IN THIS ISSUE
Feature: Grantwriting Q&A
Teacher's Lounge: Don’t Be Intimidated by Data
Lesson Plan Bank Spotlight: Tools for Classroom Management
Michael Josephson Commentary: Being Thankful for Thanksgiving and Mashed Potatoes
ON THE SIDE
Announcements
Resource of the Month: Film Clips for Character Education
Training Programs
Donuts in the Lunchroom: Right Before You Write by Jonathan O’Brien
Free Resources For Teachers: Grant Wrangler
CC! in the News: Josephson Institute Releases Integrity Survey Results
Did You Know? Not All Turkeys Are Equal
Web Poll: Will You Pardon a Turkey This Year?
Feature
Grantwriting Q & A
Jonathan O’Brien, author of the award-winning grantwriting manual Right Before You Write, has been a program designer/grantwriter for the past 15 years. To date, his grantwriting program design method has helped nonprofits win more than $385 million in grant money. One of his educational designs is enshrined in the Smithsonian Institution, and two of the charter schools he helped create are in the top 100 charter schools in the nation.
We asked O’Brien what are the biggest mistakes grantwriters make, what are the pros and cons of hiring grantwriters, and how to win funding during a recession.
CHARACTER COUNTS!: Federal funding for character education has dried up. How do schools apply for character-development grants now?
Jonathan O’Brien: By making character education a component of whatever grant program for which they seek support. I’m looking down a list of applications I just completed, and character development is embedded in all of them: parent training, fitness education, bullying prevention, after-school programs, cyber etiquette, high school interpersonal skills for the workplace, and an inner-city baseball program.
CC!: Education funding is a Catch-22. Schools need money, so they apply for grants. But they can’t afford a grantwriter and can’t do it themselves. How can this be resolved?
O’Brien: By realizing you don’t need to be or hire a grantwriter. You just need to think like one. I’m also a teacher. Because of this, I know they have many of the skills necessary to write a successful grant application. They’re good storytellers, have projects they’re passionate about, can communicate on paper, can break down activities into steps, are creative, can create and implement interdisciplinary projects, and can bring diverse groups together to achieve a common goal.
CC!: What are the biggest mistakes grantwriters make?
O’Brien: The number one reason educators don’t win grants is because they don’t apply. Many think their school isn’t worthy or their idea isn’t good.
Others think the process will take too much time. This isn’t true. Funders have streamlined reporting requirements, and completing an application doesn’t take long if you do your homework (check the funder’s guidelines on its website or application to determine what programs they do and don’t fund).
CC!: If our grant proposals are consistently rejected, what should we do?
O’Brien: One: Make a personal contact or connection with the funder or someone associated with the funder. The odds of your grant being funded when you make a personal connection increase from 5% to 60-70%.
Two: Focus your request. Funders look for a “focused ask.” Grants should request a specific amount of money to address a specific problem with a specific solution to help a specific population. For example, instead of asking for general funding for your entire school, ask for specific funding for a children’s program within your school.
CC!: What are the pros and cons of hiring a grantwriter? Of doing it yourself?
O’Brien: Districts and schools think grantwriters are expensive and there’s no guarantee that the expense will result in a grant. Most grantwriters I know make less than what an elementary school principal makes in a year. That’s because they work on a per-project/per-hour basis, charging only for the time they work.
The problem with doing it yourself is if you’re repeatedly not being awarded grants, you won’t know why. Thus, you’ll never get better. A decent grantwriter can look at your past applications, see the areas that need improvement, and know how to fix them.
CC!: Should schools do anything differently when grant money is scarcer and competition is greater?
O’Brien: Whether money is scarce or plentiful, it all starts with program design. That never changes. However, money is scarcer these days. Funders are still awarding grants, but they’re scrutinizing budgets more carefully.
CC!: That brings up another problem: How can schools find the time to research which one of the thousands of grant-awarding bodies is best for them?
O’Brien: Every area in the country has a community foundation or nonprofit support center. Many educators assume they support only nonprofit or community-service organizations. But schools and districts are nonprofit agencies, too! Hunting for grant sources at these centers is as easy as finding a book in the library. Most have an online database of funding sources, and their staff are eager to help you. All it requires is a one-hour training (most are free) and you’ll come away with more funding possibilities than you’ll know what to do with.
I can help readers jumpstart their search efforts with my top ten list of grant resources, all of whom will send them weekly announcements of possibilities. Just e-mail me at jobrien@sandypointink.com. I promise no respondent will be put on any mailing list.
CC!: What’s been your greatest joy as a grantwriter?
O’Brien: I love working with people who are intimidated by the process and then showing them the process can be doable, fun, and creative. The most rewarding feedback has been people who finally realize “I can do this!” – and then go out and win a grant.
Editor's note: While funding has dried up for character education, CC! can provide you with alignment tools for Race To The Top and i3 fund applications.
For more insight into grantwriting from Jonathan, read the full article here.
“One who asks is a fool for a moment, but one who does not ask remains a fool forever.”
– Chinese proverb |
Teacher's Lounge
Don’t Be Intimidated by Data
Anecdotal evidence may drive your character-development initiative, but without data to support it you may lose track of changes happening in your school. Not only does data help drive change in your programming, it can be a powerful tool for successful grant applications.
All schools collect data on academics and behavior, but not all use it effectively when assessing the impact of character education. Baseline data that supports anecdotal evidence showing there’s a need for character education should be tracked and analyzed throughout your implementation efforts. Doing so will help you see where to make adjustments and where you’re doing well.
We identified five areas you can source data for character-development programming and ideas for how to use data in grant applications:
- Discipline referrals, suspensions, and expulsions.
- Dropout and attendance rates.
- School Climate.
- Extracurricular activities.
- Professional development and training.
Remember, this is only a sample. To get the maximum benefit from any data source, use it appropriately and consistently. Don’t let the data languish!
Click here to view the PDF table.
“It is the mark of a true education to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
–Aristotle, Greek philosopher (384-322 BC)
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Lesson Plan Bank Spotlight
Classroom Management Tools
Most teachers spend a lot of their time on classroom management. The values of the Six Pillars of Character – trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship – underpin classroom management strategies.
This month we’ve added sample discipline referral forms to help with classroom management. Tracking discipline and other behaviors is also a great way to provide evidence of your CHARACTER COUNTS! initiative’s success.
Access the free tools here.
Would you like to see your lesson plan published? Submit it here. Lessons will be entered in a monthly draw to win CC! balloons!
Commentary by Michael Josephson
Being Thankful for Thanksgiving and Mashed Potatoes
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Ever since my dad passed away, I host my nine brothers and sisters and their families in a rented backyard tent where we serve a feast of turkey, my sister Susan’s cream corn, and my special onion-laced mashed potatoes ... Read more »
Try Michael’s mashed potato recipe and donate if you like it.
Michael Josephson's Gabriel Award-winning commentaries air on radio stations across the country. They also appear daily in the Commentary blog, where you can post responses and see what others have to say.
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We are always seeking to develop alternative funding resources. One way we can do that is to talk about CHARACTER COUNTS! with friends, in our emails, and in our blogs. Plant the seeds of CHARACTER COUNTS! in your community.
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