Tips to Completing GrantsEDUCATIONAL GRANTSThe following information is meant as a grant resource and guide for teachers and administrators. This section contains the following information:
Download Adobe® Acrobat® Reader from Adobe® for PDF files. FREE. For more information click here. Tips to Complete Successful Grant Applications In the Beginning Writing grant proposals can be a tedious and time consuming activity and often times a very frustrating experience for novice grant writers. As an educator, you may wonder whether the time and energy expended in writing a proposal is worth the possible benefits. There are a number of things that grant writers need to keep in mind as they pursue different grant opportunities. This section is intended to give you, the grant writer, tips that will help you become more successful in achieving your grant objectives. Clearly Define Your Need What innovative educational program are you trying to secure funds for? To be a successful grant writer, you must present a clear and concise picture of why your educational program is necessary and how it will benefit students in terms of improving student performance. You must know exactly what you want to do and how you want to accomplish it. Do not fall into the trap of chasing state, federal or foundation funds just because they are free. Remember, your time as an agriculture educator is valuable and you can't spend your entire life writing proposals that do not bare fruit. Document your educational needs in as many ways as possible. Actively solicit input and involvement from your advisory committee, community citizens, local businesses and government leaders. Remember, community and citizen involvement in your grant proposal carries significant weight to those who score and evaluate grant proposals. Define Your Objectives Having a legitimate educational need or fantastic educational innovation may not be enough to win over a prospective source of funding. You must also show those individuals evaluating your proposal that you have realistically pinpointed your objectives by addressing the following issues:
Funding sources often prefer new, innovative approaches to educational problems. Especially approaches that raise academic expectations and/or improve student performance. Providing evidence that some additional new educational innovation of universal utility shall be developed as a result of your project is a definite plus. Grant Resources Setting up a grant proposal library or files is an effective ways for even novice grant writers to hone their proposal writing skills by providing immediate access to relevant data. Items that should be included in your grant files or library are:
Writing the Proposal When writing your proposal, be sure to analyze the 'funding source' stated requirements to gain full understanding of their needs and problems. Then you will want to formulate an approach or preliminary program design and strategy for capturing the grant contract and write the proposal to highlight the ways in which your educational program addresses their needs and problems. Proposals must present, describe, communicate and explain, but, above all, it must persuade. It is not sufficient to demonstrate that your school or program can do the job. You must prove that your educational program can do the job better than anyone else. You must persuade the reviewers that your organization is the most qualified and competent to get the job done. In addition, when you are seeking one-time-only funding, say so and relieve the source's concern that you will be back for funding again and again. Many funding sources will only fund start-up or one-time-only proposals. But why are some proposals accepted while others are rejected? Although the exact number will never be known, hundreds of grant proposals are rejected each year not because of what was proposed but because of the way the proposal was presented. Develop a checklist and review the proposal with the following general criteria in mind:
Following these helpful suggestions will not guarantee you a grant from either the government or a foundation, but it will increase your chances! Resource List of Specialized Agriculture Education Models Developed Via Grants Listed below are various Specialized Agriculture Education Models and their contacts that were developed with grant funds from the California Department of Education. These models are: Partnership Academy Models:
Listed below are California Government, Federal Government, Private Foundations, Corporate Foundations, and other grant information sources. This directory of potential sources is not limited too those resources listed below which are intended to serve as examples of potential grant sponsors California Government Grant Sites California Department of Education http://goldmine.cde.ca.gov
U.S. Federal Government Grant Sites U.S. Department of Education http://ges.ed.gov Other U.S. Government Grants http://ges.ed.gov/fedreg.htm Federal Information Exchange http://web.fie.com National Science Foundation http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants.htm Examples of Private or Corporate Foundation Grant Sites AT&T Foundation http://www.att.com/foundation/grants.html Cisco Educational Archives http://sunsite.unc.edu Charles A. Dana Foundation http://www.dana.org Carnegie Corporation of NY http://www.carnegie.org Educational Grants and Funding http://www.csrnet.org Ford Foundation http://www.fordfound.org Foundation Center http://fdcenter.org Hogg Foundation http://hogg1.1ac.utexas.edu ORYX Grants Collection http://www.oryxpress.com/grants.htm Yahoo Education Grants http://www.yahoo.com/Education/Financial US West Foundation http://www.huron.tie.net Examples of Grant Resource Sites Proposal Writing Short Course http://fdnceter.org/2onlib/2prop.html Writing Winning Grants http://www.edrenplanners.com WPS: Grants http://www.wayland.k12.ma.us |
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