Pateros Community Resource Center hosts grant writing summit

PATEROS -- The Pateros Brewster Community Resource Center (PBCRC) will host the second of a three-part Grant Writing Road Trip Summit from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., April 23, in its conference at 106 Pateros Mall. The $25 course, Advanced Grant Writing, is sold out, but interested parties can email claire@cfncw.org to be added to a waiting list.

The Community Fund of North Central Washington (CFNCW), in partnership with the Nonprofit Practices Institute and Thriving Together, created the series to offer professional grant writing training to nonprofits across the region. 

The third course, Government Grants, has added a new class date, April 26, in Wenatchee.

PBCRC Executive Director Gene Dowers attended the first of the three courses, Grant Writing Essentials, in Wenatchee on March 21 and reported some of the helpful tips he learned to the board of directors' regular monthly meeting on March 28.

The instructor, a grant writing, reading, and evaluating university professor, spoke about how to put together a grant application for maximum effect, said Dowers.

“We’re doing a lot of things right,” said Dowers of PBCRC’s grant application process. “She had some insights that were very helpful.”

Among those:

• Many grant readers go right to the budget that is presented and if they do not see enough line items and detail in the budget, they toss it aside.

Dowers said the focus on the budget over other components of an application was a revealing lesson.

• Consult a grant database to find those pertinent to your organization and establish an annual grant schedule.

Dowers noted that grant database subscriptions are expensive – about $300-500 a year – which led to another productive tip.

• Investigate possible public sources where grant databases might be available free.

Dowers found such a source – candid.org - at the local Pateros branch of NCW Libraries.

“NCW Libraries has it in every branch,” Dowers said. “I was really excited to find that just across the mall.”

• There is a database of foundations.

“Foundations are required to provide one percent of their proceeds to nonprofits as grants,” said Dowers. 

Every foundation must submit an annual 990 tax form that discloses who is granted foundation funds.

“Ninety percent of foundations do not have a website,” said Dowers. “Most of the grants they provide are by invitation. You have to really work at them and sell yourself to them to get them to invite you to apply for those grants.”

As an example, Dowers cited one foundation that does not consider qualified grant applicants until they have applied at least three times.

“You might be considered in your fourth year in applying for a grant for them,” said Dowers. “I guess they need to know you’re serious.”

In other PBCRC business:

• Dowers was the only south county representative to attend the Education Stakeholders Luncheon on Feb. 22. He said it was good exposure for PBCRC since none of the other north county school district attendees were previously aware of what PBCRC is or what it does.
• A combination of funds from The Salvation Army and PBCRC continues to help families with utility bill assistance.
• The Technology Center continues to attract customers to its variety of business services.
• The Support Center and WorkSource are using the conference room weekly.
• A statewide behavioral health advocate whom Dowers met at the grant class said that she is very interested in PBCRC’s earlier program with Okanogan Behavioral Health Center and wants to help reestablish that connection for residents of the south county.
• The Okanogan County Long Term Recovery Group (OCLTRG) is using the PBCRC warehouse to set up its Smoke and Reflections exhibit for a scheduled May 30 public opening. OCLTRG will hold its 10-year reunion on July 11-13.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media