Hello, and welcome to the first installment of the Grantology Blog! Here we will seek to dig into all things grants, what grants are and are not, how a grant is crafted, how it is implemented, and how it can be celebrated. Thus the name “Grant” “ology”, a subject of study; a branch of knowledge. The grant world can be complex and ever changing, so fasten your seatbelts and let’s kick off this fun and rewarding journey. While different than a donation, a grant is a component of the fundraising world and Institutional Advancement. In essence, a grant is an investment in a proposed project, an agreement with a donor, or funder in this case. As such, there are moments of excitement when you get the award and moments of focus when you seek to honor the investment of the funder. The best of these projects are well planned in the beginning, so the funder understands if they provide the resources, you can accomplish the overall goal. When all the details fall into place, it is a true win win relationship, where the funder is pleased with the investment and the College can meet the identified need. How does that… Continue Reading Welcome to GrantologyRead More
Image by Pixabay Hello, and welcome back to our asynchronous workshop series, How to Design a Successful Innovation Grant. The series began in September, and it ends this month, when Innovation Grant proposals are due to the Virginia Western Educational Foundation. Let’s review some of our Lab Lessons so far, including: #1: Grant proposals are not time wasted … even if you FAIL #2: Know the rules of the game #3: Focus on NEEDS first, solutions second #4: Begin with the budget #5 Relationships are the secret sauce #6 Baby steps work #7: Assume success So we’re here … March 2022, and applications are typically due the last Friday in March. That brings us to our final Lab Lesson #8 … Respect the details! The fine print is important, especially when it comes to grant applications. You have come so far during this series — you have really thought about the big-picture goals, you understand the needs, created a budget, talked up your idea, and you’re expecting success. Now we have to follow the specific directions in the application. Re-read the first page of the application again, very closely. Hopefully you noticed the signatures required on Page 1. And there… Continue Reading Innovation Grant Lab series: Finish line! (March)Read More
Hello, and welcome back to our asynchronous workshop series, How to Design a Successful Innovation Grant. The series began in September, and it will end in March 2022, the same month Innovation Grant proposals are due to the Virginia Western Educational Foundation. If you’re just now joining us, and you intend to submit an application this year, then I would advise you block out some significant time to catch up! It’s still possible! Let’s review some of our Lab Lessons so far, including: #1: Grant proposals are not time wasted … even if you FAIL #2: Know the rules of the game #3: Focus on NEEDS first, solutions second #4: Begin with the budget #5 Relationships are the secret sauce #6 Baby steps work So that brings us to Lab Lesson #7: Assume success. This may seem like a small thing, but one of the tips I learned about writing strong grant proposals was to use confident language. Instead of writing: “For this project, I hope to …” or “If funded, we plan to …” Write as if you WILL be funded. “We will do XYZ, and this how.” If you’ve followed all the steps in this series, really thinking… Continue Reading Innovation Grant Lab series: Is this a good investment? (February)Read More
About Shelley
Shelley Lyons is glad to be back on campus as she is a Virginia Western alum, and has served as the Administrative Officer for Grants Administration at Virginia Western since early 2022. Prior to VWCC, her career focus was within the Human Services and Arts fields. She wrote her first grant in 1996 on a whim and has continued to plan and learn since that time. She most enjoys seeing a well-planned project come to fruition, where funder, project manager and beneficiaries can all feel success and see impact.
Recent Posts
- Welcome to Grantology February 3, 2023
- Innovation Grant Lab series: Finish line! (March) March 2, 2022
- Innovation Grant Lab series: Is this a good investment? (February) February 2, 2022
- Innovation Grant Lab series: What does success look like? (January) January 5, 2022
- Innovation Grant Lab series: Add some secret sauce (December) December 1, 2021