Applying for a Grant
For those of you familiar with the Suite, no, you haven't accidentally clicked on the wrong topic! Deborah Jeter, as you probably know by now, is working on advanced degrees. I have previously been the Flutes and Flute Playing editor. However, my full-time job has been in elementary music education, and I've also taught secondary, so I feel like I'm pretty well versed in this topic! I'd like to cover all aspects of music education in this section: K-12, private, vocal, and instrumental. But, folks, I have some pretty "big" (as in fantastic) shoes to fill. Deb's done a great job the past two years. In fact, that's how I "met" her, through Suite 101, stealing some of her wonderful ideas.
This week, I'd like to cover the topic of applying for a grant.
After 3 tries, I finally did it. I was accepted to receive a Missouri Education Incentive Grant on behalf of my school district for my project entitled "TechnoTunes". It took two other unsuccessful tries at two different school districts before I achieved this. Receiving a grant isn't totally like climbing Everest, but sometimes it can seem that way. There are some suggestions here, however, that can make that climb a little less harrowing.
When you first decide you might like some extra money for your program, you need to decide more or less on a specific project. I wanted to concentrate on the use of keyboards and a MIDI to help my students understand the basic music objectives of reading music and creativity. Most grant sources will look at whether or not an applicant has a specific goal in mind of how the materials purchased will be used. They do NOT want a grant awarded just to add more to the room.
Research all possible avenues. Start locally. There may be resources available that will award small grants. Washington, Missouri has an education foundation for the public schools known as WINGS (Washington Investment in Great Schools). I have received several grants through this group, either alone or in a joint effort with other teachers. The amounts aren't huge, but it's enough to help fund small projects. I used the money to help purchase supplies for my centers, obtain less expensive multi-cultural instruments, purchase keyboard books, and buy the Phyllis Weikert Rhythmically Moving series. Look into your state or province department of education for grant opportunities. Other grant opportunies are listed at the end of this update.
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