Grant Writing
Writing is among my strongest skills, and I love to apply it to win support for my library. I have taken a key role in writing and preparing grants that have secured more than half a million dollars in funding.
I am comfortable with the nuances of preparing successful applications for a variety of private and public funders. I see every word, number, and figure in a grant application as an opportunity to persuade the funder of the value and impact of our project and organization.
I am comfortable with the nuances of preparing successful applications for a variety of private and public funders. I see every word, number, and figure in a grant application as an opportunity to persuade the funder of the value and impact of our project and organization.
Mobile Beacon Digital Inclusion Pilot
Kitsap Regional Library, 2015
$18,000 in technology
I was the sole writer on our grant application to Mobile Beacon for their digital inclusion pilot site. This grant focused on enabling librarians to better serve their communities through mobile technology. With 25 laptops and 25 WiFi hotspots with 6 months of free service, we were able to put our librarians out in the community to serve patrons where they are. We visited community events and waived fines on the spot to bring people back to the library. We issued new cards in bars. We took our programs on the road and checked out books at partner sites around the county. This technology directly contributed towards our two overarching strategic goals for the next 5 years: increasing cardholders and increasing positive visibility among non-cardholders.
One librarian reflected on how much better she was able to meet community needs with this technology:
“I cannot express how important it is to have these hotspots when out in the community. I have made new library cards for people in the Life Skills class at Kitsap Community Resources, during festivals like Manettefest, at workshops for community and library partners, in pubs for Story Night. The hotspot has allowed me to bring readers advisory, reference, and resource education to a diverse audience, many of whom would have been unlikely to come to the library on their own. I have used the hotspot to be productive when I’m at conferences, and working remotely from home. In short, to remove access to the hotspots would be a step back in our progress to fully meet the needs of the community and fulfill our mission.”
Because of the success of this pilot, Kitsap Regional Library plans to continue hotspot service beyond the end of the pilot grant, and is looking into other software and tools to make us even more mobile.
One librarian reflected on how much better she was able to meet community needs with this technology:
“I cannot express how important it is to have these hotspots when out in the community. I have made new library cards for people in the Life Skills class at Kitsap Community Resources, during festivals like Manettefest, at workshops for community and library partners, in pubs for Story Night. The hotspot has allowed me to bring readers advisory, reference, and resource education to a diverse audience, many of whom would have been unlikely to come to the library on their own. I have used the hotspot to be productive when I’m at conferences, and working remotely from home. In short, to remove access to the hotspots would be a step back in our progress to fully meet the needs of the community and fulfill our mission.”
Because of the success of this pilot, Kitsap Regional Library plans to continue hotspot service beyond the end of the pilot grant, and is looking into other software and tools to make us even more mobile.
IMLS National Leadership Grant for Libraries
Kitsap Regional Library, 2015
$383,389
I was the primary writer for this application for a 2015 Institute of Museum and Library Services grant.
This award will allow us to build on the incredible, life-changing successes of our BiblioTEC program (below). Our project, entitled Make, Do, Share: STEM Leadership in a Box, will enable us to share our community-driven connected learning process with small and rural libraries, helping them to become STEM leaders in their own communities. Not only will we improve access to STEM education locally, but we will become a national leader for other small-medium libraries with limited resources to do the same.
Working on this project was particularly rewarding and exciting for several reasons. First, it required input from a large committee. I love unearthing the common values and shared ideas of a diverse group, and helping to provide a frame that brings them all together in a meaningful, clear, and visionary plan. Secondly, the deadline was tight; I do thrive on a challenge! Best of all, this project was entirely new, innovative, and disruptive. We were creating something for which I had never seen a precedent, something that broadened my vision, something potentially game-changing not only for us but for libraries everywhere. What an incredible experience.
This award will allow us to build on the incredible, life-changing successes of our BiblioTEC program (below). Our project, entitled Make, Do, Share: STEM Leadership in a Box, will enable us to share our community-driven connected learning process with small and rural libraries, helping them to become STEM leaders in their own communities. Not only will we improve access to STEM education locally, but we will become a national leader for other small-medium libraries with limited resources to do the same.
Working on this project was particularly rewarding and exciting for several reasons. First, it required input from a large committee. I love unearthing the common values and shared ideas of a diverse group, and helping to provide a frame that brings them all together in a meaningful, clear, and visionary plan. Secondly, the deadline was tight; I do thrive on a challenge! Best of all, this project was entirely new, innovative, and disruptive. We were creating something for which I had never seen a precedent, something that broadened my vision, something potentially game-changing not only for us but for libraries everywhere. What an incredible experience.
Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Grant for BiblioTEC
Kitsap Regional Library, 2012
$200,000
I was the primary grant writer on our application to the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to fund a mobile technology van that serves at-risk teens. The successful grant was funded at $200,000 over two years. For details, read the press release or the Kitsap Sun article.
Writing is one of my passions and most notable skills. I thoroughly enjoyed this process of distilling a committee's many ideas into a succinct, organized, clear, yet convincing and even moving document. The final product received high accolades from the committee and the library director; our foundation director said that it "brought him to tears."
Because of this process, I am confident in my ability to create highly competitive applications for large grants. I have become familiar not only with the methods for writing a strong application, but also with navigating the process as a whole - working with administrators and review panels, making revisions, challenging our organization to think in new ways, and more. I anticipate writing many successful grants, large and small, throughout my career.
Writing is one of my passions and most notable skills. I thoroughly enjoyed this process of distilling a committee's many ideas into a succinct, organized, clear, yet convincing and even moving document. The final product received high accolades from the committee and the library director; our foundation director said that it "brought him to tears."
Because of this process, I am confident in my ability to create highly competitive applications for large grants. I have become familiar not only with the methods for writing a strong application, but also with navigating the process as a whole - working with administrators and review panels, making revisions, challenging our organization to think in new ways, and more. I anticipate writing many successful grants, large and small, throughout my career.
