Philanthropy Front and Center-Atlanta

Great Opportunity for Nonprofit Executives: ELPNO Leadership Training

Great news for nonprofit executives seeking to give their leadership skills that extra boost:

The Executive Leadership Program for Nonprofit Organizations (ELPNO), a partnership of Georgia State University, the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech, is accepting applications for early registration for its next session on June 17-22, 2012 at UGA’s Fanning Institute in Athens, GA.

At ELPNO, nonprofit executives work side by side with a nationally known prominent university faculty on issues such as nonprofit finance, governance, ethics, resource development and the theory and practice of leadership.  This week long, small group, intensive learning experience offers practical opportunities for participants to share experiences and explore the latest knowledge in nonprofit management and leadership.

Interested in applying? The deadline for applications is April 15, 2012. For more information, be sure to visit www.elpno.org or contact Kate Smith at ksmith@fanning.uga.edu.

 

15 Resources to Help You Find Grants and Raise Money for Your School or Classroom

As the son of an elementary school teacher, I was made aware early on of the need for additional school funding. Unfortunately, as government funding for education is cut back, less and less money is available for educators to undertake the sort of innovative projects that have a strong impact on student learning. Schools will increasingly need to look to private funding to help fill some of those gaps. Listed below are fifteen books and web sites to help you learn about fundraising and grantseeking for K-12 schools. 

Books from our collection:

Big Time Fundraising for Today's Schools, by Stanley Levenson (Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2007).
This book provides guidance on fundraising for education programs from foundations,corporations, individuals, and government agencies. In addition to the information about preparing applications and proposals, Levenson also discusses the roles of principals, teachers, parents, and volunteers in the process. Also includes several sample proposals and examples of key fundraising position descriptions.

Grant Writing for Educators: Practical Strategies for Teachers, Administrators, and Staff, by Beverly A. Browning (Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service, 2005).
Intended for teachers and school administrators, this guide serves as an introductory primer on creating proposals for government and private funders. Appendices include a list of grant writing tips and recommended print and online resources.

How to Get Money for Your Classroom and School, edited by Frances A. Karnes and Kristen R. Stephens (Waco, TX: Prufrock Press, 2005).
Directed to teachers, this handbook covers approaches to raising both public and private sources of support, and provides basic instructions for fundraising activities, including proposal writing. A number of templates, sample documents, and project ideas are included in the appendices.

Getting the Grant: How Educators Can Write Winning Proposals and Manage Successful Projects, by Rebecca Gajda and Richard Tulikangas (Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2005).
An introductory text to grantseeking from government and private funders, this book focuses specifically on the process of developing the proposal. Chapters cover preparation, writing the proposal, the application review process, follow-up issues, evaluation, and collaboration and sustainability.

Online resources:

Focus on Funding for Education
This portal provides access to news, podcasts, reports, publications, and other resources from the Foundation Center of interest to educators, school administrators, and others working in the field.

Education Funding Watch
Sign up for our free monthly e-newsletter to get the latest education funding news, RFPs, jobs, and funding opportunities.

Education | GrantSpace
GrantSpace, a service of the Foundation Center, offers information and resources that are specifically designed to meet the needs of grantseekers. The site includes a designated section for education funding resources, including current RFPs, sample proposals, training programs, podcasts, and other resources.

Grantmakers for Education
Grantmakers for Education is a membership organization for private and public philanthropies that support improved education outcomes for students from early childhood through higher education.

Scholastic Funding Connection
Developed by Scholastic, this portal provides links to Federal and State funding programs, guidance on fundraising and grant writing, and a collection of proposal templates.

Sample Proposals | SchoolGrants.org
A collection of successful proposals for various types of educational programs at public and private schools.

Grant Guru | Tech & Learning
A series of tips on grantseeking and proposal writing from Dr. Gary Carnow, Director of Technology and Information Services for the Alhambra Unified School District.

DonorsChoose.org
A micro-giving platform where individuals can donate to classroom projects developed by public school teachers across the U.S. Great for small, one-time projects that might not be considered for a grant.

Fundraising Campaigns for School Facilities | National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities
Offers a guide to fundraising for educational facilities and links to additional resources.

National Association of Independent Schools
The NAIS web site includes a broad collection of articles, publications, and other resources on fundraising for private schools.

National School Foundation Association
The National School Foundation Association is a professional organization supporting K-12 school and school foundation personnel in the process of establishing, developing, and maintaining school foundations.

BONUS: For additional links, see this very comprehensive resource listing from Jon Harrison, Funding Center Supervisor, at our Cooperating Collection at MSU in East Lansing: Fundraising for Educators | Michigan State University Libraries

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Upcoming Special Classes and Events: March & April 2011

Coming in March and April, we'll be featuring sessions on legal basics for nonprofits and board members, planning your grants search, buildng a nonprofit consulting business, employee orientation for nonprofit organizations, donor recognition strategies, and much more. Be sure to bookmark our training calendar or subscribe to our newsletter to keep track of all upcoming classes and events.

Concrete Tools for Outcomes Management
Wednesday, March 2, 10:00-11:30am
Presenter: Sandra Bethea, President/CEO, Strategic Impact Consulting Group, LLC
Managing for outcomes is a key strategy for successful nonprofits and is essential in the development of a start-up nonprofit. Learn the key terminology and tools related to outcomes management, the art of communicating based on outcomes and telling result stories, and how outcomes management is key in securing financial resources and community support.

Legal Issues for Nonprofits, presented in collaboration with Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta
Wednesday, March 9, 10:00-11:30am
Presenter: Rachel Epps Spears, Executive Director, Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta
Is your nonprofit in compliance with the laws and regulations that govern it? Are you even aware of all of the laws and regulations that cover corporate governance, taxes, fundraising and employees? The implications of not being compliant range from fines to the loss of your 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. This workshop will help you to learn some common pitfalls for nonprofits and how to avoid them.

Marketing Your Nonprofit on a Tight Budget
Wednesday, March 16, 10:00-11:30am
Presenter: Alissa Cook, Alissa Cook Consulting
Find out about the best (free) resources out there and learn the importance of creating a marketing strategy that wins! Get great tips for telling your story, marketing to funders, and expressing your brand identity.

Finding Foundation Support for Your Education & Conducting a Personal Scholarship Search
Tuesday, March 22, 10:00-11:00am
Presenters: Teresa Emmanuel and Kimberly Sellars-Bates, KSTB Enterprises, LLC
Following  our Finding Foundation Support for Your Education class, join us for an interactive, hands-on session in which participants will learn how to develop a map for a personal scholarship search, understand the finer points of outside scholarships, chart where outside scholarships are likely to be found, recognize popular resources for outside funding, and learn how to search uncharted territory for new resources.

Introduction to Fundraising Planning & Fundamentals of Planning and Writing Grants
Tuesday, March 29, 10:00-11:15am
Presenter: Susan Bacon, Palmetto Grant Consulting
Following our Introduction to Fundraising Planning class, join us for a presentation on the basic steps for developing grant calendars and writing grant proposals. Presenter Susan Bacon will discuss the ten-step logical grant writing model and examine how to consolidate a complete grant proposal package. Participants will also be provided a brief overview for designing an effective grant calendar.

Legal Responsibilities of Board Members, presented in collaboration with Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta
Friday, April 8, 10:00-11:30am
Presenter: Mona Maerz, Senior Counsel, Chamberlain Hrdlicka
Many board members join a nonprofit's board because they care about the issues the organization addresses, but nonprofits are so busy they often have trouble finding the time to train board members. This presentation will help nonprofits and their board members understand the role of the board and its members, duties of the board and its members, and to whom a board and board members are accountable.

Growing Your Nonprofit Consulting Business
Tuesday, April 12, 1:00-2:30pm
Presenter: Kimberly K. Haynes, Founder & Chief Consultant, OMBI Group, LLC
Join us for an informative and illustrative workshop on growing your nonprofit consulting firm. Learn how to grow your nonprofit consulting firm by identifying services to offer, marketing your firm, building your clientele, joining professional organizations, and utilizing internship programs.

Hiring and On-Boarding Basics for Nonprofit Organizations
Tuesday, April 19, 2:00-3:30pm
Presenter: Valeria Prophet, President, V.P. Training, Inc.
Congratulations! You’re open for business and you’re ready to hire your first part-time or full-time employee. But are you really ready? Effective on-boarding of a new hire is one of the most important contributions any organization can make to long-term success. On-boarding done right drives employee engagement, increases productivity, and significantly improves talent retention.

Introduction to Corporate Giving & Fundraising Through Corporate Partnerships
Thursday, April 21, 10:00-11:00am
Presenter: Paul Towne, Director of Corporate Partnerships, Points of Light Institute
Following our Introduction to Corporate Giving class, join us for an interactive session will provide an introduction to corporate fundraising through tips, techniques, and real life examples. Learn how to research companies, create a list of prospects and secure meetings with potential donors.

Introduction to Fundraising Planning & Donor Recognition Strategies
Tuesday, April 26, 10:00-11:15am
Presenter: Robin Williams, Founder and President/Principal Consultant, Robin E. Williams Inc.
Donor recognition is the most under-utilized marketing tool that the fundraiser has. Too often the act of thanking donors is an “in the moment” decision, occurring after a gift is received or after a new building is built. What is needed instead is a programmatic approach to fundraising and donor recognition.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Dell Social Innovation Competition Invites Students to Submit Ideas for a Better World

Dell and the University of Texas at Austin are seeking innovative ideas from college and university students interested in addressing current social or environmental issues. The Dell Social Innovation Competition invites undergraduate and graduate level students from universities or colleges across the globe to submit their plans for improving social conditions or helping conserve the environment through social entrepreneurship.

Entries can be submitted online now through February 14. Judges will select up to 90 semi-finalists to advance to the second round of the competition, and the ten ideas with the most public votes will also automatically move forward as semi-finalists. In the following round, semi-finalists will compose a social venture plan to further develop their ideas, and five finalists will be selected. These five finalists will be flown to Austin, Texas, to present their ideas in person during a weekend-long summit and awards ceremony. Prizes will be awarded as follows:

• First place: $50,000
• Second place: $20,000
• Third place: $10,000
• Dell Technology Award: $10,000 (for the idea that best makes use of technology to solve a social or environmental problem)
• Tomberg Prize in Environmental Sustainability: $10,000 (for the idea that best addresses the issue of environmental sustainability)
• People’s Choice Award: $1,000 (for the finalist team receiving the most votes at the live final event in Austin)
• Webbie Award: $1,000 (for the idea that receives the most votes online)

In addition, twenty semi-finalists who do not make the finals will be invited to participate in a year-long fellowship program, led in partnership with Brown University, involving one-on-one mentoring on their idea, a week of intensive training, a summer internship stipend to further develop their idea, and customized venture plan coaching.

Further information, including  official rules and deadlines can be found online at the competition web site.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

November is National Scholarship Month

This time of year, many high school seniors and other prospective students are busy applying to colleges and universities for Fall admission. Just as important as deciding on a school is figuring out how you plan to pay for your education. November is National Scholarship Month, and we're taking this opportunity to highlight our many resources for researching financial aid.

To start, we recommend reading our Knowledge Base articles for students for information on scholarships and grants for undergraduate studies, graduate school, continuing education, international programs, and more. Some suggestions when researching financial aid for your education:

• Learn about federal aid opportunities and fill out the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to get an estimate of your eligibility.


• Go to the GAcollege411 web site for information on the HOPE Scholarship program and other sources of financial aid from Georgia state agencies.


• Contact the financial aid office(s) at the school(s) you are considering.


• Ask about scholarships from organizations in your personal and professional networks, including:
  • Local or regional alumni clubs
  • Community, civic, and religious organizations
  • Businesses or corporations that employ you, your parents, or other family members

Visit our library to use Foundation Grants to Individuals Online, our searchable database of grantmakers that provide support directly to individual grantseekers, including students. This database is accessible for free at our libraries and Cooperating Collections across the U.S., or you can purchase a subscription to use the database from your home or office.

Not sure where to start? Take our free class, Finding Foundation Support for Your Education, which is available as in-person training, an online tutorial, or webinar.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Changes in Student Loans

[Editor's note: The following post was written by Sandy Pon, Virtual Library/Learning Center Specialist, and originally appeared at the Philanthropy Front and Center-Cleveland blog.]

I was surprised to learn that none of the participants in our May 5, 2010, live Q&A with student aid guru Mark Kantrowitz knew about changes to student loans that President Obama signed into law in March. Granted, they were upstaged by the health care law in which they were buried. So, here are some of the key changes:

• Federal student loans will be handled directly by the government, not banks or private lenders, starting July 1, 2010. However, private lenders can still make student loans; most of them just won’t be backed by the government.
• There will be automatic yearly increase in Pell Grants from years 2013-2018, based on Consumer Price Index Summary for all Urban Consumers.
• Loan payments will not exceed 10 percent of discretionary income for new borrowers, starting July 2014. Current law caps payments at 15 percent of income.
• There will be more loan forgiveness opportunities, starting in 2014. For students who make their loan payments on time, the government will forgive the balance after 20 years, instead of 25. Public service workers — teachers, nurses, police officers and those in the military — will see any remaining debt forgiven after just 10 years of repayment.
• There will be more funding for community colleges and minority-serving institutions.

Mr. Kantrowitz has written two articles on the 2010 changes to education loan programs:

• How Will The Student Loan Bill Affect Students? | FastWeb
• Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 | FinAid: A fairly technical article in Q&A format.

The new law doesn’t provide relief for those who already have student loans, which we’re often asked about at the Foundation Center. Mr. Kantrowitz suggested some options when asked about it during our chat:

Loan forgiveness provides help after incurring the loans. But there aren't any grants other than forgiveness programs to pay down debt. Some employers might offer a signing bonus to pay off loans (e.g., to recruit nurses). The income-based repayment program also provides a safety net for borrowers who are having trouble repaying their federal student loans. Federal loans also offer temporary suspensions of repayment called deferments and forbearances, but interest can continue to accrue during these repayment suspensions, so it is not a good idea to overuse them.

Mr. Kantrowitz also mentioned “no-loan” colleges for low-income students. These are schools that ensure that qualifying low income students have no loans in their financial aid packages. Among these schools are some big names, like Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, and Yale. Students who meet the criteria could actually pay less out-of-pocket by attending one of these private institutions versus going to a public college/university.

In fact, I heard the same thing several years ago about the University System of Georgia’s study abroad programs, depending on the country and subject of choice. Key lesson I learned (or re-learned): Find out the actual cost, based on your own financial situation, before you decide you can’t afford Ivy League or international study.

Student financial aid isn’t the Foundation Center's area of expertise, but we still get a lot of questions about where to find grants for school. Although foundations generally give to nonprofits, about 8,500 of them (just under 1 percent) also give to individuals, mostly for studies or artistic/research projects. Please see our FAQ for students for the resources we’ve developed and collected to help students find foundation grants and other forms of aid.

A New Diverse Majority: Students of Color in the South's Public Schools

Earlier this year, we highlighted a new report from the Southern Education Foundation discussing the changing demographics of the South's public education system. This report, A New Diverse Majority: Students of Color in the South’s Public Schools, reveals that for the first time in history the South’s public schools have a majority of students of color.

In the school year ending 2009, African-American, Latino, Asian-Pacific Islander, American Indian, and multi-racial children constituted slightly more than half of all students attending public schools in the 15 states constituting the South. The South is now the first and only region in the nation’s history to have both a majority of low-income students and a majority of students of color enrolled in public schools.

Join us next Wednesday, May 26, as Lynn Huntley, president of the Southern Education Foundation, discusses the report and its implications on funding. Grantmakers, grantseekers, and educators alike will all appreciate the insight Lynn has to offer about this report.

This event is part of our Funding for Education Month programming and is free and open to the public. Click here to register or to learn more about this event.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Local Grantmakers Discuss Funding for K-12 Education

The nation demands that its education system not only aspire to higher performance for all students, but that it deliver that result. The current federal agenda for education reforms requires improvements in instructional standards and assessments, streamlined allocation of resources, enhanced efforts to turn around chronically low-performing schools, and improved collection and use of longitudinal student data. With the support of private and public funding resources, K-12 schools are poised to take advantage of opportunities to help students succeed. 

Join us next Wednesday, May 19, as local K-12 education grantmakers discuss funding trends in elementary and secondary education and what schools and other educational organizations can expect when approaching foundations for support. Attendees will learn about:

• Funding trends in K-12 education
• Education funders' participation with the federal efforts for education reform
• Crafting grant proposals that make a compelling case
• Common mistakes grantseekers make when seeking funding support

Presenters will include Danny Shoy, senior program officer at the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, and Lizzy Smith, grants officer with the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation.
 
This event is part of our Funding for Education Month programming and is free and open to the public. Click here to register or to learn more about this event.

Asia Hadley, Training Coordinator, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Live Q&A! Getting Student Aid

Funding your education requires careful planning, persistence, and knowing how and where to look for funding. On Wednesday, May 5, 2010, from 2:00-3:00pm Eastern, Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher of Finaid.org, joined us to answer questions about financial aid. Read the transcript below!

About the Presenter

Mark Kantrowitz is President of MK Consulting Inc. and Publisher of the FinAid and FastWebweb sites owned by Monster Worldwide. As a nationally-recognized financial aid expert, Mark has been called to testify before Congress about student aid on several occasions. He is interviewed regularly by national news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, MSN, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, among others.

Mark is on the editorial board of the Council on Law in Higher Education, the board of trustees of the Center for Excellence in Education, and the board of directors of the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA).He is also the Student Loan Guru for FiLife.com (a Dow Jones property) and curator of the Student Loans topics page for the New York Times.

He is the author of four books, including two about student financial aid. His most recent book, FastWeb College Gold (Harper Collins, September 2006) is a step-by-step guide to paying for college. Read his full bio>>

May is Funding for Education Month

Funding for Education Month starts next week! All month long we'll be highlighting resources and offering special events and free classes focused on what's happening in education funding. Topics will include scholarships and financial aid, vocational education, and trends in funding for higher education.

Wednesday, May 5, 2:30-4:00pm
Meet the Grantmakers: Funding for Vocational Education
Jackie Parker, vice president, global inclusion & diversity, Newell Rubbermaid, and Elisa Jaden, recruiter, Atlanta Technical College will discuss funding trends in vocational education, opportunities for vocational education skills-building, and examples of successful local organizations that provide vocational education.

Wednesday, May 5, 2:00-3:00pm
Live Online Q&A: Getting Student Aid
Looking for money to pay for school? Then you won't want to miss our free live chat with Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Finaid.org, an award-winning, comprehensive web site of student financial aid information, advice and tools. Don't miss this opportunity to seek answers from one of the nation's experts on student aid.

Thursday, May 6, 2:00-3:00pm
Live Webinar: Researching Education Funders with Foundation Directory Online
This session provides an introduction to one of the key online tools for finding funders, Foundation Directory Online Professional. Learn how to create customized searches to develop lists of prospective foundation and corporate donors that will match your nonprofit organization's funding needs for educational programs.

Thursday, May 13, 11:15am-12:15pm
Georgia GOAL Program: Scholarships for K-12 Private Education
Following our regular Finding Foundation Support for Your Education class, join us for an informative presentation on the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to students across Georgia to attend the private K-12 schools of their parents’ choice.

Wednesday, May 19, 2:30-4:00pm
Funding for K-12 Education
Join local K-12 education grantmakers as they discuss funding trends in education, strategies for crafting grant proposals that make a compelling case, and common mistakes grantseekers make when seeking funding support.

Monday, May 24, 2:00-3:00pm
Live Webinar: Elementary-Secondary Education and Reform: The Role of Foundations in a Time of Change and Opportunity
Steven Lawrence, director of research at the Foundation Center, will examine trends in foundation funding for elementary and secondary education and discuss the role of the Foundations for Education Excellence initiative in promoting education reform.

Wednesday, May 26, 2:30-4:00pm
A New Diverse Majority: Students of Color in the South's Public Schools
Join us as Lynn Huntley of the Southern Education Foundation discusses the SEF's recent report on the changing demographics of public education in the South and the implications for funding.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta