Raising funds

Yesterday I attended part 1 of a grant-writing class at the main branch of the Cincinnati Public Library. This portion of the class was mainly about how to find grants appropriate for your program. We learned how to use the directory of granters listed through the Foundation Center's website, which is offered free at the library. Next week I will learn the basics of proposal writing and receive a certificate for attending the 6-hour class.

About 20 people showed up to the class, all from non-profits wanting to find funding for a variety of projects. One woman was looking to fund a program that helps young adults secure resources as they age out of foster care. Another man was interested in starting a non-profit that would provide artists with legal aid services. No matter the project, somebody out there has a grant for it, and we learned how to find it.

In a couple of weeks I will start preparing grant proposals for the school supply initiative listed on my VISTA Assignment Description. The goal is to raise enough money to cover school supply kits for elementary and junior high school students on free or reduced lunch. Each kit costs about $5 and there are thousands of kids in need in this area, so the project requires a lot of fund-raising work.

However, I am beginning to realize that I will need to develop other streams of revenue for this project besides just grants. Yesterday I learned more about what grant-makers are looking for in a proposal. Not only do they want to see a quality program, they want to see other sources of funding so they can be assured we aren't going to be dependent on them year after year. So in addition to grants, I'll need to develop other means of sustainable fund-raising that will bring in money for years to come.

Piece of cake...!