Michelle--I wish my PTA board was HALF as informed as you are. I'm definitely looking into this PTA grant thing! Thank you!

Yes, yes that seems to be a problem. There is lots of information out there, and training opportunities from National PTA,(on-line) your state PTA and many District and Council PTA's; but if you do not know about the opportunity it dosen't help you.
One of the best reasons to get involved, and be active in PTA beyond your school (council, district, or state) is the chance to network with other PTA folks and learn.

ps: That is also a reason to follow the message boards here and at www.pta.org; tons of ideas!

kamamom
Id like more info about foundation center can you email me? This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

thanks a bunch

We did a major grant writing campaign about a year ago. We received one grant of $5,000 from the experience. The only advice I can give is to tap into your parents. We were lucky enough to have a few parents that had experience in writing grants for public schools and colleges. They had a book of available grants and started from there. Good luck!

Michelle--I wish my PTA board was HALF as informed as you are. I'm definitely looking into this PTA grant thing! Thank you!

I see you are a member of PTA, there is also a grant writing e-learning course in the members area of the website. It's free and very helpful. You will need about 30 minutes of free time to complete it though so don't log in until you're ready to do it.

Hey--we're in the same boat! Greed would normally prohibit me from offering help to a potential competitor, but....

MetzyMom basically said it all! I also got a couple of "How to..." books by professional fundraisers for some ideas, and I got a monthly subscription to the "Foundation Center" to find grants there. I found a whole world of untapped resources, both by doing straight and reverse searches. I did find some help among my parents too! When we sent out our volunteer survey, one of the choices in the "Ways I can Help" was "I have a contact for a Grant Writer." I threw it out there just in case , and was I glad I did! One of the mom's has an aunt that is a (successful!) grant writer who is willing to help us out.

If you'd like more info on the Foundation Center, just let me know. We're still waiting for our 501(c)(3), so I've yet to see the payback, but I think it was worth the subscription just to see all the foundations that have the money for the asking, because most I never knew existed, and a lot I normally would never have even thought of applying to until I read the things they support.. Grant writing is a little daunting, because you have to work for the money, so when you get turned down it's hard not to take it personally. But the potential payout is alluring!