Free Money!
As education budgets are being slashed across the nation, many school districts are turning to private foundations and community organizations for funding aid. Here at ENA, we recognize the fiscal challenges schools are facing, and we want to help! My role at ENA is to research and identify potential grant opportunities for our customers, specifically grants that pertain to resources available through ENA’s Consortium Program. I spend numerous hours each week searching the Internet for new funding sources for our school districts.
Once I’ve located a grant that I think will be a good match for a certain school district, I connect with the school to hammer out the details of the proposed program. I then review the grant guidelines, work out a budget and obtain the necessary statistical information required by the grant. Finally, after all of this, I sit down and start writing. Some grants require an initial letter of inquiry (LOI), which is basically a brief summary of the proposed program. If the grant-maker likes what it sees in the letter, it will allow the grant-seeker to submit a full-blown proposal. After I’ve drafted the proposal or LOI, I will send it to the school district for their review and approval. Once it’s approved, depending upon the grant requirements, I will submit the grant to the foundation.
I try to make the overall process as easy and painless as possible for our customers. As budgets are being slashed, it is vital for school districts to start looking for other sources of funding. ENA is lending its customers a helping hand in this process.
Below are just a couple of the grants I’ve recently discovered in my quest for viable opportunities. If you feel like your school would be a good fit for one of these grants or if you would like to discuss other grant opportunities that may be available for your district, please contact me at 615-312-6181 or e-mail me at rweybright@ena.com.
Educational Grant Opportunities:
Wells Fargo
https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/charitable/
LEGO Children’s Fund
http://www.legochildrensfund.org/mission.html





