| Building A Grant Writing Guide: Part 1 |
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The heart of the process is the “Grant Writing Guide.” My GrantSuccess process evolved from writing many technology integration grants on very short timelines. Over the course of a decade, I was asked to guide many teams of teachers as they applied for state funded computers. In these applications, many questions needed to answered. Are we eligible? What do we have to do? How will the writing get done? How will we find the time? It was out of this tension that GrantSuccess evolved. The heart of the process is the construction of the “Grant Writing Guide.” This column uses the Martha Holden Jennings’ Grant-to-Educators to show what a “Grant Writing Guide” looks like. Every Request for Funding Proposal (RFP) includes a “Grant Narrative.” The grant narrative is usually organized into sections with headings like Abstract, Vision, Mission, Need, Goals, Objectives, Actions, Action Timeline, Participant Experience, Budget, Budget Narrative, Evaluation Plan, Sustainability, and Summary. Let’s practice building a Grant Writing Guide from a Grant Narrative.
Below is the Grant Narrative from the Grants-to-Educators. I always use the sections of the Grant Narrative to build the Grant Writing Guide. Grants-to-Educators RFP Grant NarrativeYour request MUST provide the following information within a maximum of four additional typed pages. Please respond in the sequence below using the headings that are listed.
Dr. Brooks’ Grant-to-Educators Grant Writing GuideYour request MUST provide the following information within a maximum of four additional typed pages. 1. Description DR. BROOKS’ WRITING TIP: Think of this section as the Abstract. Write it LAST using sentences from other sections of the narrative. Please include in description of the proposed project the data/evidence that led you to identify the needed improvement as a goal. Critical Questions:
WRITE TEXT HERE 2. Timeline DR. BROOKS’ WRITING TIP: Organize your timelines around your objectives. Name the phases of implementation and provide dates i.e. Phase One: Curriculum Alignment (August 15-September 15) Specify the dates your project will begin and end and also the number of students/educators involved in the project. Timeline Assessment Criteria:
WRITE TEXT HERE 3. Qualifications DR. BROOKS’ WRITING TIP: Don’t be bashful here. List degrees, years of experience, organizations you belong to, workshops you have attended, other projects you have directed or been a part of. What are your special qualifications for carrying out this project? Grade level(s) taught? Qualifications Assessment Criteria:
WRITE TEXT HERE 4. Effectiveness DR. BROOKS’ WRITING TIP: This is a good place to consider the goals and objectives of your grant application. Any reference to your district Continuous Improvement Plan will be beneficial. Consider references to the prevailing literature on teacher effectiveness. How are you seeking to increase your teaching effectiveness or administrative/leadership effectiveness in one or more of the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation thematic categories? (Listed above) Effectiveness Assessment Criteria:
WRITE TEXT HERE 5. Objectives and Plan of Action DR. BROOKS’ WRITING TIP: Start your writing in this section. A good way to organize your objectives is to have a student achievement goal, a technology integration goal, a professional development goal and a school-wide dissemination goal. Four goals are enough. Start these goals with verbs like “increase, improve, establish, demonstrate” etc. Vision guides mission. Mission guides goals. Goals are implemented with objectives. Objectives are achieved with actions. Actions are what you budget so budget the cost of actions. Evaluate the impact of actions. What are your specific objectives and plan of action for increasing student achievement, enhancing student development, or strengthening leadership skills? Critical Question(s): What is the potential impact of the project on student achievement and/or student development? If the grant requests the purchase of books or equipment, does it include a clear implementation plan with expected outcomes that justifies the purchase? Goals and Objectives Assessment Criteria:
The rest of the Grant Writing Guide will appear in my next column and we will discuss editing and “combing” strategies to improve the final grant application.
 Dr. Douglas Brooks is a Professor in the School of Education, Health
and Society at Miami University. He teaches graduate and online courses
in grant writing and consults with school districts to build grant
writing capacity. POSTED ON HOTCHALK.COM
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