I was checking out the blog Free Technology for Teachers and came across a post regarding grants. Then I started to think about my own experience with grants, which is ZERO. However, while I was teaching several teachers I taught with applied for grants. I saw grants awarded for everything from a kiln for pottery courses to a ropes course and a garden.
With budget cuts occurring in schools and the current economy we are in, I see grants being a great opportunity for teachers. When it comes to grants, I have heard how hard and time consuming they can be. So I started to wonder, what experience my classmates have in applying for grants. What kind of grants have you applied for? Any success?
I have very little experience with grants in general, but I do have many colleagues who have plenty of experience (and I keep them in the back of my mind should I ever need help writing one :) I was originally part of my schools "MELMAC" grant team - the team had to write a plan for a grant in the hopes of being awarded a MELMAC grant (which we were). I actually agreed to be a part of the team because I wanted to get some experience in grant writing. But it ended up that one of our assistant principals actually wrote the grant and the rest of the "team" more or less gave feedback about what was written - so I really didn't gain much grant writing knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI have had no experience in grant-writing, but I plan to look into this. There is one website, however, that other teachers I know have made use of. I think it is called donorschoose.org, and it is a place where people go who want to give money away for schools or other worthy causes. My understanding is that you write up a proposal for what you need and what you are going to use it for, you post it on the website, and then donors choose you if they want to help. I know several teachers who have had excellent luck with this for small and large needs.
ReplyDeleteAs a classroom teacher I wrote and co-wrote, and received, several grants. My advice is to include as many details in your application as possible, being certain the goals match the grant specifications, and clearly outline how student achievement will be affected as well as how the grant will provide something that is critical for student learning and otherwise impossible. Also, be sure to keep careful records of any pre-grant related information and post-grant information, since there is usually a requirement to provide proof and reflection of the grant's benefits. I know others who have used the donorschoose.org option that Karla mentioned, and had great luck! Good luck to you!
ReplyDeleteI have written several grants. In my district before you submit them you must have school board approval. I have only received one grant that I helped write and the was our schools Reading First grant. The one thing I learned with this grant was to really make sure you know where the money is going and keep great record even if your school has someone financing the grant.
ReplyDeleteI have written grants in other careers (for environmental non-profits for example)..but never for a school. I am trying to embark on a greenhouse adventure with a teaching colleague, and we are hunting around for money. I'm hoping my past work with grant writing to places like the Maine Community Foundation will help. I agree with a previous poster -it's not the grant writing that's hard, it's the reporting out at the end. Did the money get spent exactly as the grant wanted? It can be tricky business...especially when you write a grant, the money comes to a team of people at a school and then you are the one reporting out at the end. Communication will be critical.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Rhonda Tate