Know your own. “Understanding your community and your community need is really important, because most of the grants are based on need,” Lays said. “I think for a lot of rural people and rural schools, they’re used to their community. Many of them have grown up there, and they don’t realize, comparatively, how their school district’s needs are greater than, say, a suburban district. They’re used to making do with what they have—which isn’t much.”
Start small. “I always tell my schools that you need to start as close, physically and geographically, as possible to you in terms of funding,” she said. Lays recommended applying for a grant from a local foundation or Chamber of Commerce first, then spreading out to regional grants, state grants, and then federal grants. “You have more opportunity to win a grant if the organization is local,” she said, likening the system to the ripples a pebble produces when dropped into water.
Don’t go it alone. “You can’t do it alone,” Lays said. “A district of 1,500 kids can’t [always] be competitive on the federal level by itself.” When it comes to federal grants, forming a consortium with neighboring districts might give rural schools a better shot at funding.
Every bit helps. “Even small grant funding has a very large impact is a small, rural district. Impact is very important,” Lays said. “I have seen a small grant help to begin to change a school culture. And if you are able to support a great teacher with grant resources, it inspires other teachers to think they could get grant money to support project they have in mind. It builds excitement and inspires teachers to take programmatic risks.”
Decide before you apply. “Grant management is another obstacle—once you get a grant, there are all kinds of administrative things that come along with the funding, including reporting, fiscal management, purchasing, et cetera,” she said. “Again, small rural districts have very small business offices—sometimes it’s only one person—so it adds work to even get a grant, let alone a large federal grant.” Lays said school leaders must plan how they will manage a grant, if awarded, before the district decides to even enter the grant application process.
“This is a time-consuming thing that rural administrators don’t have time to do. That’s an obstacle, because a small district cannot be competitive on its own,” Lays said.
In fact, rural administrators and educators are often so busy wearing multiple hats that they may not even realize certain grant opportunities exist.
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