He came running down the stairs toward me, apologizing for his tardiness and for leaving me alone in the lobby for an idle 15 minutes. “Crazy morning, call ran long, come on upstairs, etc.” 15 minutes. 15 minutes to watch a story unfold, looking on as a volunteer wheeled in an elderly nun, habit neatly Read More >
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 choose to go beyond the confines of the pen, however, and put actions behind the words. Many times, I have Read More >
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. Matching aquatics grants don’t tell all on the Read More >
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 encourage grant recipients to occasionally and unexpectedly remind the funder Read More >
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. My mind wondered back to days with two young, inquiring minds. They constantly asked, “Why, Mom?” Perhaps they were on to something. Funders don’t just Read More >
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 Read More >
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, Read More >