Becoming a Successful Grant Writer

       “How can I teach with no materials or supplies?”

       “If I only knew how to write grants and get award money,I could help change things around here.”

       “Why do others get grant awards and I don’t?”

      THE PROSPECT OF RESEARCHING a grant and writing the application can be intimidating, especially for busy educators who have much on their plates with the everyday rigors of their jobs. Your interest in reading this book shows you likely have the initiative to become the most successful grant writer in the history of your school; you just need to learn how. It is true that grant awards are not that easy to get and you cannot expect to receive one just because you asked for it, but for educators, administrators, and staff members who take time to investigate three key questions, the odds for writing a successful grant skyrocket. Before putting their fingertips to the keyboard, they know the answers to the following important questions. After reading this book, you will know the answers, too.

      1. Where is the money? You will learn where to find grant opportunities and how to keep track of them.

      2. What format does a funding agency want to see? You will be guided in writing winning grant proposals to corporations and foundations.

      3. Exactly what do I have to write in order to receive high review points and win grant awards? You will understand the ins and outs of applying for a government grant—monies funneled through your state’s department of education or the U.S. Department of Education.

      Today, most large school districts have dedicated grant writers or full-fledged development offices that churn out corporate requests, foundation proposals, state education agency grant applications, and federal grant applications. Smaller school districts, charter schools, and even individual schools usually do not have the advantage of a dedicated grant writer. Instead, a hurried administrator or a frazzled teacher takes on the task of grant writing, often willingly but unprepared. When their efforts are denied funding, the momentum is filed in the bottom drawer along with a copy of the failed grant application or proposal. But there really is no reason to let rejection letters stop your school from applying for grants again.

      A small group of teachers—or even one teacher—can have tremendous success at the grant writing game. It takes leadership, and every school building has these leaders. They are:

      • Self-starters (they work on their own initiative)

      • Visionaries (they see the big picture)

      • Change agents (they make things happen)

      • Strategic thinkers (they plan and coordinate)

      • Committed individuals (they remain focused)

      It is your moment in time to be a leader at writing and acquiring grants for your school or district. This book gives you a tremendous boost—the chapters are filled with expertise and encouragement and are written with the concerns of every educator who has asked, “How can we do this?”

      Sharpen your pencils, blow out the dust in your computer mouse, and get ready to combine your writing and computer technology skills with the grant seeking and grant writing tips and knowledge offered in this book.

      Chapter 1

      Getting Your Share Means Playing an Aggressive Game

      GETTING YOUR SHARE OF GRANT MONIES requires winning at the grant game. Why do I call grant seeking a game? Because it is a competitive endeavor requiring skills, strategy, persistence, practice, and the desire to come out on top. Some schools win the grant game, while others lose. The winners take the game seriously, and they take a serious portion of the grants doled out by the U.S. Department of Education and other grant makers. The Department currently (2005) administers a budget of about $63 billion per year and operates programs touching on every area and level of education. The Department’s elementary and secondary programs annually serve approximately 14,000 school districts and nearly 54 million students attending more than 93,000 public schools and 27,000 private schools. Department programs also provide grant, loan, and work-study assistance to more than 9.5 million postsecondary students (U.S. Department of Education Web site: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/index.html).

      In this chapter you will learn where the money comes from: what foundation and corporate grants are and how state and federal governments distribute grants. You will also be given pointers on how to catch up with and join the aggressors in the grant game. If your school needs more money, this book will provide you with valuable information you can use and share with administrators and colleagues.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?

      Government Grants

      Despite the perception that the federal government is responsible for the bulk of educational spending in America, primary responsibility

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