Applying for grants in a non-profit environment
The cause I chose to write grants for is the Las Artes G.E.D. program in Ajo, Arizona. International Sonoran Desert Alliance sponsors the Las Artes GED program. It is modeled after a program in Tucson, Las Artes, which has proven to be very successful for out of school youth in helping them to get their GED and gain important work skills.
There are hundreds of grants out there, maybe thousands, but you have to sift through them to find grants that are suitable for your cause. It is time-consuming, to say the least, and challenging to apply for these grants in some instances. The rewards are great! It is a thrill to submit a well-written grant application, and so far I have done it a few times and anticipate the bigger thrill of getting the funding awarded to my cause.
I found plenty of advice and some sample submissions on the internet to guide me. Some of the tips I found include the admonition to take risks, be original, and go beyond the adoption of a published curriculum.
Several of the granters advised:
Don’t be afraid to try something new.
Do not ask for grant funds for district, state, or federal mandates.
Student Achievement Grants are your opportunity to experiment with ideas that you and your colleagues believe will improve student achievement!
I had a couple of programs that I wanted to support and that my contact at Las Artes really wanted to continue or start because of the positive effects she had observed among the students, or for the possibility for self-sustaining income as a result. Below is the website for the Las Artes G.E.D. Program:
http://www.isdanet.org/las-artes-ged-program.html
One of my ideas was to start a self-sustaining income for a pottery program. Las Artes students already produce ceramic tile mosaics in the school’s ceramic studio, but Ajo is a small town and I wanted a product that would sell globally through the internet. Below is part of a grant submission that I wrote and have used in several grant applications. Here is one of the addresses I applied to with a version of the below proposal:
https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms_apps_idx.html
Income Producing Business
Student-Produced Pottery Sales
The funding will be used to set up and operate a functional pottery studio. The students will write a business plan and an international marketing plan for a functional pottery studio. There is a tile mosaic program already in place at Las Artes where the students design and craft the tile mosaics for sale to the local community. Additional funding would allow this to be expanded into a bake ware and tableware workshop with global marketing through the internet at such auctions as etsy.com and eBay.com. This will give the students tools and knowledge to develop their own business and the experience to enhance their resume, and it could give the school a stream of income.
The students will be involved with accounting, marketing, web design, developing functional ceramics designs and patterns, manufacturing, selling, and shipping the pottery items.
Las Artes is a non-profit institution that addresses the high drop-out rate in Ajo, Arizona. The drop-out rate in the public school is high due to a number of factors, not the least of which is the low per capita income in Ajo. This culturally rich town in the southern part of Arizona is near the Mexican border and adjacent to the Tohono O’odham Nation with the twin driving forces of tension and opportunity that goes with three nations sharing geographic space.
One of the other programs that I like is the Shop Girls eight-week carpentry tool workshop. I submitted this one to tool manufacturers and a couple of education sites. I am looking into several woman’s empowerment foundations to submit this idea, also.
Recently I submitted the Shop Girls proposal to a site that gathers non-profit grant wishes and matches them with grants. I entered Shop Girls into the contest for ‘Non-profit of the Week’, which, if I win, will give Shop Girls a lot of internet coverage and possibly contact with source of income for the program. Parts of this submission are below:
http://nonprofit.about.com
Shop Girls
Shop girls is a program that empowers Ajo women and girls through carpentry tool mastery and project creation in a positive, instructive, non critical environment that fosters success.
Shop Girls was modeled on the “Girls with Tools” program developed by the Zuni Avenue Peace Center in Tucson, Arizona.
The One Very Best Thing About Your Cause*
What’s the most important thing about your cause?
ISDA sponsors the “Las Artes GED program.” It is modeled after a program in Tucson, Las Artes, which has proven to be very successful for out of school youth in helping them to get their GED and gain important work skills.
For two years, International Sonoran Desert Alliance provided free, eight-week courses for women and girls in carpentry tools skill development. Learning how to use tools such as jigsaws, power drills and sanders through instruction by a highly experienced local female carpenter, these women and girls created wooden tables, benches, lamps, tool boxes, decorative accessories, etc. while honing their safety, math, project organization, collaboration and leadership skills. In addition, as their tool mastery developed, they learned alternative tool uses as they apply to home maintenance.
Not only were our women and girls empowered by project success and the enthusiastic camaraderie of an all female environment, some also began to think entrepreneurially about personally created product as an opportunity for income. Because of this, ISDA has brought business classes to Ajo from the Micro Business Advancement Center in Tucson to assist women to make the leap from skills development to economic opportunity.
Funding for Shop Girls was provided by the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona. ISDA is searching for new funding.
Do you have tips for people who would like to support your cause?
• We are committed to fostering communication, understanding and cooperation among the diverse cultures residing in the area.
• Our vision is to establish the region as a showcase for environmental excellence and an international center for arts and culture with a prosperous and sustainable economy offering opportunities for all its residents.
Why My Cause Should Be the Cause of the Week*
Las Artes is a community arts program that addresses the educational needs of dropout and at-risk youth and provides a diverse population the opportunity to produce community arts projects while earning a GED or high school credits.
How I Got Involved With My Cause
Las Artes is a wonderful program that I became involved with because of my interest in non-profit international community development through arts and crafts.
Conclusion
I began this project with the belief that I would find one grant or maybe two, and apply for the grant money in a straightforward way, but I have found that grant writing is a lot like scattering seed on a field; you need to cast many seeds far and wide to get good results.
Grant writing calls upon creative writing skills, organization, and I enjoy doing it. I will continue to write grants for Las Artes until there are enough funds to continue this wonderful program, because by now it has become a hobby.
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