I always start my pre-writing process by constructing what I call the “Action Summary.” All Requests for Funding Proposals (RFPs) have specific “actions” that need to be taken by applicants to successfully apply for funding. I try to get all the “actions” organized on the Action Summary. The Action Summary includes information such as goals of the RFP or foundation, grant contacts, due date, page limits, font size and margins, letter of intent requirements, online application requirements, review dates, award dates etc. You read the RFP for anything that sounds like something you have to do. It all goes into the Action Summary. This document gives anyone on your grant writing team one place to find all the grant requirements. You can bring them up to speed with e-mail and this attachment. One person can construct this document. If you are not eligible for the funding, you will discover it while you are constructing the Action Summary and save yourself and your team a lot of time and energy. I put this document on the left hand side of my writing space in hard copy. I put it in my grant project folder on my desktop. Below is an example of an Action Summary document that I built for an area school district. It is from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation http://mhjf.org site. It is just a Word document organized to make it easy to know what to do and when to do it. I use boldface, font size, colors, underlining, and italics to highlight information.
The
MHJ Foundation has specified four goals for its activities:
1.
To support a specific target population
defined by pre-K through 12th grade students throughout Ohio with a particular
preference given to students and districts most in need (e.g. urban and rural
districts and populations showing a significant achievement gap).
2.
To engage schools and districts in
partnerships with institutions of higher learning, affiliated organizations and
the Ohio Department of Education to provide services that align with and
reinforce what is being taught in the schools.
3.
To place an emphasis on building certain
capabilities with a primary focus over the next 3-4 years on:
4.
To maintain a focus on measuring
outcomes and disseminating successes by making continued support contingent on
tangible progress in advancing student learning. Also, to foster direct
connections between the effective practices, programs and educators from the
Grants-to-Educators, Open Grants, Jennings Initiatives and Jennings Scholars
programs.
5.
The Foundation Open Grants program will
support innovative programs for preschool, elementary and secondary school
students and their teachers, ensure activity across multiple thematic grant
categories linked to the Foundation's principles, and identify potential
Jennings Initiatives programs.
I. Grant Contact
Updates
II. Grant Program
Contacts
Distribution
Office 1 (216) 589-5700
Business Office 1
(216) 932-7337
Unofficial Contacts Jayne Neufarth and Nancy Borchers
$3000 Grant to Educators Contacts
|
Kathy L. Kooyman |
William T. Hiller |
III. Eligibility/Funding
Applicants must indicate the grant category below for which they are seeking
funds. The Foundation does not make grants for personal
travel, endowment campaigns, teacher stipends, general school supplies,
substitute coverage, school bus transportation, or graduate study.
IV. Application
Deadline
v The Trustees do not meet during the months of February, July, October, or
December.
v Action on the
applications is generally communicated within two months of submission.
v
Requests must be in the Foundation office by the
20th of the month preceding the month in which they are to be considered.
V. Application
Process
1. A one-page cover letter on the
v organization's
letterhead
v signed by the
chief executive of the organization
v requesting the
funds.
v The first
paragraph includes 1) the project title; 2) dollar amount requested; 3) purpose
of the grant; 4) the category that the proposal addresses.
v in as brief a form
as possible
v the amount
requested
v the specific
purpose
v its need
v plan of action
v projected outcomes
v the number of
participants, schools, etc. to be involved
v if applicable, the
sources of other funding for this specific project. (We do not need a copy of your organization's
financial audit.) matching funds?
v specific to
Jennings indicating how funds will be allocated.
v If other funds
will be used to support the project, include their amount and source.
v a letter
indicating a need for the services and support for the project
v signed by the superintendent
of schools of a targeted district.
VI. Required
Documentation
1. Superintendent cover letter
2. Superintendent letter of
support
3. Budget sources
VII. Criteria:
Goals, Objectives, and Alignment
VIII. Goals
of the Grant and Legislation
IX.
Related Federal and State Goals
ISTE/NETS Technology Foundation Standards for Students:
ISTE/NETS Technology Foundation Standards for Teachers:
State of Ohio Technology Goals
In my next column, I
will show readers how I construct the Grant Writing Guide. I use information from sections VII, VII, and
IX to inform the development the text of the grant application.
Dr. Douglas Brooks
teaches graduate classes in grant writing in the Department of Teacher
Education within the School of Education, Health and Society at Miami
University in Oxford, Ohio