Hello, and welcome back to the Innovation Lab! We just started an asynchronous workshop series: How to Design a Successful Innovation Grant, and there’s plenty of time to catch up. 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. Hopefully this approach will help you slowly explore your ideas — on your own time, at your convenience — as you continue to juggle your regular to-do list. 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 Image by bluebudgie from Pixabay Now we’re ready for Lab Lesson #3 — which I consider one of the most important in my grant journey: Focus on NEEDS first, solutions second. This was a difficult lesson, because I’m obsessed with creative ideas. I collect them like some fans collect Star Wars action figures. You have probably arrived at this blog post with some ideas already in mind, especially after reflecting on the Thinking Cap questions. We come up with a clever solution, fall in love with it,… Continue Reading Innovation Grant Lab series: What problem are you trying to solve? (October)Read More
Two years ago, I wrote what has become the most popular post on this grants blog: “Why I’m so excited about our G3 grant project” I can only guess the post is popular because prospective students are now Googling information about the state’s G3 program, and this page bubbles up in the search results. But back in spring of 2019, we were still trying to figure this G3 thing out. I was excited — like, Buddy the Elf excited — because our grant enabled us to hire the Education Design Lab, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that helps design higher education models that improve opportunity for historically underserved learners. The Lab team facilitated a series of design thinking sessions at Virginia Western — and it was during our first gathering where we talked about relationships as the secret sauce to student success. I’ve stayed in touch with the Lab since we wrapped up that grant project and followed their Innovator Network newsletter, which is how I learned about the remote position I have just accepted: Communications + Brand Manager. The Lab said they wanted a unicorn, and, well … you know how I am. My last day at Virginia Western is… Continue Reading This is not a goodbyeRead More
Hello, and welcome to the Innovation Lab! This is a virtual lab … a digital makerspace where we ask a lot of questions, experiment, and play. Our first project is an asynchronous workshop series: How to Design a Successful Innovation Grant. The first step in the series begins on this blog today, and it will end in March 2022, the same month Innovation Grant proposals are due. Hopefully this approach will help you slowly explore your ideas — on your own time, at your convenience — as you continue to juggle your regular to-do list. If you are serious about pursuing an Innovation Grant, I would suggest you start this journey with us in September, but you can always catch up anytime before the March deadline. And please join us if you’re just curious, or some of your ideas are half-baked. That’s what this process is for! No commitments necessary. Last week, I shared Lab Lesson #1: Grant proposals are not time wasted … even if you FAIL. So let’s boldly move forward, straight to Lab Lesson #2: Know the rules of the game. Yes, I do approach grant applications like a game (or a “Project Runway” challenge), which makes writing grants much… Continue Reading Innovation Grant Lab series: Let’s put on our Thinking Caps (September)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
- Innovation, and the LOI. August 25, 2025
- Some 24/25 Highlights July 16, 2025
- Have you heard? October 28, 2024
- The Game of Life – Innovation Edition! August 29, 2024
- Why Try An LOI? May 10, 2024