Creating Fundable Grant Proposals

Grant money can make the difference in developing new services, creating worldwide access to your unique collections, or enabling you to showcase awarded projects that advance your career. But competition for grants is as fierce as ever. To get a leg up, you need an insider who will share proven strategies for success. In this book, Bess de Farber, who has led the management of 187 awarded grant projects from under $5,000 to more than $1 million at the University of Florida, does just that. Drawing from profiles of 57 grant proposals, sponsored by 31 funders including federal agencies, foundations, and library organizations, her detailed 10-step workflow guides you through submitting and managing collaborative grant proposals. You will learn about successful projects related to digitization, preservation, research, technology, and more, including such initiatives as digital publishing on Black life, audio of the sounds of the Panama Canal, digitization of scientific fieldwork from the 1960s, and supporting learning with smart pens; the crucial components of a fundable project plan, with a particular emphasis on collaboration, both internally and with external organizations; the fundamentals of crafting your own grant proposal, using as models the successful grant proposals included in full, with budgets, as weblinks; how to recruit partners and shape ideas; ways to incorporate assets and supporting materials into your plan; and advice on anticipating the unexpected, how to stay in communication with your partners while the proposal is being reviewed, what to do once you receive notification, and fostering a culture of grantsmanship at your institution. By lifting the veil on the mysteries of grantseeking, this book will equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to create fundable grant proposals.