Grant Writing In 100 Minutes or Less

1. Grant WritingIn 100 Minutes or Less Sonja Hudson Grants Officer Idaho Commission for Libraries

3. Community Needs Assessment & • Strategic Plan So where should we begin? ? ?

4. Needs Assessment: A systematic way of looking at your organizations community to identify existing needs. Focus groups Community surveys Individual interviews Refresher Course

5. Strategic Plan An organization’s strategies for addressing the needs in their community that fall within their mission. This assistance can be both financial and/or physical, providing the organization a direction, a “road map” for serving their community. Refresher Course cont’d

6. Ready to Write A Grant NOT YET!!!

7. Working our way through the program planning maze. Program Planning

8. Introduction • Needs Statement • Program Description • Objectives or outcome for the project • Activities • Sustainability • Evaluation • Timeline Budget Explanation • Proposed Project Budget • Personnel Budget Typical Grant Application Ingredients

9. What’s the Problem • What’s our Solution • What Funding is required • What’s the Organization expertise Introduction Handout #2

10. Description of NEED • Provide evidence, statistics • Relate to organizations goals • Reasonable size and dimension • Focus on your community Needs Statement

11. National statistics demonstrate people are living longer, and the “Senior Citizens” population, 65 and older, is growing faster than any other population in each of the 50 states. Statistics also support the notion there is a lack of learning programs available for this age group. The XYZ Library has accessed senior citizen groups, retirement centers, and care facilities in our service area, and find this to be true. Strategy 3 in XYZ Library’s strategic plan addresses the lack of Senior Citizen programming, and we are working with Senior Citizen facilities to develop and provide a variety of programs specific to this age group. Example Needs Statement

12. Who is your target audience? • What do you plan to do? • How do you plan to do it? • What result are you hoping to achieve? Program Description

13. The XYZ library will partner with the Community Senior Citizen Center to provide computer skills classes to the Center’s membership. The Center will bring the Seniors to the Library every Tuesday for 3 months. Using the library’s public access computers, the Seniors will be instructed in how to set up email accounts, as well as send and receive emails. Other programs will be defined as the program progresses. Seniors will demonstrate their knowledge by exchanging emails with the instructor and other class participants. Example Program Description

14. Refer page 1 of Handout #3 Write a brief Program Description for your program

15. Results of your activities • Measureable statements addressing the need • Include words like increase, decrease or reduce Objectives

16. At the conclusion of class, 15 of the 20 participating Senior Citizens, or 75% will demonstrate their increased knowledge and skill by sending and receiving e-mails to and from the instructor and other class mates. Example Objective

17. Refer to pg. 2 Handout #3 Write an Objective for Your Program&What Data Will Demonstrate Success

18. Activities describe the way in which you propose to achieve the objective. Activities

19. Design curriculum • Secure an instructor • Reserve public access computers • Publicize event to target audience • Negotiate transportation • Enroll participants • Produce class materials • Report results to stakeholders 15 of 20 Class participants successfully email instructor. Example Activities

20. Focus on benefits to your audience • Changes in knowledge, skill, attitude, behavior • What data best represents success or failure • When will evaluation take place Evaluation

21. At the end of the program, the XYZ Library instructors will conduct an evaluation by assessing each participants performance in the 3 criteria identified • Setting up e-mail account • Sending e-mail to instructor • Successfully opening email & • responding to e-mail received. Example Evaluation

22. At the end of the program, 15 of the 22 participants in XYZ Library’s e-mail program or 68% were successful in both sending and receiving emails to instructor as well as fellow students. This exchange of emails demonstrates this program was not successful, and the XYZ library plans to examine the program, make adjustments in class size, & training materials and provide it again. Actual Evaluation

23. Chronological list of Activities: • Date • Description and purpose of purchases • or • Identification of a specific activity necessary to achieve an objective • Program(grant) reporting date • Program Cost of Activity or -0- Timeline Budget Explanation

24. DATE ACTIVITY CoST 4/4/2011 $250.00 4/30/2011 $3,000.00 4/30/2011 $240.00 07/15/2011 LSTA Quarterly Report to ICFL -0- Total $3,490 Staff Software Training – 2 staff members @ $125 per person - The remainder of staff already trained. Staff will receive intensive training with e-mail and the Internet. Purchase 2 Dell computers at $1,500 each with Internet access capabilities, vendor quote attached - Computers available for senior computer classes and other future programs identified in our strategic plan. The increased number of computers also expands our public access capabilities. CIPA Certification provided 12 books titled “E-mail and the Internet” at $20.00 each - Books will be provided to the program participants for their reference during class. Future classes will use the same materials Example Timeline Budget Explanation

25. Questions on Program Planning Now you’re ready to look for grant opportunities!

26. What geographic area does the opportunity focus? • What is the grantors focus for funding? • What won’t they fund? Grant Search Process of Elimination

27. Compare GRANT strings with PROGRAM need • PROGRAM cost VS GRANT funding Searching for a Grant Opportunity

28. To name just a few: • Grants.Gov www.grants.gov • New USA Funding.Com www.newusafunding.com • Non-profit guides www.npguides.org The Idaho Commission for Libraries does not sell or promote any of the database products used in this presentation. These products were identified through an Internet search with search parameters “grant databases.” Foundation Databases

29. Foundation Center http://foundationcenter.org Foundation Databases

30. Idaho Community Foundation www.idcomfdn.org. Grant Foundations

31. Foundation Center PND RFP Bulletin E-mail publication - subscribe on the Foundation Centers website • CD Publications http://www.cdpublications.com There are many others so seek them out Newsletters

32. Go to their website & collect all the grant information you can. • Instructions • Grant Application Forms • Budget Forms • Eligibility Criteria • Certifications (typical with Federal Grants) • READ THE INFORMATION • Complete the grant application • Verify your budget • Is it tight • Justifiable • Does it match the Timeline Budget Narrative Found A Grant Source

33. You will receive a grant award packet including: • Grant award document for signature • Description of reporting requirements • Approved budget • Additional information of the grantors choosing CongratulationsYour Application Was Approved

34. Thank you for your time! Sonja Hudson Contact Information: sonja.hudson@libraries.idaho.gov Idaho Commission for Libraries (208) 639-4136 QUESTIONS