Grant Writing Confidential

* Great news: we’re (slowly) moving toward a world where education looks at competency, not hours with ass-in-seat. This is flying under the radar of the national press but is hugely important, especially for nonprofits involved with education. * Get LED lightbulbs. I use Switch LED bulbs, which are ludicrously expensive upfront but pay for [...]

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* An old grant friend returns: The Carol M. White Physical Education Proposal has been released, with 95 grants available up to $750,000. * Carmelo Anthony Is a Hero of Philanthropy More Athletes Should Emulate. * “The New Unmarried Moms: We’ve reduced teen pregnancy, but now childbearing outside wedlock is exploding among 20-somethings,” which is [...]

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Occasionally, an RFP will inadvertently show how one part of the government recognizes and tries to mitigate the unfortunate effects that come from another part of the government. We—naturally—have an example of this principle in action: readers of last week’s e-mail grant newsletter probably saw “Grants to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment Capacity In Adult, Juvenile, [...]

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* In Writing, First Do No Harm. * “The emergence of “YIMBY” [Yes In My Backyard] organizations in American cities would be a welcome counterpoint to the prevailing tides of NIMBYism that often dominate local government. But it is worth saying that broader institutional reforms are what’s really needed.” * Nonprofit Startups Are Just Like [...]

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* “The story of GiveDirectly;” I generally favor direct action donations more than intermediary donations. * “The Great California Exodus:” How the 20th Century’s most successful state’s bad policies have made it a net exporter of native-born citizens. * From the “perverse incentives department:” “Colleges Rise as They Reject: Schools Invite More Applications, Then Use [...]

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* In a very important announcement, HUD has decided to revise the regulations for the Emergency Shelter Grants program by establishing the regulations for the Emergency Solutions Grants program, which replaces the Emergency Shelter Grants program. The change in the program’s name, from Emergency Shelter Grants to Emergency Solutions Grants, reflects the change in the [...]

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* This is not an Onion story: “Florida’s plan to measure students by race riles education experts.” * From an interview with Michael Bloomberg: If every time you want to do something, they demand the final results, when you’re just sort of feeling your way and trying to evolve, it’s hard to govern. When we [...]

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* Citizenvestor: Kickstarter for Municipal Projects. So if your municipality has public services planned but no way of paying for them, it can see how badly residents really want the service. * Here’s another silly sentence alert: the NSF’s Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers” program says that it supports “the research and development [...]

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* Parents Just Don’t Understand: A sociologist says American moms and dads are in denial about their kids’ sexual lives. See also: Why Have Teen Pregnancy Rates Dropped? A new study shows how to reduce them even more. Both could fit in your next Competitive Abstinence Education Grant Program proposal. Notice especially this, from the [...]

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Two Wall Street Journal articles on job training grant programs caught my eye. The first, “U.S. Faces Uphill Battle in Retraining the Jobless,” recounts that sad tale of a hapless unemployed worker who got caught up in a job training program only to end up pushing a broom in a supermarket. The authors, Ianthe Dugan [...]

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