Library Grant Writing Intensive Online (online learning course)

Feb 8-Apr 5, 2005

Library Grant Writing Intensive Online

February 8, 2005 – April 5, 2005

Successful grant writing is neither one of the magical arts nor an "insider" job. Grant writing is a set of skills that can be learned, and then improved upon with practice. In these difficult economic times, winning grant awards may be the only way your library can introduce new services and programs. At the same time, competition for grand funding is fiercer than ever. This Infopeople online learning course is designed to help you gain a competitive edge in the grant application process – and has a track record of getting results for those who complete the course. This intensive 8-week course will guide you through the process of writing an actual grant proposal--students should have in mind a specific project or idea that can be developed into a proposal document.

Preliminary course outline:

• Week 1: Overview of Grant Writing, the Grant Proposal Model, and LSTA Specifics
• • Introduction to funding sources
  • General guidelines
  • Model grant proposal format
  • LSTA specifics
• Week 2: Building a Solid Foundation
• • Identifying the need
  • Documenting the need
  • Client group involvement
  • Importance of partnerships
• Week 3: Building on the Foundation
• • Relationship of project to library mission and goals
  • Project goals and objectives
  • Writing measurable objectives
  • How much change is realistic?
  • What happens if you don't meet your objectives?
• Week 4: Describing Your Program
• • Accomplishing your goals and objectives: your plan of action
  • Developing your project timeline
  • Personnel requirements
  • Resources
• Week 5: Will Your Program Make a Difference?
• • Evaluation models
  • Using third-party evaluators
  • Outcome measures
• Week 6: Getting to the Bottom Line
• • Budget basics
  • How to estimate costs
  • In-kind and matching fund requirements
  • Indirect costs
  • Negotiating with the funder
• Week 7: Putting It All Together
• • Writing the project summary
  • Formatting the final packet
  • Writing the cover letter
  • Post-submission strategies
• Week 8: Finding a Funder
• • Funding sources beyond LSTA - government, foundations, corporations
  • Researching funding sources
  • Finding a match
  • Staying current

Instructor: Holly Hinman

Online Learning Details: This eight-week course will be taught online using the web. When you register, you will receive a registration confirmation which will include the URL to get to the course, as well as a username and password. Library Grant Writing Intensive Online will start on February 8, 2005 and end on April 5, 2005 .

The workshop consists of eight learning modules. You can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night. However, you will be expected to log in to the course each week to do that week's assignment. We ask that you log in sometime during the first week of the course to begin the course work.

The materials will remain available to work on for two additional weeks following the official end date, but you will be expected to accomplish the majority of the course in synchronization with your peers during the first eight weeks.

This course is taught over the web. You must:

• Have an Internet connection and Internet Explorer 5 or higher (some of the quiz functions do not work properly in Netscape).
• Be able to save a file to your computer and print it out using Microsoft Word or a compatible word processing program.
• Be comfortable navigating on the web and navigating back and forward on a website that uses frames.

If you are not comfortable with any of the above, please consider taking this course with a colleague who does meet these requirements.

If space is available you may register for this online class up to seven days after the official start date. Please contact Linda Rodenspiel at assist@infopeople.org if you are trying to register after the official start date.