why grantwriting?
When I first decided that I was going to fix the world, I had been deliberating on the idea of fundraising and contemplating the creation of a fundraising company. My investigations led me to the dynamic world of grants! (If you're unfamiliar, most people don't think they're so "!".) In trying to find a way to bridge the gap between vision and reality for so many non-profit projects, I discovered that grant writing was an enormous field that, among other things, created the foundation on which those visions were built. But it's a rare few who actually want to have anything to do with grantwriting. Call it a necessary evil in most cases. Lucky for me, I had some fantastic teachers who showed me the way and made the whole process seem like fun. In a masochistic sort of way, but fun nonetheless.
I've now had the pleasure of working on a number of grants, beginning with the process of planning, writing, and submission through the celebration of a notice of funding, reporting progress, and analyzing results. The capstone of my grantwriting experience has been working with the Broome County Homeless Coalition on the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) grant in 2006 and 2007. The former brought in $1.3 million for five different projects and 2007 looks to obtain $1.4 million.
