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Once you’ve completed the first five steps in the grant process, you are ready to start filling out the grant application. You have already done a tremendous amount of work. You’ve identified a problem in your school that needs correcting, developed a solution, found a grant that fits your situation, confirmed that you are eligible for that grant, and gathered the application and all the data you will need to complete your grant application.
I like New Year’s resolutions. Though most people don’t have a great track record for keeping these yearly commitments, I believe in them for two reasons. First, I am an optimist and think that people should always strive to do more and be better each day, each month, each year. Second, New Year’s resolutions are the beginning of a plan. If we make a plan, there is a chance that something wonderful may happen. It might not, but it could. Without a plan, nothing will happen. I can guarantee that.
Over the past several months I have shared steps one through four to follow as you attempt to secure grant money for your school. Those first four steps include: 1. Understanding the hurdle(s)/issue(s) your school faces. 2. Developing a solution to address those issues. 3. Finding all possible grants to fund your solution. 4. Matching your needs with likely grant sources.
If you want to secure grant money for your school, the first step is to understand in detail the main issues your school faces. The second step is to develop a solution that has the greatest likelihood of solving one of those problems. The third step is to find all possible grants that might fund your solution. And the fourth step -- the subject of this issue's article -- is to narrow down the list of grants to those whose criteria match your needs and then call a contact person to verify that match.
If you want to secure grant money for your school, the first step is to understand in detail the main problems/needs your school faces. The second step -- the subject of the last blog -- is to develop a solution that has the greatest chance to solve that problem. And the third step is to locate all possible grants that might help fund your solution.
If you want to secure grant money for your school, the first step is to understand in detail the problems your school faces. Once you have clearly identified those hurdles to student achievement or school-wide success, the second step is to develop a plan/solution that has the greatest likelihood of achieving your goals.
If you aim to secure grant money for your school, your very first step must be understanding -- in detail -- the needs your school faces. To understand the true depth of those needs, you must consistently perform needs assessments. A good needs assessment measures the difference between what you expect of students in your classroom, school, or district, and what actually happens. The wider the gap between expectations and actual outcomes, the larger the need you have.
There are no secrets to getting grant money for your school. You can get your share of grants provided you follow the proper steps persistently and consistently. Most of the schools that don't win grant money either don’t apply for grants or do so in a haphazard way. Below I offer a list of seven critical steps that I believe you need to follow and apply in order to secure grant money for your school. I will break down each of these steps in more detail in future blogs, but please don’t wait for those blogs to start using this information: you should be applying for grants right now for the fall and spring semesters.
I have to admit it. After spending 37 years teaching school, providing leadership as a principal, training teachers, and helping schools find the grant money they need, I’ve developed a few hot buttons. I don’t just care about these issues. I am passionate about them.
The faltering economy will likely make it another tough year for schools financially. Home values throughout most of the nation are still far down from where they once were. With property values down, less taxes will be collected. Some property owners will not be able to pay their property taxes because they haven't even been able to make their house payments.
It’s always a good time to apply for grants for your school. Several grants are always available regardless of the time of the year. If I were picking out the very best time to write grants, however, it would be at the beginning of the school year. Here are several reasons why:
