Grant Reviewing/Writing
- Thread starter newEMT
- Start date
- 11,090
- 1,549
- 113
You may want to send a PM to Bossycow...she does a lot of grant writing for her agency.
medic417
The Truth Provider
- 5,104
- 3
- 38
Boundtree medical supply used to offer free consulting. Might look them up.
BossyCow
Forum Deputy Chief
- 2,910
- 7
- 0
I've written two successful AFG grant proposals. The key to remember is that the first person that reviews your application is looking for a reason to turn it down. You need to make it personal so it sticks in their mind and doesn't blend into the crowd. Overuse of Acronyms, and making your narrative sound like a financial report will fail. Also you need to pay special attention to the areas of focus as outlined in the application. If they say they are emphasizing interagency cooperation and you ask for something that will benefit your agency alone, you will fail. Just like in a MIR, your narrative needs to match the facts. If you say you can't afford something but show healthy cash reserves and a lower than average operating budget, you won't get money. So you need to address those discrepancies in your narrative.
If you have specific questions, pm me and I'll try to help you out.
Hockey
Quackers
- 1,222
- 6
- 38
I wish I could write a grant. Heck, I wish I even know the details about what a grant really is other then a letter to get some money or equipment
I'd recommend reading:
The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing
Proposal Planning and Writing by Miner
How to Write a Grant Proposal by New and Quick
It gives a lot of advice about how to find grants and how to write the narratives.
They all say not to use circular reasoning.
:blush: Guilty as charged. "The problem is that we have an inadequate ambulance in our community. Obtaining a new ambulance would solve this problem."
Instead, I should have said what our ambulance service means to the community. "We are the only EMS service within a 20 mile radius, and thus we are a crucial asset to the community. However, we are currently providing our services with an inadequate ambulance."
The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing
Proposal Planning and Writing by Miner
How to Write a Grant Proposal by New and Quick
It gives a lot of advice about how to find grants and how to write the narratives.
They all say not to use circular reasoning.
:blush: Guilty as charged. "The problem is that we have an inadequate ambulance in our community. Obtaining a new ambulance would solve this problem."
Instead, I should have said what our ambulance service means to the community. "We are the only EMS service within a 20 mile radius, and thus we are a crucial asset to the community. However, we are currently providing our services with an inadequate ambulance."
medic417
The Truth Provider
- 5,104
- 3
- 38
Exactly you have to learn to tickle politicians ears. If a person reads your grant ap and sees the possibility of the politician they support getting a great story and photo op you increase your chances of a yes.
BossyCow
Forum Deputy Chief
- 2,910
- 7
- 0
Even better; "Our small rural service provides the only emergency care within a 20 mile radius. We serve a population base of ............. and run an average of .......... number of calls per year. Our current ambulance was designed to serve the needs of our district x number of years ago and our call volume and population have increased (insert stats From x number of calls per year to ....) making it no longer adequate to our needs." Then list some specific examples of where you could have done better or provided better care with the new ambulance you want. The costs of maintaining the old one, cramped storage making it more difficult to find equipment when needed. More space for a better gurney reducing employee/volly back injuries.
Don't say you are 'inadequate'. Instead make it a sign of your fiscal conservativism. Don't write any thing that makes you look bad, incompetent just show how it could have been better with the new equipment.
Just some food for thought.
On an AFG grant, politicians don't figure into the equation at all. The funds are already determined, and the grant reviewers dole them out. If the equipment is going to provide mutal aid to adjoing districts, that's a plus. But politics don't enter into these much.