Monday, January 26, 2009

Trust the Grant Writing Process

Grant writing really is a process. Well, to be more specific, I should say that good grant writing is a process. Sometimes we have to condense the process a bit because of time limitations, but the process is still there....and it's still important.

Sometimes I'll work with people - usually new clients - who want to skip the process and have us just take a few ideas from them and make up the rest. The problem is that not only is that not very ethical, but we've been doing this a long time, and we know what works.

We talk about need first, and how we can document that need. Then we talk about research, and how best to meet those identified needs. We talk about input from constituents, and demonstration of collaborative support, and personnel, and management, and budget.....and we discuss it in a particular order because we know how the grant development conversation flows best.

I hate it when people tell me to "trust the process." It usually means that they don't want me to think, or question, and I always have to think and question. It's my nature. But when it comes to grant writing, and working with a professional grant writing, my best advice for you is....trust the process.

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About Creative Resources & Research

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Woodland, CA, United States
Creative Resources and Research is a consulting firm specializing in grant writing, grant seeking, program evaluation and professional development training. We have worked with hundreds of clients including public and private schools, school districts, universities, non-profit organizations, and social service agencies throughout California, securing over $155 million from federal, state and private foundation funding sources over the past decade. Our primary grant writers and program evaluators have over 50 years of combined experience in the education and social services fields. At CRR we prefer a personal approach to the clients we work with; by developing long term relationships, we are better suited to match client’s needs with available funding sources. We provide a variety of services to help assist you, including grant writing, evaluation consulting, professional development opportunities, and workshops.