| I have great luck writing grants and my "secrets" are | | | | partnerships evolve around payment and politics. The |
| simple. I think every step of the way of "grant getting" | | | | reason you need them is the project's guidelines, not |
| not "grant writing". This makes a huge difference | | | | necessarily to add value to the project. Once their |
| (subjectively speaking). Every conversation and every | | | | 30% effort is complete, they leave and you're stuck |
| sentence is based on getting the grant and | | | | holding the sustainability bag. If you have multiple |
| implementing the workplan. In my opinion grant writers | | | | projects that aren't sustained, that don't go anywhere |
| often focus on the writing, on sounding good, on | | | | beyond the project's funding period, you get a |
| intellectual merit; I have seen this in both the US and | | | | reputation for taking money over building programs. |
| EU. | | | | One thing I've found is there are some good |
| My approach | | | | partnerships made in rural and economically struggling |
| The way I approach an RFP (Request for Proposal) | | | | areas, where money isn't as easy to come by and |
| sometimes called the RFA, I read it once, I take their | | | | where people are used to working for what they |
| form package and no matter how many pages it is I | | | | have. For example, small schools and artistic |
| key every question and section onto my document; | | | | communities, where what you accomplish results in a |
| whether it appears to have anything to do with the | | | | higher profile for your target audience and their |
| project in mind or not. Then I envision the project and | | | | community. |
| start keying in keywords and ideas into the format in | | | | Reporting |
| my document. In my mind I'm implementing the project; | | | | I believe the key to reporting is the workplan. Reporting |
| as though I'm assigning tasks to people. I describe | | | | is stressful when you're winging it. When the numbers |
| things, define things, write down who will do it, these | | | | are there and directly relate to your workplan, reporting |
| descriptions are clear, not academic. I skip sections I | | | | takes a couple of hours, no more. The most important |
| don't know yet. It's not a linear approach; it's an | | | | thing is that you never run an event, meet with a |
| approach of peeling away the layers and filling in the | | | | group, etc. without first knowing what the reporting |
| pieces. The goal is for the reader to be able to see | | | | requirements are going to be. Then you have, on a |
| and be "in" the project with you when I'm writing it. The | | | | piece of paper, what you're going to need whether |
| writing style is intimate; up close and personal. I think of | | | | that be headcount, age, ethnic group, etc. And you can |
| the person reading the grant. I write it directly to that | | | | support it with pix. If narratives are needed I take a |
| person. The way the RFP is written, you'd think this is | | | | tape recorder and talk with people who are having a |
| a third person, distanced narrative. It isn't. Imagine two | | | | good time. I say my name, their name, and ask maybe |
| people, one academic and one practical. Both want to | | | | 2-3 questions. Reporting never needs long narratives |
| know you know your stuff but more importantly, they | | | | from any one person, it's more about thick description, |
| want to see what you are going to do. Your tone is | | | | short format. Substance over length. Also, I can |
| conversational, matter of fact, clear, and detailed so | | | | always put together something like a survey, although I |
| that in their mind they see the project unfold. Anyone | | | | don't encourage surveys, other adults at the event can |
| reading it should be able to run the project. Way too | | | | talk to each other or kids, or kids can talk to kids and I |
| many grants are bound to the ego of the writer. | | | | have them write down a few sentences or a |
| The reader | | | | paragraph. They do it on my paper so that I can |
| I assume the six people reading the grant are reading | | | | capture anything I need for the report such as age or |
| their 12th grant of the day and are forcing themselves | | | | any specific questions I'd like asked. If you just have |
| to stay focused, bolstered with caffeine. I make | | | | them take a blank paper you get a lot of things back |
| everything clear, use white space to give their eyes a | | | | like, I had a good time, not exactly reporting criteria. |
| break, sound as though we are in a cafe' having a cup | | | | Corruption? |
| of coffee and I'm telling them about this great project. I | | | | When we're in a country other than our own, we call it |
| bring them in, imagine them, and communicate exactly | | | | petty corruption. When we're in our own country, we |
| as I would if they were sitting with me and we are | | | | call it management or efficiency issues. But really, |
| tired, on the one hand, and love our work on the other. | | | | they're often the same thing. They range from hiring |
| The product | | | | relatives, to exaggerating report results, to touring |
| What is the product? Too many people ask for | | | | family members not involved in the grant. The worst |
| money to do what they're already doing or they ask | | | | corruption is of all is of attitude. I remember a friend's |
| for the same old boring things to do. Forget | | | | project in Bosnia where a high profile grant resulted in |
| conferences where participants can visit with each | | | | a classroom of computers and a Brussel's holiday in |
| other, drink wine, and share their ideas. People need to | | | | Bosnia. The grant's results were no software, no |
| be brought in, products need to be created, ideas need | | | | books, no instructors, and no materials to implement |
| to be disseminated, and evaluation must be interesting. | | | | anything with. The computers just sat there. In the end |
| The partners | | | | two of us gathered and sent a few hundred used and |
| The collaborative pendulum swings. For some projects | | | | sample textbooks. |
| it's okay to work solo with your organization. On | | | | Bosnians are smart and with their students and faculty, |
| others, they want a few partners, on some there is a | | | | plus the books, they were able to get a learning center |
| collaborative network. In my opinion, the more | | | | going. Corruption is rarely about someone taking a |
| collaboration is required, the more I'm not interested | | | | million dollars and sticking it in their pocket. It's pervasive |
| because the product is nearly impossible to complete | | | | in the little things people do, or in fact, the little things |
| in collaboration. I have successfully written for EU | | | | they don't do. |
| Leonardo, EU Minerva, PHARE, and the California | | | | The best way to stay away from corruption |
| Community College System. The collaborative element | | | | incompetence is with a good workplan, where people |
| was either great or non-existent. Like love, sometimes | | | | understand their part and agree to do it. Where you |
| the best and sometimes the worst. At the time I wrote | | | | can keep them somehow accountable for 75%+ of |
| for Slovenia, when they were short-listed, we needed | | | | what they say they will do. Because the underlying |
| EU partners in the collaboration. We did all of the work | | | | reason for these projects is building relationships and |
| in some cases and much of the work in others. The | | | | getting people to know one another as individuals and |
| partners collected their share, regardless. There was | | | | as communities. |
| no sense of urgency on their part. Many organizations, | | | | Leveraging |
| regardless of country of origin, have acclimated to | | | | In my opinion, leveraging is a priority. It's impossible to |
| grants as income and they're in no hurry. The people | | | | keep NGOs going if every project requires separate |
| are great, smart, interesting, and there isn't a better | | | | funding, separate sets of contributors, separate project |
| group to drink with in Vienna, Edinburgh, Munich, San | | | | teams, etc. I like to take purpose, overall vision, and |
| Francisco, etc. But if you're responsible for the project | | | | divide them into a logical progression that follows the |
| it's stressful to get any traction. The risk we constantly | | | | organization's vision in order to set up projects that |
| faced was partners wanted in because they wanted | | | | leverage each other. In come cases they expand, in |
| to come and visit. We'd bring in a small group for a | | | | some cases they piggyback. There are RFPs that |
| week and a negligible amount of work got done. In | | | | emphasize this, that don't want projects to start off |
| addition, we'd end up touring participant relatives | | | | from scratch. A good project will find expansion or |
| around. The occasional great partner proved to be a | | | | piggyback money a little easier to get. Another type of |
| wonderful experience. My caution to you is the | | | | leverage is to take something already in progress and |
| importance of making sure this is someone you will | | | | re-align it for another target audience. A project |
| want to work closely with and who will deliver. | | | | doesn't make an organization. Focusing on the |
| It's great when you sift through and eventually find a | | | | organizations purpose and vision allows you to weave |
| few good partners. You get projects, they get | | | | grants, products, events, and the community together |
| projects, you're in theirs, they're in yours; significant | | | | to make a significant contribution. |
| change takes place. The gamut of problems with | | | | |