Show Me the Money

Grant writing is something I have never done before, but coming from the corporate world I found it to be a bit similar to writing a marketing plan. I have written marketing plans to set the company on a specific course, and hopefully get my boss and others to buy into it.  I found grant writing to be similar as the main point is to rally the necessary resources to help my school fulfill its purpose. I chose to include this assignment in my blog to inform others not to be afraid to get their hands wet and try applying for a grant or two. There is free money to be had for our underfunded schools to make them thrive and grow in a variety of ways.

The grant I wrote was for the 2018-2019 School Grants for Healthy Kids Game On Grant. This grant is for physical activity and nutrition initiatives that support schools’ efforts to improve school and student health. I chose to write this grant to improve the amount of active indoor recess and to create a food recovery plan for all the wasted food we have from our breakfast and lunch program.

Probably the biggest challenge in grant writing is not having a well defined plan. It is imperative to set goals and objectives that are specific and measurable goals for seeing your project to fruition. Other challenges that may come up are time (who has that) involved to meet deadlines, frustration for not getting grant you applied for, patience, and sustainability when grant has been approved.

Grants can be used in almost an endless amount of ways in the classroom - from flexible seating, STEM, playground equipment, cafeteria, gardens, technology, to class pets. There are a plethora of grants to be found in education, if you are willing to put in the time and effort to search and apply for them.

Although a bit lengthy, I enjoyed writing the Game On grant. It was a good experience creating one in the field of education. I found it very informative and detailed. I could not believe the amount of grants out there. With the knowledge gained from this class, I hope to write some education grants in the very near future.

Some great tips on grant writing from Education World*:

1. Be realistic about the time and effort involved -- both in the grant-writing process and in the project itself.
2. Do your homework. Research extensively to find the most appropriate funders for the project you have in mind.
3. Don't work alone. Assemble a team -- consisting of (at least) a researcher, a writer, a proofreader, and a typist -- to help with the application process.
4. Make sure everyone who will be involved in implementing the project also is involved in the application process.
5. Read the funder's guidelines carefully -- and follow them exactly.
6. Have someone not involved in the application process check the application for clarity of content.

Source: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev039.shtml