Tips for Grant Writing

There are institutions, organizations, and companies that really want to support music teachers through grants. It could be yours for the taking, but most often, to ask means writing a grant.

Begin by creating a sentence or two (but keep it CONCISE) that encompasses what you want and treat it like a mission statement. Use that as your guide and begin researching. Once you’ve found a potential grant that meets your interest, gather your thoughts. Once in place, edit and tailor your writing to be concise and efficient. Reference your teaching integrity, be authentic to your program, and make your students the centerpiece. Use a genuine tone that conveys your interest without getting too emotional or fluffy in content.

Apply for as many grants as you can. By carefully editing, you can keep the framework of some of your main statements intact while manipulating the rest so that it can work across multiple grants. There’s nothing wrong with copying/pasting certain parts of your narrative between different applications.

Here are a few tips I can offer.

1. Research

• Research Thoroughly: Research the funding organization to understand the types of projects they typically support and if what you want fits their criteria.
• Review Guidelines: Pay close attention to the grant guidelines, including eligibility criteria, application format, deadlines, and required documents. Funders will reject applications that do not follow their guidelines.

2. State Your Case

• Clearly Articulate Your Goals: Define your project’s objectives without too much emotion. I know, these are the dreams we want, but keep it simple stating the facts for now.
  • What do you aim to achieve?
  • Can you support your “ask” measurable data?
  • Put a spotlight on RELEVANCY- this is a big plus! “Relevancy” is a bit of a buzzword in the grant-writing world,but prove it with evidence of its relevance.
• Outline the Impact: Explain how your project will make a difference. Funders want to see the potential impact of their investment. Try to include outcomes that are both meaningful and measurable.
• Include National Core Arts Standards for strength in your argument. Demonstrate how your request is seen as a need that is practiced nationally.
• Describe Your Methodology: Outline how you plan to achieve your goal or objective. Include a timeline and description of activities. Make sure it’s realistic and feasible.
• Include a Budget: They typically ask for a breakdown of costs, but if not, provide a detailed budget that aligns with your project plan.
• Showcase Sustainability: Talk about how the project will be sustained after the grant period ends. Funders like to see the money go on for a long time and affect a lot of people! How, if at all, can you include other teachers, parents, musicians/artists in the community, just overall community engagement!

3. Emphasize Your Strengths

• Highlight Your Expertise: Showcase your or your school/ organization’s experience and capacity to carry out the project. Consider including relevant achievements, past successes, and any special qualifications. Foundations love to see relevancy.
• Include Partnerships: If applicable, mention any partnerships or collaborations with other entities, like perhaps other schools or organizations in the community. This can demonstrate a broader support network and increase the project’s credibility. Again, only if applicable, and certainly this is not necessary if it’s not happening.

4. Be Persistent!

• Ask, ask, ask, AS LONG AS YOU CAN ACCEPT “NO’ FOR AN ANSWER. Don’t take this kind of rejection personally. Move forward and plan your next grant!