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Articles by Deborah Ward
Death of a grant proposal: Six lessons learned in post-mortem
As I write this column, I'm mourning the death of a grant proposal that, after many weeks of discussion and hard work, did not get submitted. I'm conducting a post-mortem…
Eight essential skills for school grant seekers
I recently had dinner with two grants professionals in Florida. One of them was quite upset, because someone she knew had remarked that the role of a grant writer was…
Five key ways to evaluate grant projects
The following information regarding evaluations was provided by Dr. Matt Rearick, an evaluator who is currently an assistant professor of education, health, and human performance at Roanoke College in Virginia.…
Review criteria and ‘mock’ reviews can be useful grant-seeking tools
Grant writers might be overlooking a key "gift" from funders that can help them with creating and editing their grant proposals. As a recent participant in a mock peer review…
Refusing a grant award is sometimes the right call
Imagine this scenario: It's the Friday before a three-day holiday weekend, and a state funder calls and offers you a grant award for your project. But you must decide whether…
Refusing a grant award is sometimes the right call
Imagine this scenario: It's the Friday before a three-day holiday weekend, and a state funder calls and offers you a grant award for your project. But you must decide whether…
GAO calls for enhancements to Grants.gov system
Readers who have used Grants.gov to submit federal grant applications and who have experienced difficulties might find some comfort in a report that was released in July. The report, titled…
Five ways grant reviewers can help applicants
A colleague who serves as a grant proposal reviewer recently asked me if I knew of any resources that reviewers could use to help them provide comments to applicants. Although…
Allow plenty of time for writing federal grant proposals
One question I'm frequently asked during my grant-writing workshops is, "Just how long does it take to write a federal grant proposal?" My response is usually 60 to 90 days,…
Six tips for securing federal stimulus money for your schools
The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has provided unprecedented levels of federal funding for education, and it has prompted most grant writers across the country…