What do you do when you’ve
got a really dynamic vision for the LMC but not enough funding to cover all of
it? Write grants! Although we’re no strangers to grant writing,
lately we’ve stepped it up a bit. I’ll admit, just the thought of writing a
grant can be a bit daunting, but once we get rolling it’s never as overwhelming
as anticipated. In fact, once we settle
in and get focused, we typically end up saying, ‘that wasn’t bad at all!” When reflecting, I’d say these are the things
that get us through the process with smiles on our faces…
· Search,
search, search: Finding the right grant takes time! We don’t have a magic bullet, but we do spend
tons of time scouring the web for local and regional opportunities. There are a lot of places out there who want
to support educational initiatives. Also,
once people know we’re writing grants, they begin to send them our way – some
of our most promising opportunities have come from colleague
recommendations. Don’t get too hung up
on the amount - all grants are pretty much the same amount of “work” so nothing
is really too small or too big!
· Focus: Don’t try to
squeeze too much into one grant. When
you focus on one element of a big idea it’s easier to clearly define your needs
and future follow-up is more manageable too.
· Recruit
students: Ask them what they want, and they’ll tell
you! You can start an advisory group,
deploy surveys, set up interviews – they are the major stakeholders and their
input goes a long way.
· Partnership: Find a good
grant writing partner – it not only divides the work, but the collaboration
yields so many great ideas!
· The Hope
Factor: Be confident, but don’t be easily discouraged
– in the grant writing game, you win some and you lose some. When you don’t get
one, dust yourself off, take their feedback, and try, try again!
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