Tools for Individual Grantseekers

Last week, I held my first-ever round of Foundation Grants to Individuals classes.  To create this class, I actually combined two separate classes:  Finding Foundation Support for Your Education and Grantseeking in the Arts.  I combined the classes because both use the same database for research, the Foundation Grants to Individuals Online, but I’m still not sure if it was the right thing to do.  Many of my participant feedback forms said that attendees needed more information on the grantseeking process as a whole, not just on the research-for-funders aspect.  (Yes, I really read and rely on that feedback!)

Here, I present individual grantseekers with some more tools and resources to aid in their grantseeking.  Please let me know in the comments if you found anything helpful here!

First, on FoundationCenter.org:

• Guide to Funding Research  |  Beginning Your Research 
• FAQs  |  Individuals
• Reference Guide  |  Proposal Writing for Individuals
• A Bibliography for Individual Grantseekers  -  If there is a book on here you’d like but that is not yet available on our bookshelves, let us know.  We may be able to get it for you through Interlibrary Loan.
• Proposal Writing Short Course  -  Not necessarily for the individual grantseeker, but this free, self-paced course offers a wealth of information on proposal writing and foundation funding.  I recommend this course to everybody. 

And, on the rest of the internet:

• FastWeb  -  Searchable database of scholarship opportunities, free registration required.
• Michigan State University Library’s Grants for Individuals Index  -  Lots of worthwhile links here.
• Funding Sources for Individuals from the University of Madison-Wisconsin’s Grants Information Collection.

Grant Announcements

Hot off the presses … two new Requests for Proposals*.  You, too, can get these delivered to your email inbox weekly by subscribing at the Philanthropy News Digest’s RFP page (scroll to the bottom and enter your email address under “Subscribe” in the left hand column). 

Boating Safety Grants

The Boat U.S. Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of safe, environmentally responsible boating.  Under its Boating Safety Grants program, the foundation awards grants of up to $4,000 each for the promotion of safe boating on local waterways.  The focus for this year’s grant cycle is on the dangers of combining alcohol with boating. 

The foundation will consider proposals from volunteer boating groups, clubs, and associations, as well as local nonprofit organizations, including local chapters of national organizations.  The foundation will not consider proposals from government agencies, national or international organizations, for-profit businesses or individuals, or private clubs not open to the general public.

For complete application guidelines, project ideas, and lists of past grant recipients, visit the Boating Safety Grants page of their website.

Deadline: November 1, 2008

Lowe’s Toolbox for Education K-12 Grants

The Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant program is dedicated to supporting parent-teacher groups at K-12 schools across the United States.  Funding requests that have a permanent impact on a school (such as indoor or outdoor facility enhancement, landscaping, or clean-up projects) or that encourage parent involvement are preferred.  Grants of up to $5,000 per school are available, and the minimum amount considered is $2,000. 

Any individual nonprofit public K-12 school or parent group associated with a nonprofit public K-12 school is eligible to apply.  Parent groups that are applying (PTO, PTA, etc.) must have an independent tax ID number and official 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. Groups without this status can apply through their school.

Make sure you get your proposal in early, because if 1,500 proposals are received before the application deadline, the application process will close.

For guidelines, FAQs, project ideas, and past recipients, visit the Toolbox for Education website.

Deadline: October 17, 2008

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*  A Request for Proposals, sometimes called an RFP, is an announcement from a grantmaker that lets grantseekers know about a new project or focus of the foundation.  The RFP lists the project’s specifications and application procedures.