Academic, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Special

Grant writing resources

Mcol money bagEveryone likes grant money! It’s great to have money for your neat projects, to try new things, or to bring some special services to your patrons!

But if you have not done much grant writing, just getting started can be a big challenge. Grants are not hard to write, and some basic ideas to follow can help you to get things started for your library.

  • You might look at Minnesota Council on Foundations. “The Minnesota Council on Foundations expands and strengthens a vibrant community of diverse grantmakers who individually and collectively advance the common good. MCF members represent three-quarters of all grantmaking in the state, awarding more than $1 billion annually. “
  • Purdue OWL’s website is great for all kinds of writing work and ideas. (You might want to consider it for your patrons of all ages!) They provide a variety of information about the grant writing process to check out.
  • University of Minnesota provided some material for prospective grant writers.  One of their subpages helps to  develops proposals. “Here, you’ll find strategic advice, practical tips and other information to aid in writing different types of proposals. Preparation is key to writing a successful proposal. You should also develop an overall research plan that allows you to act on (and make) opportunities for funding.”
  • I like the Dummies guides to all kinds of topics! Their grant writing cheat sheet is more corporate than you may usually use in a library; but understanding all kinds of information about grants can make you stronger as a grant writer.
  • Library people are excellent at collecting information! (It’s one of our superpowers.) So you might enjoy this presentation from an Annual ALA Conference on Shaking the Money Tree. (Check out the slides.)
  • University of Wisconsin put together a long list of all kinds of resources in writing and finding grants. “The following web sites offer excellent guidelines for grant proposal writing. Some include advice on letters of inquiry and sample proposals as well.”
  • And the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits offers a Minnesota Grants Directory for purchase.  “The 2017 Minnesota Grants Directory is designed to help grantseekers by providing an overview of the state’s most active foundations and giving programs. The directory includes basic information on over 100 community foundations, corporate giving programs and private foundations.”