How to Use Your Summer to Prep for Grant Writing
Summer is a time to hit the reset button and reevaluate your goals before diving into the coming school year. Here’s how to prepare for writing some impressive grant proposals this fall.
Rest and Recharge
It may feel counterintuitive, but giving yourself space not to think about work can make you more productive. Give yourself time to focus on your passions. Take up a hobby you let slip in the midst of grading papers. Spend time with family and friends. When you’ve had time to recharge, you’ll have a fresh perspective on your goals.
Reevaluate
You can’t move forward until you know where you’ve been and where you are. Think about the projects or programs you funded or tried to fund last year. What worked and what didn’t? Why? Contemplate the grant proposals you wrote and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. If you received funding, assess how your project went and what you might do differently next time.
Get Inspired
Sometimes you need a reminder of why you want to seek grants in the first place. Read stories of other educators who have used grant writing to do amazing things for their students and schools. Here are some success stories to get you started. Plus, read about this library media specialist’s grant-writing story.
Start Big
Now that you know where you’re at, it’s time to think about where you want to be. If time and money weren’t an issue, what would you do? Write down your biggest dreams. Try to think outside the box and tap into what you really want.
Narrow It Down
Now it’s time to create a road map to get you closer to your dreams. Pick one goal you’d like to focus on for the next school year. List the specific projects, equipment, and supplies that will help you achieve that dream. These are the items you may want to seek funding for.
The road to writing a great proposal is never easy. Taking time to step back and reevaluate your goals will help you narrow your focus in the coming school year.
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