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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 continue to add
features to better serve
the grants community. If you've lost track of a website address that we've
mentioned, you can find the newsletter in our Archive.
If you have news or a point
of view you'd like to share, please email Rita Lewis, newsletter editor--we're always
interested in items that
might benefit our audience.
Our website continues to support favorite links such as Grant Alerts and Web Resources in a user-friendly environment that provides you the latest and best information on grant development resources. As always, thank you for your appreciation of our work.
Bill CarruthersGrantProse, Inc.
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ARRA and NC
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News on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Resources for Grants Reporting
The first reporting period for recipients of ARRA funding is
October 1-10. To help recipients with the reporting process, Recovery.gov provides links to webinars on the reporting process, a data dictionary,
FAQs, Excel spreadsheet templates and other resources. Recovery.gov also
provides a registration guide for recipients to use prior to registering with
the federal reporting website, FederalReporting.gov.
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Bulletin Board
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October 7, 2009. Grants Information Network (GIN) of NC meeting, 9-11 am. Mary Tschirhart, director of the Institute for Nonprofits at NC State University, is the guest speaker. She will discuss the institute, its programs and the support services it can provide to area nonprofits. Visit GIN's webpage
for agenda details and directions.
October 13-14, 2009. GrantProse will conduct a focused two-day training program for intermediate to experienced grant writers at the western campus of Wake Tech Community College. The program--geared for members of K-12 schools, nonprofits and government agencies--features an emphasis on practice. Participants will create text in response to typical sections of a proposal, and share their work for critique. Topics to be addressed include logic modeling, evaluation and budgeting, among others.
In August, GrantProse completed another successful workshop for the intermediate to experienced grant writer. Its small size allowed considerable individualized assistance; all registrants felt they gained valuable information. Their evaluation comments included, "The assistance and level of detail were great," "More interesting and more useful than other grant workshops I've been involved in," "Can't think of any ways to improve it--it was great" and "Couldn't be better--the best."
Space for the October workshop is limited to provide an intense and individualized experience, so register early! Visit the GrantProse website for more information and for registration details.
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In the Spotlight
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Changes in Reporting for NC Nonprofits
On August 31, 2009, the NC Office of State Budget and
Management (OSBM) assumed responsibility for state grants reporting; nonprofits
that receive state grant funding will no longer report to the NC Office of the
State Auditor (OSA). OSA's online Grants Information Center is being replaced
by OSBM's online reporting system, NC Grants, which will become functional on September 30. NC
Grants will serve as a one-stop resource, also providing grant information and
resources for the general public, grant seekers and recipients, and state
agencies. Until September 30, online grants reporting will be unavailable, but
nonprofits with a due date this month will be granted an extension through
October 30, 2009.
There have been reports of confusion among nonprofits that
receive state funds. A computer glitch in OSA has
apparently sent "test" emails to nonprofits notifying them that they are behind
in required audit reporting for grants they have not received. Grantees who
need assistance during the transition can email OSBM or call 919.807.4795.
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Guest Column
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Hold the Variables!
By Michele Oros
Without the ability to control for variables, pinning down
the reason for an evaluation outcome is as difficult as nailing Jello to a
wall. Researchers in sterile laboratory settings can treat identical vials of
chemicals and measure resultant changes with scientific precision, replicating
experiments as many times as needed to credibly assign cause and effect.
Projects involving humans, conducted in real-world settings, must be designed
to diminish the number of variables to which outcomes can be attributed, other
than the treatment administered, to support a conclusive evaluation of the
project's results.
The simplest variable to control is the manner in which a
treatment is administered.
Projects should be designed to expose subjects to a program or activity
for a specified interval according to clearly stated guidelines and procedures.
Attendance is easy to document and program delivery can be monitored. Program
directors must assure this basic consistency for an evaluation to be meaningful.
More difficult to control is environment, especially if
activities occur in multiple locations. Programs using the same resources can
yield different results if environmental factors differ widely among classrooms
or sites. For instance, one school principal may be a strong advocate for a
program, while another may see it as a burden. Though the program may be
implemented at both sites in an identical fashion, the difference in attitudes
is almost certain to affect outcomes. Be sensitive to possible environmental
differences when designing programs or measuring outcomes.
The wild card in social science research is the target
population itself, as humans are difficult to control and predict. Carefully
select the target population based on common characteristics to limit
individual variance among subjects. Most important, the target population
should be selected because it has the problem or is at risk for the problem.
Report initial results only for that target population and replicate the project
with different target populations before risking a final conclusion on the
effectiveness of your project.
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 NC's community college system.
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Tips & Resources
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Homelessness Report
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development's fourth annual report on homelessness includes year-to-year information on trends and changes in
the patterns of homelessness over time in the US. The report provides some
early indicators of how the recession may be affecting the housing situation of
vulnerable Americans, and offers breakdowns by state as well as national
statistics. For example, from 2007-2008, the report estimates that North
Carolina's homeless population increased by 5.2%.
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Grant Opportunities
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Deadline: 11/02/09
Program: Local Foods Initiative
Agency: Golden LEAF Foundation
Description: Funding to improve and expand farmers' access to commercial, institutional and retail markets that are increasing their use of local foods.
Award Amount: Unspecified
Website: Golden LEAF
Eligibility: Nonprofits, government agencies
Deadline: 11/03/09
Program: Value Pricing Pilot Program (CFDA 20.200)
Agency: Federal Highway Administration
Description: Cooperative agreement to participate in the VPP program. The FHA seeks applications for statewide, regionwide or areawide transportation pricing studies and for transportation pricing implementation projects that do not entail tolling roadways.
Award Amount: Unspecified
Website: Grants.gov
Eligibility: Government agencies
Eight new grant alerts have been uploaded to the GrantProse website. To view these and many more opportunities, visit www.GrantProseInc.com.
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