How local is the source of funding? The closer a source of funding is to your school, the more likely you are to receive support. Many school districts have small community foundations the receive requests from teachers for classroom supplies, prototype technologies, field trips and event support. A well-written proposal that includes the usual parts (i.e. needs, goals, budget, timeline, evaluation) can be shopped across local service organizations and local businesses. Most national chains have a local service budget. A well written, 2-3 page proposal that invites “local collaboration” is a good way to get started. The farther away the funding source gets from your district, the more competitive the applications will have to be and the less well known your specific classroom or district will be. Large urban districts often have foundations that service the needs of the local district. They accept applications from the local district, but no other.

Are state professional organization grants available? Most national, subject area, teacher organizations have state affiliates. These state affiliate groups often offer small grant opportunities specific to their content areas. They are usually competitive and will be juried, but they are there and they are for state members. If you belong to one or more of these groups, you can find out about the funding through newsletters, state journals and websites.

Are state department of education funds available? State department of education are the usual “pass through point” for federal funding. The money comes from the feds to the states. The state department of education creates and manages the announcement, RFP and evaluation process. Somebody in your district should be watching the department of education website for upcoming opportunities. The farther ahead of a formal announcement you can get, the better. I once started hearing about a state funding opportunity and was invited to help shape the RFP announcement. I knew months ahead about the money. I had an edge.

What kind of state money is available? State managed grants come in two forms: 1) Applications and 2) Competitions. “Applications” are not really competitive. Districts are eligible for fixed amounts of money. The only requirement is that the district creates a proper “Application” for the funding. These usually require completion of an application form, statements of district demographics, need statements, continuous improvement plans, technology integration plans and project goals. Targeted funding is often available for special needs children, targeted low-income schools and diverse populations. Statewide technology initiatives usually fall into this category. The money is available if you are eligible.

Are you eligible? You have to demonstrate eligibility. Determine if you are eligible before you start writing. Look for eligibility part of the RFP first. Competitive grants have a fixed number of recipients. These proposals are usually longer and have a more complicated format. They are harder to get. There is usually a summer time evaluation process that precedes any award in August. Schools with successful grant track records and with experienced grant writers seriously compete for these funds.

When is it due? If you have less than a month to work on a competitive grant application, then you are in a high-risk category.

Should we try for a federal grant? Usually the answer to this question is no. Federal grants usually target larger school populations. The states are allotted a certain number of successful applications and they are very hard to apply for and receive. There is often a moment in this federal process when legislators become involved, behind the scenes, to insure a certain number of their constituent proposals are successful. A good proposal is lost in the numbers game.

Are you positioned to be successful? You need to be eligible. What is your grant getting history? Success with one grant increases the chance of being successful with the next one.

Can you write you’re past history into the current grant application? If you are eligible and have a recent history of grant success, then a well-written application has a higher probability of success.

What do you already have written? The more information you have prepared for potential use with any grant application, the better. If you have a pre-written description of your district that includes location, size, student population, demographics and test scores, then that is one less thing you have to do on a short timeline. If you have prior grant application that can be “mined” for useful parts, you will save time.

Does your district have a systemic approach to writing grant applications? The gourmet scenario is that your district has a grant writing team that meets to consider all grant applications. Your district has an electronic communication system that lets yo move text around and get information. This group is aware of upcoming opportunities at the local, state, foundation and federal levels. They know local foundations that have offered prior support. They help decide which opportunities are consistent with the district and building mission. They consider timelines for application. They use GrantSuccess as their model for creating grant applications.

Dr. Douglas Brooks is a Professor in the School of Education, Health and Society at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He teaches summer workshops in grant writing and consults with individuals and school districts at all stages of the grant writing process. He is the Director of Partners In Learning at http://performancepyramid.muohio.edu.

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