Show Me the Money!:A Workshop on Identifying Foundation Grant Opportunities

for Public School Teachers

Training Module Part BLIS 560 A

By Erin Kennedy

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................3

2.0 Lesson Plan: Identifying Foundation Grant Opportunities..........................................3

2.1 Outcome.................................................................................................................3

2.2 Skill.........................................................................................................................3

2.3 Target Audience.....................................................................................................3

2.4 Material needed......................................................................................................4

2.5. Program.................................................................................................................4

4.0 Further Training..........................................................................................................9

5.0 Assessment................................................................................................................9

6.0 Bibliography.............................................................................................................10

Appendices....................................................................................................................11

Appendix A.....................................................................................................................12

Appendix B.....................................................................................................................13

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1.0 Introduction

In Training Module Part A, I examined the information seeking behavior and information needs of public school teachers who are searching for, preparing, and writing grant proposals to secure funding for classroom projects. A review of the pertinent literature revealed that teachers are increasingly seeking grant funding to support classroom projects and professional development, particularly in light of ongoing cuts to state funding for public education (Clark 7). However, teachers often have no prior training in seeking or preparing grant proposals, resulting in a frustrating experience that is time-consuming and even unsuccessful in securing the needed funds. To address teachers’ need for information on locating and preparing grants, I have created a training module to instruct public school teachers in how to locate and identify grant opportunities from a large and wide ranging source of funders: foundations.

This training module is in the form of a workshop, which will instruct teachers in how to use the Internet to identify foundation grant opportunities, particularly using The Foundation Center’s free Foundation Directory Online database, and how to evaluate these grant opportunities in terms of their suitability for the teachers’ needs using foundation websites.

2.0 Lesson Plan: Identifying Foundation Grant Opportunities

2.1 Outcome

Public school teachers will be able to identify potential grant funding sources using The Foundation Center’s free Foundation Directory Online database

Public school teachers will be able to evaluate the suitability of grant opportunities for their funding needs using foundation websites

2.2 Skill

Successfully search for grant opportunities using The Foundation Center’s Foundation Directory Online database

o Ability to use basic search parameters in Foundation Directory Online, such as using location and type of foundation indices

o Ability to evaluate Foundation Directory Online search results based on specific funding needs

2.3 Target Audience

The target audience for this workshop is public school teachers, either at the elementary or secondary level. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that the

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U.S. has more than 3.3 million public school teachers, 92% of whom hold a Bachelor’s Degree or higher. This is a skilled and education audience, yet most teachers seeking grant funding have received no prior training in grant seeking or preparation (Turpin and Cage 7). Among the most challenging and time consuming components of the grant writing process for teachers was simply identifying a suitable source of funding. Monahan (1992) and Turpin and Cage (1998) note that 79% of teachers cite a lack of knowledge of grant funding sources as the greatest obstacle to writing a grant. Teachers must also be able to match their own funding needs to grant opportunities, many of which have restrictions or limitations on the type of organizations and projects they will support (Taylor 75).

2.4 Material needed

This workshop will require a data projector and access to a computer lab with and Internet connection. At the workshop, each participant will have access to The Foundation Center’s free Foundation Directory Online database via an individual computer terminal. The instructor will have access to a computer terminal or laptop connected to a data projector. Class activities will include lecture, class discussion, and guided and self-directed computer search exercises. A handout helping teachers to organize the information found during their searches will be provided.

2.5. Program

2.5.1 Introduction

The instructor will introduce the workshop with the following script:

“Teachers often come to the library needing help to identify potential grant funders for classroom projects or professional development. You may have been told by their administrators that they should pursue grant funding, but you don’t know how to find a funder or even where to start.”

“Has this happened to any of you in the past? Would you be willing to share your experience with the class?” (Class sharing and discussion)

“Today, I plan to teach you some skills to help you identify possible grant funders. After attending this workshop, you will be able to use The Foundation Center’s free Foundation Directory Online database to identify foundation grantmakers and assess whether this grantmaker is a match for your funding need.”

“Here is an overview of what you’ll learn today. First, you will learn basic information about the Foundation Directory Online database and how to access it from your computer. Second, you will learn how to perform a search on the database to identify potential grant funders. Finally, you will learn how to record and evaluate the information

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about the foundations you find in order to determine whether their grantmaking criteria match your funding needs.”

“By learning how to use this free database, you will gain the skills to efficiently and successfully identify the best possible funders for your project. These skills will save you time and alleviate the frustration of applying to funders who aren’t a good match for your project.”

Discussion

This introduction addressed the attention and relevance concepts of Keller’s ARCS model. The opening question and following discuss gains the attention of the students by encouraging them to actively participate in the class, and relate their personal experiences searching for grant opportunities. I clearly outline the goals and agenda, and then tell students how this workshop will be relevant to their future grant seeking activities.

2.5.2 Body of the Lesson

Skill 1: Gain an understanding of the Foundation Directory Online database and the information it contains

Steps 1. Lecture – introduction to Foundation Directory Online2. Demonstration – Accessing Foundation Directory Online from a computer

Tasks1. Lecture – Introduction to Foundation Directory Online

Instructor will provide a brief introduction to the Foundation Directory Online database. Topics covered will include:

Type of information contained in Foundation Directory Online – includes types of foundations, total assets of foundations, and funding interests of foundations

Type of information not provided by Foundation Directory Online – government grant funding (federal, state, local)

2. Demonstration – Accessing Foundation Directory Online from a computerInstructor will demonstrate how to access the Foundation Directory Online from a computer, illustrating:

Important areas of the home screen interface of the Foundation Directory Online, including the search area and Help page

Discussion

After conducting the demonstration, the instructor will ask whether students have any questions about the Foundation Directory Online, or the types of information it contains. This simple formative assessment will allow the instructor to determine whether

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students have a good understanding of the information presented and are ready to move to the next stage of the workshop.

Skill 2: Use the basic search parameters of Foundation Directory Online to identify potential grant opportunities

Steps 1. Lecture – Introduction to Foundation Directory Online search parameters2. Demonstration – Conducting an initial search3. Class activity – Conducting sample searches/searching practice4. Questions and discussion – Answer student questions about basic search

parameters and discuss outcomes of sample searching

Tasks1. Lecture – Introduction to Foundation Directory Online search parameters

Instructor will provide a brief introduction of the 5 main search parameters foundation on the Foundation Directory Online. Topics include:

Explanation or definition of each search parameter: Grantmaker name, EIN, Location, Type, Total Giving and Total Assets

2. Demonstration – Conducting an initial searchInstructor will conduct a search, demonstrating to students what terms and language may be used. Topics include:

How to begin a search without knowing the grantmaker name How to use the indices and location options Options for sorting search results How to refine search results from the results page

3. Class activity – Conducting sample searches/searching practiceParticipants will conduct a sample search of Foundation Directory Online to identify grant opportunities related to their personal funding needs, and practice changing and refining their search

Identify grantmakers in a particular location (i.e., state, city, nationwide) Identify grantmakers based on type of foundation (i.e., community

foundation, company foundation, independent foundation) Sort search results Use refine feature to expand or limit results of a search

4. Questions and discussion – Answer student questions about basic search parameters and discuss outcomes of sample searchingInstructor will wrap up the activity by asking the following questions and encouraging student discussion:

What search functions did you use on your first search? How did you refine your initial search to get more relevant results? How did using the indices change your search results? What could you do to improve your search results?

Discussion

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Task 4 is critical to assessing the comfort level of students in using the Foundation Directory Online database and their understanding of the different search parameters and sort functions. By asking questions and encouraging discussion, the instructor will be able to determine whether students have gaps in their understanding following the sample search and practice exercise that still need to be addressed before moving to the next stage of the workshop.

Skill 3: Evaluate information in a foundation profile on Foundation Directory Online to determine suitability of grantmaker for funding needs

Steps 1. Lecture and concurrent demonstration – Introduction to the components of the

foundation profile page and how to evaluate the contents2. Class exercise – Selecting a foundation profile page based on prior search

results and recording pertinent information (handout)3. Class exercise – Evaluating and recording data for multiple foundations4. Wrap-Up – Students who are comfortable doing so may share their results with

the class

Tasks1. Lecture – Introduction to the components of the foundation profile page and how

to evaluate the contentsInstructor will select a foundation profile page (based on a previous search) and explain how to evaluate the contents. Topics include:

At a Glance information about the foundation Purpose and activities of the foundation, and the foundation’s fields of

interest (what activities and subject matters they will and will not fund) Financial data – what it means and how it is relevant to a grant seeker How to find more information from the foundation

2. Class exercise – Selecting a foundation profile page based on prior search results and recording pertinent informationInstructor will distribute a handout where students can record and organization information they find on the foundation profile page. Students will:

Select a foundation profile page based on prior search Record information about the foundation on the handout Evaluate whether the foundation will be a good potential funding source

for their individual funding needs3. Class exercise – Evaluating and recording data for multiple foundations

Instructor will provide a set amount of time for students to conduct relevant searches and evaluate data. Students will:

Conduct one or more searches to identify potential grantmakers Record information for between 5 and 10 foundations (based on individual

foundation profiles) Evaluate whether these foundations will be a good potential funding

source for individual funding needs

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4. Wrap-Up – students who are comfortable doing so will share their results with the classInstructor will ask if any students are willing to share their results to the class, and discuss the search process they used. Students will be encouraged to discuss what did and did not work with their search, and provide suggestions to others on what might improve search results.

The instructor will use the wrap-up discussions to determine whether students have an understanding of how to evaluate the information found on the foundation profile pages. The discussion will provide an opportunity for the instructor to go over specific contents of the profile pages again, if necessary, and provide positive feedback about successful student searches and evaluations.

Discussion

This lesson plan addresses the confidence and satisfaction aspects of Keller’s ARCS model. The search exercises provide an opportunity for students to practice their skills and gain confidence in their abilities to perform successful searches and correctly evaluate information about foundations. Opportunities for students to ask questions and provide suggestions to others help to address information gaps and further increase student confidence in their own abilities. Positive feedback during discussion and the retrieval of relevant results will provide students with satisfaction in the content of the workshop and their knowledge of the material.

The lesson also addresses McCarthy’s four learning styles (Why?, What?, How?, and What If?):

Why? learners need to know that the material is relevant and personal. The opening and closing discussions encouraged students to share their personal experiences, and during the practice searches, students could choose the parameters that fit their personal funding needs.

What? learners are interested in the facts about a concept and how these facts relate to their current knowledge and understanding. The lectures presented the facts about the Foundation Directory Online database and defined the search parameters.

How? learners are interested in learning how things work, and need to apply their knowledge. The demonstrations and practices sessions allowed these learners to apply the information covered in the lectures to real searches.

What If? learners enjoy self-discovery and want to explore the boundaries of what they learn. The opportunities for students to conduct practice searches and provide suggestions to others addresses the needs of these learners.

3.0 Conclusion and Assessment

At the end of the workshop, the instructor will review the goals and outcomes with the students, and conduct a summative assessment, using the following script:

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“Today, you received an introduction to finding grant funders using the Foundation Directory Online database. You should now have a basic understanding of how this database works and how you can use it to identify foundation grantmakers. I’d like to summarize what we learned today. First, learned a little bit about the Foundation Directory Online database and how to access it from your computer. Then you learned how to perform a search of the Foundation Directory Online to identify potential grant funders. Last of all, you learned how to record and evaluate the information about the foundations you find in order to determine whether their grantmaking criteria match your funding needs.”

“Let’s review a few key points from the workshop. Could one of you tell me which search parameters are the most useful for finding a grant funder if you don’t know the exact name of the foundation? Who can tell me the easiest way to narrow your search to only company foundations? What part of the foundation profile should you review to see whether the foundation supports arts or science related projects?”

“If you are interested in learning more about this the Foundation Directory Online and some of its other features, please call me or any other library staff member to schedule an individual training session.”

“Both I and the library staff want to make sure that this workshop was a positive and useful learning experience for you. Before you leave, please take a few minutes to fill out this short questionnaire about today’s session. Your answers will remain confidential.”

4.0 Further Training

Additional workshops could be provided on using the advanced grant searching features of the Foundation Directory Online; this requires an institutional subscription to the database, which is available at many public libraries. However, the advanced search features often lead to more relevant results and reduce the amount of research time required to find grant opportunities. This would be an important selling point for teachers, as a literature review indicated that more than 70% of educators cite lack of time as a significant challenge in finding and preparing grants (Monahan 7).

5.0 Assessment Assessment of the workshop includes formative assessments conducted during and after each Skill component, as well as a summative assessment at the end of the workshop. The formative assessments include the instructor asking questions, having students pose questions, and class discussion. The formative assessments will help the instructor determine whether the students have a firm understanding of the concepts and skills covered during each part of the workshop, before moving on. The summative

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assessment includes a brief question-and-answer session guided by the instructor, as well as a short questionnaire to be filled out by the students before they leave. Together, these assessments will help the instructor determine the effectiveness of the workshop in achieving the stated outcome.

6.0 Bibliography

Clark, Charles. “Costly Proposals.” Education Week 13.6 (2002): 7. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Monahan, Jackson D. “Money, Money, Money: Taking the Pain Out of Grant Writing.” Teacher Librarian 32.5 (2005): 16-22. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

Schools and Staffing Survey. National Center for Education Statistics, 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

Taylor, Chris. Granted! A Teacher’s Guide to Writing & Winning Classroom Grants. Chandler, AZ: Five Star Publications, Inc., 2009.

Turpin, Tammye, and Bob N. Cage. “Factors Influencing Grant Writing of K-12 Teachers.” Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Louisiana Education Research Association (1998): 3-15. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

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Appendices

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Appendix A

Handout - Foundation Information Sheet*

Foundation Name

Foundation Type Website or Contact Info

Fields of Interest Amount Range Comments

*Adapted from Taylor, Chris. Granted! A Teacher’s Guide to Writing & Winning Classroom Grants. Chandler, AZ: Five Star Publications, Inc., 2009. Page 77.

Appendix B

Workshop Evaluation

What was the most useful thing you learned during today’s workshop?*

What aspects of this workshop were not as useful?*

Please rate the following statements, selecting only one answer.*

I understand how to conduct a search using Foundation Directory Online to find foundation grantmakers in my city and state.

o Strongly agreeo Agreeo Neither agree nor disagreeo Disagreeo Strongly Disagree

I know how to use the information on a foundation profile page to determine whether a grantmaker is a good match for my funding needs.

o Strongly agreeo Agreeo Neither agree nor disagreeo Disagreeo Strongly Disagree

Are there any topics that this workshop did not cover that you would like to learn more about? If so, what are they?*

What would you change about this workshop to make it more useful for future participants?*

*Source: LIS 560 class materials

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