Winning Grants

Revised to meet evolving library funding challenges, this guide navigates every stage of the grant process—from initial research and need assessments to proposal deconstruction, practical planning tips, success stories, and ready-to-use tools for budgeting, team building, and project management.
Newly updated and comprehensive, this invaluable manual is a must-have for library directors, grant writers, board members, consultants, and anyone navigating the intricacies of library grant funding. Whether you're starting from scratch and don't know where to begin, or you're an experienced grant writer looking to tap into new funding sources, you’ll find this book an invaluable resource. Authored by a well-respected library grants expert with a keen knowledge of the current state of libraries’ needs and funder priorities, Winning Grants

• explains the grant process cycle and outlines a clear path to success;
• shares inspiring grant success stories in action from diverse libraries;
• presents a Grant Proposal Deconstruction template, new to this edition, that distills the often-complex grant proposal guidelines into a succinct outline that will help you ensure eligibility, track important details, and measure compliance;
• offers guidance on gathering knowledge and conducting research, with updated resource lists and a comprehensive list of the various types of library funders;
• covers every stage of planning, including how to cultivate community involvement, methods for needs assessment, advice on organizing the grant team, and exercises to help you write realistic goals and objectives;
• provides insightful tips for proposal writing, such as where to find the best statistics and census data to support your statement of needs;
• features ready-to-use tools such as grant project and needs statement worksheets, budget templates, a decision matrix, and grant partnership documents;
• advises how to announce a successful grant to the community, and other first steps of implementation, including the basic principles of project management; and
• provides guidance on what to do when you're turned down and how to conduct an effective evaluation that keeps the process moving forward.