Grant Writing Kickoff

Thank you for expressing interest in learning about our grant writing efforts. Many of you were not able to make the first meeting, so I am attaching the presentation for your information.

The bottom line is this: We are just starting our campaign, and are looking to pull together packages ASAP, and then continue refining the process as we learn and grow. Here's where we need immediate help:

- We need folks to get out and explore the internet and library for opportunities: Corporations, gov't, etc. We have some starter links that we have yet to explore
- We need to brainstorm about companies or even individuals who share our interests. And then chase them down.

We divided our approach into what we call "areas of need". To be honest, these are programs that we assume will take hits, and we'd like to get some money coming in to retain and/or rebuild them. What are the most urgent ones? Are there targets of opportunity...grants that people know about but don't have time to pursue, that we can address first? Can we translate some of our current programs into "proposals"? If you have some thoughts on this, we are open to all points of view as we formulate priorities.

We started a sign-up sheet to match people to their areas of interest, so people can get started exploring if they have a chance. Here are the "areas of need" and folks signed up to research them so far:

Athletics, Sports, PE:
Ag: Jennifer Cooper
Art and Drama:
Music:
Math and Science:
IT/Computers: Eva Burton, Jennifer Cooper
Any Area: Rob Actis, Eva Burton, Richard Cain
Emotional/Psychological Support:

Are there other areas we should include in this list? If you want your name tied to a specific area, let me know.

Here are some starter links I stole from Chrissy's notes from the class she took "A to Z Grantwriting":

foundation.verizon.com
www.arts.gov/grants
www.stuartfoundation.org
www.wellsfargo.com/about/charitable/index.jhtml
teacher.scholastic.com/professional/grants/fundraisingtips.htm
www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants

As you explore, take notes. What are good candidates? Dead Ends? Due dates? We have a "research information sheet (RIS)"--another prize from Chrissy's class, which we should all be using as we go out and explore. I'll send that along a bit later.

We are planning on a 2nd meeting on the 20th of January, 6 p.m., location TBD. We're hoping some folks can get out and explore before then.