I like to think of grant writing in its simplest format as community outreach. To me, service breeds service and teaming with those who are meeting critical needs takes on a mindset of outreach.
I like to think of grant writing in its simplest format as community outreach. To me, service breeds service and teaming with those who are meeting critical needs takes on a mindset of outreach.
There are times when it is more than just the numbers. Numbers represent stories of lives changed. Afterschool grant dollars can really mean that a set of at-risk twins are not getting pulled an hour early from their academic day so their mom can get to work.
Grant funders are as human as anyone else. They enjoy feeling appreciated! I have come to learn that there is the formal grant management process (always required for government grants) and there is the more informal (one that is welcomed by many private foundations).
I recently met with someone who leads a large organization through major changes. When her team justifies a change, they try to ask the question “Why?” at least five times.
The Foundation Center On-line is a valuable resource for locating potential funders. There are a handful of libraries located in major cities across the U.S. (One is a few miles from the GRANTdog office in San Francisco.) If a writer or funding applicant is not privy to a foundation library site, most major US cities have Foundation Center portal access as a part of their public library reference section.
Many folks ask me what a Certified Grant Writer (CGW) is and what, if any, value it adds to my experience as a grant writer. In 2009, I pursued excellence in grant writing. Over a four-month period, I took an intensive course through the American Grant Writers’ Association (AGWA). In order to complete the course, I passed an exam based on my experiences as a writer and based on the completed coursework. The exam was conducted in Clearwater, FL, under the administration of AGWA proctors and advisors.