Writing Grants to Support Literacy Programs
Brenda Power
The good news is that there is money available to support literacy programs. The not-so-good news is that the programs often involve one-time-only funding, or are so poorly publicized that schools only hear about them after the money has been awarded. Here are some strategies to increase your chances of gaining funds through any grant competition.
Always try to talk to someone from the funding agency before applying.
The longer and more complicated the grant application is (and the higher the potential funding), the more crucial this chat will be. Many proposal guidelines are very vague. Talking with a grant officer will help you determine if there are unwritten preferences in the funding agency. For example, a grant officer might let you know that many grants in the previous year were funded to help schools build parent resource libraries. The agency might have a preference this year for funding workshop programs. In the same vein, the grant program may give preference to schools that provide some matching funds or are in undeserved areas -- all information that may or may not be on the application form. Key questions to ask a grant officer include:
- What percentage of applications are funded?
- What was the distribution of grants the previous year?
- Are names and phone numbers of any previous grant recipients available?
- Is there a process for getting support in reapplication if a grant is turned down?
Many agencies give special consideration to schools or individuals who make the effort to rewrite their applications the following year after getting advice from the agency -- the funding rate for applicants who show this kind of persistence in asking for additional guidance can be very high.
Keep your application simple and eye-pleasing.
No fancy fonts or formatting or odd-colored paper should be used for your grant proposal -- save your creativity for your school newsletter! Also, use a large, easy-to-read font. Don't give in to the temptation to cram as much information as possible on the page. Many grant applicant reviewers are members of the bifocal club -- larger fonts and simple designs unconsciously promote some applications over other requests that are just as worthy but hard to read.
Think about your needs before you begin applying for grants.
As you meet with your parent-teacher organization early in the year, or work with colleagues to design a new family outreach program, think about the ways that funding could help you meet your goals. Most grant applications require a narrative explanation of why the funds will be needed and how they will be used. You can write a "master narrative" early in the year or over the summer that details what funding is needed and how it will be used. This narrative can then be revised for use in different programs, tailored to the constraints of the grant program. See our sample narrative at the end of this article.
Compile a creative "wish list" of needs.
Many grant competitions limit the kinds of materials and resources they will fund, so you'll want to have a master "wish list" of all the ways you could use financial support in your outreach program. That way you can quickly scan the list, tailoring your budget request to the constraints of each grant competition. Potential budget requests might include:
- Professional books/DVDs for teachers or parents on family involvement
- Funding for a resource library for parents
- Children's books/resources for a loaner library
- Release time (paid substitutes) to allow teachers to do family training during the school day
- Refreshments for events
- Paid child care at events
- Paid translators to convert school materials into other languages for non-English speakers
- Photocopy/advertising costs
- Computer for parent workroom/newsletter formatting/parent database
- Funds for senior/family lunch special events
- Paid attendance for parents at professional conferences (as part of a school team)
- Funds for Parent/Teacher/Administration Planning Retreat
- Funding for Home-School Outreach Coordinator (part-or full-time)
- Craft supplies/materials for Family Night events
Use strong verbs in your narrative.
Nothing pumps up the quality of writing more than strong verbs. Look to replace as many nonactive or passive verbs in your narrative as possible with creative, energized words. Here is a list of strong verbs on the web to get you started:
http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~cainproj/writingtips/preciseverbs.html
Repeat specific phrases from the call for applications in your proposal.
It's important for the grant committee to see that your proposal is directly linked to the goals and aims of its program. Make that task easy for them by using specific references from their own literature. Highlight in some way the words or phrases from the specific grant program you are applying to in your narrative. We've included some examples of repeated phrasing from calls for proposals as part of our master template below.
A little advance preparation can lead to a better chance of funding for your school. Remember that if your school received a call for grant proposals only three days before the proposals were due, most other schools are working with just as little time as you. Grant programs that are the least well-organized and well-publicized often have the highest percentage of proposals funded.
Sample Master Narrative
To personalize, revise, or reuse:
Much recent research shows the importance of involving parents in school programs. Studies have demonstrated that there is a direct correlation between parent involvement and student achievement. Elm Street Elementary School has enacted an ambitious three-year plan for increasing parent involvement in our school. This plan includes:
- developing a parent resource library and workroom
- initiating a new weekly newsletter that goes out to all parents
- launching monthly "Family Nights" to bring more parents into the school to learn about the curriculum
- sponsoring a schoolwide arts festival to be held in the spring at a local mall
- compiling a database of parent interests, needs, and volunteer efforts
- providing child-care support and Spanish translators at all schoolwide functions
- providing free passes to senior citizens for lunches during the school day with students
This plan was designed by a committee of parent volunteers, administrators, and teachers working together. Parents were surveyed first to get information about their needs, and then the survey results were used in a series of meetings throughout the spring to create a new parent outreach program.
Success of the program will be measured in a variety of ways, including conducting annual surveys of parents (to provide quantitative and qualitative measure of program success); tracking attendance at school events; conducting focus group interviews in the spring of the second year with randomly selected parents; and gathering annual written evaluations by teachers of the effects of the program on parent involvement.
Sample Insert Paragraphs
For a grant competition from the statewide Chamber of Commerce:
We are requesting funds to support the schoolwide arts festival, to be held this spring at a local mall. Your call for proposals states that funds will be awarded "to programs that best connect local educational programs with business partnerships." Many local Chamber of Commerce members are already providing gifts and small amounts of money to support this event. By moving the arts festival from school to the local mall, we will bring student work and families who view this work into the local community. Funds would also be used to bring in people from local businesses with an arts connection (e.g., a symphony member guest will speak with a third-grade class about music, a graphic designer from the local newspaper will talk to first graders about integrating words and pictures) in the week before the arts festival.
For a grant competition involving a state program to support programs for parents of students with special needs:
We are requesting funds to support the development of our parent resource library and workroom. Your call for proposals requires that all grant applications "demonstrate how the program will build communication between parents of children with special needs and the larger school community." We are requesting funds for books and DVDs for parents of special needs children. A list of titles to be purchased is included on the budget sheet. Funding would also be used to sponsor two workshops for special needs parents. These workshops would have two purposes. First, they would introduce parents to the books and DVDs available. Second, they would allow parents to meet others who share some of their concerns and experiences, building a network of support.
From an application for resources to support needs of non-English speakers:
We are requesting funds to support the development of a resource base of materials translated into Spanish and Vietnamese. Your call for proposals requires that grant applications "demonstrate how the program will reach underserved populations in the school community." By finding translation services for weekly newsletters, as well as the development of a mentoring program for Hispanic- and Vietnamese-speaking parents, we will enhance communication with these groups.
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