Grant Writing Tips for Teachers

While there are billions of dollars available in grant money to assist teachers, the process of applying can be time consuming and confusing. Here are some grant writing tips to follow when looking for and applying for grants:

1. Have a clear idea of what you want to fund and accomplish with the grant money. This will help you in your search. Many funding sources are very specific about the types of projects they will grant money to. You will also need to answer very specific questions on the grant application so it is good to be clear about who the project is for, how much money you will need, what it will specifically cover, what your goals are, and how the money will help you achieve those goals.

A goal is a general statement about what you would like to achieve. Keep it straightforward and attainable.

An objective is a quantifiable statement that specifies what must be done to achieve the goal.

You will have a better chance of getting funded if you have a unique idea that will really impact student learning. You will need to demonstrate the benefits for students and show how the project will be maintained. You may also need to show how the project can be replicated for the benefit of others. If this is not required by the grantor agency you can strengthen your application by giving examples of how you would communicate the project to others.

2. Research, research, research. Technology makes research easy today but you can quickly become overwhelmed by the amount of information. Look at a wide variety of grant sources. You will most likely have a better chance of obtaining funding from a local organization. Contact businesses in the community to see if they have a grant program.
3. Ask for help. Let others know about the project you want to undertake and ask them if they know of any resources. The worst that can happen is someone says, "No." If you keep asking eventually you may get a "Yes!"
4. Once you've found a source of grant funds that is a match for your project, read all of the directions carefully and make sure you know the deadline for application.
5. Follow the directions carefully and to the letter. Granting organizations have very specific criteria and receive so many applications that they discard those that veer in any way from the directions, or are incomplete. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you are the exception. Address each question with very clear, direct, language. Do not use jargon, abbreviations, or acronyms that those outside the education field are not familiar with. You don't have to be an award winning writer, keep it simple.
6. Prepare a detailed budget that is also clear and understandable. You should research costs for what you want to do and have documentation of your expenses. Keep this information on file in case you are asked to provide it to the grantor.
7. Check your proposal, recheck your proposal, check your proposal again! Then have one or more other people read the proposal and give you feedback.
8. Now you are ready to submit in whatever format is required. Keep copies and a record of dates when you submitted your proposal. Once you have written a proposal you now have the information to apply to several other grant sources with probably just a little tweaking of the original proposal.
9. Follow up with a thank you letter to the granting organization no matter what the outcome of your proposal is. If you did not receive the grant you can ask for the reviewer's comments. You may get some suggestions for improvements to make on future proposals. Not every grant application gets approved. There is a lot of competition for funds. Your follow-up and interest may help you get grants from the organization in the future.
10. Keep applying. You will improve your grant writing skills and increase the probability that you will eventually get awarded a grant. Successfully securing grant money is a skill that potential employers may be interested in so this can also be a positive addition to your career skills.

Send the granting organization copies of any press coverage you receive. Organizations that provide grants often do so to promote goodwill for their company. This is one way you can thank them.

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