A Short Break
The bad news is I have to take a break from posting to the blog. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience to our readers, but the good news is I’m taking the break because Insight will be launching a new main website soon and the blog will become part of that site. The new site is currently under development and already looking great. I will continue to post information on Twitter (insightgrantspe, insightgrantsed, and rosaliecrandall) and will be sure to Tweet when the new site is ready. I believe it will have the same address as our existing site (www.insightgrants.com), so feel free to check for it yourselves, too. If you prefer email and would like to be notified that way when the new site is available and I am posting to the blog again, please send an email with your request to info@insightgrants.com. Thanks! The break should only be a few weeks long, but I know you have many other demands on your time. Don’t forget about us!! ;o) We’ll be back soon.
What Do You Want to Know About Grants?
It may surprise you to learn that I read Chris Brogan’s social media blog (http://www.chrisbrogan.com/) pretty regularly these days. My attempts at implementing his ideas may not always be evident, but I’m a regular reader and ponderer nonetheless. ;o) Chris knows his stuff!!
Yesterday, Chris wrote a post about designing websites, other tools, and the way services and tools are used around the customer. Blog readers are not necessarily customers, but I’m thinking this idea is still really applicable.
So, with that in mind, what do YOU want to see on this blog? What questions do you have about grants? What topics do you want to read about? What types of posts have you seen on here so far that you liked or didn’t like? Our main focus will still be grants as they relate to PE, physical activity, obesity issues, health and safety, but within that broad scope, please provide me with some ideas about how I can make this blog more useful to you. I’ve got a list of topics to cover and some partially drafted posts waiting in the wings, and I also try to address “popular” issues as they come up via phone or email, but I’d really like more feedback from readers. So please fire away!
PEP Update: When Will We Find Out Who Won?
Most 2009 PEP applicants are now anxiously wondering when the awards announcement will be made. Several folks have emailed in the last couple of weeks asking whether I know of schools who have learned their results yet. No, I do not know of any schools that have received their results yet, but yes, I do have some idea of when the information should be available.
About a week and a half ago I emailed the federal program contact to check to see if the originally anticipated timetable for awards (originally discussed in the RFP as June or July) was still the anticipated timetable. She confirmed that ED expected to make awards “late June/early July.” As today is June 22, awards could be made any time between now and the next month. Exciting stuff, right? 
)
Many folks are also asking how they would find out their results. There are a few different ways that could happen.
Prior to announcing any grant awards, ED provides Congress with the list and allows the members a brief period (anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks) to be the first to notify and congratulate any winners within their constituency. Many members take advantage of this opportunity, but others do not. If your Representative or Senator is among those who enjoys making the announcement, you might hear from him or her directly (probably via phone or possibly fax) and/or you might see a press release from his or her office in a local paper. Remember, though, not all members do this, so not hearing from a member does not necessarily mean your application was not a winner.
ED will make its public announcement via a 2009 awards list of winning schools and their contacts at http://www.ed.gov/programs/whitephysed/awards.html and/or via a press release posted at http://www.ed.gov/news/landing.jhtml?src=gu. Additionally, ED will send out letters with instructions for “next steps” to winners via mail. While these packages are technically supposed to be sent prior to the public announcement being made, winners rarely receive them before learning they won through either their Congressional members or ED’s public announcement.
Following mail notification of all winners, ED will send out mail notifications to all non-winners that include reviewer scores and comments. (You should have THREE sets of reviewer scores and comments!) With so many people to notify, sometimes it takes weeks or even months for the non-winner packages to arrive. If it’s been a couple of months and you haven’t received anything, though, you should email the PEP contact (Carlette.Huntley@ed.gov) and request that your scores and comments be resent since several do seem to get lost in the mail every year. If you weren’t fortunate enough to win in 2009, use your reviewer scores and comments to improve your application in 2010. Please note, however, that you will still need to adhere to the newest RFP and that your application will NOT be read by the same reviewers.
Insight monitors many press release channels for PEP daily, and we frequently check both the PEP and ED Press Release sites, so we often know very soon after the winners list is posted. Additionally, using press releases from Congress and information from Congressionally-notified schools with which we are in contact, we begin compiling a “tentative” winners list of our own and then compare that to the final list. We’ve been able to learn of as many as a third of the winners prior to the official announcement this way, however only the official list will concretely name all winners. Insight will send out emails to all applicants that worked with us on PEP once the official announcement is made, as well as sending out tweets from our Twitter accounts (insightgrantspe and insightgrantsed). Certainly, if you have questions in the interim, let us know. If you didn’t work with us but would like to receive an email when the PEP awards list comes out, leave your email address under comments or email us at info@insightgrants.com. (If you send an email, please be sure to note that you are requesting a PEP awards notice email and provide your full contact info.)
Sunflower Trails Grants
If you live in Kansas and have been looking for funding for a new or existing walking trail, you’ll want to be aware of the Sunflower Foundation’s Sunflower Trails Grants (http://www.sunflowerfoundation.org/applying_for_a_grant-downloads_forms.php). The Foundation’s aim is to “serve as a catalyst for improving health in Kansas.” To that end, the Foundation offers the Sunflower Trails Grants annually most years to provide Kansas communities with increased opportunities for physical activity. Applications are now open and are due September 10, 2009. Awards are anticipated by October 31, 2009.
Grants may be for up to $25,000, but within that amount there are limits on how the money can be spent: up to $15,000 for building materials, up to $5,000 for enhancements such as security items and signage, and up to $5,000 for tree-scaping. (Note that the $5,000 for tree-scaping can only be used for trees. General landscaping is not covered.)
Applicants are required to have a cash match of $1 for every $1 received from the foundation. Operating, overhead, and staff costs may not be funded with matching dollars. If you are in the process of seeking matching funds for a larger trail project to be funded by the state or federal government, the Foundation requests you contact them to discuss your situation prior to applying.
501(c)(3) organizations or state or local government organizations (such as schools) are eligible to apply provided they can meet the matching requirement and do not already have active Sunflower Trails Grants. Organizations that have not received Sunflower Trails Grants in the past will receive preference in the selection process.
Requirements for funded trails are as follows:
· Trails are generally expected to be at least ¼ mile in length.
· The width of the trail will depend on the scope of the project, though a minimum of 5’– 6’ is expected, with 8’– 10’ preferred.
· Public access to the walking trail is required.
· Trails must be more than sidewalks.
The application is fairly straightforward but does require a detailed plan for your trail, evidence of all matching funds, and quite a bit of supporting documentation such as organization financials, evidence of land ownership, and copies of bids for the work and materials. Hence, while the deadline seems like it’s far off, now is definitely the time to begin working on developing your project plan, securing matching funds, and gathering documentation. Good luck!
If you’ve had experience with this grant or funder in the past, or if you choose to apply this year, let us know about your experience.
Where to Find Grants: Part 4: RFP Bulletin
Go to http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/fundingsources/rfp.html and click on the word “Newsletters” toward the end of the first paragraph. Then use the online form to sign up for the RFP Bulletin and any other free newsletters of interest to you.
Philanthropy News Digest’s (PND) RFP Bulletin is sent out via email every Friday afternoon. It typically contains 10-20 of the most recently-released, well-publicized, privately-funded grant opportunities. It has recently been revised and is now presented by topic area for more convenient browsing. This is a tremendous resource offered at zero cost by The Foundation Center—the major leader in the world of private grants information. Of course, the newsletter contains links for more information in addition to a title line (caution: the exact grant program title is not always contained here), brief summary, and posted and deadline dates.
As with the CHHCS and Grant Wrangler alerts, the RFP Bulletin provides you with an excellent means for staying abreast of some of the more widely known grant opportunities as they become available. Quick note, though, the RFP Bulletin will provide you with grants from a wide range of topic areas. Hence, some weeks you may find several physical activity or health-related gems, but other weeks there may be none at all.
If you’d prefer not to submit your email address, the RFP Bulletin is also accessible online at http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/. I would encourage you to take some time to explore foundationcenter.org because The Foundation Center offers a very wide range of services—some free, some fee-based.
The Foundation Directory Online (http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/fundingsources/fdo.html) is the largest database of private (that’s foundation and corporate) funders, with information on more than 98,000 funders. It is a fee-based service, though. Unfortunately, the cheapest levels, which limit access to just the 10,000 largest donors in the nation, do not tend to drill down enough to meet the needs of most schools or smaller local organizations. Those organizations often require the more costly, higher-level subscriptions in order to access a broader listing of funders, but then the cost may become unaffordable depending on the organization’s budget. If you have the funds to subscribe, AND staff members willing and able to use the subscription regularly, however, it is a tremendously rich database.
Training is among the other services and products The Foundation Center offers. While there are a range of fee-based options, the Center also offers a FREE Proposal Writing Short Course which you can access here: http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/shortcourse/index.html. The content is aimed at writing strong private funder proposals. It’s important to note that while there are often major similarities between the way private and government grant proposals are written, there are also significant differences. Hence, not all of the information in the course may be transferrable to government proposals, and some key elements needed for writing government proposals may not be included. That being said, The Foundation Center is both highly and widely regarded for its expertise in the private funding arena, and I am certain this course is worth you time if you’re looking for some writing tips.
If you’ve had experience with The Foundation Center and/or used its resources in the past, please share under Comments! Your insight is very valuable to us! )
