Grant Guru

There are entire books written about the budget process as it relates to grantseeking. This article and the ones that follow in the next few weeks will help you write a winning budget. I've written a lot of grants and I continue to find that creating the program budget is by far the most fun and rewarding part of the grantseeking process. Although a grant narrative and a grant budget appear relatively late in a proposal, the budget is a section that I firm up very early in my writing process.

There are many ways that I find grants. Some grants are announced by my State Department of Education. Some federal grants get on my radar through various listservs I subscribe to. Occasionally I find an opportunity through a colleague's recommendation. No matter how I find the grant that I will eventually write, I tend to keep my wish list of needs handy. In my daily work, I jot down problems and potential solutions. If I only had money and time, I probably could make a stab at solving these problems. When a grant comes my way, whether announced or sought-out through my own research, and I think I have a match, I proceed. If my work conditions (student population, demographics, needs) don't match the grant requirements, I look elsewhere. Trying to fit my needs into a specific grant proposal will work only if there is a match.

After reading the Request for Proposal (RFP) carefully, I study the scoring rubric, specifically looking for budget items that need to be addressed. Recently, I completed a technology plan for my school district. This document is required for e-rate funds. The RFP contained a rubric that included projected budget and budget narrative items as follows:

1. Is there a connection among proposed expenditures and needs, goals and strategies?
2. Are types of technologies and the explanation of expenditures defined and justified?
3. Will the Local Educational Agency leverage funds and/or provide in-kind contributions that will enhance the program?

As I wrote this section of the proposal, I used the rubric as my outline. In each case I tried to make a strong case for each of the questions. The rubric's highest scores were allotted to the preceding questions as follows:

1. There is a clear and strong connection among proposed expenditures and needs, goals and strategies. Proposed expenditures are reasonable and necessary and will support all program goals.
2. Technologies to be acquired are clearly explained. There is a strong tie between the proposed technology expenditures and the program goals.
3. The LEA will leverage funds from more than one source. In-kind contributions will be provided by the LEA and/or partnerships. The additional funds/contributions will be used to support and enhance the program.

Your challenge will be to make sure that you just don't simply restate the question to answer it, but to build a case for each rubric item.
Many grantwriters find that when they write a proposal, the budget is thrown together quickly as the deadline looms. This is a huge mistake. Budgets are complex and require research and detail. You will need to consult financial people in your school, district, college or university. You will need to educate yourself about direct and indirect costs, salaries, benefits, contracts, materials/supplies, and equipment. You will need to find out how your agency defines equipment versus supplies. You will also need to learn a bit about the account structure used in your state and how that relates to the grant you are writing. For example, your state may code certain equipment one way and the federal grant you are applying for does so in another way. A final word of caution, the time to learn Excel or the spreadsheet of your choice is not the night before your proposal is due.

So, with that said, plan ahead. Budget your time. Refer back to Tip #12 for some tips to help you budget your time. Stay tuned for more next week.