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cozynana
1-10-11, 9:37am
I am desperately trying to help our little burb of 1,700 people survive, rather thrive. We are a very small rural farm town in Ks that is struggling to survive. A friend and I have started writing grants for our community and have been successful with small grants. We are not getting rich, actually losing money if the truth were told. Would you please post any grants that you read anywhere? Even if it has already been awarded. We can use it next year. Thanks in advance for any help.

iris lily
1-10-11, 11:21am
What is the subject of your grant seeking? Most givers have targeted goals.

cozynana
1-11-11, 8:00pm
Our town need funds for youth, low income seniors, city beautification, grants to deal with some of the houses that need to be cleaned up and removed, funds to complete a wetlands/walking trail area, tourism, cultural and educational grants, police department bullet proof vests, etc. Unfortunately we are not a prosperous area and our community lacks funds for these items and grant writing for the community is something very new. We have received grants for the EMS department, our bowling alley, a new playground component for the walking trails area, and going to receive some assistance with tourism signs from a company moving into our area soon. I don't know if it is a match or an out right gift.

lhamo
1-11-11, 11:29pm
If you haven't done so already, sign up for the Foundation Center's RFP Bulletin. They send out weekly summaries of grant competitions in a variety of sectors. You can sign up here:

http://www.foundationcenter.org/newsletters/;jsessionid=CFZTCQXELRSHXLAQBQ4CGW15AAAACI2F

Check out their other on-line resources, too. They have a lot available on their website.

lhamo

redfox
1-11-11, 11:44pm
The best way to get grants approved is to get to know the foundation officers who work at a foundation. Local, community foundations are the best place to start.

Just call them, and talk with them about your ideas. It is good to do some homework ahead of time - look at their foundation website and make sure their spending priorities are aligned with your projects.

Here is a book I recommend:
http://www.susanhowlett.com/html/getting_funded.html

Susan is a top notch fundraising professional, and I have known her for years. This book is the Gold Standard.

Bastelmutti
1-12-11, 10:46am
Home Depot has some grants that might fit your needs:
http://corporate.homedepot.com/wps/portal/Grants

Lowe's has one for schools:
http://www.toolboxforeducation.com/

And our school applied, but didn't get, one of Target's school grants for a reading program. I just searched Google, and it seems the Target grant pages have been taken down or moved.

redfox
1-12-11, 11:09am
National grants are huge long shots. Fundraising is most successful when it's done locally, by building relationships with local individual donors, businesses and community-based foundations. Donors give to organizations who can demonstrate that their efforts make a difference. Demonstrating capacity to impact real change, not by begging based upon needs, is what gets grants funded.

cozyana, start building a base of small donors, $5 and $10 for specific projects, as well as loads of volunteer time for projects, and include your time fundraising as a volunteer. Do you have a non-profit organization umbrella-ing your efforts? Foundations especially need an organization with an IRS 501 (C) (3) status to process the funds.

Donors view giving as an investment, which is logical. They want their money to do something demonstrable. It's your job to frame the needs of your community as an investment opportunity to make things better with SPECIFIC, measurable outcomes. X number of people using the parks after an improvement. X number of people graduating from high school.

Foundations have current relationships with many grantees, and their portfolios are down considerably, so investment into new efforts are down as well. once you can demonstrate buy-in from local citizens, businesses & churches, foundations will take a closer look at your requests. Doing the local work of relationship building will pay off over time.

(This is my profession, and I've been fundraising in the non-profit world for over 20 years.)

Bastelmutti
1-12-11, 4:04pm
Good points. I just posted sites I know our school has tried. I'm not in the non-profit world at all otherwise.

cozynana
1-16-11, 9:21am
I appreciate the input. We are developing relationships with local entities that donate, give, do grants etc. It has payed off. I have a burning desire to do more for our town. My family have invested 6 generations in our community and want to make sure it is still here when my grandsons are adults. Through all of this I have gleaned enlightment I didn't think possible about our community and the grant process. Been a fun venture.