technology Ten Tips for Grant Writing 1. Adhere to every requirement listed in the Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP for any grant will provide a template for organizing and formatting the proposal. Pay attention to details like page limits, margin and font sizes, and headings, as well as the specific content required in each section. To assess your compliance, ask a volunteer to check the proposal against the RFP. Changes require adaptability and creativity to meet the needs of the community. 2. Identify needs versus wants. Need, in a grant proposal, is the large concept that makes your current library inadequate. For instance: “As a result of the state’s adoption of new science standards, science curriculum for third-grade students has changed. The library lacks age-appropriate reference materials for students’ research on the new units.” What you want is new library materials. What you need is to provide opportunities for students to meet the expectations laid out in the standards. When possible, refer to more than one content area standard (e.g., language arts requirements that students use more nonfiction texts or mathematics standards that require students to construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others). 3. Focus on students and how they will benefit. Define goals in terms of what students will be able to do. Funders expect to change learning for children, not supply “stuff.” For example, you might note that the students will practice higher-level thinking skills or express understanding of key unit concepts as measured by the classroom teacher’s assessment (such as a final product). Be realistic, though. Don’t promise far more than the work will likely produce. In fact, unless the RFP requires it, avoid promising improved test scores on large-scale assessments. Too many factors outside of your school’s control affect scores. 4. Write SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Not all measures have to be numbers; qualitative data is also valuable feedback. Time-bound means that you have a project end date in mind. You should be able to realistically complete the project and reach the goal in the time you’ve allotted. Add “wiggle room” to the schedule to allow for unexpected glitches. 5. Design a creative, yet grounded, plan. Funders look for creative thinking that fosters students’ achievement and is based in good instruction. Saying students will write research reports is “ho-hum.” Asking students to tackle an authentic problem raises the stakes for the students and instructors. For instance, citizen science projects engage students in authentic scientific study on a global scale (see April 2014 issue of LibrarySparks). 6. Align your plan of action closely with the identified need and goals. It’s not enough to buy new materials. What will students do with the new materials, and how is that a step beyond what they have done in the past? Highlight the parts of the project that demonstrate more student-centered control over learning, as well as good ideas that other schools can adopt. If the project represents collaborative work among staff members, demonstrate how this collaboration benefits students. Keep students at the heart of the proposal. 7. Make a viable and detailed budget. Know exactly what materials you will buy and their true costs, including shipping, cataloging (if needed), and placing the materials into circulation. The RFP will make clear whether you can include personnel costs. It’s easy to underestimate costs. Grant writers often forget to include incidentals, such as labels, tape, and printing costs. If the project doesn’t cost as much as budgeted, you’ll have money for additional materials, but if you forget incidentals, you may not be able to afford the essentials. 8. Include stakeholders as planners and contributors, when possible. Funders recognize that the likelihood of success increases when multiple stakeholders contribute to a project. Typically, stakeholder contributions are in-kind gifts, such as goods, services, or expertise. How will the community be involved? Can other funds supplement the proposed budget? Can you recruit outside evaluators or tap into parent expertise? Will current personnel dedicate time to the project? Highlight stakeholder investments as value-added contributions. 9. Write a realistic evaluation plan. If your stated goals are SMART, writing an evaluation plan should be easy. It’s tempting to make an evaluation plan that takes longer than the project. Think instead about how to turn students’ projects, digital pictures of the processes, and reflections on the project overall into a viable evaluation plan. Evaluations can be done by community members with expertise to audit the budget and/or evaluate the accomplishments (in-kind contributions). 10. Plan for sustainability. Funders prefer projects that are so well conceived and reasonable that the recipients of the grant can continue to do the work after the grant runs out. What parts of the project can continue without additional funds? What might be replicable by other schools that don’t have grants? How can and will you disseminate information about the project and credit the funder? Web Resource · Technology · May/June 2015 • LibrarySparks