Hey everyone, Ashley has a background in non-profit management and philanthropic giving, so she’s stopping by to share a resource she created to help people with a service goal find financial support for their programs. The Grant Writing Crash Course is for anyone interested in finding funding for a public service project or community program and includes information on how to find grant funds, write a successful application, and plan a program. If you make a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative and email confirmation to ashley@yogabycandace.com, we’ll share it with you for free. Thanks for the support. xo - Candace
When I attended my yoga teacher training in Thailand two years ago, Candace led us through an introspective workshop on connecting with our inner strength, understanding our potential and dreaming our very biggest dreams. She talked about how impactful we can be as individuals, and how with every yoga class or mindful interaction with others, we could share our light and inspire people to go out and spread good exponentially. That’s always been the mark of a great teacher, in my opinion, someone who reminds you that your job is to light your own flame and use it to ignite others. Someone who doesn’t give you all the answers, but teaches you how to ask the right questions.
It’s hard to envision the life of your dreams if you’ve only ever seen a certain path laid out for you or only considered that your job was to play a role in a society that forces you to contract into a pre-labeled box. When we think all we see is all there is, a growth mindset is inaccessible. To help us get more in touch with ourselves, Candace invited us to think of what we liked doing as children and what our perfect day would look like. I remember sitting in the shala and writing down what I would do if I could do anything everyday: laugh, travel, write, tell stories that encourage and empower people, support health and wellness, teach people how to get more in touch with themselves, spend time outside, eat yummy food. I tried to envision what meaningful work could combine all of these loves, and I landed on writing as a means of advocacy and support. That could involved yoga, travel, story telling, mental health and wellness, and everything that lights me up inside while allowing me to serve and use my gifts for a purpose greater than myself. I’ve done a bit of all of these things in years passed, but recently, the sense of urgency I feel for creating change has led me back to grant writing as an effective vehicle for supporting communities in need.
What’s a grant?
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, a grant is an award of something (usually money) to be used for a specific purpose. It’s not a loan; meaning unless you misuse the funds, you do not have to pay them back. Grant seekers (individuals, nonprofit organizations, corporations, etc.) can apply for resources from grant makers (government agencies, foundations, corporations, etc.) who have raised and set aside money to support a specific cause. Grant makers receive applications from entities who propose a service or program to address a need, and they award grants to the applicants who best establish their credibility, clearly communicate the logic behind their program, have a well thought out plan for implementation, measurable indicators of success, and can act as trusted stewards of the resources.
How is grant writing a form of advocacy?
There are grants out there for just about any social arena you can think of. From education, to health, economic support, justice, environmental needs, human rights, the list goes on, there are funders out there with the money to invest in positive change looking for change makers to step up and be willing to do the work. Maybe you want to shed light on a public health issue, or eradicate economic disparities, or improve the mental health and wellness of people in your community, but you don’t know how to serve those needs or where to get the money to fund your ideas. Grant writing can be a way to work within our economic system, to earn a living, pay team members, keep the lights on, fund materials needed for service, etc. and make a positive social impact.
At last year’s yoga teacher training in Tennessee, I gave a crash course workshop in grant writing to raise money for yoga programs, so our graduates could find the resources to share what they learned with their communities without having to pay for everything (a space, yoga mats, props, their own time, etc.) out of their own pockets. This month, I expanded the workshop to be accessible for all types of programs (wellness related or not) and made it digital, so anyone who has a service dream can learn how to find the resources to make it happen.
What’s Included?
The online course is a slideshow presentation and one hour lecture covering:
how to find grant makers
how to create collaborative community partnerships
how to design a logic model for your program
how to plan for a successful program
how to write a winning grant application
how to evaluate success
additional learning resources
It’s available here - and I’m offering it at no cost to anyone who sends me proof of a donation made to the Equal Justice Initiative. Just screenshot and forward your receipt to ashley@yogabycandace.com , and I’ll send along a discount code to give you access. I hope it’s a helpful tool that inspires you to do the work. Even if you don’t see grant writing as a path for yourself, maybe someone you know, or an organization you support, could use the information. Feel free to drop me an email if you have any questions.