GRANTS AND GRANTWRITING
One piece of adivice is common to every grant writing guide on the planet: READ the RFP(Request for Proposal) and any proposal submission instructions extremetly carefully. The RFP tells you the goals and objectives of the funding program, what grantees are expected to achieve and deliver, how proposals will be evaluated, and all of the specifics about length of the proposal, number of copies to send and the deadline. If you have any questions about the RFP, call the funding agency. Most RFPs have a contact name or at least an organization phone number.
BASIC ELEMENTS OF GRANTWRITING FROM CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a funding organization that reads hundreds of applications every year. they have created a guide that helps CPG grantseekers and applicants to other organizations. The web site is divided into three major steps: Preparation, Writing the Proposal and Followup.
WRITING A SUCCESSFUL GRANT PROPOSAL
The Minnesota Council on Foundations has created this guide for grantseekers in Minnesota, but like other sites listed here, the information is useful for many applicants. The logical outline of the parts of a proposal narrative and a budget provides examples to illustrate most of the suggestions. Variations for different types of projects are also described, and a few frequently aske questions are answered.
A GUIDE FOR PROPOSAL WRITING(NSF)
As one of the major funding agencies in the country, the National Science Foundation is an authoritative source of information for granseekers. This web guide was written for applicants with the Division of Undergraduate Education and serves more as general guidelines for an applicant that as specific guidelines for a particular program.
A PROPOSAL WRITING(SHORT COURSE)
The Foundation Center should be on any list og grantseeker's resources. This web-based short course is thorough and filled with examples. Like other good guides, the course stresses the preparation required to create a winning proposal as well as the different parts of a proposal itself. Strengths are the sections on developing goals and objectives, methods to achieve the goals and the evaluation plan.
While this guide from the University of Michigan is geared to academic reseach, the information works for all granseekers. This site is strong on the descriptions of the different parts of a proposal, from the table of contents to the introduction to the references.
Most grants are sponsored by non-profit organizations who are established either in collaboration with or parallel to an existing for-profit company to suppport particular activities through grants or donations of equipment.
The type of foundation is really not as important as finding a match between the project you are trying to fund and a foundation with complementary interests. To give yourself the best chances of succeeding in your fund quest, you should do careful research to find a foundation that shares your goal.
To understand more about the different types visit the following sites:
Grants and Other People's Money
The National Science Teachers Association
Now you are ready to begin your grant writing. These are some foundations that you can apply to . Try them out and see if they are right for you.
The Paul G. Allen Virtual Education Foundation
The Arthur Vining Davis Foundation