Being good at grant writing can pay off

As many of you know, the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce established a Grant Writing Council this past winter. In doing this we have been able to network together with many community groups that are government or non-government organizations.

Our objective is to support the appropriation of grant funds into local organizations that support our community improvement. Our mission at the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce is to be the voice of the business community working to promote, build, and support the most effective climate for economic development. Grants are simply another type of economic development that can support our NGO’s and our local government. The funds are generally spent locally and thus add an additional economic boast to our economy.

The need for grants is more important now than ever. Our local governments, though very generous, have been challenged by budget constraints. This has limited the availability of local government contributions to these organizations. In addition, donations and contributions have been even more challenging to maintain. While funds are most challenging to obtain, the need for services has increased, challenging organizations to seek funds thru other sources such as grants.

The good news is that the grant process is not easy. Thus, there is a great deal of value in being good at grant work. There are three areas of grants that I have come to understand: grant research, grant writing, and grant management. Each of these takes time and a special discipline to be successful.

Grant research is about where to look for opportunities. Grant offers may be found in large databases. Some of these databases are expensive to subscribe to. Others are free and online for anyone to review. Some grants are found in rare and unique places available to those who happen to know about them. Thus, the skill of grant research requires some sleuth, some timing, and a lot of knowing where to look.

Mostly however, grant research is about knowing what you are looking for.

Grant writing takes a different skill. This requires knowing what you are looking for in addition to knowing why you are a match for the grant funds. This effort requires taking some time to understand the organization seeking the grant from the vantage point of the grantor.

Finally, once a grant has been received, management of the grant is a detailed and disciplined process. Grant management is a skill that can open doors to future grants thru a chronicle of successful stewardship of funds and respect for the requirements to use the funds.

I reiterate this, a second writing on grants, for good reason. A goal for the Grant Writing Council is to assemble a team of volunteers that are talented and willing to exercise these skills to bring more funding to our community organizations. As you can see — this all takes time, time that organizations cannot devote to the task consistently.

Many of these skills can be developed or improved thru the upcoming seminars being held at Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center. The volunteer grant team is a great place to put the skills to work.

Please contact me for more information if you are interested in helping as part of the team at .