Successful Grant Writing Tips and Tactics

1. Successful Grant Writing Tips and Tactics Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD Nutrition Education & Training Program Coordinator Massachusetts Department of Education Child Nutrition Programs

2. Introductions Why am I doing this training? Why should anyone apply for a grant? Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD bruhs@doe.mass.edu 2/1/00

3. Program Need - Brief History of Nutrition Education • 1995 USDA and Congress pass “The School Meals Initiative for Healthy School Meals” (Public Law 103-448) • Nutrition Education & Training Program (NET) Funding Problems • Competitive Grant Funding created (TNT) • 1996 Massachusetts receives TNT Grant • 1997 No Grant for MA , minimal NET Funds • Nutrition Education Programs at risk Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

4. Purpose of this Workshop empower • To school foodservice and health education personnel to write successful grant applications. Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

5. Tools for Schools “Healthy Choices: A Guide for Designing School-Based Nutrition and Physical Activity Programs” Massachusetts Department of Public Health Contact: Julie Robarts, MPH, MS, RD (617) 624 - 5492 E-mail: Julie.robarts@state.ma.us Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

6. Dream about what you want… Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

7. First things First... • This is the wrong place to start Shift GEARS… • Put yourself in the funders shoes… Think about how things are NOW, how things OUGHT TO BE, in the funders view, and how YOU can FILL THE GAP Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

8. Things to Consider Identify a Need Who is your Target Audience? How will you accomplish your goals? How will you evaluate? Benchmarks? Sustainability and Reproducibility Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

9. Objectives for Today… • Identifying GOALS and setting OBJECTIVES • Building TEAMS & Identifying Resources • Strategies and Tactics to complete The Standard Grant Application Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

10. Team Nutrition & Training Program Grants Purpose: To provide comprehensive nutrition education & training programs that support and enhance the implementation of the Healthy School Meals Initiative (SMI). www.fns.usda.gov/tn/ Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

11. Goals of Team Nutrition • To improve the health and education of children by creating innovative public and private partnerships that promote food choices for a healthful diet through the media, schools, families, and the community. Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

12. Setting Goals and Objectives • Goals of Team Nutrition - Personalize • What do you hope to accomplish? • Identify (Using Section A and B) • Objectives state precisely what you will DO to accomplish specific goals • Objectives are statements of end results, measurable statements of clients benefits from your work. • How will you know if you accomplished what you set out to accomplish? Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

13. Goals & Objectives - Cont’d • Goals are general and offer the evaluator an understanding of the thrust of your program. • Objectives are specific, measurable outcomes. They should be realistic and attainable. • Objectives help solve the problem or address the issue. • If your objectives make reference to a number -- make sure it is do-able. • Do not confuse objectives with methods. • Be realistic. Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

14. For Example • Goal: To make cafeteria - classroom connections to support nutrition education (Section A #4). • Objective: Increase fruit and vegetable consumption in high school students. Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

15. Activity #1: Choosing/Writing Objectives • Review Sections A and B from Grant RFP • Choose one component from each section (A and B) - phrase this as your goal • Write one objective for each component** * Reference: “Healthy Choices Manual” Page 24 ** Fund Code 720 requires 2 from each Section A, B Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

16. Goals & Objectives Resources • Center’s For Disease Control “Guidelines for School Health Programs to Promote Lifelong Healthy Eating (Section A, # 7) • www.cdc.gov • Massachusetts School Nutrition Task Force - Position Statement of Nutrition Programs & Services in Schools (Section A # 5) • www.doe.mass.edu/cnp Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

17. Setting Yourself Apart • Be Original - show a connection between what’s been tried before and your idea. • Problem Solving - fresh solutions to the same old problems. • Outreach - Ideas that affect large numbers of people. • Timeliness - current events influence perceptions of problems or issues (national standards, budget cuts) • Maximizing Resources - creating partnerships that are mutually beneficial. Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

18. Building TEAMS Why is this a requirement to receive funding? • Partners help you to achieve your goals! • Provide different perspectives • Enhance sustainability • Utilize the resources available to you Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

19. Grant Requirement - Team Nutrition “Must establish a school nutrition team consisting of a Team Nutrition school leader, teachers, students, foodservice personnel and the community.” Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

20. Activity #2: Building the Team & Identifying Resources • What are existing resources? Identify (column 1) • Identify groups, individuals, organizations have similar goals/vision/interests? (column 2) • Roles - “Healthy Choices” p. 29 - 38 Reference: “Healthy Choices Manual” Page 16, 22 Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

21. How to Find and Complete the Standard Grant Application • Consolidated Application Section, Parts I, II • MA DOE Nutrition Website - Nutrition Grants Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

22. Standard Things to Consider... • Due Date • Page Limit • Required Information • Statistics • attachments* (resumes, stats, letters) Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

23. Consolidated Application Section Specific Instructions Section Part I • Fund Code 720 - Team Nutrition Section Part II • Budget Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

24. Budget Information Typically three parts: • personnel (salaries, fringe benefits, contracts) • non-personnel (space, rent of equipment, supplies) • indirect cost (overhead) • Should correlate to objectives and methods. Timelines are often found here, also • Justify requests for salary (provide a rate hr/wk) • If you plan to hire someone with the funding, include a position description. . Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

25. Budgets - continued • Standard grant application Part II B • make sure information is put in the correct category • Example #1: if you are hiring a person to work specifically on a grant-related project = contractual services. • #2: Equipment <$5000 is put under “supplies and materials (M6)” Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

26. Building Credible Budgets • Research actual and complete costs of EVERYTHING in your proposal • Provide documentation (price quotes, salaries, cost of materials) • Cost-Benefit Analysis - show how many participants will be affected by your project and how much they will receive. -consider additional funders • Matching Funds or “In-Kind” - shows commitment on your part - Illustrate Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

27. Activity #3: Budget Worksheet • Consider Goals & Objectives • Estimate Budget #1. For each item, provide one in-kind (or other possible source of funding) #2. Perform cost-benefit analysis * “Healthy Choices Manual,” page 58 worksheet #4 Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

28. Things to Remember… • Spending your money - deadlines for encumbering costs $ - talk to your business manager • Contracts & Bids - items exceeding $1000 • Grant Amendments Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

29. Examples - Do Your Homework! • Research what other States/schools/districts are doing • Connecticut, Arkansas, Rhode Island, Wyoming Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

30. QUESTIONS - Getting Started • READ the grant application • Identify Goals & Objectives - Personalize • Build a Team - Share the Work! • Create a Timeline • Justify, Evaluate and SHARE Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

31. Team Nutrition Grants Due To Be Announced - Fall 2000 Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD bruhs@doe.mass.edu 2/1/00

32. Training & Educational Resources • Massachusetts Department of Education Home Page www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/links/default.html • John Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition, Framingham State College Contact: Carol Marrochello Phone: (508) 626 - 4756 • University of Massachusetts Extension - Nutrition Education Program Contact: Rita Brennan Olson Phone: (413) 545 -0552 • National School Foodservice Management Institute (NSFMI) www.nsfmi.org • Massachusett Department of Public Health - School Nutrition Resource Guide • Massachusetts Dietetic Association (MDA) www.eatright.org Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

33. Internet Resources • Team Nutrition • Team Nutrition - USDA www.fns.usda.gov/tn/ • USDA Healthy School Meals Resource Page schoolmeals.nal.usda.gov:8001/ • Grant Writing • Centers for Disease Control Funding Databasewww2.cdc.gov/nccdphp/shpfp/index.asp • Houghton - Mifflin Co. www.eduplace.com/math/mkeys/grants.html • Utah State Department of Education www.uen.org/cgi-bin/subjects?resource=8 Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

34. Grant Vocabulary • In - Kind • RFP • PDF • Amendments Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

35. Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

36. Contact Information Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD Massachusetts Department of Education Nutrition Programs and Services 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148 Phone: (781) 338 - 6452 Fax: (781) 338 - 3399 E-mail: bruhs@doe.mass.edu www.doe.mass.edu/cnp