Grant Writing Resources
| Tips for Writing Grants |
The US has one of the highest per-capatia student expenditure figures in the world, with an average of about $12,000 spent on each student annually. Combine that with the compulsory education for everyone from 5 up to 18 years of age in most states and the annual education budget is colossal. Yet, in America, most public schools face funding related encumbrances that affect everything from teacher resources to students' study skills. Fundraising by using both teachers and students as channels has become fundamental at most schools in the country.
While donations and promotions, fundraisers and financial aid do just enough to keep the facilities running; for the development of smarter classroom tools and more scientific technological teacher resources, administrators and teachers alike need to ensure grants from the private sector, as well as federal and state governments. Teachers and administrators should make certain they procure grant writing resources before just applying for any educational grant; as grants are tough to get and proposals are well scrutinized. A typical grant proposal will include the following elements:
- Project Overview
- Need for Project
- Research Sources
- Amount Needed
-Special School/Community Circumstances
- Evaluation Methods
Once a grant writer knows the requirements of the grant as well as the elements of the proposal listed above, he or she should make sure that their grant writing style and format is correct and eye-catching for the authorities who will view the proposals. While there are many grant writing resources a teacher or administrator can pull off the internet, here are a few basics to get started :
- The best resources will be the specifications set by the granting body. Set your outcomes and structure the grant writing according to specifications they supply. Specification is important because the authorities are often looking for objective and motive over unnecessary formalities. In a word, keep the entire presentation brief and interesting with pie charts and statistics to make the entire grant application of value to the granting body.
- The best resources will be those that pertain to the subject at hand. Research and communication are the two main pillars before any grant writing. Completely study the subject and reference it to your school as applicable. Give clear aims and objectives under sanctions with which you are requesting for the grant. Communication with the Grant contact person is also vital. Understand each integral detail and requirement for the grant.
- Depending on the type of grant requested, a local sponsor or partner who is connected with the granting body can also be a great grant writing resource. A local sponsor can help a grant writer with red tape and local authority information and ensure smooth communication.
This is just a list of basic grant writing resources. Plenty of other resources abound online with a simple search engine query. These basic grant writing resources along with a little help from what can be found with an online search can get you on your way to being awarded your first grant in no time.