Week 1
What are the six stages of grant seeking? What, exactly, is a needs statement? And which online resource linked through the syllabus have I found to be most useful and why?
The six stages of grant seeking are:
1. recognize and identify a problem;
2. the solution or idea to solve the problem;
3. idea should support mission and goals of your organization;
4. research sponsors whose priorities match with the idea;
5. write and submit proposal;
6. implement solution.
As I was reading these chapters, the ideas presented seem very intuitive. Of course, that should be the order, especially when money is at stake. I understand why we should begin with the identification of the problem. The proposal should not be about an individual person and his particular ideas, but about how the public will benefit from the idea. The hard part is taking the personality (the ones which will cause problems) out of the equation. The problem exists beyond the one individual who is writing the proposal and still needs to be solved regardless of who is involved with the organization.
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A needs statement, a paragraph to a page long, must have three elements. The first is the description of the problem which puts the problem in context so that people can understand the problem and those affected by it, includes a justification for why the problem should be solved, and explains what part of the problem the proposal writer wants to solve. The second element is what the organization plans as the solution to the problem and should include approaches, strategies and methods to be used. The third element is the instrumental purpose which tells the sponsor what action they should take to help you reach your objectives.
_________________________________
I have been having some frustrating time with the online resources. At the beginning it was difficult for me to know what I was looking at. I am not familiar with the terminology used in these organizations so I didn't really know if I was looking at something useful. Even navigating through several didn't make it easier because each seems to use different terminology and to have a different method of organization. Some of the sites are much more than just grant information.
So the one I have to settle for at this point is the Department of Education Funding Opportunities site. It has short descriptions following each link so it gives me an idea of what I'm going to find rather than just making me go look or assuming that I know what I'm looking for. I am confident that there must be some pattern to the sites and that the pattern makes sense to someone. I just haven't figured that out yet.
The six stages of grant seeking are:
1. recognize and identify a problem;
2. the solution or idea to solve the problem;
3. idea should support mission and goals of your organization;
4. research sponsors whose priorities match with the idea;
5. write and submit proposal;
6. implement solution.
As I was reading these chapters, the ideas presented seem very intuitive. Of course, that should be the order, especially when money is at stake. I understand why we should begin with the identification of the problem. The proposal should not be about an individual person and his particular ideas, but about how the public will benefit from the idea. The hard part is taking the personality (the ones which will cause problems) out of the equation. The problem exists beyond the one individual who is writing the proposal and still needs to be solved regardless of who is involved with the organization.
_________________________________
A needs statement, a paragraph to a page long, must have three elements. The first is the description of the problem which puts the problem in context so that people can understand the problem and those affected by it, includes a justification for why the problem should be solved, and explains what part of the problem the proposal writer wants to solve. The second element is what the organization plans as the solution to the problem and should include approaches, strategies and methods to be used. The third element is the instrumental purpose which tells the sponsor what action they should take to help you reach your objectives.
_________________________________
I have been having some frustrating time with the online resources. At the beginning it was difficult for me to know what I was looking at. I am not familiar with the terminology used in these organizations so I didn't really know if I was looking at something useful. Even navigating through several didn't make it easier because each seems to use different terminology and to have a different method of organization. Some of the sites are much more than just grant information.
So the one I have to settle for at this point is the Department of Education Funding Opportunities site. It has short descriptions following each link so it gives me an idea of what I'm going to find rather than just making me go look or assuming that I know what I'm looking for. I am confident that there must be some pattern to the sites and that the pattern makes sense to someone. I just haven't figured that out yet.
posted by Prof Santoy | 8:48 AM
1 Comments:
Nice work, Janie. In writing these six stages out you're reinforcing them. The ideas are intuitive, I agree. But, it is so tempting to begin in one area with grants rather than another. It's easy to begin by looking for funders rather than begin with a problem and look to match mission statements. But, the success percentage increases dramatically this way. Begin with the problem, think about what solution solves the problem, question if the solution is part of the mission, match missions between the organization and the funder, and go from there.
And, yes, personality and human beings throw wrenches into the best of intentions. Always.
The order of the needs statement is important, as well. A, B, C. One more thing with needs statement: in addition to saying what action funders should take, it is important to point out why now is the crucial time that they take that action. Sure, they may say, if we did this X would happen. But X isn't crucial right now, so we're passing on this opportunity.
Nice point about terminology. That is why we're front-loading some reading. Terms like RFPs, for instance, will become far more clear. Yes, many sources through the Department of Education. A great one to share in a week or so to the class. Really looking forward to seeing your presentation and watching you develop your ideas about this course more, Janie. You're off to a solid start.
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