“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett
Planning is key to success when building your program - having your project plan in place, along with the amount needed to accomplish your goals is important. We’ll cover this in an upcoming video because when it comes to communicating with your grants manager, they will want to see your plans, timeline, receipts, videos, pictures, success story, and a Case Study to share how the funds were used with your organization and the success you have achieved because of the funding.
Planning For Your Proposal
The Executive Summary will share how the monies will be invested, and the Case Study will be used to share your story with other producers - sharing your program, the materials used, and that your organization is using the resources the way they were intended. Planning begins with your organizational goals - knowing what you are looking for regarding funding types and amounts. Defining your project and aligning it with grant organizations that share your vision. Planning will flow into the Research aspects of Grant Planning - when you begin seeking out people who will share in your vision. So, get your pencil and field notebook ready because researching grant opportunities will take a while to gather the necessary information for your project.
Setting Up For Research and Analysis
Where do we begin on the research front? How does an organization figure out what to apply for? How much is the grant worth? Will I need more than 1 grant to accomplish our project? What kind of information do you save, and how do you categorize and save it? Does our organization even qualify? Taking the necessary steps to learn about what grant organizations are closest to you geographically is a great place to begin your journey. If you are a larger organization, the USDA has many grants at your fingertips - we will learn more about the actual grants soon!
Grant research requires a lot of Googling, Reading, Calling, Emailing, & Following Social media platforms for dates and important information. When learning about each grant organization, make a list and categorize the details of the grant(s) offered - that are relevant and well-aligned with your goals. Some grants have sample applications, an annual project focus, the total number of grants to be funded, and a range of amounts to be allocated. We will take a look at how to gather information - later in the video series.
Contacting The Grant Manager
You will have questions, and there are people behind the website, list-serves, and applications, who can help you answer the unknowns. It is important to have some questions prepared when making contact with a grant manager. For instance - make a list with your project team or board of directors - something that helps you ask the tough questions of your organization and have important questions framed up! Softball questions are things like, “What is your application deadline?” That stuff is already listed on the website and shows a lack of preparation. Meaningful questions are things like, “What types of projects are you looking at funding this year?” For instance, ask them for case studies of previously funded projects; most are happy to share. Make sure to ask for tangible examples.....We will explore a list of solid questions in grant writing videos.
For more information on identifying grant resources, proposals, and effective planning strategies, click the link to ForagingandFarming below!
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