Grant Writer’s Handbook

The authors have utilized their considerable expertise and experience to produce a definitive ‘How To” book for grants writers. Whether you are new to grant writing or a seasoned pro you will still find strategies and tactics that will make you more successful.

The easy to follow Five Step process leads you through the tortuous world of grant writing – starting with how to select the right grant writer and then following the process from where to find grants in the first place to writing winning grant submissions.

This book has also drawn heavily on authoritative materials published by the a wide range of federal agencies to give examples of what they look for in grant proposals – with inside information on what works and what does not.

The authors have organized the information using their 5-Step process to provide a valuable resource to grant writer veterans and newcomers alike.

This practical handbook looks at the complex requirements and explains how best to carry them out in order to get results. Throughout this handbook, there are case studies, checklists, exercises and structured guides designed to prepare you for the tasks in hand.

This is an excellent textbook for novice grant writers and a great desk reference for industry veterans.

Foreword: Grant Writer’s Handbook Welcome to the world of grants for public safety agencies. Are you tired of seeing the budget axe swung at your department’s funding year after year? Are you fed up with using “hand-me-downs” from other agencies and being told to “make do with what you have?” Is your equipment older than you are? Are you sick and tired of hearing “maybe in next year’s budget” from your top administrators? Then it is time for your department to learn about the billions of dollars in grants that are available for your use, every year in the United States.

At some point in time, we all must realize that our tax bases, from which we draw our salaries and operating budgets, are shrinking at an alarming rate. Taxpayers, of whom you are also one, can only afford to fund just so many tax increases year after year. If they are not already doing so, eventually they will start saying, “enough is enough”! These words are the bane of every public safety agency in the United States. Let’s face it; if your town or city is not growing, then neither is your tax base. Although you may have experienced significant growth during the last ten years, the projected growth for the future is not so promising given our country’s current economic condition. Yet, your annual calls for service are steadily increasing and in many cases, the tax dollars needed to support additional personnel, vehicles, new office space, and equipment has not kept pace with the demand for these services. Money simply to operate our departments has become frequently scarce. Where is this money supposed to come from for the increased salaries, step-pay plans, new vehicles, and new, state-of-the-art equipment?

Public Safety Agencies across the United States are now being tasked to do more with less. It takes money to fight criminals and terrorists who are endowed with seemingly unlimited supplies of money and who routinely outspend us 10-1 on technological advances. So what is your department to do? One solution is to use grant-funding streams!

Every year in this country there is $100+ billion dollars in Federal, State, Local, Foundation/Corporate, and private grants available for these purposes. Money for equipment, personnel, and programs to fight or defend the safety and sanctity of our way of life is there for your use. It has always been there, sometimes less than at other times, but the programs have existed for decades to assist you in your missions. New grant programs open on a regular basis, but this information often remains obscured from your normal everyday agendas. After all, the task of grant writing to the average public safety employee is usually just “another duty as assigned”.

So, why are so many departments not getting this money every year? The answer is decidedly simple. Grants are like the lottery; “if you don’t play, you can’t win!” It is that simple. Many of you reading this have probably tried to write a grant at sometime, only to receive the dreaded rejection notice or “Dear John” letter. It is never easy to accept rejection especially for a public safety employee. We work in a very machismo type job and saying “no” to one of us, is usually a certain ride to the local lockup. We don’t take rejection well at all, as it stifles our desire to forge forward and try again. You may have decided that it is not worth your time to read and re-read an RFP (request for proposal) that is 80 pages long, just to find out if you can get a box of pens for free.

Admit it! Most of us in this profession do not have English majors or degrees in creative writing. You are “adrenaline junkies;” who would rather be out “cuffing and stuffing”, “putting wet stuff on the red stuff ” or “saving lives” than spending hours researching, reading, and writing a grant. We know you do not have hours of idle free time sitting around to research, apply for and manage a grant. This is understandable and the authors have experienced your pain as well.

This book is presented in language that you, as a public safety official, will understand and is based upon the experiences and education of two of the country’s top public safety grant consultants. That knowledge and experience has resulted in millions of dollars in grant awards to agencies, just like yours, across the United States. This book is the benefit of those years of experience and the miles that the authors have walked in your shoes. So get ready to learn what it takes to be a winner in this “grants ballgame”. There are rules, playbooks, and team members. Those who play closest to the rules, usually win.