Writing a successful grant application is both an art and a skill. Depending on the size of the grant and the organization it would be coming from, it can take any where from several hours to several days or weeks to fill out the application and gather all of the materials requested.
While grants can be open year-around, most organizations follow a set schedule of deadlines annually. If there is a particular grant the library would like to apply for, it's important to keep an eye on the organization's grant or "community giving" page on their website to make sure no deadlines are missed.
Preparing to write a grant application is just as important as the writing itself. Follow the tips and tricks below to help make the application as strong as possible:
StrengthenND presented information on grant development and writing at the 2019 Renewal and Development Conference in Mandan, ND. Below are the resources they provided for attendees:
There is no shortage of websites dedicated exclusively to grant writing. Since there are grants for all types of institutions, it's important to focus on receiving guidance from those sites that cater to nonprofit, government, or education institutions. Below is a non-exhaustive list of helpful websites:
Most grants require the requester to provide the goals of the project that they are hoping to fund. It's important for those goals to be focused and properly targeted towards the specific grant. One of the best ways is to make them "SMART" (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely).
Some examples of SMART goals for libraries are below:
This is a playlist of 6 tutorials regarding Grant writing. Click on the upper right hand icon to scroll through the various tutorials.