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Finding Local and Collaborative Funding for Digital Projects

Learn how to find and secure funding for your digital projects from local foundations and other potential funders. This guide covers the different types of foundations, how to match your project with the right foundation, guidelines for writing a proposal, evaluation criteria, and tips for sustaining your project after receiving funding.

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Finding Local and Collaborative Funding for Digital Projects

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  1. Finding Local and Collaborative Funding for Digital Projects by Tom Clareson LYRASIS, Senior Consultant for Digital & Preservation Services

  2. Unit 1: Local and Foundation Funders

  3. Foundations • Incorporated non-profit organizations • Policies establish nature and limitation of support • Type of program • Geographic region • Min/max funding • Type of organization that can receive funding

  4. Foundations • Recent tax laws REQUIRE foundations to spend a certain amount of their income or investment returns. • If they don’t, there are tax penalties • Good news for organizations seeking funding

  5. Five Kinds of Foundations • General-purpose • large endowments, governing boards, professional staff, ex. Ford, Rockefeller, Mellon, Kress • Special-purpose • single purpose foundation • purpose determined by founder • Company-sponsored foundations • non-profit entities within a profit making company

  6. Five Kinds of Foundations • Community foundations • fund within a specific geographical region • Family foundations • rarely staffed, administered by attorney • or, make contact directly with family/individual

  7. Foundations: Matchmaking • Find a foundation that works with your mission, interests, and program • local foundations • The Foundation Directory provides information on over 3000 of the larger foundations • Be aware of local foundations • newspapers, similar organizations, etc.

  8. Foundations: Matchmaking • Do your research • There are thousands of foundations, but you will find the number of possible funders for YOU will narrow rapidly

  9. Your Foundation File • Basic info (Name/phone/contact) • List of grants made to your institution by the foundation • List of grants to other similar institutions • Newspaper and magazine articles • Annual reports and brochures • Correspondence and telephone records • Copies of proposals submitted • Record of relations — institution and foundation staff

  10. A Useful Resource on Foundations Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives, and Museums • Published by the Library of Congress and the Foundation Center • Updated 2nd Edition published in June, 2009 • Information from 488 Foundations on 1,994 awarded grants • Available as PDF for download from • http://www.loc.gov/preserv/foundtn-grants.html

  11. Other Potential Local Funders • Working with Donors • Friends Groups • Local Organizations • Alumni Organizations • Other Potential Funders?

  12. Local Funders and Foundations: Matchmaking • There may be other ways they can help you: • printing costs • loaned executive programs • product contributions • free legal assistance • used office furniture • ad space • transportation • paper, supplies, etc

  13. Unit 2: The Proposal: Guidelines, Evaluation, and Helpful Hints

  14. A New Proposal Type – Often Used by Foundations The proposal as hypothesis: • We see this need. Do you? • We think it can be solved this way. Do you? • We think we can implement the solution. Do you? • We think the outcomes will be this. Will you work with us to see if that’s true?

  15. Grant Guidelines • Guidelines provide the specific rules and guidelines for a proposal • Specific to particular funders • Your guide to writing the proposal • Reviewers use to see if guidelines were followed • Optional Follow-up Exercise: Guidelines Review

  16. The Proposal: Helpful Hints • One writer, many contributors • outline before writing • Follow the funder guidelines carefully and thoroughly • Do your research; get the facts right • Appropriate personnel/consultants • One central need — all ideas flow from that • Avoid jargon

  17. The Proposal: Helpful Hints • Be compelling, but don’t overstate • Outside person to edit • Outside person to review budget • Be thorough • Clear, concise • Easy to read • Confident tone

  18. How a Proposal Is Evaluated • Clarity • logical, easy to follow • Completeness • including all items specified • Internal consistency • parts consistent with each other • External consistency • recognize accepted ideas of field

  19. How a Proposal Is Evaluated • Understanding of the problem/viable need • Capability to carry out promised activities • Efficiency and accountability — timetable • Realism • Your funder may have specific criteria related to the grant for which you are applying

  20. Final Evaluation of a Grant Project • Start building toward this on Day One of your current grant project • Accomplishments vs. Plan of Work • Statistics • Outcomes • Should you continue?

  21. The Proposal: Sustainability • How are you going to sustain and maintain the project/program at the end of the grant period? • Will it continue to grow? How? • How many organizational resources will this take? • How will responsibilities be assigned? • Funds?

  22. Seeking Continued Funding • Will current funder support? (or one-time only?) • Also start planning this on the day you get your initial grant • Start writing 6-12 months before deadline* • Evaluations, surveys? • Sub-projects • Remember that you should (ideally) be seeking funding continually

  23. Unit 3: Wrap Up

  24. Wrap Up • Don’t rely too much on government funding • Local foundations and sources are key to developing an ongoing, robust grants program • Keep your eyes and ears open for local foundations that are potential funders • newspapers, magazines, word of mouth

  25. Wrap Up • Follow the Guidelines carefully • Read your proposal like you are a reviewer, or ask someone else to do so • Administering a grant project is a lot of work • Reporting, reporting, reporting • Managing a project and seeing it through to completion

  26. What’s YOUR Big Idea Discussion and Post-Conference Exercise: • Write a brief (1 paragraph) description of a preservation project idea • Include potential funders, if you know them • Read your idea aloud to the class group during Introductions and/or send them to me for review!

  27. please contact us for more info. Phone800.999.8558 x2911 Email tom.clareson@lyrasis.org wearelyrasis lyrasis By Tom Clareson LYRASIS, Senior Consultant for Digital & Preservation Services

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