HOME > Grantwriting Resources
The Asheville City Schools Foundation offers a Teacher Scholarship & Support Program. Additional funding can often be obtained through grantwriting. Below are some ideas to help get you started. A full list of grant opportunities (including details, applicaitons and a list of previous awards) can be found here.
Have you always wondered how to get grant money for your great educational project? Well, it's not rocket science. But it IS hard work. Here's how you do it
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- Develop your idea. Proposal writing is just one step in the grantseeking process, and it is not the most important step. Far more time should be spent developing the program/project and researching and cultivating appropriate funders than on the actual preparation of a proposal.
Remember: A good proposal is based on sound program planning.
How to start:
- Commit your ideas to paper.
- Thoroughly describe your program.
- State the goals and objectives of your program.
- Construct a timeline.
- Estimate costs for staff, materials, and equipment.
- Plan for the evaluation of your program.
- Write job descriptions for your program staff.
- Find a good fit with a Foundation. Keep in mind the three basic approaches to funding research, whether you are using print or electronic resources: subject; geographic; and types of support.
Use resources to compile a list of possible funders. Choose prospective funders by examining their descriptive profiles and recent giving histories.
For your prospect list, consider those funders:
- ...that have already supported projects similar to yours;
- ...that award the type of support you seek, and
- ...that are located in or typically award grants in your geographic area.
Where to find funding resources:
- Contact potential funder. Once you've identified potential funders, contact them via phone, mail or email to establish a relationship. Run idea by them, discuss fit and value of pursuit. Ask Is this a match? One of the most important things you can do is to create a relationship with the funder.
- The Proposal.
There are eight basic elements that most funders expect to see in a proposal:
- Summary clearly and concisely summarizes the request.
- Introduction describes the agency's qualifications or "credibility."
- Statement of Need documents the needs to be met or the problems to be solved.
- Objectives establishes the benefits of the project in measurable terms.
- Methods describes the activities to achieve the desired results.
- Evaluation presents a plan to determine the degree to which objectives were met and procedures were followed.
- Future funding describes a plan for continuation beyond the grant period and/or availability of other resources.
- Budget clearly delineates costs to be met by the grant.
Basics:
- READ and Follow Directions
- Write for someone who knows nothing about your project an alien
- Let a friend proof read
- Outline your idea and its implementation for logic and organization
- Begin with statement of problem followed by several sentences putting it into your context.
- Describe what you want or need be specific
- AVOID jargon and acronymns provide glossary/definitions
- Show that you've done your homework be specific - % of kids at risk, or who will be benefited
- Be specific in goals, benefits and how you will evaluate
- Give a detailed budget if $ amount exceeds the possible award where's the rest coming from.
- If you have a problem writing about your project, there may be a problem with the project
- ENCLOSURES include staff qualifications, resumes, letters of support, statistics, success of project if done elsewhere before.
- Outcomes: Do not take it personally. Some are awarded and some are not. It is appropriate to call and ask (very nicely, and without anger or sniveling) if there was something else you might have done differently!
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