Marcie Pfeifer-Soderbloom
Grants and Fund Development Coordinator
608/663-4947
mpfeifersode@madison.k12.wi.us

GFDO Menu of Services

In recent years, securing external financial resources has become more important to public education in general and most certainly to the MMSD. To this end, the GFDO offers a wide-ranging menu of services, including the following:

Please note: Before the GFDO can provide you services likely to require 8 or more hours (e.g., proposal development assistance, funding source search, and assessment of certain grant opportunities), you must secure up-front support for your project from district management. To initiate a request for such services, please complete and submit the GFDO Service Request form.

$ $ $ $

Project Idea/Design Consultation

Successful grant development usually begins with a good idea. This means an idea that's good for our students and compelling to a funder whose interests include making a difference in K-12 education. By serving as a "friendly critic" from a funder's and the district's perspective, the Grants and Fund Development Office can help you assess the fundability of your idea and help you shape it into one that's both competitive in today's grantseeking environment and in synch with district priorities and directions. Click here for criteria and conditions for accessing project design services.

$ $ $ $

Funding Source Search

Do you have an idea for a project but don't know who might be willing to fund it? The Grants and Fund Development Office may be able to help in one or more of these ways:

• Local Grant Opportunities for Small-Scale Projects - Local grantmakers are usually the best source of funding for small projects, e.g. those needing $5,000 or less. The GFDO's Grant Opportunities and Applications page summarizes these opportunities and includes links to application materials, proposal writing tutorials, and high-quality sample proposals.
• Matching Service - The GFDO receives a steady stream of information about current grant opportunities. Some of these may match up well with your project idea. As these opportunities appear, the GFDO is able to send customers pertinent information about them.
• Do-It-Yourself Internet-Based Funding Search - A growing number of funders are putting their program guidelines on the World Wide Web and there are many Internet-based research tools that can be used to conduct funding source searches. Begin a do-it-yourself search here.
• Research by the GFDO - The GFDO can identify a list of funders that might have an interest in supporting your project idea and conduct in-depth research to determine the funder's interest in the project idea. The GFDO can also help you prepare for and conduct initial inquiries to the funder's program officer.

Click here for criteria and conditions for accessing funding source search services.

$ $ $ $

Grant Opportunity Assessment

Have you just learned about a grant program but aren't sure if it's worth pursuing? A review of the funder's "request for proposals" or application guidelines, and perhaps a follow-up call to the grant program officer, will usually provide strong signals about the wisdom and feasibility of pursuing the opportunity and competitive chances of receiving a grant. The GFDO can help perform this assessment. Click here for criteria and conditions for accessing opportunity assessment services.

$ $ $ $

Grant Proposal Development Assistance

Do you have a specific project or program idea that's in synch with the District's general strategic direction and that seems like a good fit for a particular funding source? Are you willing to invest your time -- alone or with others -- in developing that idea into a high-quality grant proposal? Is your project idea supported by key MMSD administrators? Is there enough time before the submission deadline to prepare a high-quality proposal? If so, the GFDO may be able to assist in one or more of these ways:

• Consultation - The GFDO can advise on how to shape your idea into a fundable project or program design, direct you to supporting data and other pertinent information, provide copies of successful proposals or proposal components, and serve as a "friendly critic," offering a funder's perspective on your draft proposal.
• Proposal Development Support - Working with a project team, team leader or other key individual, the GFDO can help refine a first draft into a polished grant proposal that addresses all funding source interests and requirements.
• Proposal Development Leadership - The GFDO can work with an MMSD content expert (the Team Leader) to handle lead writing and overall coordination of the many components of grant proposal development.

Click here for criteria and conditions for accessing proposal development services.

$ $ $ $

Information and Referral

The GFDO fields a wide range of questions about all aspects of grant development. If you've got questions, the GFDO can usually get you the answers or at least connect you with another person or organization who's in a position to offer the help you need.

Click here for criteria and conditions for accessing information and referral services.

$ $ $ $

Fundraising Consultation

Some needs are better addressed through grassroots fundraising than through grantseeking, or through a combination of the two. The Grants and Fund Development Office can advise you on strategies for local community-based grassroots fundraising. These strategies may include special fundraising events, direct mail and other forms of donor solicitation, and development of long-term relationships with natural constituencies (e.g. neighboring businesses and service clubs, employers of parents of MMSD students, etc.). Click here for criteria and conditions for accessing fundraising consultation services.

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Last Updated: 2004-09-08 10:55AM
This page's URL: http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/grants/menu.htm
Department Contact: Marcie Pfeifer-Soderbloom, mpfeifersode@madison.k12.wi.us
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