Successful Grant Writing Tips and Tactics Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD Nutrition Education & Training Program Coordinator Massachusetts Department of Education

Successful Grant Writing Tips and Tactics

Barbara Ruhs, MS, RDBarbara Ruhs, MS, RDNutrition Education & Training Nutrition Education & Training

Program CoordinatorProgram Coordinator

Massachusetts Department of Education

Child Nutrition Programs

Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD [email protected] 2/1/00

Why am I doing this training?

Why should anyone apply for a grant?

Introductions

Program Need - Brief History of Nutrition Education• 1995 USDA and Congress pass “The School

Meals Initiative for Healthy School Meals” (Public Law 103-448)– Nutrition Education & Training Program (NET)

Funding Problems

– Competitive Grant Funding created (TNT)

– 1996 Massachusetts receives TNT Grant

– 1997 No Grant for MA , minimal NET Funds

– Nutrition Education Programs at riskCreated by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

Purpose of this Workshop

To school foodservice and health education personnel to write successful grant applications.

Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

Tools for Schools

“Healthy Choices: A Guide for Designing School-Based Nutrition and Physical Activity Programs”

Massachusetts Department of Public HealthContact: Julie Robarts, MPH, MS, RD

(617) 624 - 5492E-mail: [email protected]


Dream about what you want…


First things First...

• This is the wrong place to start

Shift GEARS…

• Put yourself in the funders shoes…

Think about how things are NOW, how things OUGHT TO BE, in the funders view, and how YOU can FILL THE GAP


Things to Consider

Identify a Need

Who is your Target Audience?

How will you accomplish your goals?

How will you evaluate? Benchmarks?

Sustainability and Reproducibility


Objectives for Today…Objectives for Today…

• Identifying GOALS and setting OBJECTIVES

• Building TEAMS & Identifying Resources

• Strategies and Tactics to complete The Standard Grant Application


Team Nutrition & Training Team Nutrition & Training Program GrantsProgram Grants

Purpose: To provide comprehensive nutrition education & training programs that support and enhance the implementation of the Healthy School Meals Initiative (SMI).

www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Created by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

Goals of Team NutritionGoals of Team Nutrition

• To improve the health and education of children by creating innovative public and private partnerships that promote food choices for a healthful diet through the media, schools, families, and the community.


Setting Setting GoalsGoals and and ObjectivesObjectives

• Goals of Team Nutrition - Personalize

– What do you hope to accomplish?

– Identify (Using Section A and B)

• Objectives state precisely what you will DO to accomplish specific goals

– Objectives are statements of end results, measurable statements of clients benefits from your work.

– How will you know if you accomplished what you set out to accomplish?


Goals & Objectives - Cont’d•Goals are general and offer the evaluator an

understanding of the thrust of your program.

•Objectives are specific, measurable outcomes.

They should be realistic and attainable.

•Objectives help solve the problem or address

the issue.

•If your objectives make reference to a number

-- make sure it is do-able.

•Do not confuse objectives with methods.

•Be realistic.


For Example• Goal: To make cafeteria - classroom

connections to support nutrition education (Section A #4).

• Objective: Increase fruit and vegetable consumption in high school students.


Activity #1: Choosing/Writing

Objectives

• Review Sections A and B from Grant RFP

• Choose one component from each section (A and B) - phrase this as your goal

• Write one objective for each component**

* Reference: “Healthy Choices Manual” Page 24

** Fund Code 720 requires 2 from each Section A, B


Goals & Objectives Resources• Center’s For Disease Control “Guidelines

for School Health Programs to Promote Lifelong Healthy Eating (Section A, # 7)

– www.cdc.gov

• Massachusetts School Nutrition Task Force - Position Statement of Nutrition Programs & Services in Schools (Section A # 5)

– www.doe.mass.edu/cnpCreated by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

Setting Yourself Apart• Be Original - show a connection between

what’s been tried before and your idea.

• Problem Solving - fresh solutions to the same old problems.

• Outreach - Ideas that affect large numbers of people.

• Timeliness - current events influence perceptions of problems or issues (national standards, budget cuts)

• Maximizing Resources - creating partnerships that are mutually beneficial.


Building TEAMSBuilding TEAMS

Why is this a requirement to receive funding?

• Partners help you to achieve your goals!

• Provide different perspectives

• Enhance sustainability

• Utilize the resources available to youCreated by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

Grant Requirement - Team Nutrition

“Must establish a school nutrition team consisting of a Team

Nutrition school leader, teachers, students, foodservice personnel

and the community.”


Activity #2: Building the Team & Identifying Resources

• What are existing resources? Identify (column 1)

• Identify groups, individuals, organizations have similar goals/vision/interests? (column 2)

• Roles - “Healthy Choices” p. 29 - 38

Reference: “Healthy Choices Manual” Page 16, 22


How to Find and Complete the Standard Grant Application

• Consolidated Application Section, Parts I, II

• MA DOE Nutrition Website - Nutrition Grants


Standard Things to Consider...• Due Date

• Page Limit

• Required Information

• Statistics

• attachments* (resumes, stats, letters)


Consolidated Application Section Specific Instructions

• Fund Code 720 - Team Nutrition

Section Part II

• Budget

Section Part I


Budget InformationTypically three parts:

• personnel (salaries, fringe benefits, contracts)

• non-personnel (space, rent of equipment, supplies)

• indirect cost (overhead)

– Should correlate to objectives and methods. Timelines are often found here, also

– Justify requests for salary (provide a rate hr/wk)

– If you plan to hire someone with the funding, include a position description. .


Budgets - continued

• Standard grant application Part II B– make sure information is put in the

correct category

– Example #1: if you are hiring a person to work specifically on a grant-related project = contractual services.

– #2: Equipment <$5000 is put under “supplies and materials (M6)”


Building Credible Budgets • Research actual and complete costs of

EVERYTHING in your proposal

• Provide documentation (price quotes, salaries, cost of materials)

• Cost-Benefit Analysis - show how many participants will be affected by your project and how much they will receive.

-consider additional funders

• Matching Funds or “In-Kind” - shows commitment on your part - Illustrate


Activity #3: Budget Worksheet• Consider Goals & Objectives

• Estimate Budget

#1. For each item, provide one in-kind (or other possible source of funding)

#2. Perform cost-benefit analysis

* “Healthy Choices Manual,” page 58 worksheet #4


Things to Remember…

• Spending your money - deadlines for encumbering costs $ - talk to your business manager

• Contracts & Bids - items exceeding $1000

• Grant Amendments


• Research what other States/schools/districts are doing

• Connecticut, Arkansas, Rhode Island, Wyoming

Examples - Do Your Homework!


QUESTIONS - Getting Started

• READ the grant application

• Identify Goals & Objectives - Personalize

• Build a Team - Share the Work!

• Create a Timeline

• Justify, Evaluate and SHARECreated by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD [email protected] 2/1/00

Team Nutrition Grants Team Nutrition Grants DueDue

To Be Announced - Fall 2000

Training & Educational Resources• Massachusetts Department of Education Home Page

www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/links/default.html

• John Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition, Framingham State College Contact: Carol Marrochello Phone: (508) 626 - 4756

• University of Massachusetts Extension - Nutrition Education Program Contact: Rita Brennan Olson Phone: (413) 545 -0552

• National School Foodservice Management Institute (NSFMI) www.nsfmi.org

• Massachusett Department of Public Health - School Nutrition Resource Guide

• Massachusetts Dietetic Association (MDA) www.eatright.orgCreated by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education

Internet Resources• Team Nutrition

– Team Nutrition - USDA www.fns.usda.gov/tn/

– USDA Healthy School Meals Resource Page schoolmeals.nal.usda.gov:8001/

• Grant Writing

– Centers for Disease Control Funding Database www2.cdc.gov/nccdphp/shpfp/index.asp

– Houghton - Mifflin Co. www.eduplace.com/math/mkeys/grants.html

– Utah State Department of Education www.uen.org/cgi-bin/subjects?resource=8


Grant VocabularyGrant Vocabulary• In - Kind

• RFP

• PDF

• AmendmentsCreated by: Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD MA Department of Education


Contact Information

Barbara Ruhs, MS, RDMassachusetts Department of Education

Nutrition Programs and Services

350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148

Phone: (781) 338 - 6452

Fax: (781) 338 - 3399

E-mail: [email protected]

www.doe.mass.edu/cnp

Documents

Successful Grant Writing Tips and Tactics Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD Nutrition Education & Training Program Coordinator Massachusetts Department of Education