Category Archives: mini-grants

What’s the Value of a Mini-Grant?

Mini-grants are grants for a relatively small amount of money.  Some people call a grant a mini-grant if it is for less than $1,000.  Others think it’s a mini-grant if it is for less than $10,000. There’s no formal definition, but you get the point, right?  Mini-grants are small grants.

Because they are small, they don’t get the respect they deserve. Large grants of $100,000 or more are sexy and get lots of attention, and people clamor to complete proposals for the big grants, but some mini-grant awards are granted with relatively little competition. 

Why?  People look for a big dollar solution to multiple problems rather than multiple smaller dollar solutions. This is a mistake. It’s like jumping off a boat into the ocean before you know how to swim.

Mini-grants are the wading pools of the grant world. They provide you valuable grant writing experience.  When you do well, you are rewarded with a payoff that can help you fund something your organization needs. When you fail, you learn a lesson without having invested hundreds of hours to learn it.  And with each failure, you get a little better.  With each mini-grant success, you gain a little confidence.

Then you move from the wading pool of mini-grants to the deep end of the big pool, and you apply for some mid-size grants. Success gives you the skill and confidence you need to fish in the big ocean of large grants.

The first grant I wrote was a mini-grant. It was a five page application, and I struggled with it for a week. The 30-75 page applications I write now contain most of the same components as that first mini-grant, but they feel different. The only real difference is that now I know how to “swim.”

So, what’s the real value of a mini-grant? Mini-grants can give you more than a few hundred or a few thousand dollars.  They can give you the experience and confidence you need to succeed with larger grants in the future.

That makes them very valuable.

Become a member of grantgoddess.com to have access to Mini-Grant Central in the new CRR Forum!

What’s the Value of a Mini-Grant?

Mini-grants are grants for a relatively small amount of money.  Some people call a grant a mini-grant if it is for less than $1,000.  Others think it’s a mini-grant if it is for less than $10,000. There’s no formal definition, but you get the point, right?  Mini-grants are small grants.

Because they are small, they don’t get the respect they deserve. Large grants of $100,000 or more are sexy and get lots of attention, and people clamor to complete proposals for the big grants, but some mini-grant awards are granted with relatively little competition. 

Why?  People look for a big dollar solution to multiple problems rather than multiple smaller dollar solutions. This is a mistake. It’s like jumping off a boat into the ocean before you know how to swim.

Mini-grants are the wading pools of the grant world. They provide you valuable grant writing experience.  When you do well, you are rewarded with a payoff that can help you fund something your organization needs. When you fail, you learn a lesson without having invested hundreds of hours to learn it.  And with each failure, you get a little better.  With each mini-grant success, you gain a little confidence.

Then you move from the wading pool of mini-grants to the deep end of the big pool, and you apply for some mid-size grants. Success gives you the skill and confidence you need to fish in the big ocean of large grants.

The first grant I wrote was a mini-grant. It was a five page application, and I struggled with it for a week. The 30-75 page applications I write now contain most of the same components as that first mini-grant, but they feel different. The only real difference is that now I know how to “swim.”

So, what’s the real value of a mini-grant? Mini-grants can give you more than a few hundred or a few thousand dollars.  They can give you the experience and confidence you need to succeed with larger grants in the future.

That makes them very valuable.

Become a member of grantgoddess.com to have access to Mini-Grant Central in the new CRR Forum!

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Online Charity Links Donors and Teachers

Have you ever wondered how you can donate some money to a school and know that it really gets into the hands of a teacher doing good work with kids? DonorsChoose.org can help.

Teachers across America post about a classroom project and what they need to make it happen.  requests include everything from microscopes to instruments. Donors go to the site, pick a project that interests them, and donate through a secure link. Donors get a cost report showing how their money was spent, pictures of the project in action, and a thank you note from the teacher.  Donors who give over $100 may also get thank you notes from students.

You can give any amount (as little as $1.00 or as much as…well, millions of dollars!) and know that your cash is making a difference for youth.  The folks at DonorsChoose.org call it “citizen philanthropy.”  I call it a great way to make a difference.

Oh, I almost forgot.  If you’re a teacher looking for some supplies to make a classroom project work, visit the site, sign up, and enter your project. Then come back here to grantgoddess.com and we’ll help you get the word out to prospective donors.

Online Charity Links Donors and Teachers

Have you ever wondered how you can donate some money to a school and know that it really gets into the hands of a teacher doing good work with kids? DonorsChoose.org can help.

Teachers across America post about a classroom project and what they need to make it happen.  requests include everything from microscopes to instruments. Donors go to the site, pick a project that interests them, and donate through a secure link. Donors get a cost report showing how their money was spent, pictures of the project in action, and a thank you note from the teacher.  Donors who give over $100 may also get thank you notes from students.

You can give any amount (as little as $1.00 or as much as…well, millions of dollars!) and know that your cash is making a difference for youth.  The folks at DonorsChoose.org call it “citizen philanthropy.”  I call it a great way to make a difference.

Oh, I almost forgot.  If you’re a teacher looking for some supplies to make a classroom project work, visit the site, sign up, and enter your project. Then come back here to grantgoddess.com and we’ll help you get the word out to prospective donors.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

BlogTalkRadio Show About Mini-Grants

If you missed Friday’s radio show about Getting Started with Mini-Grants, listen to the archived version now. You can access it by clicking on the BlogTalkRadio button on the right hand side of this page. In addition to giving some tips on how to get started and be successful with mini-grants, we also highlighted some excellent sources of mini-grants that you can download and apply for today.

BlogTalkRadio Show About Mini-Grants

If you missed Friday’s radio show about Getting Started with Mini-Grants, listen to the archived version now. You can access it by clicking on the BlogTalkRadio button on the right hand side of this page. In addition to giving some tips on how to get started and be successful with mini-grants, we also highlighted some excellent sources of mini-grants that you can download and apply for today.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

A personal note from the Grant Goddess….

Grant writing is no mystery. It just takes some planning and attention to detail. Of course, one of the most common arguments I hear from people about why they choose not to apply for grant funding is that they don’t have time. I know exactly what they are talking about! We all seem to be busier than ever. However, there are some opportunities that you just can’t afford to pass up.

Mini-grants are a wonderful opportunity to sharpen your grant writing skills without spending hours and hours developing a lengthy proposal. Can you think of anything positive you could do with $500? How about $1,000? Or $5,000? Try your hand at writing a mini-grant or two. Starbucks gives grants between $5,000 and $20,000 and the application is surprisingly simple. New guidelines will be released in early 2008, so be sure to watch the website. Target Foundation grants are another great opportunity for a small project. Check the Target website in January and February. They accept applications between February 1 and October 1 of each year. It is highly recommended that you apply early in the funding window because once the funds are gone no more grants will be awarded. Check with other department stores and businesses to see what grants and/or corporate giving opportunities are available in your local area.

A personal note from the Grant Goddess….

Grant writing is no mystery. It just takes some planning and attention to detail. Of course, one of the most common arguments I hear from people about why they choose not to apply for grant funding is that they don’t have time. I know exactly what they are talking about! We all seem to be busier than ever. However, there are some opportunities that you just can’t afford to pass up.

Mini-grants are a wonderful opportunity to sharpen your grant writing skills without spending hours and hours developing a lengthy proposal. Can you think of anything positive you could do with $500? How about $1,000? Or $5,000? Try your hand at writing a mini-grant or two. Starbucks gives grants between $5,000 and $20,000 and the application is surprisingly simple. New guidelines will be released in early 2008, so be sure to watch the website. Target Foundation grants are another great opportunity for a small project. Check the Target website in January and February. They accept applications between February 1 and October 1 of each year. It is highly recommended that you apply early in the funding window because once the funds are gone no more grants will be awarded. Check with other department stores and businesses to see what grants and/or corporate giving opportunities are available in your local area.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com