As we go onto the second week, I'm excited about the special topics classes taught by my colleagues. On Monday and Tuesday, my friend and colleague Donna Gallo will be presenting strategies for creating music with Garage Band. I just know that after this session I'm going to be wishing I had a classroom set of Ipads! I'm posting the information below about writing grants as a reminder not only to me, but as information for any of the students in the course who are also interested, or any of you out there!
I originally wrote this article several years ago for the MKMEA Bulletin, when I taught in Lancaster City Schools. I've received one other grant since writing the article below, from my district. I used the funds I received from that grant to purchase a classroom set of world drums, and am so happy I did! Many organizations offer grants; you just have to do some research and work, which is, of course, very much worth it!
This is when I decided I should
try writing a grant.
As I perused the different types
of grants online, I found that many were program grants instead of capital
grants. With a capital grant, I'd be
able to spend the money on a brand new set of Orff instruments, just for the
sake of having new equipment. A project grant, however, is given to support a specific set
of activities, explicit objectives and a budgeted cost. I pondered what type of project I could begin with a set of instruments,
which objectives I might meet. I looked over my year plans, my lessons, and
my books, and decided there was one area in which instruments could be very
beneficial: improvisation. Although I'd
been able to do some rhythmic and melodic improvisation in the classroom, I
felt that instrumental improvisation, especially in the pentatonic scale, was
perhaps the most accessible way to begin with my students.
As
I thought this over and came up with a plan of action, I became more excited
about the improvisational skills my students might acquire, instead of just the
access to the instruments.
My
sister is a grant-writer, so with her help, I
wrote a grant to the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation. In November of 2004, I received the
grant. In January of 2005, I received a
set of seven Peripole-Bergerault instruments, twenty-eight hand drums, and two
books which contained improvisational concepts and ideas: Orff Schulwerk:
Applications by Brigitte Warner and Exploring Orff by Arvida
Steen. I'd like to share some
grant-writing tips and procedures that I learned from my sister.
- The Wonderful World Wide Web.
By going to a search engine such as "google" and typing
in search terms such as "music education" AND
"grants," I was able to find a slew of sites that might be
appropriate for my purposes. These
sites often have the application and guidelines online for your perusal.
(See "web sites of interest" below.)
- Do your homework.
Once you've decided which grant you'd like to apply for, study as
much as you can about that organization.
What kind of grants have they given out before? What are the aims and goals of that
organization? Much can be learned
just from browsing through their web site for a few minutes.
- What
are their categories or areas of giving?
For the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation grant, I applied under
"improving learning in the arts." Not all grants are quite that clear,
though, so you may need to put a lot of consideration into which area best
describes your project.
- Be
specific. When writing the grant, the more
specific you are, the better. For
example, if the organization asks for a timeline, give specific
months. When they ask for a plan of
action, be as detailed as possible.
- Use
"we" and "our," not "I" and "my." This may be a no-brainer to some of you,
but it wasn't to me! My first draft
included "my school" and "my grant." You don't want to make it seem like the
school and program are controlled by one person-- rather, you need to show
that this is a collaborative effort (even if you're the only music
teacher, and your principal doesn't know much about the grant!)
- Along
those lines…show that you have support.
There is a delicate balance between showing that your school is in
financial need, and showing that your school is willing to help out. It could be as small as $10 of
"in-kind matching" (your school will fork out $10 if the amount
you're asking for exceeds the maximum the organization gives), or that
your school will build you a bookcase for your new supplies. For Martha Holden Jennings, a letter
from the superintendent was required to show that he/she knows about the
application, and will support the program in some way.
- What
can the organization receive in return?
Organizations who give out grants do not do it simply for the sake
of kindness. That might be part of
it, but they also do it because they'll receive something in return-- most
often, advertising. You might put
their name on your web site, in your newsletter, and/or in your concert
program.
- Follow
their guidelines to a "T." Just as book publishers have slush
piles, so do grant organizations.
Do exactly what they ask you to do-- don't give them an excuse to
dismiss yours.
And once you receive the grant…
- Thank
and recognize the organization.
First, upon receiving the grant, it is important to send a
thank-you note or letter. Then, you
might recognize the board members of the organization by inviting them to
performances, assemblies, or even a class. They might not be able to come, but
will appreciate the sentiment. And
if they can come, it's a wonderful way to show them how much you and your
students benefited from the grant.
- Make
sure to finish your final report.
A report stating how you met your objectives, spent the money, and
so forth, is usually required.
The
biggest reward I received from the grant was not the instruments but the looks
of joy on my students' faces when they performed for the school and for their
parents. I hope this will help
you to tap into the endless resources available out there, so you can enjoy the
benefits just as my students and I did!
Web
sites of interest:
Martha
Holden Jennings Foundation: www.mhjf.org
Mr.
Holland's Opus Foundation: www.mhopus.org
Mockingbird
Charitable Funding www.mockingbirdfoundation.org/funding
The Ohio
Arts Council www.oac.state.oh.us
Thanks for sharing this! I just got hired as an elementary music teacher at a school that has a lot of instruments for the upper grades, but hardly anything for the lower grades. I was thinking about writing a grant for some Orff instruments and I stumbled upon this post. Perfect!
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff! I recently wrote a post about the mistakes people should avoid, and you nailed a couple I missed- great job! You can read my post here> http://stfi.re/bxnznoe
ReplyDelete