You did your research, you found a grant, and you are now ready to write your grant application…now what? Well, I wish I could tell you there is an ‘easy button’ for this one…but there’s not. Each grant has different requirements and needs, so it does take time to dig in and answer the questions within.
One common item that most grant applications will ask for is the purpose of the project or the use of the funds. That’s easy, right? Not always. One way to help push your grant application to the top of pile is to include statistics. Stats such as:
- The % or number of classroom activities this grant will fund.
- Student grades from this are expected to increase by X %, or because of this grant 90% of my classroom got all A’s on during the semester.
You get the point! These types of stats should be information or facts with a “feel good” component.
Secondly, include the outcome are you expecting. Will you make 10 new music makers? Integrate the music curriculum into the science unit? Will these bring all core classes into the same theme during a particular time of the year?
These are just a few items to get you thinking about how you may be able to approach your application. Below I’m including a few places that have some great statistical and research information!
Stats & Research
- Arts Education Partnership: Research
- Involvement in the Arts and Human Development
- Society for Research in Music Education
- The Sound of Silence: The Unprecedented Decline of Music Education in California Public Schools
My last piece of wisdom…You won’t get 100% of the grants you don’t apply for. Keep applying and working towards getting what you need to continue making music.