Grant Writing, Presented by Vickie Apel

Jessica Kim, Coordinator, College of William and Mary

We listened to Vickie talk about her past experience in grant-writing and give us advice about grant-writing, as well as taking advantage of certain development opportunities. I learned:

• It’s important to keep grants simple and to follow guidelines to the letter
• It’s crucial to contact the program managers at foundations if you have any questions – it’s their job
• Development contacts at your institution are pretty much mandatory
• 30-second elevator speeches are important

When I go back to my Campus Kitchen, I will have more focus on looking for grants in general. I will also make a contact in the development office, because we don’t have one as of yet.

Cassie Sanford, Gettysburg College

We listened to a professional in the grant-writing business. We received valuable materials to take back with us. I learned the basics of grant-writing. We were encouraged to dive into the process which was very important for many of the students who had never written grants. I will take back the inspiration to write a grant, the basic knowledge to get started, and the connection to a person in “the biz.”

Kelsey Schuder, Hamline University

Vickie Apel talked about tips for grant-writing. Some of the tips were extremely interesting. For example, she suggested that for anything you are attempting to get money for, you should write 10 grants. She also stressed the importance of ensuring that every rule and guideline is followed exactly as specified. I’m looking forward to bringing this back to Hamline to try and get start-up funds through a grant.

Tim Frnaco, University of Nebraska at Kearney

I learned about the process of writing effective grants. It was very beneficial for me to understand this process. I learned about writing grants, who to talk to, and how people can help us in more ways than just through grants. I am taking back to UNK information about how to find grants that best suit our needs now and in the future.