How to disseminate the results of a grant-funded project


Think at a local level, a state level, a national level, and even an international level.

Seasoned grant writers might notice that some funders, especially for major grant programs, ask for a dissemination plan in their request for proposals. That is, applicants are asked to describe how the results of their project will be shared after the grant period ends. Funders ask for a dissemination plan so that others can learn from the results of grant-funded projects and can replicate successful projects in their own institutions.

Developing a dissemination plan is not very difficult, but it might involve researching some potential avenues to distribute the information if you are unfamiliar with doing this. Look at dissemination as a circle that starts small and then widens out more broadly. In other words, think at a local level, a state level, a national level, and possibly even an international level for ways to disseminate the results of your grant-funded project.

Here are a few general suggestions to help guide the creation of a dissemination plan:

1. What local avenues are available for dissemination of project results? The first logical step is to educate your stakeholders, such as school board members and parents. You can publicize the results of your project in the district newsletter, on the district website, and on your local cable TV channel. Other possibilities include doing a presentation at a school board meeting or having a special evening presentation for parents. To inform the community at large, send press releases to your local newspapers and television stations.

2. To disseminate project information at the state level, look for newsletters your state education department might publish, or research state-level organizations related to the project’s area of focus (math or science, for example) and see if they publish a newsletter. State agencies and organizations also might have a “best practices” section of their website, where you can submit information about your project. Also, consider doing a workshop presentation or poster session at a state conference. Keep in mind, however, that some conferences request speaker information at least nine to 12 months in advance of the conference.

3. At the national level, consider the What Works Clearinghouse of the federal Education Department’s Institution of Education Sciences. You can submit studies for review by going to www.ies.ed.gov. If you can secure permission to present at a national conference, consider answering a Call for Proposals to organizations that have a direct link to your project topic, such as the American Association of School Administrators, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the U.S. Distance Learning Association, or the American Library Association.

4. Consider holding a webinar, perhaps in conjunction with one or more collaborative partners in your project. For example, a technology vendor might be willing to include a webinar about the results of your project in its program of already existing webinars that are presented to the education community.

When you describe your dissemination plan in your proposal, you don’t have to indicate that you’ve already been accepted to present at a conference, have a webinar scheduled, or have received confirmation that that an article will be published. However, you should show that you are aware of the various opportunities that are available for dissemination and outline what your steps will be to disseminate the project results to a broad audience. And, of course, if you receive funding, be prepared to follow through on your plan!

(Editor’s note: eSchool News accepts article submissions from educators in the field, and this is another way you can disseminate the results of a grant-funded project to a national audience. For submission guidelines, go to www.eschoolnews.com/submissions or eMail Managing Editor Laura Devaney at ldevaney@eschoolnews.com.)

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