Throughout my 32-plus years as an Extension Educator in Kansas, I have been on the receiving end of several grants to fund special projects. Eight years ago, I submitted a proposal to purchase six sewing machines plus fabric and supplies so that 4-H’ers and other youth, could help make one hundred pillow cases for the Life-Giving Center in Great Bend. We had been teaching sewing classes using a variety of sewing machines that were 30 to 40 years old and in need of repairs. A considerable amount of time at each class was spent adjusting machines to keep things moving along. By purchasing six machines that were identical we could focus our time on the sewing projects.
When filling out a grant proposal it is important to have a clear vision about the issue your project will address. In the case of the sewing machine proposal, our purpose was two-fold. Young people, ages 8-12 learned basic sewing skills and developed a sense of community service by completing charitable sewing projects. The residents of the Life-Giving Center who received the pillowcases experienced a boost to their self-esteem as they work to turn their lives around.
Our Be Well Barton County task force received a small grant to help with the development of a campground for cross country cyclists behind Central Baptist Church. The addition of an electrical charging station as well as refurbished picnic tables have been appreciated by many cyclists this summer. Another grant is funding a kiosk which will have information about our community to share with cyclists.
Fast forward to less than a month ago. I had the opportunity to apply for a Sharing Success grant through Wheatland Electric. This time my request was for funds to help purchase a basic range and refrigerator for the office space we will be moving to in November. We received news early last week that we were awarded $1,000 to help with this purchase. We’ll put the appliances to good use as we teach classes to youth and adults in our new space.
Grants are a vital piece in our communities’ success in funding special projects. Collaborating with community partners is definitely an important component when it comes to successful grant writing. I hope many of you reading this will take advantage of an online grant writing workshop our Cottonwood Extension District is hosting September 14th and 15th, 1-4 PM each day.
Participants in the grant writing workshop will learn:
• To conquer fears and start writing
• Sources of data for community needs
• Where to find grants
• How to develop the grant elements; problem, outcomes, activities, evaluation, and budget.
The workshop is led by Nancy Daniels, a Community Vitality Specialist with K-State Research and Extension. I have had the pleasure of working with Nancy on other projects and she will do a great job. The cost to enroll is $60 and enrollment is limited to 30 individuals. You can find the enrollment link on our Cottonwood Extension District website. Feel free to reach out to either of our Cottonwood District offices if you have questions about the workshop!
Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. Contact her at 620-793-1910 or dkrug@ksu.edu.
