Writing Grant Applications

Grant are a key part to teaching agriculture. In many cases the funding received for the program is not enough to cover all expenses for the program and learning how to fill out grant applications could be key to your program’s success.


While fundraisers can help to raise money, and can be fairly successful, communities can only support so many fundraisers a year. This is especially true in low income and low population areas. By applying for grants you will be able to increase the activities that you can do with your students and FFA members. Unlike the money from fundraisers however the money from grants can usually only be used for the actual purpose of the grant.


This however, isn’t much of an issue as there are grants for just about everything from classroom supplies to community service activities. There are even grants where the applications are meant to be filled out by the students or FFA members. These grants can help not only your program but the individual students who are filling out the applications. This process can help them gain skills that they may need later in life, for example filling out college, scholarship and job applications.


By helping your students write grant applications you will be able to help them improve their writing skills and teach them how to better communicate their needs. In addition to the practice writing applications students will also gain some experience with creating a budget.


Part of a grant application is saying how much money you are going to need. This includes creating a rough budget for the project you need the grant for. This budget will include what materials you need as well as if you are going to need to pay anyone or provide some type of reimbursement.


Another difference with grants is that once you have been awarded a grant you are expected to create a record of what you did with the grant money.  This shows the donors that you used the grant money for its intended purpose. This can also include a thank you letter and a picture of the finished project. The grant donors may then use this information to determine whether they give you a grant in the future.


As agriculture teachers, grants are something that we have to make use of. What grants have you applied for and receive? What did you use them for?