore it for about 3 days. When I re-read it, I see sentences that could be cut or clarified, ideas that need altering, grammar goofs, etc. Then I have time to edit and re-edit and get it in without staying up late all weekend to get it in on Monday (or whenever).
Thing 5: Know how long your grant period is so that you do not create a project you just don't have time to do. Example: I have a tentative timeline in my head. I know that if the grant is awarded on Oct. 30th, I can't start spending money until after that date. With purchase order procedures, etc., I could logically not be able to start my grant project till January - AFTER I get back from our yearly FMEA conference. Therefore, I will make sure I create a plan that will allow me to accomplish it successfully, including evaluations and write-ups, in time to turn in the grant report by May 5th, and have a life and several programs and end of year interruptions and all that lovely disruption caused by FCAT state-wide testing. Remember to factor these events in!
Thing 6: Be specific. I know about eleventy dozen other ways I'll use these products in my classroom for many years, BUT they don't have to know about that. In fact, one year I didn't get a grant because I explained all the general uses for the equipment I wanted instead of one specific use.
Thing 7: Ask another person to read your application. If it doesn't make sense to him/her, change it so that it does. A confused grant reader will not award top points.