Will you write the grant for me?Who decides which schools and programs are invited to participate in a grant proposal?What happens when the grant is over?How do schools benefit from grant funding?How do I locate a grant to fund my project idea?Are grants free money?Will you write the grant for me?
Your leadership, vision and participation is critical to the development of a successful project and grant proposal. In some cases you may be the only one who has the vision and the passion to write the proposal. This website has many resources, including sample grants, letters of inquiry, and grant writing advice to support you in the writing process.
For larger grants, a team that represents all of the stakeholders is necessary to develop the project and proposal. Writers are one important part of that grant development team. The Office of Innovation and Development will write grants that meet the criteria in the Grants Proposal Process (link to Grants Proposal Process Section).
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Who decides which schools and programs are invited to participate in a grant proposal?
The funder sets the guidelines for eligibility. Unfortunately, some guidelines eliminate schools or programs from the opportunity to apply for a particular grant. In cases where several schools or programs are eligible to apply, the district must set parameters for district eligibility that have the best chance of succes, match the district planning priorities, and support schools most in need. Sometimes the district will set up an internal pre-application process to select schools best prepared to participate in that grant project. In some federal or state grants, only the district is eligible to be an applicant, and only one application will be accepted from our district. |
What happens when the grant is over?
Good question! This is a questoin that needs to be asked when the grant proposal is being developed. Here's why:
1. Funders will not continuously fund grant projects, no matter how successful they are.
2. If a program has proven to be successful, funders expect the sponsoring program to have considered how the program will be integrated into the program's organization and operations.
3. Grants projects are intended to build capacity within the system that do not require ongoing external support, i.e. professional development, removing existing policy or structural barriers, etc.
4. Any good plan needs to anticipate and prepare the organization for how the organization should respond to successful project results. |
How do schools benefit from grant funding?
Schools benefit from grant funding in a number of ways.
Schools may benefit from direct resources. Teachers are awarded over $xx,xxx per year for projects that provide support for innovative classroom practices and materials. There are a number of federal and state funding initiatives, including Comprehensive School Reform, Local Reading Improvement, Tutorial Assistance Grants, and others that are targeted directly to individual schools. Schools may also have an opportunity to be participants in larger districtwide federal and state grant-funded initiatives (Smaller Learning Communties, Arts Model Development and Dissemination) or may benefit from improved district services in Family Education, Instructional Services, Student Wellness, and Student Safety.
Schools also benefit long-term from the information about what works and what doesn't gained from school and district grants that have already been implemented. |
How do I locate a grant to fund my project idea?
The short answer is to use the resources on this Web site, such as the sections on The grant Proposal Process and Finding Funders. The more complete answer is to strategically think about how the funders are prioritizing their giving. Like schools, funders plan their giving based on priorities that may or may not match yours. It's critical to make sure that you find funders whose priorities match yours. |
Are grants free money?
Nothing is ever free. Grants often require a large amount of time and effort in their preparation and implementation, if awarded. Grants are intended to create new information about what works and even what doesn't work, to inform groups that make policy decisions, such as the district, the MN Department of Education, funders, the legislature, and even the federal government.
Grants often require extra commitments, such as: stringent additional data collection and reporting requirements, in-kind monetary or resource contributions, and coordination and planning time.
Grants are meant to supplement your existing plans, never to supplant existing operating costs. |
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