WELCOME TO OUR GROWING CAPACITY PROJECT FOR

PROGRAM 3: GrantsGen Mentoring & Training Program

Grant-seeking and -writing

If you are new to learning about the Growing Capacity Project (GCP), please read this project overview before continuing.

The biggest driving force and inspiration for the GCP was the sheer amount of interest that Nonprofit GrowthGen (NPGG) experienced in their GrantsGen grant-seeking and grant-writing program. As NPGG interacted with friends, colleagues, and networks in Hawai'i, the need and desire in the nonprofit sector for professional development in skills related to capacity-building became increasingly clear. As we worked to build a program that could be as relevant and responsive to evolving community needs in Hawai'i as possible, several additional topics rose to the surface. Those topics served as the foundation for Programs 1 and 2 of the GCP.

Program 3 focuses on grant mentorship and training - the topic request most often in surveys and conversations with professionals working museums and cultural organizations in Hawai'i. 

We call this program GrantsGen because it is intended to generate more grant funds and bridge knowledge across generations. The GrantsGen program within the Growing Capacity Project is modelled after a 2021 pilot program NPGG conducted with Bishop Museum staff who worked across multiple departments.

See below for details about this IMLS-funded GrantsGen program for cultural nonprofit professionals in Hawai'i.

Timelines:

The thirteen-week, online program meets weekly, on Thursday mornings from 8:00-10:00am HST, January  9 thru April 3, 2025. Live cohort meetings take place on Zoom. The last class - operating a bit like a writing retreat -  will be held in person at Bishop Museum on April 3rd, 2025. Then, on April 4th, all three GCP cohorts from the Growing Capacity Project will gather in person to share learnings, connect with each other, and grow collective resources with one another as we wrap up this two-year project.

The GrantsGen application window was open from Friday, November 1, 2024 - Friday, December 20, 2024.

Description:

Together with program facilitators and guest speakers, participants are oriented to the world of grant funders, analyze funder priorities and proposal guidelines, practice case-building skills, and prepare a real grant proposal for submission to a real funder. It is our goal that, by engaging in Program 3, participants will increase their confidence and readiness to become grant writers to support their nonprofit work. While doing so, we aim for participants to make connections with peers in Hawai‘i who can become trusted thought partners and/or project collaborators. We hope the ripple effects from the GrantsGen program result in more funds and resources coming to Hawai‘i’s museum and cultural nonprofits and employees. 

The program is geared to the needs and issues specific to Hawai‘i museums and cultural organizations. Guest presenters with experience managing a range of projects in Hawai‘i will also share their experiences, tools, and suggestions with the class through recorded content and live interactions. 
 
This program will highlight the following topics and more over thirteen weeks!

Preparing your project or program

• Intentionality around stakeholders: who are they and what are their roles?
• Reflection:
• Your positionality in relation to the people and the project
• Identifying internal thought partners (project partners)
• Identifying external thought partners
• Organizing your programs
• Research basics
• Practicing key proposal components (objectives, timelines, budgets, narratives)

Introduction to the Grants World

• Jargon and acronyms: what do they mean?
• Where and how to hunt for local and national grants
• Familiarizing yourself with funders
• Assessing fitness to the funding opportunity

Individualized Project Mentorship

• Preparing institutional data required on your packet
• Justifying the need for your project
• Selling your organization’s fitness for the work
• Tying together your objective(s) with the funder’s priorities

Submission Processes and Trends

• Previewing the range of proposal submission systems
• A conversation with funders
• Providing and receiving peer review before submission
• The mindset going into submission: hope for a positive outcome but understand how rejection can lead to future success

By the end of the program, each participant will have created one full proposal packet to be submitted to a real funder that shows alignment between your organization’s needs/project and your funder’s priorities.

More Background:

To see what our previous program was like, we welcome you to explore this YouTube Playlist with recordings of the Gathering Resources in Hawai'i for Hawai'i class topics and discussions.