Key takeaways (Jenna, Grace, & Virginia)
Maine Conservation Alliance (Justice League):
1. The third paragraph in the statement of need: The first statistic needs a citation and you shouldn’t capitalize “Plastic”. I think all this doc needs is a close proof read through in order to increase the specificity and credibility of the project.
2. Don’t begin the statement of need with the needs of your organization. The goal of this piece of the proposal is to highlight the needs of the community, rather than the needs of your organization. Try beginning with something highlighting the issue at hand, rather than the needs of the organization.
3. Goals & Objectives need attention to detail. Some of the language / paragraphs are not needed to describe how the trash will be picked up. I think the goals should focus more broadly, like how they started out (idea of preserving the natural beauty and health of the ecosystem) then the objectives should have clear measurements like the social media metrics established as another objective. I think the proposal has really come together and is a very compelling project!
Maine Alliance for Arts Education (Arts for Impact):
1. I found that I was fumbling over the first few sentences in the statement of need. I think in order to state that children have a difficult time interacting with their peers, you should explain the reasoning first and then say how it is affecting the children. But this doc has had a lot of good changes made to it.
2. I really liked the way that the research is woven into each piece of the document. The research helps the document to be convincing, and helps to prove that the issue is one that needs to be addressed. This is something that I want to use in our own grant proposal, as it works really well.
3. I think this proposal was very strong, and the input from our in class discussion came through. Even small details like how volunteers will be background checked were included. This proposal was successful and highlights why arts education is and should be intrinsically intertwined with community.
The project description could use more information for the reader to better understand the project. For the section describing the Community Roots project, a general timeline of when connections with other food councils and nonprofits should be provided, conveying the idea that a plan is in place. Talking about the specific areas that may be targeted for the project’s expansion and what might be done with these partnerships is important for a project that focuses on establishing connections. The projects for garden beds and greenhouses could use similar details. In addition, the logistics of its operations such as employee responsibilities, what will be grown, and the maintenance of those facilities could be useful information to include. That said, the goals for these projects are distinct but make sense for what the organization aims to accomplish.
You did a good job addressing the food disparities currently going on in the L/A area, and why your organization is best suited for the job given your organization background. Goals and objectives are generally well defined but, perhaps it can be more precise on quantitative goals, like how much do you expect the food insecurity percentage to decrease because of the community garden project, if possible, or maybe showing how you can predict a change in statistics when it comes to the food crisis. For example looking at other similar greenhouse/community gardens and looking at what kind of impact they made and using it as a point of reference.
This draft is indeed compelling and exciting. Your organization’s mission to increase the capacity of local food systems through collaboration and resource sharing is commendable. And the initiatives outlined in the proposal, such as the Community Roots Project with community greenhouses and bonus beds, demonstrate a proactive approach to addressing food insecurity in the L/A area. To enhance the excitement and appeal of the proposal, it could benefit from incorporating similar projects that have successfully impacted communities in the past. (Even if this is hard to find, it may be okay to make up some things that “could’ve” happened in the past) – but it should be reasonable to find other projects that have done this work.
Arts For Impact
The evaluation didn’t include parts that were found in other parts of the proposal that fit better in the evaluation. The goals of a certain retention rate and attendance were restated in the evaluation. However, the parts about tracking both of these statistics should be explicitly stated here rather than earlier in the proposal in another section. It also is questionable if analyzing statewide statistics will accurately reflect the program’s success, considering how it is serving a local, isolated population. The last paragraph of the evaluation section seems out of place; it may be useful to have it somewhere else and put more emphasis on obtaining relevant statistics. The qualitative data through surveys and check-ins seem appropriate.
The way the goals and objectives were formatted and explained worked really well in showing exactly how they will be measured and were realistically attainable. This is a minor thing, but MAAE was only established as the acronym for Maine Alliance for Art Education all the way down in the project description. It might be helpful to have MAAE in parentheses in each section as grants are usually read in bits and pieces. I wonder if it would be helpful to mention, and it doesn’t have to be in much detail, but how you plan to sustain the program after the three years. Will you apply for another grant, and/or will you fundraise during those three years to build up funds? Overall, I think this is a very feasible project and well laid out that just needs a couple minor tweaks.
The draft for the grant application provides a comprehensive overview of the Arts For Impact program and effectively outlines the goals, objectives, and budget requirements. However, to make the application more compelling and engaging for potential funders, you could consider the following suggestions: First, make a large emphasis on the pressing need for arts education in Arundel and the significant impact it can have on the community. Clearly articulate the consequences of not having access to such programs and how the Arts For Impact initiative can fill this gap. Within this, I think it would lend well to your application to have a very clear description of the isolation and loneliness pandemic – specifically across the target age group of 14-17. Second, it may be useful to outline a clear plan for the long-term sustainability of the program beyond the initial funding period. By showing how the organization plans to continue the project, it may attract additional support, and could even expand its reach in the future.
2 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 18”
Key takeaways (Jenna, Grace, & Virginia)
Maine Conservation Alliance (Justice League):
1. The third paragraph in the statement of need: The first statistic needs a citation and you shouldn’t capitalize “Plastic”. I think all this doc needs is a close proof read through in order to increase the specificity and credibility of the project.
2. Don’t begin the statement of need with the needs of your organization. The goal of this piece of the proposal is to highlight the needs of the community, rather than the needs of your organization. Try beginning with something highlighting the issue at hand, rather than the needs of the organization.
3. Goals & Objectives need attention to detail. Some of the language / paragraphs are not needed to describe how the trash will be picked up. I think the goals should focus more broadly, like how they started out (idea of preserving the natural beauty and health of the ecosystem) then the objectives should have clear measurements like the social media metrics established as another objective. I think the proposal has really come together and is a very compelling project!
Maine Alliance for Arts Education (Arts for Impact):
1. I found that I was fumbling over the first few sentences in the statement of need. I think in order to state that children have a difficult time interacting with their peers, you should explain the reasoning first and then say how it is affecting the children. But this doc has had a lot of good changes made to it.
2. I really liked the way that the research is woven into each piece of the document. The research helps the document to be convincing, and helps to prove that the issue is one that needs to be addressed. This is something that I want to use in our own grant proposal, as it works really well.
3. I think this proposal was very strong, and the input from our in class discussion came through. Even small details like how volunteers will be background checked were included. This proposal was successful and highlights why arts education is and should be intrinsically intertwined with community.
Lettuce Farm Forever
The project description could use more information for the reader to better understand the project. For the section describing the Community Roots project, a general timeline of when connections with other food councils and nonprofits should be provided, conveying the idea that a plan is in place. Talking about the specific areas that may be targeted for the project’s expansion and what might be done with these partnerships is important for a project that focuses on establishing connections. The projects for garden beds and greenhouses could use similar details. In addition, the logistics of its operations such as employee responsibilities, what will be grown, and the maintenance of those facilities could be useful information to include. That said, the goals for these projects are distinct but make sense for what the organization aims to accomplish.
You did a good job addressing the food disparities currently going on in the L/A area, and why your organization is best suited for the job given your organization background. Goals and objectives are generally well defined but, perhaps it can be more precise on quantitative goals, like how much do you expect the food insecurity percentage to decrease because of the community garden project, if possible, or maybe showing how you can predict a change in statistics when it comes to the food crisis. For example looking at other similar greenhouse/community gardens and looking at what kind of impact they made and using it as a point of reference.
This draft is indeed compelling and exciting. Your organization’s mission to increase the capacity of local food systems through collaboration and resource sharing is commendable. And the initiatives outlined in the proposal, such as the Community Roots Project with community greenhouses and bonus beds, demonstrate a proactive approach to addressing food insecurity in the L/A area. To enhance the excitement and appeal of the proposal, it could benefit from incorporating similar projects that have successfully impacted communities in the past. (Even if this is hard to find, it may be okay to make up some things that “could’ve” happened in the past) – but it should be reasonable to find other projects that have done this work.
Arts For Impact
The evaluation didn’t include parts that were found in other parts of the proposal that fit better in the evaluation. The goals of a certain retention rate and attendance were restated in the evaluation. However, the parts about tracking both of these statistics should be explicitly stated here rather than earlier in the proposal in another section. It also is questionable if analyzing statewide statistics will accurately reflect the program’s success, considering how it is serving a local, isolated population. The last paragraph of the evaluation section seems out of place; it may be useful to have it somewhere else and put more emphasis on obtaining relevant statistics. The qualitative data through surveys and check-ins seem appropriate.
The way the goals and objectives were formatted and explained worked really well in showing exactly how they will be measured and were realistically attainable. This is a minor thing, but MAAE was only established as the acronym for Maine Alliance for Art Education all the way down in the project description. It might be helpful to have MAAE in parentheses in each section as grants are usually read in bits and pieces. I wonder if it would be helpful to mention, and it doesn’t have to be in much detail, but how you plan to sustain the program after the three years. Will you apply for another grant, and/or will you fundraise during those three years to build up funds? Overall, I think this is a very feasible project and well laid out that just needs a couple minor tweaks.
The draft for the grant application provides a comprehensive overview of the Arts For Impact program and effectively outlines the goals, objectives, and budget requirements. However, to make the application more compelling and engaging for potential funders, you could consider the following suggestions: First, make a large emphasis on the pressing need for arts education in Arundel and the significant impact it can have on the community. Clearly articulate the consequences of not having access to such programs and how the Arts For Impact initiative can fill this gap. Within this, I think it would lend well to your application to have a very clear description of the isolation and loneliness pandemic – specifically across the target age group of 14-17. Second, it may be useful to outline a clear plan for the long-term sustainability of the program beyond the initial funding period. By showing how the organization plans to continue the project, it may attract additional support, and could even expand its reach in the future.