Get your Grants Funded!

How big is your wish list? After hours this summer spent at conferences, scouring Pinterest, and seeing new toys on Instagram and Facebook you probably have more than a few items you'd love to use in class. Now you're thinking about writing grant. GREAT IDEA! I've written grants before and all of them have been funded so I thought I would share my tips. 



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Donors Choose is of course a wonderful option for educators hoping to get grants funded, but did you know that many districts have an education foundation? I Education Foundations WANT to give you money for your classroom! Local large businesses and companies based out of your state may also offer grants. Don't forget about your school's PTA- they may have some funds they would be willing to share to help you purchase something if it could benefit a large population of the school.

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Can the item or items you want a grant to purchase be used all year long? Can they be used the following year as well? Will it benefit all the students in your classroom? You are more likely to have a grant funded if you can use it in your classroom continually.

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Don't be afraid to write a large grant! If you want to purchase items for your whole team try contacting the company you want to purchase from and ask if they offer a large order discount. Many times they will help you out! Companies want their product out there!

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Many people who want to fund your grants aren't teachers. They aren't familiar with the buzzwords that we are. When you write your grants be specific and make sure your reader can really picture how your item would be used in the classroom. Can it benefit students of all ability levels? How?

*Have a friend or colleague proofread your grant before you submit it!! Sometimes we have read and re-read and re-read what we have written so many times that we miss errors!

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Show how excited you are to receive your grant! Send out a picture of your items to your parents in a Remind message. Use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and now Periscope to show your enthusiasm and show your grant item at work in the classroom! Send out a thank you note. If you've been funded from someone locally a thank you note is a special touch.


Have a great school year and keep sharing pictures of your new fun items in class! I love seeing how creative we can be in how we teach!