Journal #1 (01/14/26)

What I am looking to get out of this class is to be able to learn how to properly create a grant proposal. The reason I want to learn more about grants is because I have always had an interest in them and being able to take this course seemed perfect for me to learn more about them in depth. In my future I would like to work with non profit organizations in some way and being able to have this skill I believe will help me be of more value. Some of the non profits I have been interested in are habitat for humanity as well as st. judes and the Jimmy fund. These are some of the non profits I have been interested in because they are causes that I support. In the future I would like to find smaller ones that are similar to these to be able to assist with creating grants. I hope to get out of this class more knowledge of what it takes to create grants.

Journal #2 (01/21/26)

One thing I found interesting was the different types of grants I never knew there were multiple. I had always thought a grant was a grant. Learning about the different types of grants is important because you need to know what you’re submitting for. (Operating, program, capacity building, capital of equipment, research, program related investments) I found this the most interesting mainly because of lack of knowledge towards the different types. I think it is beneficial for me to know because being able to understand what grant I would be applying for helps me be able to tailor what needs to be in the proposal. Another thing I found interesting was how a lot of grants are based on relationships. I found this interesting because it’s more of just submitting the grant and actually creating a relationship with who is sponsoring the grant. This goes to show relationship building is important in all fields of life and it really is all about who you know and the connections you have built. These are both important because you have to know what type of grant you are submitting for as well as being able to have that connection to help you to actually get the grant.

One thing that I found interesting was that you have to claim grants with the IRS unless they are gift donations. I found this interesting because I was really unsure how that would work. It was good to find out this information because I would need to know it for the future if I end up having to write grants. Another thing I found interesting was the refined aspect. I found this interesting because you need to make sure that the grant you are submitting for is one that you could have a really good chance to get. This is important because submitting to random grants all the time could be a bad look if you don’t even know what the grant is for. I have seen that some grants are tailored specifically for certain things so that not all nonprofits are able to submit for them. Being able to refine your list is important because you should be able to know what you are submitting for.

Journal #3 (01/28/26)

One thing I found interesting was the fact of having an end goal in mind throughout the whole process. I found this interesting because I had always thought that it was just thinking about the steps as you go. After reading this part of the chapter I found that it is important to always have that end goal in mind throughout the entire process. Having this thought process will help you with the end goal of receiving the grant. Another thing I found interesting was portioning out time. This is important because you need to make sure that you have the time for the research as well as the writing aspect because it is time consuming. I like the idea of how the chapter talks about using 70% of your time planning and the other 30% actually crafting the proposal. The final thing that I had found interesting was that online portals could have a limited amount of space for text submissions. I found this interesting because it really makes you stay direct and to the point. This does not allow you to add in any fluff sentences to your proposal and keeps it strong and directly to the point. I found all of these not only interesting but extremely helpful with being able to start a grant. I think these aspects will be important to writing a good grant and help me maximize my timing spent on this.

Journal #4 (01/28/26)

Beginning the process of developing a grant proposal, I have reflected on different non-profit organizations that support physical health, youth development, as well as immigrant well being. I am mainly interested in the physical health side and youth development organizations. I have the most interest in these because of the personal connection they both have to me. The following organizations represent the areas of most interest to me.

1. Maine Breast Cancer Coalition

This non-profit sticks out to me a lot because of their mission statement. As many people I have had family members affected by breast cancer. Non-profits like these have stood out to me lately as I would like to help with creating grants for educational programs, prevention, as well as treatments. This organization works to improve public health through awareness and education.

2. Maine Youth Sports Opportunity Fund

This stood out to me because of my connection to sports. I am a firm believer that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in sports. Sports equipment is very expensive and hard for families to be able to afford this. I really like the idea of this program because they support application and equipment fees. I also believe that kids should be able to experience sports to help create discipline and be able to learn teamwork.

3. Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center

This one stood out to me more recently because of what is happening in the world today. I think it is important to have a place where all people can feel safe. As someone whose family immigrated here I it is important to have a place where people can come together. I like what they have in their vision and mission statement of how it is collaboration based work. 

Journal #5 (01/28/26)

To start off, what I found most interesting was that not all foundations are alike. Foundations can vary based on where you are located and what cause you support. I found this most interesting because you really do have to do a deep dive of research to make sure your non profit would match up with the foundation in order to have a better chance to get the grant. Something that I had found beneficial was that grant writing is not based on a need. In order to have better grants to stand out you need to include how it can help the community. For example in the video it had talked about how the grant would buy new trucks because the ones they had now were falling apart. To make it sound better they worded it as it would benefit the community because they would be able to service more people. Something that I found helpful was the use of the foundation directory. I thought this was helpful because you can really tailor the search to exactly what you are looking for. I found these all impactful because it helped me get a better understanding of grant writing.