Tired of not getting that grant?
7 Reasons Your Grant Proposals Are Being Rejected

You don’t write for your audience.
You aren’t proofreading enough.
You aren’t thorough enough.
Your proposal contains too much fluff.
You have a goal but no plan.
You aren’t providing enough data.
You are using unreasonable budgets.

Read the entire article here!

Aspiring writers will be particularly interested in Ryan’s message, as he will be speaking about the writing and publication of his book The Last Freedom, a novel on the real-life adventure of Viktor Frankl. The Last Freedom was published in Spain last March, and has also been acquired in Canada for publication in French.

Signed English-language copies will be available for purchase at the event. Cost is $16.

Viktor Frankl was a Holocaust survivor and author of the legendary book Man’s Search for Meaning – considered by the Library of Congress to be one of the 10 most important books of all time.

“While the Holocaust was about death,” Ryan said, “Viktor Frankl’s story is about life – and its beauty and unending meaning. It’s an inspiring, uplifting story.”

Ryan’s own story of writing and publishing The Last Freedom is one of determination and persistence, a message he’ll share with the audience on Wednesday.

Ryan spent 19 years at The Topeka Capital-Journal, the last decade of which he spent as editorial page editor. He left in 2002 to assume the same position, which he still holds, at the Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle.

He grew up in Kansas City and went on to attend Washburn University of Topeka. He has a wife of 29 years, Susan; a daughter, Amanda, 23; and a son, Kevin, 18.

Nestlé Very Best in Youth Program Accepting Applications for 2013 Community Service Awards

The biennial Nestlé Very Best in Youth program was created to spotlight the best in youth leadership by identifying and honoring teenagers in the United States whose community service efforts are making a profound difference in the lives of others.

Nestlé seeks to help young people who want to make a difference realize their dreams by donating $1,000 in the name of each winner to the charity of his or her choice. Nestlé also awards the winner a trip to Los Angeles, California, for the Very Best in Youth awards ceremony. The trip includes round trip air travel and hotel accommodations for three nights for the winner and a parent or guardian as well as spending money. In 2011, the program made awards to twenty-three young people.

Contestants must be between 14 and 18 years of age and be legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia. Contestants must demonstrate good citizenship, a strong academic record, and be able to demonstrate how they have made a special contribution to their school, church, or community.

Visit the Nestlé USA Web here site for complete program information, an FAQ, and application requirements. Deadline: November 8, 2012

Just a reminder!

We are having Caroline Herbert, from the Foundation Center‘s Washington, D.C. Office come and speak on the topic of How to approach a foundation.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

How to Approach a Foundation
Apr 25, 2012 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Learn how to build relationships with foundation prospects and prepare for calls and meetings with funders.

Registration is free, but required. Please call the Reference Desk at 580-4540 to get signed up. We still have plenty of space available.

Thanks,

Jeff

Request For Proposal
Posted on April 6, 2012
Deadline: May 31, 2012

L’Oreal Invites Nominations for Women of Worth Awards Honoring Exemplary Women Community Volunteers

L’Oreal Paris, a division of L’Oreal USA, Inc., has announced the opening of the 2012 Women of Worth awards nomination period. Now in its seventh year, the Women of Worth program has honored and celebrated sixty women who are making a difference in their communities.

L’Oreal Paris encourages people across the United States to nominate a woman they admire for her dedication to volunteerism and charitable efforts. A nominee should have a record of exemplary service within her community and the community at large, be able to demonstrate the impact of her work within her community, be aspirational and inspirational to others, demonstrate commitment to her cause, exemplify leadership, and be non-compensated for the activities for which she is nominated.

Nominees must be women, legal residents of the fifty United States or the District of Columbia, consent to be nominated, and be 18 years of age or older at the time of nomination. The nominee’s volunteer activities must have occurred in the continental U.S. and have primarily benefited domestic American needs. All volunteer activities of the nominee must be unpaid and cannot include court-ordered community service; however, nominees who receive a nominal stipend for their service (such as in connection with a national service program) may be eligible. The volunteer activity should have lasted for at least six uninterrupted months and should be ongoing.

Nominations may be submitted by individuals and organizations. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged.

Ten honorees will each receive $10,000 for her charitable cause, and one national honoree will be chosen via a public online vote to receive an additional $25,000 for her charity. All ten honorees will be recognized and the national honoree will be announced at an awards ceremony in New York City.

For more information about the Women of Worth Program, nomination applications, and information on previous honorees, visit the Women of Worth program Web site.

Contact:
http://www.womenofworth.com/home/home.aspx

Below you’ll find a wealth of information created by the Foundation Center for first-time grantseekers. These are available from the Foundation Center Website. http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/nonprofits/

Many free courses are available if you register at http://foundationcenter.org/profile/register.jhtml

Our Library is an Affiliate Collection with the majority of Foundation Center publications, and online databases (for in-library use only)

Jeff

Welcome Nonprofit Grantseekers

Online Training and Tutorials on Grantseeking

Grantseeking Basics for Nonprofit Organizations
Prepares nonprofit organizations to seek out and identify potential sources of foundation support.

Guide to Funding Research
A basic primer on the grantseeking process and an introduction to the available resources.

Tools and Resources

The Foundation Directory Online
Provides fundraisers with access to searchable online databases of grantmakers, grants, and 990s. With five subscription plans available by month or by year for all levels of grantseekers.

Foundation Center Libraries
The Foundation Center’s five libraries hold many resources for individual grantseekers. Search the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature, the libraries’ collective holdings.

Associates Program
The Associates Program provides you with an on-call Associate researcher who has access to the full spectrum of Foundation Center materials, from our comprehensive databases—updated weekly—to the latest publications on grantseeking and philanthropy.

Proposal Writing Short Course
(Available in English, Spanish, French, Russian, and Chinese)
Describes how to prepare a funding proposal, including the planning, research, and cultivation of foundation and corporate donors.

PND’s RFP Bulletin
Requests for proposals (RFPs) by grantmakers who wish to attract applicants with specific projects or interests.

PND Talk
Share opinions, insights, and questions related to the field of philanthropy with your peers at our message board.

Learn how to build relationships with foundation prospects and prepare for calls and meetings with funders.
From initial contact to getting funded, following field-tested best practices will increase your chances of getting the grant.
This class will teach you how to:
• Initiate contact with potential funders
• Plan calls and meetings, including site visits
• Effectively communicate with funders during the grant process

Come join us April 25th at 1:30-3:00pm (Doors will open at 1 for registration checkin) in the Marvin Auditorium 101AB. Please contact the Reference Desk @ 580-4540 to register. Registration assures an adequate number of training materials available.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program annually honors middle and high school students across the U.S. for helping to improve their communities through volunteer activities. The program’s goals are to applaud young people who already are making a positive difference in their towns and neighborhoods, and to inspire others to think about how they might contribute to their communities.

The awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial, Inc. in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, honor outstanding community service performed during the previous year by young people in grades 5 through 12 at the local, state, and national levels.

To be eligible, a young person must be in grades 5-12 as of November 1, 2011; be a legal resident of any U.S. state or Washington, D.C.; have engaged in a volunteer activity that occurred at least partly during the twelve months prior to the date of application; and submit a completed application to a school principal or the head of an officially designated local organization by the November 1 deadline.

Participating schools and local organizations will select local honorees in November and present them with Certificates of Achievement. All local honorees are then reviewed by a state-level judging committee, which will name the top two candidates from each state and the District of Columbia — one high school student and one middle level student -— as state honorees in February 2012. State honorees will each receive $1,000 awards, engraved silver medallions, and an all-expense-paid trip (with parent) to Washington, D.C., in May 2012 for recognition events. Runners-up at the state level will receive bronze medallions or Certificates of Excellence.

In Washington, a national selection committee will name ten of the one hundred and two state honorees as America’s top youth volunteers of the year. These national honorees will each receive additional awards of $5,000, gold medallions, crystal trophies for their nominating schools or organizations, and $5,000 grants from the Prudential Foundation for the nonprofit, charitable organizations of their choice.

Apply here for the award.

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