I am not reading anything new right now, whether for school or pleasure. I am on p. 492 out of 873 in A Clash of Kings, which is difficult to put down to concentrate on my required reading concerning education policy, but I’m managing my time ok right now. Things at work have been pretty busy lately, so I thought I would talk this week about writing grants. Grantwriting (yes, I prefer it as one word, though I’ve seen it both ways … I think either is acceptable) can be intimidating. Then again, asking for money face-to-face is intimidating, too!

I have worked with grants in some way, shape or fashion for about 12 years. I’ve experienced the process from start to finish: researching prospective funders, writing the proposal, editing and submitting the proposal, stewarding the funder and administering the budget. My favorite part of the whole process is writing the proposal. It may sound like a no-brainer, but the key to success in grantwriting is to follow directions. If the funder says to use Times New Roman 12pt font with 1″ margins and no more than three pages, then by golly, don’t ramble on for five pages in Arial, for cryin’ out loud.

Before you start writing, research what the foundation/agency has funded in the past. If they don’t have a website, look up their IRS Form 990 — they have to report earnings and distributions. It isn’t always necessary to apply for the same thing as another organization, but you do need to be mindful of the funder’s interests and priorities. If they have a website, be sure to look at the president’s bio or welcome page. There are often nuggets of very helpful information about the funder’s strategic plan or vision.

When I first began writing grants, it reminded me a lot of scholarship applications that I submitted my senior year of high school. There are standard tidbits of info that you ought to include about yourself, yet you want to make yourself stand out, so you pick a couple of accomplishments or interests that might make your application resonate with the reader. The same goes for grants–you must be keenly aware of their funding priorities, yet you need to paint a word picture of how your project/program is different from the [many, many] others that they will read.

No matter what the result of the proposal, send an acknowledgement letter. In my office, we refer to the “Thank you for rejecting us letter” that we send when a proposal has been declined. We thank the foundation for considering our request, acknowledge that we realize not all requests can be funded, and end with a positive sentence about how we look forward to finding future opportunities of mutual interest. It never hurts to be gracious, even when you’ve been rejected. It might just be that same program officer who reads your next proposal and is more willing to give it a second chance.