Business Forum 2008 at Merced College Presents

**One of the FIRST 20 lucky registrant's name will be drawn for the grand prize - a new laptop computer valued at $1,200!**

Register early to have your name entered into the Grand Prize drawing!

About This Workshop

The comprehensive hands-on boot camp covers everything from learning grants-related terminology to learning how to conduct funding searches to actually writing the critical, high point review sections of a sure to win grant application/proposal. Bring “real” project idea and supporting documentation and complete 95% of your proposal narrative onsite! Laptops are welcome!

Course Description:

This course covers the essential grant seeking and grant writing strategies and skills required to successfully submit competitive corporate and foundation proposals, and state and federal grant applications for funding consideration. Emphasis is placed on researching and writing.

Topics:

- Finding Funding Sources and Best Practices
- Qualifying the Funding Opportunity and Your Organization
- Pros and Cons of Community Partnerships
- Considering Grant Writing Teams
- Reviewing Grant Writing Formats
- Describing Your Organization
- Describing Your Request to the Funder
- Developing a Compelling Problem Statement
- Writing a Program Design and Planning the Evaluation Process
- Demonstrating Sustainability
- Planning the Budget
- Recommended Attachments
- Finishing Touches
- Following Up

Who Should Attend

• Any nonprofit or for-profit organization that has not -- or has! -- been successful at winning government grants and cooperative agreements
• Regional, state and local public agencies and institutions
• State and local grants personnel interested in learning about updating grant writing skills
• Academia interested in funding for critical programs and projects
• Novice grant seeker to the seasoned grant writer that wants to increase their rate of funding success

Agenda

Day 1:

Funding Sources and Finding Best Practices

• Discuss funding sources for grant narrative information
• Discuss sources identifying best practices
  

Qualifying the Funding Opportunity and Your Organization

• Discuss pre-planning checklist
  

Pros and Cons of Community Partnerships

• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of including community partners in your pre-writing planning process, the writing process, the implementation process, and the evaluation process.
  

Considering Grant Writing Teams

• Discuss benefits of forming a grant writing team
• Discuss team roles
• Discuss maintaining team momentum
  

Reviewing Grant Writing Formats

• Discuss a letter of inquiry
• Discuss a letter proposal
• Discuss a concept paper
• Discuss a research project proposal format
• Discuss federal grant application formats
• Analyze grant announcement from government agency
  

Describing Your Organization

• Complete grant applicant description writing exercise
• Complete partnership exercise
• Discuss what constitutes boilerplate information
  

Describing Your Request to the Funder

• Prepare a purpose statement
  

Developing a Compelling Problem Statement

• Complete problem statement writing exercise
• Apply research skills to find current, relevant problem statement language.
  

Day 2:

Writing a Program Design and Planning the Evaluation Process

• Discuss the difference between a goal and an objective
• Complete global goals and measurable objectives writing exercise
• Complete logic model exercise
• Complete timeline chart
• Analyze the management plan
  

Demonstrating Sustainability

• List different ways to fund an idea for two or more years
• Discuss how a funder looks at the grant applicant's ability to continue grant-funded activities when grant monies are expended
  

Planning the Budget

• Complete project budget request worksheet
• Complete project in-kind and cash match worksheet
• Complete merged project budget request form
• Discuss supplementing versus supplanting
  

Recommended Attachments

• Identify appropriate attachments to support grant request
• Discuss how to organize attachments to facilitate funder's review and determination process
  

Finishing Touches

• Complete a proposal package checklist
• Discuss how to create aesthetic appeal to a grant reviewer
  

Following Up

• List the critical organizational and housekeeping steps once a grant request has been mailed to the funder
• Discuss why grant proposals are rejected and how to handle a rejection letter
• Discuss how to retool a grant application for resubmission to other types of funders

Registration

Early Registration Fee: $200 (Received on or before February 20, 2008)

Late Registration Fee: $250 (Received February 21 to February 26, 2008)

Method of Payment:

• Check
• Money Order
• Visa
• MasterCard

Registrar: Contact Yvette Brisco at brisco.y@mccd.edu or (209) 381-6471.

Special Needs: If you have special needs, disabilities, serious medical conditions, or allergies, please let us know how we can work with you to make your boot camp experience successful.

Includes: Grant Writing for Dummies, (2nd Ed. Book or CD). Handouts - Three ring binder with formatting examples and writing exercises, and meals.

*Awesome Prize Drawings*

Hotels:

• Best Western Inn, 1033 Motel Drive, Merced (209) 723-2163
• Courtyard by Marriott, 750 Motel Drive, Merced (209) 725-1221
• Comfort Inn, 730 Motel Drive, Merced (209) 383-0333
• Ramada Inn, 2000 E. Childs Avenue, Merced (209) 723-3121

Cancellation Policy: You may designate a substitute in writing (including email) any time before the boot camp. If you need to cancel your registration, you must send your notice in writing, and will be subject to a $50 processing fee. No refunds are given for cancellations received one week prior to the event start date or later. PLEASE NOTE: No shows will be liable for the entire registration fee.

About Your Instructor:

Dr. Beverly A. Browning has been a grant writing consultant for units of municipal government, faith-based organizations, school districts, colleges, social and human service agencies, and other nonprofit organizations for two decades. She has assisted clients and trainees throughout the United States in receiving awards of more than $200 million.

Dr. Browning is the author of over two dozen grants-related publications, including Grant Writing For Dummies™ (2001 and 2005, Wiley.com), Grant Writing for Educators (2004, Solution-Tree.com), How to Become a Grant Writing Consultant (2001 and 2005, BBA, Inc.) Faith-Based Grants: Aligning Your Church to Receive Abundance (2005, BBA, Inc.), and Winning Strategies for Developing Grant Proposals (2006, Thompson.com). Browning’s newest book, Perfect Phrases for Grant Proposals, published by McGraw-Hill, can be purchased at www.amazon.com.

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Business Forum 2008 is sponsored by County Bank, The Merced Sun-Star, and Radio Merced in association with United Way of Merced County and the Merced College Foundation.