Give Me Money: The Subtle Art of Grant Writing By Rachel Dworkin, Archivist
I recently applied for a grant. Discussing it on the phone with my mom, it occurred to me that most people have no idea how grants work. Grants are the bread and butter of most non-profits and applying for them is both an art and a science.
There are lots of granting organizations including federal and state agencies, private foundations, and even other non-profits. The first step when applying for a grant is to figure which grant to apply for. Different granting institutions have different agendas and projects they support. For example, I am looking to digitize a collection of audio cassette tapes, so I applied to the South Central Regional Library Council because they have a grant specifically for digitization projects. If, on the other hand, I needed to buy more shelving, I’d apply to for a preservation assistance grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. CCHS regularly apply to the New York State Council of the Arts and the Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes, among others, to fund projects around the museum. (READ MORE)
