Transcript Slide 1

From Fumbling to Funding: An
Introduction to Grant Writing
Presented by Beth Trecasa
and Jessica Leary Allen
October 21, 2005
Introductions
About this class and about you!
Introductions – Who we are
• Beth Trecasa, Grants and Fellowships Specialist,
College of Arts and Sciences
• Jessica Leary Allen, Assistant Director of
Foundation Development, Central Development
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Introductions – Who you are
• Name
• Department or major
• Two sentences about why you are here
• One sentence about what you want to learn today
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Refining Your Ideas to Writing
The one-pager tool for success
Our first question for you…
 Do you have a one-pager?
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Questions to ask yourself
• What need does your project fill or what problem are
you addressing?
• What population will this project serve?
• Is there another group /individual that can you
partner with?
• How will you measure the success of your project?
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Questions to ask (cont’d.)
• What is the importance of the project?
• What is the expected impact? What will change?
• Increase, Decrease, Reduce
• What action is necessary for achieving outcome,
what are your proposing?
• To provide, to establish, to create
• How much will it cost?
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About Grant-Based Fundraising
What are grant-making organizations?
Foundation – The Definition
“A foundation is an entity that is established as a
nonprofit corporation or a charitable trust, with a
principal purpose of making grants to unrelated
organizations or institutions or to individuals for
scientific, educational, cultural, religious, or other
charitable purposes.”
- The Foundation Center website, www.fdncenter.org
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Types of foundations
There are three standard types of foundations:
• Private
• Public
• Corporate
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Private foundations
Typically, most funds come from one source, whether
an individual, a family, or a corporation.
Example: Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation
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Public foundations
Typically receives assets from multiple sources, which
may include private foundations, individuals,
government agencies, and fees for service.
Example: The Cleveland Foundation
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Corporate Foundations
Sponsored by specific corporations, corporate
foundations are private foundations whose assets are
derived primarily from the contributions of the parent
company.
Example: Proctor & Gamble Fund, Nordson Corporation Foundation
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Federal Funds
•26 federal grant-making agencies
•Over 900 individual grant programs
•$350 billion in grants each year
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Federal Program Announcement
National Institute of Health
Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings
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Take-home lessons
• There is a lot of federal money available
• Plan ahead
• Do it right the first time
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Fellowships
• Three weeks to five years
• Salary or stipend (partial or full)
• Travel
• Housing
• Collaborative or Independent research
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Why a fellowship?
• To establish/continue your research career
• To continue with a project you commenced in PhD
studies
• To pursue new areas of interest
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Finding Grant Money
Where is it and how do I find opportunities?
Three main sources for finding money
• Paid sources
• Free sources
• Web sources
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Source #1 - Paid sources
• Include online directories, books, and other special
search services.
• May have monthly or weekly membership fees.
• May offer additional services with membership fee such
as technical help, search help, or grant writing help.
• You can likely do just as well by utilizing free services
and reviewing books at the library.
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Source #1 - Paid sources (examples)
• The Foundation Directory, http://fdncenter.org/marketplace
• Big Online USA, www.bigdatabase.com
•Books and publications
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Source #2 - Free sources
• Often can be found at libraries
• Sometimes can be located through the web
• Your best bet – asking around!
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Source #2 - Free sources (examples)
• The Foundation Center Library
• Offers free classes (see www.fdncenter.org)
• Home to library containing countless books and
electronic resources
• Staff librarian to help you with your search
• And best of all… it’s free
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Source #3 - Web sources
“Getting information off the internet is like taking a
drink from a fire hydrant.”
- Mitch Kapor
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Source #3 - Web sources
• Grant makers’ websites
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Web searches
• No website? Not a problem.
• Try this activity:
• Google: “grantmaking”
• You will get 1.5 million hits!
• Now try this version:
• Google: “grant making”
• 114,000,000 hits
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Boolean searches
• Boolean Searching
• “Asian Studies” and conference and grant
• “Asian Studies” or “Japanese Studies” and
conference and grant
• “Asian Studies” and conference and grant
• not Chinese
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The 990
The most-telling resource of them all…
The 990 form
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Key Terms to Know
How do I talk the talk?
LOI/Statement of Interest
• Letter of Intent/Letter of Interest/Statement of Interest
• Many foundations require that one is submitted prior to
accepting a full proposal
• Typically, it should include
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Introduction
Description of organization
Statement of need
Methodology
Other funding sources
Final summary
RFP
• Request for Proposal
• An invitation from a funder to submit applications on a specified
topic with specified purposes
• RFP lists can be found via the Foundation Center’s listserv, on
foundation websites, etc.
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Proposal
• Should provide proof that there is a need for your project and
that you have the means to meet the need
• Foundations will typically specify the length and content
• A typical proposal includes
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The organization’s qualifications
Statement of need; assessment
Goals and objectives
Methodology
Evaluation
Future and supplemental funding
Budget
Appendices (letters of recommendation, etc.)
Stewardship
• responsibility for taking good care of resources entrusted to one
• taking responsibility for the survival and well-being of
something that is valued
• the science, art and skill of responsible and accountable
management of resources
• ALWAYS be a good steward of your funds and of your
relationship with your funder!
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Help on campus
Are there resources here at Case to help me in this process?
How can Case help me?
• Central support
• Management center support
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What can staff do?
• Identify potential funding sources
• Providing sample letters of inquiry, proposals and
budgets
• Avoid duplication of multiple proposals
• Avoid proposal interruption
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What can staff do?
• Determine how much to request, how to incorporate
various costs into the budget
• Coach on funder cultivation, stewardship
• Leverage existing relationships
• Answer your questions!
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The process at Case
• Misconceptions
• Case is the applicant
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Commonly requested information
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Authorized staff
Registration numbers
Case Characteristics
Rates
Guidelines
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Case Authorship Guidelines
Case Intellectual Property
Case Policy on the Custody of Research Data
Case Sponsored Programs Guidelines
And more…
Forms, forms, forms
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The process at the College
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Writing a Grant
How do I do it?
Check for guidelines
• Before you do anything, check to see if the
grantmaker has pre-determined guidelines for the
proposal.
• You are looking for the BIG THREE: timelines,
deadlines, and guidelines.
• Always play by the grantmaker’s rules!
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Determining your purpose
• What will your project accomplish?
• What will your project do to improve your
community?
• What are some components of my work that will
appeal to this funder?
• Where will my project lead in the future?
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Organizing your thoughts
• Write a clear statement of need.
• Write clear and concise goals and objectives.
• Include your methodology and your plan for evaluating your
success.
• Consider where else you might receive funding.
• Spend time thinking about your budget.
• Consider who might provide a good reference or support for the
project and ask that person/organization to create a letter of
support (do this in advance!).
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Researching your topic
• Learn as much as you can about your
topic/project/area of study. Be prepared to back up
your statement of need with cold, hard facts.
• Think about ways your project can work with other
existing projects in your community. Foundations
LOVE to see successful partnerships that leverage
their funds.
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Writing your grant
• The number one rule: Give yourself plenty of time to
write.
• Set a writing schedule and stick to it.
• Be sure to gather feedback on drafts as you go. We
suggest using someone to proof for grammar and
someone to proof for content.
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Questions and Comments