Research & Funding

Partner with other districts/orgs/human service agencies and split the cost

Partner with a local church, private school or daycare

PTA's, parent groups and Booster clubs (get them to use or raise funds)

Civic Organizations - Rotary, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, Elk's Lodge etc. Many of them fund scholarships "But what about helping the school become more effective so more kids can go to college?"

School puts on a fundraiser of its own

Get a local business to sponsor the day: "State Farm Cares About Our Schools" Day.

Are there local business who constantly hit you up to do fundraisers (sell our coupon books, save your receipts and we'll give a % to the school etc?) Those businesses are great candidates.

Fast food and restaurant chains, grocery stores, soft drink companies, banks, insurance offices, real estate groups - any businesses which might benefit from the positive PR of helping the school.

PTA's, parent groups and Booster clubs (are some of the members affiliated with a business such as one above).

Remember you may not come up with the entire amount from one source.

Use Title 1 funds

Use staff development funds

Seek state grants (some sites and links below)

Seek federal grants (some sites and links below—these are the toughest)

Seek private grants (some sites and links below)

Positive Behavior Support
Bullying
At-risk Youth
Professional Development
Character Education
Special Education
Violence Prevention
Positive Behavior Support
Teacher Effectiveness
Safe Schools
Drug-free schools
United Way's "Helping Kids Succeed" Initiative
Walton Family Foundation "Improve existing schools" Initiative
Charter School Training initiatives

http://www.grants4teachers.com/
http://grants4teachers.blogspot.com/
http://www.grantexperts.info/

Foundation Search (subscription required)

BIG Online (subscription required)

*Some schools and organizations contract with a professional grant-writer who has subscriptions to all the best databases. They can often find niche grants that not everyone knows about.

Writing grants can be intimidating, but just like so many other things, once you get going, you'll find you can do it!

1.Find a good match.Look for funders who have given to like causes/organizations in the past. Be sure that you meet their criteria. (In many cases, you must represent a school or a non-profit organization. For-profits are excluded from many grants.)

2.Make contact. If allowed, call the funder's contact person and introduce yourself. Ask questions and let them know you'll be sending a request.

3.Follow the directions carefully. Be sure to follow the submission guidelines, especially the length of the proposal (many funders automatically disqualify proposals over the max length), the due dates (failing to follow this one will get you automatically ruled out) and the "what to include" (some ask for financial information, ALL ask for contact information).

4.Tell your story. Briefly include a compelling "why". Some solid grant rationales are included above. It helps those reading the grant to know what is unique about your school, organization or situation.

5.Be neat and organized. Enough said.

6.Follow up. Contact the funding agency once again (if allowed) and make sure they received all they need. Make yourself available if they have more questions. Say "thank you."

http://www.commongrantapplication.com/
http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/cga.html

Annenberg Media: 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite #302 Washington, DC 20004 (202) 783-0500

The SmartStudent™ Guide to Financial Aid

T.H.E. Journal Grants, Funding, and Awards

National Science Foundation

Grants For Single Mothers: single mom financial aid, scholarship resources, food and housing programs and more.

Federal Information Centers: Located in 21 cities throughout the United States.

The Society of Research Administrators International (SRA International)

Federal Grants Wire: A free resource for federal grants, government grants and loans.

U.S. Department of Education Research: The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs Money Matters: (800) USA-LEARN.

About Foundations: How to Find the Facts You Need and Get a Grant

The Foundation Center
         312 Sutter Street, Room 312
         San Francisco, CA 94108
         (415) 397-0902

A Guide for Proposal Writing

What I Should Know about Education Grants

The Abingdon Guide to Funding Ministry : An Innovative Sourcebook for Church Leaders 1995 Donald W. Joiner (Editor), Norma Wimberly (Editor), Norma Wimberley (Editor)

The Basic Handbook of Grants Management Robert Lefferts

The Big Book of Library Grant Money, 1996-97 : Profiles of 1471 Private and Corporate Foundations and Direct Corporate Givers Receptive to Library Grants Taft Group

The Complete Guide to Getting a Grant:: How to Turn Your Ideas into Dollars Laurie Blum

The Complete Guide to planned Giving: Everything You Need to Compete Successfully for Major Gifts Debra Ashton

Directory of Social Service Grants: A Reference Directory Listing Social Service, Child Welfare, Family Service, and Related Grants Richard M. Eckstein (Editor)

Effective Corporate Fundraising W. Grant Brownrigg

Enterprise in the Nonprofit Sector James C. Crimmins & Mary Keil

Foundation Fundamentals Carol M. Kurzig

Funding Sources for Community and Economic Development 1998: A Guide to Current Sources for Local Programs and Projects (Serial) Oryx Press

The Fundraising Formula Katie Kraatz & Julie Haynes

Fund-Raising, Grants Management Charlotte Georgi & Terry Fate

Getting funded; A complete guide to proposal writing Mary S. Hall

Getting a Grant: How to Write Successful Grant Proposals (A Spectrum Book) Robert Lefferts

Getting a Grant in the 1980's: How to write successful grant proposals Robert Lefferts

Getting Grants Craig W. Smith

Government Contracts: Proposalmanship and winning strategies Herman Holtz

Grant Money & How To Get It Richard W. Boss

Grant Proposals That Succeeded Virginia White (ed)Grants Virginia White

Grants for Libraries: A Guide to Public and Private Funding Programs and Proposal Writing Techniques Emmett Corry

Grantsmanship Armand Lauffer

Grants for Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide to Funding and Grant Writing Eleanor Gilpatrick

Guidelines for Preparing Proposals: A manual on how to organize winning proposals for grants, venture capital, R & D projects, other proposals Roy Meador

Guidelines for Preparing the Research Proposal John H. Behling

The "How to" Grants Manual: Successful techniques for obtaining public and private grants David G. Bauer

How to Prepare a Research Proposal: Guidelines for Funding and Dissertations in the Social and Behavioral Sciences David R. Krathwohl

The Humanities Guide Annual Register of Grant Support 1998 : A Directory of Funding Sources Annual R. R. Bowker

National Guide to Funding for Children, Youth & Families (3rd Ed) James E. Baumgartner (Editor)

Plain Talk About Grants Robert E. Geller

Proposal Preparation Rodney D. Stewart

Proposals That Work: A guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals Lawrence F. Locke

Successful Grant Writing : Strategies for Health and Human Service Professionals Laura N. Gitlin, Kevin J. Lyons

Winning Grants Step by Step: Support Centers of America's Complete Workbook for Planning, Developing, and Writing Successful Proposals Mim Carlson

Writing That Research Proposal Victor Campbell (Et al)

Writing a Successful Grant Application Liane Reif-Lehrer