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GRANT WRITING ADVICE
A good proposal is clear, brief and free of jargon. It should
(1) explain the needs, issues, and learning objectives involved
(2) how your approach will address them
(3) why the overall theme is important
In the past, effective proposals
have been those that contain clear and brief writing that express your
ideas (often in less than 3 pages) and those that are formatted to
highlight key objectives and goals.
However, the most important component of our chosen proposals is that they meet the mission and goals of our Foundation.
Accordingly, here we summarize the kinds of proposals we are most likely to fund:
1. Students address an important local or global problem.
Examples:
The Telluride Institute proposal explicitly addressed local watershed-level conservation.
The Clarence Nature Center proposal directly addressed field projects
at a local nature center and put the proposal in the context of the
lack of other opportunities for students.
2. Students design and conduct experiments or research projects in order to learn how to do science, while at the same time learning important content
Examples:
Poland School students developed and tested hypotheses about stream characteristics and invertebrates.
Warrenton School students will be directly comparing replicated and natural wetlands.
3. Lessons integrate classroom learning and field learning.
All of our successful projects include both field-based learning that
extends beyond a simple "field trip" and classroom-based learning. For
example, how will your proposed activities address the required ecology
content in your state standards?
Most common reasons we don't fund a proposal:
1. Lack of Funds. Most proposals we
receive should be funded, but we have limited resources so we are
forced to reject otherwise excellent proposals.
2. Proposals with limited
scientific content. Nobody disputes that most students would benefit
from the opportunities available at a natural area or garden within a
school campus. However, we strive to support science education, so we
strive to fund proposal that use these areas as a natural laboratory in
which to conduct scientific research and experiments. For example, how
do soil characteristics affect plant growth. What factors affect bird
feeder use and so on.
3. Proposals with unclear budgets.
We only give grants of $1000 and we know that this is often too small
to support most proposals. However, if your total budget exceeds our
maximum amount, it is critical that you make it clear whether the
project can succeed with only our grant.
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