Given the economy, how difficult is it for the district to get corporate and foundation grants?
The competition is stiff, but the good news is there are additional dollars with more philanthropic organizations coming into existence nationally and locally. We just need to be aggressive in pursuing them. We need to be searching for potential dollars and matching them with the district’s needs. (As the district faces cuts due to a $100 million deficit, Prosak says her office is working harder to identify grant opportunities to support programs and activities that further the district’s strategic initiatives and priorities.) What is a common mistake teachers and principals make when they apply for grants? Sometimes the grant process can be very intimidating, which means we don’t apply. What I would like to encourage everyone to do is do your homework. That is a critical piece to writing a grant. You want to make sure what you’re asking for fits with whom you are applying to and that it is a good match. So that when you go to write a grant you already have a measure of success. We do
