|
|
Dear Colleagues,
The GrantProse vision is to provide high quality, personalized services and resources that are reasonably priced and widely accessible. Toward this end, we provide this newsletter free and hope you will forward it to your colleagues. We welcome your suggestions--please email ideas to Rita Lewis, newsletter editor.
In the coming weeks, GrantProse will adopt a new design for its website. Please be patient with us if you encounter problems . . . we are our own webmasters! We will continue to support favorite links such as Grant Alerts and Web Resources in a more user-friendly environment that provides you the latest and best information on grant development resources.
Also, we are in the process of developing webinars to provide training over the Internet. We anticipate hosting our first webinars in the next couple of months. As always, thanks for your appreciation of our work.
Bill CarruthersGrantProse, Inc.
|
 |
Bulletin Board
|
April 28 - May 2009. The NC Office of Economic Recovery & Investment (OERI) will hold the first of six Economic Recovery Workshops across the state on April 28, 1:30-3:30 pm, at Winston-Salem State University's Dillard Auditorium. The workshop will feature OERI Director Dempsey Benton and representatives from state government departments administering recovery funds in North Carolina. Governor Perdue will be present to introduce this first workshop. Five additional workshops will be held during the month of May in the following five cities (in alphabetical order): Asheville, Charlotte, Greenville, Raleigh, and Wilmington.
May 5 - October 15, 2009. Grant-writing workshops: GrantProse will conduct a series of two-day grant-writing workshops at the Western Wake campus of Wake Tech Community College. These fast-paced, individualized workshops are designed for those with beginning to intermediate grant-writing skills and experience. Participants will create text in response to common proposal sections (e.g., problem statement, project design, evaluation plan) and practice budgeting. Rather than "sitting and getting," you will be writing and budgeting...bring your laptop and be prepared to have your work critiqued. Visit the GrantProse website for more information and to register for any of the following dates: May 5-6, June 2-3, July 7-8, August 18-19, September 15-16, or October 13-14.
June 11, 2009. Grants Information Network (GIN) of NC meeting, 9-11 am. Speaker TBA.
June 15-16, 2009. The Grants Information Network of NC will conduct its popular two-day grant-writing workshop in coordination with Wake Tech Community College. This workshop is designed for the novice to beginning grant writer. Contact Mary Brady for information.
|
|
In the Spotlight
|
GIN Meeting a Success
The largest crowd ever turned out for the April 9 meeting of the Grants Information Network (GIN) of NC. John Tedesco with Big Brothers Big Sisters gave a very interesting presentation on BBBS's system for producing multiple grant proposals in a year, winning many of these, and managing them once secured. Also speaking was Secretary Dempsey Benton of the NC Office of Economic Recovery & Investment, who discussed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds and the challenges of managing those funds as they enter North Carolina.
|
|
Tips & Resources
|
Get LinkedIn with GIN
The Grants Information Network (GIN) of North Carolina has established a professional networking group with LinkedIn, affording you more opportunities to network and share information about developing grant proposals and managing grant programs. If you already have a LinkedIn account, search for "Grants Information Network (GIN) of North Carolina" using the "Search Groups" query and then request to join the group. If you do not have an account, sign up for one for free on LinkedIn, and then search for the GIN group and request to join. If you have questions about GIN on LinkedIn, please email RV Rikard.
ECU Outreach Network
The ECU Outreach Network (ECU-ON) is comprised of East Carolina University faculty, staff, and students who work with community organizations to find resources for programs promoting sustainable growth and development in eastern North Carolina. The division of ECU's Community Engagement provides free assistance to eligible community organizations, helping them identify community and university resources, research funding sources, prepare grant proposals, and communicate with funding sources. Organizations can contact ECU-ON at 252-737-1348.
|
|
Guest Column
|
Getting to Know You
By Michele Oros
When an applicant accepts a grant award, the grantor and grantee become contractually wedded, mutually pledged to honor the commitments required by program guidelines and promised in the proposal. If the union is fruitful, the resultant project can generate positive impact far into the future. Grantors choose grant recipients with as much care as we choose our mates, but may never personally meet the partners with whom they share both resources and risk. Like Internet dating, the questions asked during the courting phase must be carefully crafted to minimize surprises before a face-to-face encounter or the awarding of grant funds.
As with interpersonal relationships, among the first questions a grantor may ask is whether an applicant shares its areas of interest: grantors seek partners with an authentic desire to implement projects that fulfill a granting organization's mission and vision. A lack of common interests is listed among the top reasons grant proposals are rejected, and efforts by an applicant to stretch or recast its identity to secure funds are seldom viewed as credible. When Cinderella's stepsisters attempted to squeeze into the glass slipper, they fooled no one and crippled themselves in the process. If a grant opportunity seems too good to pass up, even though it doesn't quite fit, applicants can 1) partner with an agency whose work is more closely aligned with the grantor's priorities or 2) help establish a new entity dedicated to a more compatible cause.
Michele Oros has written and managed grant-funded projects for Beaufort County Schools since 2003. She also helps organizations in her community find and obtain grants, and teaches grant-writing workshops through the state's community college system.
|
|
Grant Opportunities
|
Deadline: 6/15/09
Program: Regional Community Health Grants Program
Agency: Aetna Foundation
Description: Grants for initiatives focused on obesity and health literacy.
Award Amount: $25,000-$50,000
Website: Aetna Foundation
Eligibility: Nonprofits (Wake and Mecklenburg counties)
Deadline: 6/19/09
Program: Mentoring Children of Prisoners
Agency: US Dept. of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families
Description: Supports the creation and maintenance of one-on-one mentoring relationships between children of incarcerated parents and caring adult volunteer mentors.
Award Amount: Est. average $211,000 per budget period
Website: ACF
Eligibility: K-12, colleges, nonprofits, government agencies
Deadline: 8/13/09
Program: Access to Artistic Excellence
Agency: National Endowment for the Arts
Description: Supports projects to provide short-term arts exposure or appreciation for children and youth as well as intergenerational education projects.
Award Amount: Varies
Website: NEA
Eligibility: K-12, nonprofits, government agencies
Eleven new grant alerts have recently been uploaded to the GrantProse website. To view these and many more opportunities, visit www.GrantProseInc.com.
|
|
Writing (Grant) Prose
|
Point the Way for Readers
People either love or hate to use headings. Some sprinkle them so liberally throughout their proposals that readers lose their way, disoriented by the forest of bold and italic. Others write paragraph after paragraph without any signposts to point the way, or any breadcrumbs to rescue the reader.
Headings alert the reader to major changes in subject matter. They organize your text, breaking it into manageable chunks for comprehension. When you skim a proposal, you should be able to grasp its content and organization just by reading the headings. Generally speaking, the request for proposal will dictate what headers you should use. Common headers are Problem/Need Statement, Project Design, Management Plan, etc. Within each of these headers, there may be different topics you need to address--each with its own (sub)header.
Three levels of headings are usually sufficient. Level 1 should be visually heavier (e.g., all caps, centered, bold, one font size larger). Level 2 should be one step down (e.g., still on its own line but title case [major words capitalized], left justified, same font size as text). Level 3 can be lighter still (e.g., sentence case [only the lead word is capitalized], perhaps italic or underlined, followed by a period or colon, and then "run on" into the text). The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) has examples of different levels of headings, and Word's Style Menu contains pre-formatted headings of many different levels.
It's also acceptable to number headings: for example, 1.1. Statement of Need, 1.1.1. Demographic Factors. Again, three levels are usually sufficient. If you're using more, you should probably reorganize the text into more cohesive chunks. And readers find it more appealing to see at least some text after each heading instead of headings followed by headings--the latter doesn't give the reader enough time to make the transition from one content area to another.
Unless you're applying to a research institute such as the National Science Foundation, what style you use for your headers is generally your discretion. However, whatever style you choose, be consistent throughout your text.
Questions about writing? Email Rita Lewis, newsletter editor, and we'll address your concerns in future issues.
| |
|
|
|
