As secretary of a Welsh organization here in North America, I've had a special ringside seat for the successful solicitation of grant money. Our organization operates with very little overhead, so yearly funding applications are a crucial component of our ability to provide services to Welsh learners. However, the details of how the funds are sought and obtained have been a mystery to me.
At the same time that I was wondering how we were going about our search for funding, I also received several requests from outside parties and individuals, looking to us as a potential source of financial aid. Although our organization does provide services for Welsh learners, I wondered how someone would get the impression that we have the wherewithal to provide money.
This was my first indication of how important the research stage is to the grantwriting process. I had to write several apologetic letters, and was feeling a bit sorry about it--until I realized that these individuals were still in the all-important research stage. Without sending out feelers to potential sources of funding, and discovering whether or not they can help in the first place, the beginning grantwriter will not have a solid foundation for submitting a proposal.
These foundations of research and proposals are what you'll find in Linda Orlando's SuiteUniversity course on Grant Research and Writing. If you are thinking about starting a local Welsh society, or if you're looking for funds to help sponsor a Welsh event, this overview of the grantwriting process is a useful introduction. In combination with the recommended books and web resources, you can avail yourself of a neat little self-study course.
So what does go into the grantwriting process? A hefty amount of research, first of all. Orlando's step-by-step handbook guides you through the main points your research will need to hit, from defining the details of your project, goals, and needs, to researching funding from federal and private sources. The course also gives helpful suggestions for properly soliciting information, and for keeping records of the information you find.
Once you've completed the research, then it's on to actually writing the proposal. Fortunately, since you've been guided through the difficult part, it's just a matter of organizing and presenting your information and making sure you've followed the instructions of the potential granting agency. The course tells you how to put together a preliminary proposal before you even write the full version. It also outlines the main components of the complete proposal, including what should go into the all-important budget breakdown.
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