Before you begin your grant application process, it is helpful to have all of your information ready so that you can fill out and submit your application quickly and efficiently. Some of this information may not be readily available and you will need to do some research to gather the required information. This article will address the most commonly asked questions on grant applications, and how to find the information you need.
About Your Organization
- What is your tax status?
- What is your tax ID or EIN number?
The first questions on grants are usually about your organization’s tax status, so make sure you know this information before beginning any grant application. Some grants are looking for a specific type of tax status, and this information may qualify or disqualify you from the application depending on the type of organization the granting committee is looking to serve. They will then ask for your tax ID or EIN number. If you are with a public school district, you will most likely have a tax ID, but if you are at a private or charter school, or you are a booster organization, you may have an EIN (Employee Identification Number, otherwise known as a Federal Tax Identification Number), instead. Your school secretary or business/finance office is the best place to find this information.
- What is your organization name?
- What is the organization address?
- What is the organization phone number?
- Please provide an overview of your organization
When asking about your organization, the grant is asking about your specific organization, not the entire school or school district, so make sure to be specific about the requesting organization. This is where you can separate from your district and start focusing on your specific band program.
- What is the number of full-time employees?
- What is the number of part-time employees?
- What is the number of volunteers?
- What is the year that the organization was established?
- Who serves on your board of directors?
Remember, the grant is asking about your organization, and not the entire school district unless you are writing a district-level grant on behalf of your school district (this is not common).
About You and the Project Leader(if two separate people):
- Name/Title
- Contact Information (Phone, Number, Address, E-Mail)
The person filling out the grant is not always the project leader for the grant. Make sure that you have the correct contact information for all parties involved so that the granting organization can get in touch with you and the project leader.
About Your Project/Program:
- What is the type of support requested?
There are many different types of support that grants can offer, such as: capacity-building, capital support, endowment support, general operating support, program/project support, research/fellowship, research, scholarship support, technical assistance, or other. Most band grants will fall under program/project support, but make sure you know for sure what you need before beginning your grant application.
- What is the amount requested?
- What is the budget breakdown?
- Where will funds be spent?
- If money is to go to an individual, how will you determine who that is and why?
Make sure you know how much you are asking for and why. You need to be specific with budget breakdowns and where the money will be spent. The more specific you can be here, the better.
- Project/Program Title?
The project title is often the first thing that a grant committee sees, so make sure that it is descriptive, but short and to the point.
- Proposed number of people to be served?
If you are asking for funds to purchase instruments or supplies, keep in mind how long it will last, because this will affect the number of people served. For instance, if you are asking for an instrument, this could serve your entire program for a decade, or more! That is a LOT of students served! Grants usually like to see a large number of people served, so projects that serve a lot of students have a better chance of being funded than those that only serve a small population.
- Term
Term refers to the amount of time needed for the grant to be completed. Most grant terms should be one year unless you are asking for support for a multi-year project.
- Description of request
- Statement of need
This is where you can plead your case and let the granting committee know why you need this money. Stick with the facts and keep your wording professional and positive.
Project Evaluation and Objectives:
- Describe how you will measure the success of the project
- What do you expect to accomplish with your project?
- How and when will you know you have succeeded?
- List at least three program objectives written in measurable terms
- What is the timeline?
- Purpose
- Description of activities
- Sustainability plan
- Challenges
- Goals
Many grants will ask the same question but in several different ways. Make sure to answer the question asked, even if it is very similar to another question. It is really tempting to cut and paste the same answer, but differentiate your answers and try to add new information with every question you fill out. This section asks for many specifics about your grant proposal, so be descriptive and thorough. Be aware that many grants have word limits on most, if not all of their questions, so typing out your answer in a word document can help you keep track of your word count easier. An administrator, curriculum specialist, or counselor is a great resource if you get stuck on any of these questions.
Information about your students and where you are located:
- Population served
- Gender of population served
- Age group served
- Ethnicity of population served
- Demographics for request
- Additional demographics
- Geographical area served
- Project/program area
This section is where you may need to do a lot of research. Always make sure that you get your information from district sources and not from online databases. Online databases are often several years old and don’t give an accurate picture of your school’s current population. Your school registrar, counselors, or secretary have most of the information needed about your demographics.
Budget and Expenses:
- Total project/program or capital budget
- Current project/program or capital budget revenue
- Current project/program or capital budget expenses
- Fiscal year-end date of organization
- Previous year project/program or capital revenue
- Previous year project/program or capital expenses
- Unrestricted net assets
- Total net assets
- Fiscal year budget date
- Total annual organization operating budget
- Board approved budget projection – revenue
- Board approved budget projection – expenses
- Percent of total expenses allocated toward administrative costs
- Current market value of endowment
- Operating deficit
This section can be very intimidating for most people when they fill out a grant application for the first time. Fill out the answers to the best of your ability, but double-check for accuracy and always ask someone if you have questions! Once again, they are asking about your program and not your entire district, but the fiscal year will be the same as the school district’s. For some, the answer to many of these questions may be none or zero.
Files to be uploaded:
Most grant applications have you upload specific files before you can submit a request. It is a good idea to find this information and save it as a PDF for quick reference for future grants.
- Board List
Do you have a board of directors for your program? If not, you can use a list of your current school board members here.
- Organization Summary
This is an overview of your organization, who you serve, and why you serve them. There is no word count here, so be thorough.
- Organizational Budget
For some organizations, your budget might be zero. If this is the case, it still needs to be documented and submitted here.
- Project Budget
Be specific about your budget, where the money will go, and how it will be spent. The more specific you are, the better.
- Other FundingSources
The grant committee needs to know if you are asking other grants for money for this same project, or if you will be receiving additional funding for this project from another source. Be transparent.
- Financial Statements
If you have no financial statements, please make a document explaining why and submit it here. The grant will not let you skip a file upload.
- IRS Determination Letter
Your business office will have this letter. I had to explain to my business office why I needed the document before it was released to me, so be open about what you are doing. This document can also be referred to as the Political Subdivision Designation.
It is not likely that you will find a grant that will ask every question listed here, but this will give you a good idea of the common questions asked so you can be well-prepared going into the process. Get started gathering your information, and good luck in your grant writing journey!
Melinda Najera is the Director of Bands at Piner Middle School in Sherman, Texas. She has presented on grant writing at TMEA and the MidwestClinic and has written more than $50,000 worth of grants in her four years at Sherman ISD. She is determined to help everyone become successful grant writers and help them get the funding they need for their programs! She received her Bachelors in Music from the University of Texas at Arlington and her Masters in Music Education from Texas Woman’s University.
Related Reading:
The Band Director’s Guide to Grant Writing
How to Find Grants for Your Band
How We Got $3000 in Chamber Music for Free (The 64 Gig Challenge)
If you would like to receive our weekly newsletter, sign up here.
Don’t forget to like us on Facebook too!
Learn. Share. Inspire.
BandDirectorsTalkShop.com
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.