Category Archives: government grants

Good Grant Writing Blurs the Lines between Fact and Fiction

On Sunday I attended an elegant house-warming and BBQ in the wine country with a friend. During the party, I had an interesting conversation with a patent attorney. 
We started our conversation with the customary pleasantries and the standard introductory question between guys, “So what do you do?” Rightly or wrongly, it’s how guys break the ice until we retire when we ask things like, “What’s your handicap? Or who did your hip replacement?” But I digress.
We – the lawyer and I – talked about styles of writing in both of our professions. I drew from our discussion that writing a patent application is not unlike applying for a grant. This man’s assessment of grant writing is that the two kinds of writing are quite similar.
I explained that grant writing is a mixture of writing about factual information and fictional writing (kind of Orwell-style futuristic fiction).  Grant writing describes a future state to be created with grant funds.
He explained to me that this is similar to what he must produce when writing a patent application.  In addition to the technical aspects of the patent, he must describe the future benefits and functions of this yet-to-be produced widget, a future state based on the present facts.
Grant writers must be skillful in describing the future state. My advice to aspiring grant writers about how to achieve this unique style of writing, which would, perhaps, similarly edify aspiring patent attorneys, is this;
1)      Spend time with your client to adequately understand the future state desired,
Your imagination may produce sparkling fictional narrative, but if your client seeks a rocket to Mars and you write a grant sending him to Venus, you’ll have written an unachievable or undesired program.

2)      Write about this future state in a positive, can-do manner, with sufficient detail to make it a believable narrative,
Good fiction delivers the reader into a created world where they willingly suspend disbelief and buy in to the feasibility of the program design. Your grant narrative must deliver the program design in a way that the reader never stops nodding in agreement.

3)      Ground your optimistic description of the future state on the facts at hand.
The best fiction is grounded in facts that blur the lines between what’s real and what’s possible. The moment you force your reader to stop and ask themselves whether you’re proposing something plausible, you’re sunk.

My conversation with the attorney made me curious about how similar the writing styles actually are, or whether he was being over-generous in his assessment. I’ll conduct a search with Google this week to see if I can find a patent application to read. I suspect that if the style and level of difficulty are similar that, based the extravagance of his new vacation home, the main difference is to be found in our invoice for services.
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Photo Credit: Rosa Ballada
Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Grants Mean Change

It’s important to understand that grants mean change and that there is a predictable process to change within an organization. I learned when I was in a leadership position that it’s difficult to change a light bulb without stepping on someone’s toes so major changes require determined effort and planning.

There are many models for change process but the one I like best is an inverted bell curve with highs on both sides and a low in the middle.  In this model, people enter into the change process on a high with “uninformed optimism.” This is akin to the kind of the high you feel when your grant is funded.  WOOHOO! We just won a million dollar grant! But wait, as Forest Gump would say about getting a lot of money, it’s merely “One less thang.”

There are a bunch of other “thangs” still in play, like all the reasons you needed the funding. All the needs are still there, just as real and ever more pressing.  Only now you’re expected to solve them, you have to put staff and processes in place to do that.  It’s a lot of work.
Realizing that getting the grant doesn’t solve the needs is when people in the change process enter into the “informed pessimism” stage where all the difficulties involved in making the change emerge.  There are a plethora of challenges including new staff who need training, integrating new programs and staff with existing ones, etc. New staff in a new program tend to get overwhelmed and need a lot of direction for a while. Plus, they’re people so they need to be supervised, and list could go on and on…
Then as things get sorted out a little bit the bell curve usually takes an upswing. Optimism returns little by little as problems are sorted out, needs are being met, services are delivered, positive feedback and data are encouraging, the change becomes incorporated into the organization.
In planning a grant program, consider these important aspects of the change process:
  • Does the model fit your agency culture?
  • Do you have the right people for the work?
  • Do you have a plan for giving clear roles and responsibilities to everyone involved?
  • Are you prepared to give proper authority to those involved to ensure performance?
  • Prepare a plan to help existing employees adapt and grow with guidance.
  • Prepare a communication plan that encourages input and keeps people informed.

About the time you sort out all the change a grant creates, it is probably nearing the end of its funding cycle.  When a funding cycle ends, you may need to seek other funding, reduce the program scope, or phase out the program entirely.  Change is a natural cycle that grants create for an organization.  Boards and leadership need to understand how to lead a change process in order to successfully manage grants.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Grant Writer on a Pre-Spring Saturday

Grant writing can be an obsessive thing to do; especially since there are seasons for it. Government seems to release Requests for Proposals (RFP) in a flurry of activity that is not dissimilar to the sudden bloom of spring.

We are waiting for the grant bloom this year. It hasn’t started yet. Some of us may be wondering if there will be one or if in the midst of budget cuts grants will be a fatality.

My experience tells me that this isn’t so. My experience tells me that we will see the grants sprout up soon enough. The reason is simple, even when there isn’t enough money for an entitlement, there are still grants.  The government always has enough money to plant a few bulbs.

Government and politicians love to DO something, (even if it’s the wrong thing). Politicians hear from people about the problems of society every day. They are charged with doing something about the ills. Their answer is to spend money to change things. They are charged to make laws and to allocate money to change things.

But there’s never enough money to do it all is there? So grants are one way that some money can be used to produce change that gives hope and promise. Grants are limited in geographic impact, yet the impact of a grant can be huge. Grants can point the way.

Politicians like huge impact because it helps give direction to future expenditures while at the same time the stories of change and impact gives them something to point to they can be proud of. That’s why often with Federal grants the first person to call the grantees with the good news of successful funding is the local Congressman’s office.

Grants are a good way for the government to experiment. Grants give the opportunity for testing new ideas and grants don’t cost much when compared to national programs. Grants are good business for government.

So grants will continue. Grants will be funded this year. Grants will be announced soon even if other programs are cut. Oh sure, the number of grants funded may decline, so you better write better this year. But the best grant writers will still make a living.

Don’t worry all you grant writers. The RFP’s are coming soon, and soon enough we’ll all be spending Saturday behind a computer writing about objectives and qualifications of key personnel. Enjoy the lull, it won’t last. Write for your blogs while you have the luxury to do so.

Related Posts:

A Grant Writer’s Holiday
Grant Writing is No Mystery

Photo Credit-Makio Kusahara

Grant Writer on a Pre-Spring Saturday

Grant writing can be an obsessive thing to do; especially since there are seasons for it. Government seems to release Requests for Proposals (RFP) in a flurry of activity that is not dissimilar to the sudden bloom of spring.

We are waiting for the grant bloom this year. It hasn’t started yet. Some of us may be wondering if there will be one or if in the midst of budget cuts grants will be a fatality.

My experience tells me that this isn’t so. My experience tells me that we will see the grants sprout up soon enough. The reason is simple, even when there isn’t enough money for an entitlement, there are still grants.  The government always has enough money to plant a few bulbs.

Government and politicians love to DO something, (even if it’s the wrong thing). Politicians hear from people about the problems of society every day. They are charged with doing something about the ills. Their answer is to spend money to change things. They are charged to make laws and to allocate money to change things.

But there’s never enough money to do it all is there? So grants are one way that some money can be used to produce change that gives hope and promise. Grants are limited in geographic impact, yet the impact of a grant can be huge. Grants can point the way.

Politicians like huge impact because it helps give direction to future expenditures while at the same time the stories of change and impact gives them something to point to they can be proud of. That’s why often with Federal grants the first person to call the grantees with the good news of successful funding is the local Congressman’s office.

Grants are a good way for the government to experiment. Grants give the opportunity for testing new ideas and grants don’t cost much when compared to national programs. Grants are good business for government.

So grants will continue. Grants will be funded this year. Grants will be announced soon even if other programs are cut. Oh sure, the number of grants funded may decline, so you better write better this year. But the best grant writers will still make a living.

Don’t worry all you grant writers. The RFP’s are coming soon, and soon enough we’ll all be spending Saturday behind a computer writing about objectives and qualifications of key personnel. Enjoy the lull, it won’t last. Write for your blogs while you have the luxury to do so.

Related Posts:

A Grant Writer’s Holiday
Grant Writing is No Mystery

Photo Credit-Makio Kusahara

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Some Federal Grant Writing Resources You Shouldn’t Miss

Ready or not, the federal grant season is coming. Every year at about this time, the calls start coming in from folks who want information about federal grant opportunities. I thought that this would be a good time to put together a list of resources that can help you in your efforts to secure federal discretionary grants for your organization.

Grantmaking at ED – This 69 page e-book from the U.S. Department of Education (2010) contains a significant amount of information about the grant making process for ED, and it also includes some good resources. The easy to scan Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) format makes it easy to read, too.

Catalog of Domestic Federal Assistance (CFDA) – The CFDA contains detailed information on 2,073 federal assistance programs, including programs from the Department of Health & Human Services, Department of Education, Department of Justice, Department of Agriculture, and Department of the Interior.

Grants.gov – Your source to find and apply for federal grants.  You can search by topic, agency, or several other categories.

Office of Justice Programs Funding Resources – This page provides links to a variety of DOJ grant resources.

Applying for a New SAMHSA Grant – The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a page devoted to links to help you write a new grant proposal.

SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices – If you’re writing a grant for SAMHSA or any other department that includes substance abuse prevention services or something related to it, you need to review the evidence-based programs in this guide. NREPP is an online, searchable guide of more than 160 interventions supporting mental health promotion, substance abuse prevention, and mental health and substance abuse treatment.

OJJDP Model Programs Guide – The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Model Programs Guide (MPG) is designed to assist practitioners and communities in implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention programs that can make a difference in the lives of children and communities. The MPG database of evidence-based programs covers the entire continuum of youth services from prevention through sanctions to reentry.

This is not an exhaustive list of federal grant resources.  If you are interested in an ongoing stream of resources, find us on Facebook and follow the Grant Goddess on Twitter.

You should also consider becoming a member at GrantGoddess.com for the latest in grant news and information.  members also have access to a huge multimedia library of grant writing tips.

You may also want to visit our Federal Grant Resources page where some of these resources are repeated, but where other resources are included and where we add resources as we find them.
Finally, if you’re new to grant writing or you want to brush up on your grant writing skills, consider taking an online course at Grant Goddess University. Learn grant writing on your time and at your own pace.

Some Federal Grant Writing Resources You Shouldn’t Miss

Ready or not, the federal grant season is coming. Every year at about this time, the calls start coming in from folks who want information about federal grant opportunities. I thought that this would be a good time to put together a list of resources that can help you in your efforts to secure federal discretionary grants for your organization.

Grantmaking at ED – This 69 page e-book from the U.S. Department of Education (2010) contains a significant amount of information about the grant making process for ED, and it also includes some good resources. The easy to scan Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) format makes it easy to read, too.

Catalog of Domestic Federal Assistance (CFDA) – The CFDA contains detailed information on 2,073 federal assistance programs, including programs from the Department of Health & Human Services, Department of Education, Department of Justice, Department of Agriculture, and Department of the Interior.

Grants.gov – Your source to find and apply for federal grants.  You can search by topic, agency, or several other categories.

Office of Justice Programs Funding Resources – This page provides links to a variety of DOJ grant resources.

Applying for a New SAMHSA Grant – The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a page devoted to links to help you write a new grant proposal.

SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices – If you’re writing a grant for SAMHSA or any other department that includes substance abuse prevention services or something related to it, you need to review the evidence-based programs in this guide. NREPP is an online, searchable guide of more than 160 interventions supporting mental health promotion, substance abuse prevention, and mental health and substance abuse treatment.

OJJDP Model Programs Guide – The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Model Programs Guide (MPG) is designed to assist practitioners and communities in implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention programs that can make a difference in the lives of children and communities. The MPG database of evidence-based programs covers the entire continuum of youth services from prevention through sanctions to reentry.

This is not an exhaustive list of federal grant resources.  If you are interested in an ongoing stream of resources, find us on Facebook and follow the Grant Goddess on Twitter.

You should also consider becoming a member at GrantGoddess.com for the latest in grant news and information.  members also have access to a huge multimedia library of grant writing tips.

You may also want to visit our Federal Grant Resources page where some of these resources are repeated, but where other resources are included and where we add resources as we find them.
Finally, if you’re new to grant writing or you want to brush up on your grant writing skills, consider taking an online course at Grant Goddess University. Learn grant writing on your time and at your own pace.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com