This past spring Washington Square Health Foundation hosted a “How to Develop a Successful Grant Proposal” training workshop for grantees. The purpose of the workshop was to provide guidance to non-profit organizations to develop and present grant requests that directly benefit them and meet the Washington Square Health Foundation’s (as well as other private foundations’) grant making expectations. Each organization that participated was asked to develop a “real potential proposal” idea that consisted of a description of the program, a list of measurable goals and objectives for the program, and a budget form. These proposals were reviewed by the Foundation’s evaluation consultants prior to the workshop.
The first section of the workshop was a presentation and overview of Washington Square Health Foundation’s grant making process. This included information on the grant cycle and deadlines throughout the year, as well the typical length and type of grants awarded. The Foundation’s general guidelines were also discussed to aid grantees in understanding what the Foundation’s funding priorities are. Following that, grantees were walked through how to apply for grants and a checklist of requirements and application procedures were provided. After the presentation was concluded, grantees had the opportunity to ask questions regarding the information that they provided.
Following the presentation, the grantees had the opportunity to work in small groups with the Foundation’s two evaluation consultants, Kathleen Pietschmann, RN, ND and Mary Driscoll, MPH. During this time, grantees had an opportunity to receive feedback on their real potential proposals from the consultants, as well as the other participants.
Overall, the workshop was very well received by grantees, with one writing “the workshop was very helpful in providing insight into how to make a grant submission for grants.” The Washington Square Health Foundation greatly enjoyed hosting this workshop and is looking forward to hosting more workshops in the future.
