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June 15, 2001
Writing and Winning Grants: Tips from Technology Leaders
Compiled by Gwen Solomon
We asked tech-savvy educators in a variety of roles for their takes on writing great grants. Here's what they told us.
"Things like more hardware and software or a wish list of 'stuff' are irrelevant. What you want are the programs or reforms that could make your school the place it was intended to be, a world-class school with world-class students."
-Gary Carnow, director of technology, Alhambra, Calif.
"Write in plain language. Avoid jargon. If you want to use acronyms, define them."
-Andrea Gooden, senior program manager, Global Community Development, Sun Microsystems
"Convince the funder that both you and the idea are solid. Use persuasion and concrete images to demonstrate why the idea is important."
-Mike Haney, program director, Elementary, Secondary and Informal Education, National Science Foundation
"Prepare well so you can report easily. Align goals, objectives, and activities; build in a clear evaluation plan to monitor and measure progress; and then communicate the results."
-Jenelle V. Leonard, U.S. D.O.E., Technology Innovation Challenge Grants Program
"Maintain a good set of readily available needs assessment data. If you know what the overwhelming needs of your school or district are (and can point to data to prove it), it will be easy to target appropriate grants and use the data as a resource."
-Larry Leverett, superintendent, Plainfield Public Schools, N.Y.
"Be realistic about what you plan to accomplish: Grant-giving organizations like to support projects that set realistic goals because they are more likely to be successful. If the scope of what you set out to do is too broad and all-encompassing, you are more likely to be turned down. If your project has a focused goal, with steps outlined to reach that goal, it will be more appealing to potential funders."
-Bonnie Marks, director, Region IV California Technology Assistance Project
"Engage as many great minds as possible to help you develop the concepts for the proposal, to make your idea strong and likely to succeed."
-Robert McLaughlin, National Institute for Community Innovations
"Look very carefully at the purpose and goals for the grant and write specifically to those."
-Helen Soule, Mississippi Director of Educational Technology, Training and Support
"Convince the reader that every cent in your budget is necessary, there are no unnecessary frills, and your operation is as economical as is consistent with success."
-Robert Tinker, chairman, The Concord Consortium
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