Grants, fundraisers and donations all come in handy to help our school gardens grow. While the success of donation drives and fundraisers depend to a large extent on people you know and interact with, like parents of students, local merchants and business houses, grants are more formal in nature. They are awarded by either public entities like local, state and federal governments or by private organizations and foundations.
The process of applying for grants is a little more complicated than seeking donations or holding fundraisers, but when you know what has to be done and do it diligently and thoroughly, you’ll have a much better chance of securing the funding that you need. If you’re thinking of applying for a school garden grant here are a few pointers to help you in the process:
• Apply only for those grants that fit your garden aims and needs.
• Read the rules thoroughly before you start filling in the application forms.
• Learn more about the agency that is funding the grant and find out about the previous grants they’ve awarded (or rejected).
• Fill in the application form as professionally as you can, following instructions to the letter. A school garden may be a small project, but you must approach the issue of seeking a grant with a certain amount of professionalism.
• State the facts without going overboard on details unless asked for.
• Make sure your application is free of errors, both factual and grammatical.
• If supporting documents like letters of recommendation are required, make sure you attach them to the application form.
• Send in your proposal well before the due date. Some grants have a send-by date as a deadline rather than a receive-by date. Read the application form properly to avoid being disqualified over such trivialities.
• If the grant is not forthcoming, don’t be disheartened; instead, try again at other sources.
School Garden Grant Opportunities
1) California School Garden Network (comprehensive list)
2) Calendar of School Garden Grants
3) Grant Opportunities from Schoolgrants.org
4) California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC Network)
By-line:
This post was contributed by Heather Johnson.
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