02 Mar Coffee Shop or Boardroom? How an Organization’s Culture Influences the Grant Process Written by Michele Ryan, GPC
Many times, being a grant professional feels more like an endless quest for information. We find ourselves at the mercy of those who create the programs and the individuals who hold the data. Navigating the twists and turns and the emphatic, “you need what!!??” can be daunting. Whether as a consultant or the grant writer on staff, our role puts us in the position of relying on others to provide us with the information necessary to craft a grant proposal worthy of funding. How this process unfolds is largely dependent on the culture of the organization and the way they communicate, plan, and process information.
01 Mar Internal Roadmap of Grant Program Policies and Procedures to Help Organizations Become Grant Ready – By AGS Staff
Posted at 21:43h
in AGS Staff, Competency Two, Organizational Development, Organizational Readiness, Research, Strategy
There are lots of activities that can help a nonprofit organization become grant ready, and one of them is their internal roadmap of tasks that define their grants program.
The purpose of these practices is to help ensure staff have a documented process that covers the A to Zs of a comprehensive grant program.
25 Feb Robbing Peter to Pay Paul – AGS Grant Staff
During my experience working for and in partnership with nonprofit organizations, one common thread is the perpetuation of a “scarcity mindset.” This mindset is based on the idea that nonprofits exist to help others in need and serve the greater good, therefore, staff and anything they might need to do their jobs (salaries, benefits, training) is often last on the list of funding priorities.
17 Feb Organizational Readiness through an Evaluation Lens by Tom Assel, GPC
In a previous post, Julie Alsup, GPC looked at competency 2.2 through a budget lens. For this post, I’ll look at an agency’s readiness to seek project funding through an evaluation lens. Evaluation is crucial to project sustainability, a key factor in grant requests. Carefully considering project evaluation can help an agency obtain grant dollars for a project.
17 Feb Understanding and Articulating the Financial Needs of Projects by Julie Alsup, GPC
Many seasoned grant reviewers will tell you that they start with the budget. I believe this is why a discussion of GPC competency two, assessing an organization’s readiness to obtain funding to implement specific projects, should also begin with a discussion of budget. A deep understanding of the budget is necessary to communicate need to potential funders. The grant writer can help assess and advance readiness in the following ways.30 May How Your Organization’s Risk Tolerance Influences Your Grant Calendar by AGS Staff
Posted at 21:39h
in AGS Staff, Competency Two, Federal Grants, Grant Calendar, Organizational Development, Research
Chances are your organization conducts comprehensive grant research to prepare for the upcoming year’s grant calendar. If your organization is like most others, then you now have a long list of potential funders ranked by how likely they are to fund your group or program. From...
15 Jan How to Develop a Realistic Grant Calendar by AGS Staff
Even if your organization operates like a well-oiled machine, having a master grant calendar is a helpful tool when it comes to writing grants and managing the process and meeting deadlines. If your organization sees writing grants as daunting and complex, then a realistic grant...
15 Apr Preparing Your District to Become a 21st Century Community Learning Centers Funded Partner by Julie Alsup, GPC
Posted at 21:55h
in Childcare, Competency Two, Federal Grants, Julie Alsup, GPC, K-12 Education, Professional Development, Program Design, Research, Youth Development
Is your school district or youth-serving organization looking to launch or expand an afterschool program? If so, the U.S. Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant opportunity may be a fit for you. These grants are federal dollars passed through the states to...
04 Mar #BestSchoolDay!: Multi-Million Dollar Gift Funds All DonorsChoose.org Projects by Roxanne Jensen, Ed.S., GPC
Posted at 21:55h
in Competency One, Competency Two, Grants in Action, Grants in Action, Roxanne Jensen, ED. SPEC.
So, you heard about the $29 million that funded all 35,000 DonorChoose.org classroom projects? If you didn’t, we understand. It’s Spring Break. You have been resting, rejuvenating. Ripple Funds All DonorsChoose.org Projects Are you wishing that you had a project on DonorsChoose.org when it happened? Or do you think this was like winning the lottery – it could never happen to me?