These are my notes from the “Build your Grant Writing Toolkit” session at the 2016 FETC conference.
Presenter
- Rita Oates
- @ritaoates
- http://www.ritaoates.com
- Notes on Scribd
Creating the Dream
- Grant writing is the same as fiction writing.
- Elevator pitch – short abstract of the proposal.
- Think about who benefits.
- Don’t write just an equipment list. Think about what is going to change.
- Draft your dream in a few sentences:
Students will use mobile technology as a daily part of their education. Teachers will take advantage of the equipment to not only augment the learning, but also to transform the way that students learn. Students would have a high enough access to technology that obtaining devices for a lesson or project poses an insignificant obstacle to the teacher. Technology would be accessible in a manner that students can pull out devices on short notice. - Build a dream team.
- Find a critical friend to help edit.
- Work with community partners, such as a local business that will provide food during meetings.
- Find research to support your dream.
- Make a shopping list.
- Develop a rough budget.
- Check in with principal or district office.
- Think about indirect costs. There may be requirements to include this.
- You might be able to find an organization that will match costs.
Demographics
- Think about student population
- Racial %
- Gender %
- ELL %
- Free/reduced lunch %
- What is unique about your population?
- Get photos of the reality that needs to change.
- You might need to do the math to convert raw numbers to percentages.
- If demographic numbers are atypical for a particular year, it should be explained within the grant.
- Is state data up to date? Maybe someone will double-check your work, but they are using out of date data.
Biography
- Why you can do it.
- Resume: 1-2 pages
- Biography: 100-250 words, written as a narrative. Have 3 versions, {72, 130 340} word versions
- Curriculum Vitae (CV): detailed, multiple pages. Might need a table of contents. There might be rules that the CV has to be customized for every grant.
- Prove that you handled money and didn’t go to jail.
- Write your 100-word biography.
Finding Funding
- Donors Choose
- The NEA Foundation will match up to $250 per NEA member.
- Look for partner opportunities specific to your state.
- Disney Friends and Family will match up to $500 if your project mentions Disney.
- Get your friends to donate $5 so it doesn’t look like you have no donors to start.
- Other services like Donor’s Choose
- http://digitalwish.com
- http://www.adoptaclassroom.org – requires you to send thank you notes.
- Other grant opportunities
- http://www.edutopia.org/crowdfunding-fundraising-resource-guide
- http://www.literacyworldwide.org/about-us/awards-grants
- NAESP/Crayola
- International Literacy Association grants – some years they have had 0 applications.
- NEA Foundation
- http://getedfunding.com – search tool for finding grants.
- http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/990finder/ – search for foundations that have filed tax form 990 (tax exempt organizations)
- http://grants.gov – lists open grant opportunities
- http://techlearning.com has an annual report of annual grant opportunities. I couldn’t find the link.
- http://grantspace.org/find-us
- Organizations that have trouble finding people to take their money.
- ConnectEd Grants
- Sprint will offer 4G service to K12 students who don’t have broadband service.
- ConnectEd Grants
Do’s and Don’ts
- Do: read closely what you can pay for an how much, especially funds for meals.
- Don’t: spend grant money on alcohol.
- Do: find out if training requirements meet contract. Do you need union approval?
After a Grant
- How many students benefitted?
- What were the barriers to success?
- Keep detailed records of spending.
- Set up an evaluation timeline.
- Write thank you letters, and get students to write them to!
- Share what you learned with others.
