Think getting government grants is impossible? Think again. My consulting firm offers services in grant research and writing, but sometimes it helps my potential clients to have a basic understanding of what’s available. Here’s a little insight into the world of federal grants:

Currently, there are over 1,000 annual grant programs offered through 26 agencies. Grant programs are also divided into categories: 

• agriculture,
• arts,
• business and commerce,
• community development,
• disaster prevention and relief,
• education,
• employment, labor and training,
• energy,
• environmental quality,
• food and nutrition,
• health,
• housing,
• humanities,
• information and statistics,
• law, justice and legal services,
• natural resources,
• Recovery Act,
• regional development,
• science and technology,
• social services and income security,
• and transportation.

Eligible applicants are different from program to program, but many programs are open to state, county, and municipal governments, public and state controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments, nonprofits with IRS 501(c) 3 status, and even some for-profit organizations who agree to waive any profit or fee concerning the grant. Most federal grant opportunities are competitive, meaning applicants are rated in specific categories, and the highest scorers are awarded grants. Often, grants are awarded over a series of “rounds,” meaning that there are multiple opportunities to apply for the same type of grant opportunity. Subscription services are available for notification of grant opportunities through email and RSS feeds.

Many eligible applicants overlook federal grant opportunities, and even more eligible applicants shy away from these opportunities because of the intimidating application process. Federal grant applications are often long and tedious, and some eligible applicants simply don’t have the time to complete them. If you are eligible for a federal grant opportunity and don’t have the time to complete your application, call me at (478) 457-7278 or email me at leia@leiaeubanksconsulting.com. I’ll be happy to help you achieve your goals.

I laugh every time my sister-in-law tells about how she once made a mistake on a cherry pie. She had worked hard in the kitchen to make that pie for dinner, and when she was done, it looked gorgeous. Everyone at the table salivated as it was being cut and put onto plates… but when the first bites were taken, some awful faces were made. She had forgotten the sugar! It’s a funny story, but I think it has some lessons that extend beyond family “dinner table tales.”

Just as a baker must be careful to measure ingredients and not leave anything out of a recipe, presenting a fabulous event takes time for preparation, care, and consideration. A beautiful cherry pie tastes awful if the baker forgets the sugar. Similarly, a beautiful facility will leave a bad impression if there is no toilet paper in the restroom.

As an event consultant, I work largely off of lists, yet I remain flexible. I have backup plans for my backup plans. I do my homework on every aspect of an event, leaving the day of the event as stress-free as possible. All of the “dirty work” behind a spectacular event can be too much for someone closely involved, i.e., the Executive Director of the organization who needs to raise awareness and funds, or the mother-of-the-bride who wants to make her daughter’s dreams come true… and that’s where I step in.

Hiring an event consultant can be your key ingredient to presenting the event you’ve been envisioning. Most people with full-time jobs need a go-to person for getting these sorts of things done. A qualified consultant will be well-connected with vendors, have a pool of recommended resources, and be excellent at maintaining clear and consistent communication between all parties.

Rates vary for consultants, but in most situations, anywhere from 10-20% of the event budget is appropriate. For turn-key event consulting, I charge 10% of the overall event budget, but I provide options for those who simply need a little guidance on how to get things done themselves or need me to do a few strategic phone calls or meetings. Above all, choose someone who shows a willingness to be flexible and work within your budget and unique needs.

I’m always open for questions and conversation—just contact me via the contact form on this website! I look forward to hearing from you!

Helping you celebrate good times,

Leia

This weekend, I am serving as a judge for a young women’s scholarship program that I’ve been happy to support for several years. In preparation, I opened up the contestant’s applications to review their interests and formulate appropriate questions for their individual interviews. All was well until I found a misspelled word. And then a grammatical error. And another. And another.

Nothing makes me quite as irritated as error-ridden writing. Granted, I’m not a perfect writer, but I put forth my best effort and use spelling and grammar checks whenever they’re available. When they’re not available, I look up words in the dictionary. When the proposal, essay, or letter is especially important, I have someone else look it over. It’s that simple.

So I began to wonder… what the heck is UP with these young ladies?! Surely they care. Why wouldn’t they? These applications serve as the first impression to judges who determine whether or not they will get the chance to earn scholarships for college. I know we have great English teachers in this area. So… what’s the problem?

One problem could be the overuse of cell phone “text language.” The types of errors I saw in the applications looked like what I might type in a cell phone text message or Twitter post, such as the omission of apostrophes or lower case letters at the beginning of a sentence. This doesn’t excuse the misspelled words, but perhaps the teens of today don’t understand the difference between writing that is appropriate for everyday peer-to-peer communication and what is appropriate for formal applications, essays, and correspondence.

What are your thoughts?

 Today I had the privilege of participating in a Twitter workshop at Digital Bridges taught by the lovely Dr. Ginger Carter Miller. I set up a Twitter account a year or so ago, but I’ve definitely put off learning the ins-and-outs of tweeting… I had no idea how it could benefit me and my business.

How often do we put off learning to use the resources at our disposal? Can we afford to underutilize our resources at a time such as this? A communication tool like Twitter is one example of a resource that is underutilized in our local area, but what about funding opportunities for local nonprofits through foundation, government, and corporate grants? How about partnerships between our small businesses? Now is the time to come together, set our competitiveness aside for a moment, and communicate on what we can offer each other. Now is the time to learn something new. To be innovative. Our community’s sustainability depends on it.

Next week, you all can find me at www.leiaeubanksconsulting.com!

Nick Goebel of Goebel Media Group is in the process of creating a beautiful new website for me at this new domain. The set-up will be very similar to this one, but will incorporate a new graphic header that more closely represents the nonprofit development side of my business… I’ll wait to let you find out what that new image is!

See you on the other side!

Last week I submitted my first proposal on behalf of Digital Bridges here in Milledgeville. I have to admit that I’m a tad nervous about this one – not only is it the first proposal I’ve written for this particular organization, it’s the first one I’ve written for an organization in my hometown. Needless to say, the pressure’s on!

I am asked often about my rate structure and if grant writers like me will consider making payment of professional fees contingent upon receipt of the grant. While some grant writers offer services under this type of agreement, my professional organization, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, does not allow its members to accept such contracts. Grant Writing is an odd business in that no matter how much work the writer pours into a proposal, the grantmaker may decide not to fund a project, or only fund a portion of the amount requested. Hence, the reputation of the grant writer – his or her “track record” – could be negatively impacted, even though the proposal may have been stellar.

 It is important for clients of grant writers to understand the factors that go into grantmaking and the unique needs of each institution to which they are applying. This appropriately lessens the unfair burden on a grant writer for matters beyond his/her control and will assist the organization in its assessment of a particular grant writer’s value.

 Webinars on the grantmaking process and institutional giving can be found at foundationcenter.org.

 I’m uber excited today, because yesterday I agreed to plan the national alumni reunions for America’s Junior Miss in Chicago, California, New York, and Atlanta! This organization is special to me; I’ve been involved on a local level for seven years now, and to be able to add event planning with AJM on a national level to my portfolio is a dream-come-true.

 Check out the AJM website at www.ajm.org.