Tips on Writing a Grant Proposal

I posted this in November but since it is Grant proposal month I thought I would post it again. I wish I would have remembered this resource when we were writing the grant we just finished. I hope you all find it helpful.

http://www.epa.gov/ogd/recipient/tips.htm

Shop at Whole Foods on July 1st and support LEEP

July 1st from 9am to 5pm, LEEP will be at Whole Foods Market.
LEEP has been choosen to be a part of Whole Foods Market 5% day. This means 5% of the total sales at Whole Foods for this day will go to LEEP.
So get on over to Whole Foods and stock up. Don't forget to go by their booth to say hello. Ian Sanchez will be playing his sax throughout the day for shoppers!! I wonder if he knows any Red Hot Chili Peppers? : )

Trio Solutions provides pro bono services to local nonprofits

Trio Solutions Inc. invites local nonprofit organizations to apply for the 11th annual CreateAthon®, scheduled for September 18, 2008.
CreateAthon® is a 24-hour, work-around the clock creative blitz during which Trio Solutions Inc. provides marketing and creative services to Lowcountry nonprofit organizations on a pro-bono basis. The selected nonprofits have little or no marketing budgets.
Trio Solutions is the official CreateAthon® agency for the Charleston-metro area.
The round-the-clock creative work will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday.
The deadline for CreateAthon® 2008 applications is July 28. Five organizations will be selected by Trio Solutions Inc. to receive CreateAthon® 2008 services and will be announced on August 4.
Please visit www.trio-solutions.com for more information or to download an application.

Nonprofit Spotlight

Located on 150 acres in Awendaw, the Center for Birds of Prey has made it their mission to study and identify the environmental issues that affect the welfare of birds and their habitats. They accomplish this by focusing on avian medicine as well as educational, research and conservation initiatives.

These are just some the things the Center for Birds of Prey does:

• Operates a medical clinic for injured birds of prey


• Offers on-site and outreach educational programs


• Conducts field and laboratory research studies


• Participates in and supports international conservation issues


• Is a first line responder for oiled birds in the event of an oil spill affecting native bird populations and their fragile breading habitats along the South Atlantic coast


• Serves as a primary resource for creating ongoing awareness of the ecological impacts of a spill and proactive measures available to reduce the likelihood of such an event

To learn more about the Center for Birds of Prey, visit their website at http://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/ or go check it out in person. The Center is now open to the public on Thursdays, Friday and Saturdays from 10:00-5:00 with guided walking tours at 10:30 and 2:00 and flight demonstrations at 11:30 and 3:00.

Upcoming Events

Doggy Dining and Drinks- Wed., June 25, 5-8 p.m. at Dog and Duck in Summerville
Lowcountry Golden Retriever Rescue will be there to answer any question you have about fostering, adoption, and volunteering. Visit http://www.lcgrr.org/ for more info.

LowCountry Pitbull Rescue Meet and Greet-Sat., June 28, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at All is Well, 1409-D Folly Road
Adoptable dogs, volunteers, foster parents, literature, and lots of Pit Bull lovers. Call 843-834-4312 for more info.


Early Morning Birdwalks at Caw Caw Interpretive Center on Wednesdays, Saturdays, 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
No pre-registration required. Visit http://www.ccprc.com/ for more info.


Tours of the Sea Turtle Hospital at the SC Aquarium on Wednesdays, Fridays, 1 p.m.
http://www.scaquarium.org/ for more info


Darkness to Light Workshop
Be trained to implement Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children™ child sexual abuse prevention course. Visit http://www.darkness2light.org/news/events.asp for more information.

Want to have your organization's event posted? Email me at jonesmi@ccpl.org.

Guide to Proposal Writing

A useful resource containing tips and examples of the proposal writing process.

http://www.wm.edu/grants/PROP/miner.pdf

Long Term Care Training

Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging and the Trident Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) presents:

“Planning for Your Long Term Care Needs”

Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
Main Auditorium
109 Bee Street
Charleston, SC 29401

9:30 am – 12:30 pm

July 9, 2008

Topics to be Covered:

Long Term Care – Understanding, Planning and Paying for Long Term Care

Long Term Care Insurance & Other Financing Options

Medicaid Eligibility - Considerations and How to Apply, Including Waiver Services

Legal Issues – Power of Attorney, Will, Advanced Directives, Guardianship and Conservatorship, Letter of Last Instruction

Please RSVP: 843-554-2283 or ktebben@tridentaaa.org

CAGP Meeting tomorrow night -GRANT PROPOSAL REVIEW

The Charleston Association of Grant Professionals (CAGP) will meet on Tuesday, June 17th, at 5:45 p.m. in the auditorium of the Charleston County Public Library.

Topic: GRANT PROPOSAL REVIEW

We will simulate an actual Grant Proposal Review Process:

• You will be a member of a grant review team and be assigned 2-3 proposals to read and critique.
• Along with your other team members, you will review the funding guidelines and review criteria.
• Discuss your thoughts with your teammates as you decide on the proposal’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Each team will write their comments on the proposal and share them with the larger group.
• The members of the Grant Review Panel will review the comments from the teams and share their thoughts on the proposals.

Grant Review Panel:
Anne Weston Sass, Grants Development Officer, Roper St. Francis Foundation
Mary “Holly” Craighead, Eastern Shore Research and Development, LLC
Mary Carmichael, Director of Finance & Grants Mgmt., Chas. Charter School for Math & Science, Inc.

Please come out for a great program! This is always one of the most popular programs. If you have any questions, email carolynlackey@comcast.net.

Upcoming Workshop- The Importance of Having a Website

The Nonprofit Nook will host a workshop, “The Importance of Having a Web site” on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The workshop will focus on why it is important to have a Web site and keeping it current and its impact on your organization.
For more information or to register, please visit www.thenonprofitnook.com or call (843) 216-0442.

Other Upcoming Workshops

July 16 Working with Printers – Know the Lingo and How it Works
August 13 Put the WOW! Factor in Your Event Without Breaking the Bank
Sept 17 Search Engine Marketing and Optimization

Proposal writing tips on the web

Non-profit guides

Non-profit guides are free Web-based grant-writing tools for non-profit organizations, charitable, educational, public organizations, and other community-minded groups.

This site has some great tips and sample proposals.

http://www.npguides.org/index.html

Common grant applications

The common grant application has been adopted by a number of grantmakers in order to ease the grant writing and reviewing process. Even if you are not applying to a foundation that accepts a common grant application, the forms can be a great way to familiarize yourself with the layout and components of a proposal.

http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/cga.html

Free Webinar on Proposal Writing

New to proposal writing or just need a refresher? This free Foundation Center webinar will teach you basics of proposal writing such as how the proposal should be packaged, who should sign the request and how you should contact the funder if you are turned down. The webinar will be offered at 3pm EST June 25, July 10, July 23 and August 13. You can register online at http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/training/webinars/pwb_webinar.html.

Letter of Inquiry

Great article on how to write a winning letter of inquiry.

http://nonprofit.about.com/od/fundraising/a/LOI.htm

How to Write a Grant Proposal

The month of June will focus on this topic. I will be posting tips and articles so if you have something interesting you would like to share related to this topic please send it to me. I will continue to spotlight foundations and nonprofits so feel free to send me information on your organization.