FETC: Build your Grant Writing Toolkit

These are my notes from the “Build your Grant Writing Toolkit” session at the 2016 FETC conference.

Presenter

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.

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 Maybe someone will double-check your work, but they are using out of date data.

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.

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.

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?