A GRANT-WRITING PRIMER

By Patricia N. Williamsen

Local History Notebook, November / December 1986

Most nonprofit organizations like local history organizations face a similar dilemma: where to get funding for special projects and programs that add vitality to their ongoing operations. With federal and local budgets shrinking, small government and privately supported groups experience a pinch in their pockets. These cuts result in decreased operating expenses and eventually create a situation in which nonprofits find themselves reducing essential services. This can result in shorter hours, fewer paid staff, and no special programs.

In spite of such grim tidings, money for special projects is available. Getting it for your organization takes some thoughtful preparation and hard work. As traditional funding is reduced, it becomes imperative for directors and volunteers to formulate development strategies to insure that extra funding is pumped into the institution. A local history organization, if viewed as an integral part of the community, can use its mission as a provider of community services to emphasize the importance of fund-raising. Grant writing is one way to supplement thin budgets.

Getting Started

Grant funding is available from national and state agencies, corporations, and private foundations. Once a project idea has been identified, you can begin to investigate possible funding sources. A trip to the library's reference section will provide you with information on where funding can be sought.

Identify a potential funding source, based on the information available to you. By letter or phone, approach the staff of the agency to ascertain their interest in your idea. Ask if the grant-making organization has printed guidelines to help acquaint you with their programs. Many private foundations do not have printed guidelines for the applicant to follow. However, larger agencies, such as the Ohio Humanities Council (OHC) and the Ohio Arts Council, regularly publish and update proposal application guidelines.

Find out if your project falls within the funding priorities of the potential funder. For example, the primary goal in the allocation of OHC funds is to provide support for public humanities programs directed toward Ohio's out-of-school adult population. A grant application seeking support for a local theatre's performance of "The Skin Of Our Teeth" would not receive funds from OHC. But a pre-performance lecture/discussion program on Thornton Wilder's contributions to American literature might be awarded a grant.

Ask also if the agency has an application form for grant proposals. Many small foundations and corporations do not have printed applications, but prefer a letter-type, or narrative proposal accompanied by a separate budget.

Do some research. Find out where the funds are, how much is available, and whether or not your project idea qualifies for funding by a particular agency.

If possible, take advantage of the workshops on grant-writing offered by such organizations as the Ohio Humanities Council, the Grantsmanship Training Center, and the Foundation Center.

If Two Heads Are Better than One...

Form a planning committee to help refine your ideas. Invite qualified people to assist you throughout the project. In local history organizations a committee might be composed of board members, area teachers, and members of the general public. The committee should include individuals familiar with your organization, project themes, or the methods to be used to successfully complete the project.

The makeup of the planning committee will be determined in part by your needs and by the granting agency's guidelines. The Ohio Humanities Council requires planning committees to be composed of humanities scholars and members of the general public. This representation insures that the Council's goal of providing support for public humanities programs for out-of-school adults is fulfilled.

While not all funding agencies require the input of a planning committee, it is a resource that should not be overlooked. The presence of qualified experts and interested individuals can only add to the quality of the project. The benefits to you as project director will be many. The members of a planning committee can act as advisors and resource people, and assist with proposal preparation, program development, and evaluation. As project director, you should be the key person in the project. It will be your responsibility to inspire, coordinate, and document the project.

Writing the Grant

Many people express concern that grant writing is difficult. It would be misleading to suggest that it is not. But "difficult" does not mean impossible.

Most application forms will ask you to summarize all that information on the first page. When writing a narrative proposal, be sure to include an abstract of the project. This abstract, or summary, should include information on the project, its sponsor, and the anticipated costs. An abstract allows an agency staff person to quickly grasp your intent, making review of the complete application easier.

In the introduction to a grant proposal, state who you are, and establish the credibility of your organization. Then simply state the reasons for the proposal and how much you need. For example, you can write:

"The Hooterville Historical Museum is asking XBC Corporation for a grant of $4,000 to partially support cataloguing the museum's collection of nineteenth century quilts, and publication of a booklet that will be used for self-guided tours. A complete catalogue and interpretive brochure will greatly add to the collection's research potential and public appreciation of the decorative arts."

The next step, describing the methods of the project, should clearly and concisely explain how the proposed objectives will be carried out. The Hooterville Museum apparently has two objectives:

The methods section of the grant proposal might answer the following questions: Who will research the text of the booklet? What are his/her qualifications for this project? Where will research be conducted? When and how will the booklet be published and distributed? How will the museum use the guidebook to interpret the collection? How will the education of the public be enhanced by this project? To answer some of those questions you can state:

An evaluation plan is vital to your project. When the production of an interpretive brochure on quilts becomes a jumble of loose threads, effective evaluation of methods can help clarify what might be causing problems. The Ohio Humanities Council requires its grantees to conduct self-evaluation of their programs, and also assigns an independent evaluator to critique each project. This helps the Council in a number of ways. Besides providing an assessment of the success or failure of the project, it alerts the Council to successful formats that can be shared with future project directors.

Budget

The last part of the grant application is the budget. Unless the grant-making agency has very specific guidelines for drawing up a budget (as is the case with the Ohio Humanities Council), I suggest that you write the budget in two columns. These two columns should describe how grant monies will be used and what your organization plans to contribute, both in cash and services.

The budget should include categories for salaries, travel, supplies, printing, postage and telephone, facilities and equipment rental, advertising, and other expenditures. Make every effort to prepare accurate budget projections, and if necessary, append an annotated budget to clarify your requests. To illustrate the various categories and items that might be included in a complete budget, I have drawn up the projected expenses for the Hooterville Historical Museum's proposed project.

Budget for Production of An Interpretive Guide to the Quilt Collection at the Hooterville Historical Museum

When you write a budget, don't ignore things we tend to overlook on a daily basis. Volunteer contributions, in the form of secretarial assistance or accounting, should be noted under your agency's contributions. The secretary at the Hooterville Museum will be devoting a good deal of her time to typing the manuscript for the booklet before it goes to the printer. Thus her time is noted in the cost-sharing column. Cost-sharing contributions can consist of cash and/or of "in-kind" services. "In-kind" contributions may include items such as the services of volunteer participants, any efforts associated with planning the project, facilities, and supplies.

Submit a rough draft of the grant application to your planning committee for a critique. Ask them to look for inconsistencies between the objective statements and your chosen methodology, and in the budget. One member of the planning committee for the Hooterville museum suggested that the community needed to be alerted to the existence of the project and its progress, and so the project director included a publicity plan in the second draft. After the application has been evaluated, write its final draft. Send it off to the funding agency with a cover letter thanking the agency for its consideration of your proposal.

There are a number of agencies and publications available to assist you with the task of writing a grant application. A partial list is included here for reference.

Directories

Grant writing is difficult. The rewards, however, make the labor worthwhile. Imagine the excitement of the Hooterville Historical Museum's staff when they learn that XBC Corporation has funded their proposal. Imagine your own scenario of possibilities with the aid of grant-funding.

Suggested Reading

The following books are recommended for information on grant writing.

Connors, Tracy D. ed. The Nonprofit Organization Handbook. New York: McGraw Hill, 1980.

Mirkin, Howard R. The Complete Fund Raising Guide. Hartsdale, New York: Public Service Materials Center, 1978.

Pendleton, Niel. Fundraising: A Guide for Non-Profit Organizations. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1981.

Plessner, Gerald. The Encyclopedia of Fund Raising. Arcadia, California: Fund Raising, Inc.

Tenbrunsel, Thomas W. The Fund Raising Resource Manual. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1982.

Patricia N. Williamsen is the Program Officer at the Ohio Humanities Council. Her duties include public relations, development, and special projects coordination.

The Local History Notebook is edited and published by the Ohio Historical Society's Local History Office, in order to bring useful information to persons working in the local history field. The selection of subjects and authors is based on inquiries to the Local History Office and on the editor's determination of issues which are timely in nature and lasting in scope. The reference inserts are copyrighted 1986 the Ohio Historical Society. Reprints are available; please specify volume and number. For information on prices, write to: