Posts Tagged ‘grant funds’

The Grantwriter’s Start-Up Kit: A Beginner’s Guide To Grant Proposals by Successful Images, Inc.

Fundraisers are often intimidated by the prospect of writing grant proposals. But missing a grant opportunity can mean losing important programs and essential services. For the fundraiser in need of practical skills and guidance, The Grantwriter’s Start-Up Kit shows how to prepare for the process of writing a successful grant proposal.

NPC: Tell us a little bit about your organization, Children of the Earth. Why was it started?

Nina Meyerhof: I brought young people from around the world together to attend the World Summit for Children that was being held at the United Nations. I’m an educator and something inside of me was touched that the summit wasn’t “of children,” it was “for children.” I wanted to activate young people so they could see that they have a voice in their own future and destiny; they can participate in declarations that pertain to their own life. It was the first time that young people were able to present. They presented to UNICEF, the Dalai Lama, and to the General Assembly.

I’ve always been in education. I use to run a children’s camp called Heart’s Bend, and it was there that I ran leadership programs for 30 something odd years. I was also a Special Ed Director for ten schools. So what emerges is that I finally stepped out into the world and did global education and multi-cultural education. I started peeling the onion looking at what is the inner core that brings us all together as one humanity. Children of the Earth was booked as an understanding that our spiritual nature is universal and all our dreams are the same; we just have different processes that brings us to that goal.

I traveled around the world and started doing programs in different areas. In the last 3 – 4 years, we received a grant and it’s helped build our capacity by allowing us to put the pieces together as an infrastructure and have a way to tally everything we’re doing. Children of the Earth is building the platform for the voices of young people in the consciousness movement.




NPC: Who does it serve?

Nina Meyerhof: Children of the Earth serves young people who feel within themselves a stirring and knowingness that there can be a better world and that there is hope; they want to participate in the process. We formed spiritual hubs and social action chapters around the world so that young people who follow spiritual principles could work towards aiding their country through different projects. Children of the Earth includes approximately 10,000 young people from around the world. Our long-term goal is to build a virtual platform with mentors, books, and blogging–giving voice to young people so they know there is a home for them in the spiritual movement. Our young people range in age from15 – 30.




NPC: How long have you been in operation

Nina Meyerhof: Children of the Earth was formed in 1990.




NPC: How many people did you serve your first year?

Nina Meyerhof: At first young people visiting our website averaged anywhere from 30 – 50. We are now setting up a pyramid of action by training certain young people and in return they train others and it continues. The pyramid creates a ripple effect that helps get more young people involved.






NPC: What is your most difficult challenge as a nonprofit?

Nina Meyerhof: I think everyone would say finances; trying to find means of sustainability. We need to have our hubs and chapters stand on their own. We support them in different manners, and we have a lot of volunteers. However, volunteers come and go. I would love to give stipends to young people so they can see their life work and find means to really focus on it. Our capacity grant has helped us get on our feet and get organized, but it will eventually run out.




NPC: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a nonprofit?

Nina Meyerhof: The biggest advice is to have a passion for what you’re doing because it’s a long road ahead. The benefits are much more in terms of you fulfilling your destiny and purpose rather than saying I have an income.

NPC: How can people get involved?

Nina Meyerhof: There are so many ways to get involved. Right now we’re setting up volunteer programs in Nepal to help build a school and an orphanage in Rwanda. We’re in need of administrative help and finding young people who are good with social networking. It’s all about volunteering and finding your niche. You have to be strong in what your offering and be willing to work to make it a collective. I’d love to invite young people from the United States to get more involved. We have people all over the world, but the U.S. they come and go like it’s a diversion rather than a life’s work. I have the wonderful opportunity of always presenting at major conferences, and it is my goal to bring young people with me so that they can one day take on that role. It would be really good to have some U.S. contacts.

NPC: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Nina Meyerhof: We’re at the point of how we’re defining ourselves as we go beyond religion into not interfaith but intrafaith. We try to weave the understanding of where is the universal human being and what is the goal of life on planet earth so that there is no division but looking at our sameness’s rather than learning tolerance for differences.

Dr. Nina Meryhof is the President of Children of the Earth. For more information about the organization, please visit the website at www.coeworld.org.

I’ll Grant You That: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Funds, Designing Winning Projects, and Writing Powerful Grant Proposals by Jim Burke and Carol Ann Prater

Part book, part CD-ROM, I’ll Grant You That is an all-in-one resource for finding funds, designing winning projects, and writing powerful proposals.

How to Write a Grant Proposal by Cheryl New and James Quick

Effective grant proposals are not so much written as they are extensively researched, developed, and positioned. The actual writing, obviously an essential component, is nevertheless only the tip of the iceberg. Grant seekers must possess the necessary skills to correctly identify potential funders, craft a proposal that meets a specific funder’s needs, and follow that funder’s directions to the letter. Cheryl New and James Quick take grant seekers step-by-step through the entire development and drafting process in How to Write a Grant Proposal.

The authors concentrate on all the behind-the-scenes, pre-writing work that makes the difference between successful grant proposals and those that potential funders discard as “nonresponsive.” New and Quick concentrate on crafting specific proposals that prove a perfect match between a funder and a solicitor’s needs. Funders and the nonprofit organizations they support are both in the business of solving problems; the key is creating a project that addresses a problem that both parties are interested in solving. How to Write a Grant Proposal provides targeted guidance for a variety of kinds of organizations, including:

K—12 private and public educational organizations

Government agencies

For-profit businesses

Health care organizations

Traditional nonprofits

Higher education universities and centers

A companion CD-ROM contains guidesheets and templates that can be easily downloaded, customized, and printed. The authors provide examples of completed proposals and numerous case studies to demonstrate how the grant-seeking process typically works.

How to Write a Grant Proposal proves a one-stop resource on how to interpret a funder’s guidelines to create a successful grant proposal.

Webster’s New World Grant Writing Handbook by Sara D. Wason

In an increasingly competitive nonprofit world, even top organizations struggle to extend their fundraising reach or simply maintain current funding levels. This thorough guide to crafting winning grant applications takes you through the entire process–from pinpointing the right funding opportunities, to writing persuasive proposals, to following up later.

Practical, reliable, and accessible to seasoned pros and grant-writing greenhorns alike, Webster’s New World Grant Writing Handbook provides comprehensive coverage of:

• Different types of foundation and corporate grantmakers
• Defining your project, as well as your organization’s mission and goals
• Tailoring your applications to each grantmaker’s interest areas
• Writing convincing letters of inquiry
• Organizing and writing hard-hitting proposals
• Following up on proposals after they’ve been submitted
• Effective donor cultivation after proposals have been approved

Featuring sample proposals, letters, and application forms; proposal checklists; a glossary of terms; and many illustrative examples, this complete resource is ideal for any nonprofit–whether you’re in a multimillion-dollar university development office or the smallest humanitarian agency.

The Only Grant-Writing Book You’ll Ever Need: Top Grant Writers and Grant Givers Share Their Secrets by Ellen Karsh and Arlen Sue Fox

This book is designed to help nonprofit organizations craft proposals for grants from foundations, companies, and government agencies.

Ellen Karsh, a writer and former director of the Mayor’s Office of Grants Administration, in New York, and Arlen Sue Fox, associate executive director for development at Sunnyside Community Services, also in New York, significantly update this edition from 2005 by including interviews with grant makers about how the current economic crisis is affecting their giving and how grant seekers can improve their chances of garnering support.

The book includes a proposal checklist, a glossary of terms, sample grant forms, and a list of Web sites that provide information on grants offered by foundations, corporations, and the government.
—from the Chronicle of Philanthropy

Designing Successful Grant Proposals by Donald C. Orlich

Writing a grant proposal is often an arduous process with no guarantee that you will receive funding once you’ve put the time and effort required to create a strong proposal. In this book, Donald Orlich, a seasoned grants writer, offers proven guidelines for compiling successful grant proposals. Not only does he discuss how to organize ideas and establish needs, he provides information on monitoring funding sources and managing the entire proposal-writing process. He also offers tips for keeping everyone involved and on a schedule, a model of successful proposal, and an extensive list of sources that award both public and private grants.

The Complete Guide to Getting a Grant: How to Turn Your Ideas Into Dollars by Laurie Blum

Laurie Blum knows everything there is to know about the five billion dollars in grant monies available to finance a wide array of ideas and projects. With clear explanations and proven strategies for success, her indispensable guide will help you develop a game plan to get the grant you need. Here’s where you’ll find complete details on:

• Shaping your idea to attract funding.
• Preparing your funding campaign—from research and organization to budgeting and marketing.
• Finding the right resource—building a prospect list, using basic references, and keeping data sheets.
• Writing your proposal.
• Following up on responses—what to do if you receive a grant and what steps to take if your request is turned down.

How to Manage an Effective Nonprofit Organization: From Writing and Managing Grants to Fundraising, Board Development, and Strategic Planning by Michael A. Sand

Agency professionals at every level will find themselves referring to
How to Manage an Effective Nonprofit Organization anytime they have a
problem and need helpful, practical and to-the-point advice from an
acknowledged leader in the field. Each of the nine chapters includes
numerous practical recommendations: * Board members will learn how to
run effective meetings and get and keep the best people on their team.
* Busy staff members will learn how to maximize opportunities to obtain
grant funds while minimizing the time spent. * Grant writers will learn
how to prepare better proposals and how to manage the funds once they
get them. * Agencies will learn how to establish an outstanding
volunteer program and how to form community coalitions that work. * And
everyone will learn effective strategies to help improve supervisory,
personnel, and general management skills.