Grant Writing - Dreaming Big

In a study of top grant writing experts, 83% agreedhunger you would like to help solve. Or, you have
that the first step in writing a grant is to develop theinvented something that could help communities to
idea for which you are seeking money.lower energy costs.
The process of developing your creative idea -There may simply be a compelling personal need that
namely planting idea seedlings and watching theiris driving you from within or a need in your community
growth into fully grown fundable proposals - is exciting.that you see is going unmet and there must be a way
I call the process "Dreaming BIG."to meet this need. It's pulling you out to take action.
Why is it important to dream big?You may want to further your career or volunteer
Goethe once said, "Whatever you can do or dreamafter retiring to pursue a project that will aid your
you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, andcommunity or church.
magic in it."Everyone I know has ideas for projects, solving
Psychology tells us that self-limiting thoughts and beliefsproblems, or fulfilling needs. You may have a very
keep us from developing our full human potential. Theclear idea of what you want a grant for. You're a
Law of Attraction says that bad feelings, negativeteacher and you want travel funds to attend a
thoughts, and focusing on what we don't want canconference on renewable energy sources on the
result in attracting the opposite of what we really want.other side of the country. You're a mother who wants
Let's take a look a man who had a BIG dream thatto insulate the walls in the drafty room in your day
has affected us all. His name is President George W.care center. (My mother got a grant for just that!)
Bush. One of his slogans was "leave no child behind."You're an entrepreneur and you want to develop a
Whether you agree with the program or not, you havenew way to bring jobs into your community using the
to agree that the dream was indeed a big one... thatpower of the Internet and social media (i.e., Facebook,
every child in the U.S. is important, even though someTwitter, YouTube, etc.), and you want to help people
children are less successful in education than others.on welfare and unemployment, especially single
Likewise, every person's ideas and dreams areparents, while putting your own company on the map
important, even though some are less successful inon the same time.
manifesting their dreams than others. Perhaps theYou are a film maker who wants to shoot a
slogan of this article should be "leave no dreamdocumentary about successes of foster children or
behind."about an AIDS education project whose story you are
What if you believed your ideas and dreams were notcompelled to help tell. Or, you are someone who hasn't
only important, but absolutely critical to the bettermentcome up with a project yet, but you feel it's time to
of our planet. Keep in mine that funders - namely,give back.
foundations, corporations, government agencies andGhandi said, "The difference between what we're
individual donors - actually give over $300 billion everydoing and what we're capable of doing would solve
year in grant funding to fund people's dreams andmost of the world's problems."
ideas!So, I have two questions for you:
If someone's dream or project is getting funded, why1. If you had unlimited funds, what big dream would you
not yours?pursue?
There is a saying, "If not you, who? If not now, when?2. If funding were not an issue, what big problems
"would you solve?
I bet your have an idea right now, a potential forI would love to see your dreams. Please leave your
causing change and creating something that didn't existanswers in the "comments" section below on this
before. Perhaps there is a big problem like worldpage.