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

The Grant Development Process

A Few Words about Grant Development

Grant development is a labor-intensive, entrepreneurial activity in which even veteran grant developers frequently face rejection. It's often a time-sensitive activity in which application deadlines and award decisions don't always match up with your project time table. But the good news is that if you're prepared to invest the time, if you're at least moderately well-organized, if you can string a clear sentence or paragraph together, and if you are willing to commit to what could be a multi-year multi-submission process before the project is funded, you probably already have the skills and attitudes needed to work successfully with the Grants and Fund Development Office (GFDO).

Why do we talk about "grant development" and not "grant writing"?

Because writing is only one stage of the process. Successful grant development involves five stages:

1. Project Idea Identification: You must know what you want to do with the money, who is committed to doing it with you, why it's important, who will benefit and how, how much money you need, etc.
2. Securing Support: You must secure support for your project idea from key administrators before proposal writing begins, whether or not you receive assistance from the GFDO. Depending on the scope and scale of your project, this may require signoff from only your principal or district department director or could involve district-level administrators such as an assistant superintendent or department executive director. Please review the MMSD Grant Review and Signoff Procedure for guidance on how to complete the administrator review process for your specific project.
3. Funding Source Research and Prospect Evaluation: Of all the K-12 education funders out there, it is necessary to find the one(s) whose specific interest and capabilities match up best with your idea, and the one(s) where your competitive chances seem best.
4. Proposal Writing: Next, you must put your idea to paper and describe the who, what, when, where, and why of the project in the format required by the funder.
5. Follow-up: To increase your chances of being funded in the future, we strongly encourage you to cultivate a relationship with the funder, regardless of whether your proposal was or was not funded. By learning about the funder's reaction to your latest proposal or reporting on the progress of your funded project, you will position yourself for future success with this grantmaker.

The GFDO offers a wide-ranging menu of services to help you successfully complete the grants development process. Some services are available unconditionally to all staff, while others — the most labor-intensive ones — require prior screening by district management through completion of a GFDO Service Request Form.

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Last Updated: 2004-09-08 10:47AM
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Department Contact: Marcie Pfeifer-Soderbloom, mpfeifersode@madison.k12.wi.us
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