Grant Writing and YOU, a Winning Combination

As we enter the new calendar year, teachers at the midpoint of the school year are dreaming up ways to improve their teaching to make their classrooms even better during the second semester. By January, we have gotten to know our students and their learning habits really well, and we are learning what works best with each group. With this knowledge, we can come up with some great ideas to bring in the classroom, but many of these ideas will never be able to come to fruition without funding. Our posts this week are focusing on an important issue for teachers during tough economic times: how to get more money for your classroom.

Many of our posts here on The Gateway focus on doing more with less. We want to help you bring new tools and ideas into your teaching without spending any extra money. Most of the resources catalogued on site and the recommendations in our columns and on our Facebook and Twitter sites can be used free of charge. As you try these resources in your class and begin to collaborate with other educators, you might start thinking of even bigger ideas to implement. Some of these ideas will require money, which can be hard to come by sometimes.

If your plans require new classroom supplies, fancy new tech gadgets, or even professional development training, you may want to consider applying for a grant to cover the costs. This process can seem very intimidating, so be sure to read Joann’s post this week: “A Modest Proposal: Education Grants,” a kind of grant-writing 101 to guide educators through the process. The links she shares include samples of how to write grants, lists of places you might be able to find grants, and testimonials from teachers who have been successful at obtaining grant money for their classrooms. There is also a nice overview and discussion of writing grants on Teacher Tap. Another teacher wrote a blog entry for the NEA Foundation about the grant-writing experience.
Reading these articles might give you a better idea of how grants can help in your classroom.

Searching The Gateway and the internet can help you find even more helpful resources. If you don’t find what you are looking for in Joann’s post or the links above, try one of these three links from The Gateway. The first two are collections of grant resources from The Educator’s Reference Desk. One has links to general grants and the other has links for technology grants. The third link is an example of a professional development grant from EDSitement.

As educators, we need to be proactive in securing funds from our communities to ensure that our students are receiving the best education they can get. We would love to continue this conversation on our Facebook and Twitter pages throughout the year. If you have ideas or success stories to share with others or questions to ask teachers who are more experienced with grant-writing, please let us know.

~Peggy's Corner - 12/30/2010~

A Modest Proposal: Education Grants

It’s no secret that we’re in the midst of the worst recession since The Great Depression. While some news outlets have reported that the recession is, in fact, over, many people haven’t felt financial relief yet. The economic meltdown was years in the making, and it’s an unfortunate fact that recovery will likely take some years more. By now, we’re all pretty tired of the unpleasant – but necessary – financial belt-tightening demonstrated by our local communities. Town and city budgets are stretched thin, and all public departments have been hit hard.

In his recent interview at the Global Learning Resource Connection meeting, National Education Association Executive Director John Wilson spoke of the challenges of providing quality education in an anemic economy. Schools nationwide have been particularly affected by the economic downturn, and some communities have resorted to closing and consolidating schools in an attempt to reduce budget gaps. In my town, we’ve had to cut jobs (teachers as well as staff), delay building maintenance, and slash education programs due to a shortage of funding. The schools have responded to the financial crisis by being proactive in finding ways to help reduce finances without sacrificing quality. For example, nearly all school-to-home communications in the district are now conducted online rather than via paper copies, Styrofoam lunch trays have been replaced with lower-cost (and greener) biodegradable paper models, and bus routes have been redrawn and consolidated. Still, gaps between what many schools need to simply maintain level service, and the budgets they have to work with, persist.

This week, Peggy and I are focusing on resources and ideas to further stretch your classroom dollars, and perhaps help you find extra money for your classroom or school. Grants are one way to help fund projects or programs, and although time-consuming, can be well worth the effort. The resources below all offer tips and guidelines on how to pursue and write grants, and throughout the week we’ll be featuring daily resources on our Facebook and Twitter pages on locating, identifying, and pursuing educational grants. There is money out there – go get it!

Show Me the Money: Grant Writing
Subjects: Writing
Grades: K-12 teachers
If you can write a lesson plan, you can write a winning grant proposal. This article helps you to get started. This resource is a product of Teachers.net, an education portal with lesson plans, chat boards, employment postings, and more.

Grantwriting Tips
Subjects: Writing
Grade: K-12 Teachers
This resource explores the ins and outs of grant writing, and provides ideas and links to fundraising sources. This article was produced by Lone-Eagle, a consulting company that trains people, offers online courses, and incubates new businesses.

Proposal-Writing Outline
Subjects: Writing
Grade: K-12 teachers
This outline assists users in writing a grant proposal and implementation plan. This article was produced by Lone-Eagle, a consulting company that trains people, offers online courses, and incubates new businesses.

~Joann's Picks - December 30, 2010~