What are Federal Grants and Where You Can Find Them In FY2020, the federal government spent $6.6 trillion in Medicare, Social Security, defense and veterans, debt interest, support to businesses, health, education, social services, and assistance like stimulus and unemployment plus assistance to States. The federal grants world is very competitive, overwhelming, and full of deadlines. Various agencies fund multiple programs for nonprofits, universities, hospitals, and other businesses. If you are a first-timer, you need to have all your ducks in a row to ensure you are eligible to apply for th ..read more

A Grant Manager's Guide to Internal Controls Did you know, $600 billion is awarded each year in federal grants?? The new OMB Uniform Guidance Administrative Requirements place tremendous emphasis on grantee internal controls. So, what are they? Why should you care? How do they impact your grants and your organization?   According to Section 200.303 Internal Controls are crucial to the grants management world because:  They safeguard funds, property, and other assets against fraud, waste, loss, abuse, or misuse.  They assure reasonable accuracy, validity, and reliab ..read more

Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 was signed into law on March 11, 2021, which provides $1.9 trillion funding state and local governments to respond to the public health and economic crisis. The authorized uses under the ARPA are as follows: Response to the public health emergency and its negative economic impacts, including assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits, or aid to industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality. Response to workers performing essential work by providing prem ..read more

Collaborating with a Grant Team Many grant applications are stronger when a team is working together. There are two primary types of grant teams: 1. A team of internal individuals working on the same project together. They all work for the same institution and each fulfill different roles. 2. A team of external organizations working together on the same project. Each organization brings different tools and resources to the grant work. Often, the larger the grant, the more desire the funder will have to see a collaboration between multiple organizations. A collaboration widens the impact of t ..read more

How to Find University Grants If you are employed by a post-secondary institution, you are likely interested in searching for grants. At PKS Grant Management and Accounting Solutions, LLC we can help locate funding agencies and specific grant opportunities for your university-related project. Below are a few places to start your search: Grants.gov: On this site, search federal grants. You will want to refine your search by selecting the category: Education. Then, under the limiter of Eligibility select the appropriate category: Private institutions of higher education; Public and state-contr ..read more

Developing a Timeline for your Library Grant Each grant funder will have its own calendar; however, you will also likely get some flexibility with the timeline you want to use for your proposed project. The two key things to consider for your timeline are: What are the ebbs and flows of your library? When does your staff typically have more time to dedicate to a grant project? What are the best times for your community? To answer the two questions above, ask yourself questions such as: Is summer busy with summer reading? Then you may not want to plan as many activities for the summer ..read more

Finding Partners for your Library Grant Many grant applications are often stronger when there is a partnership among organizations. Partners can bring unique skills and knowledge to a grant project and they can provide access to an expanded audience for your project. Identifying the best partners though is not always easy. You do not want to enter into a partnership on a grant application if goals between partners differ, or if a clear delineation of tasks and a communication plan is not established. As you work on your grant applications here are some tips for identifying partners: Identify ..read more

Describing Library Problems that Need Funding In my last post, I shared about the importance of aligning your grant application to a funding agency’s priorities. In this post, I will discuss how to describe problems for funding. It is important that the grant application you submit have a clear problem that needs solving. Most grant applications will require that you write a statement of the problem. The statement of your problem is the “hook” and should, therefore, peak the grant reviewers’ interest. The problem statement should have one clear sentence and supporting data. This section needs ..read more

In Honor of Banned Books Week: 21 Books to Read for Enhanced Grant Writing Skills “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” This quote comes from one of my favourite books by Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. If you read one book on the art of writing, I suggest this one.  Banned books week was September 27 to October 3, 2020, and is conducted by the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom. Stephen King had four of the most 100 challenged books banned between 1990 and 1999: Cujo, Carrie, The Dead Zone, and Christine. Many of his other books have been chall ..read more

Data, Data, Data: Ten Tips for Great Grant Proposals Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said, “Data! Data! Data!... I can’t make bricks without clay.” Most grant professionals I know love the act and art of telling a good story in a grant proposal. So do I. But what about the data and statistics needed to back up that story you are conveying to the funder? Where do you find accurate data? Here are ten helpful resources to create those essential data bricks. Use the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts and various other Census resources to paint a demographic picture of your target population. “A competitive ..read more