Where to identify education-related grant opportunities

Newbies to grant writing may appreciate some basic overview resources that aim to demystify the grant writing process. For example, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Grant Writing by Waddy Thompson is a generic text about grant-writing covering everything from where you might seek a grant to the process of applying. This guide covers a lot of basics, such as the difference between a foundation and a venture philanthropy, and is helpful for understanding the nuances of various funding sources, from corporations to governmental sources. What a resource like this doesn't do is narrow to education-specific funding sources, so ways to narrow your search to those funding sources are very useful. 

Sources to follow for grant announcements

Our friends over at Edutopia.org have put together a nice resource that points folks to several grant opportunities: http://www.edutopia.org/grant-information-resources-to-get-you-started. Also, you'll also find an archive of their August 27 Webinar: "The Fundamentals of Funding: How to Identify, Write, and Submit Grants for School and Program Initiatives" at this link: http://www.edutopia.org/webinar-august.

Grantsalert.com is a big aggregator site, and will therefore include a lot that isn't relevant, but it lists grant opportunities by deadline, which is a handy feature. And grant opportunities from the US Department of Education can be accessed at the USDOE website: http://www.ed.gov/fund/landing.jhtml.

GrantsWrangler.com features school and classroom-based small grants; it can be useful as a way to bring additional funding into a partnership program.

For any of you partnering with libraries and librarians, check out  The Library Grants Center, a free web tool designed to help librarians  search for library grants at national, state, regional, and local levels. The web site focuses on grants available to all types of libraries and from a range of sources—public and private— including professional organizations, large corporations, and family foundations, according to a press release from Salem Press. The site also includes a how-to page about the grant application process, which includes resource lists and points to free grant writing tools available online.

See more links and resources at Resources for Your Next Foundation Proposal