Month: January 2011

Finding the funds for Edublogs Pro, Edublogs Campus, or any other education technology product out there isn’t always easy.

This is especially the case as schools and educators are facing difficult decisions in times were budgets are tight.

We have a growing number of users that have found success with grants, donations, and asking organizations to pitch in when it comes to financing individual classroom blogs or even blogs for an entire school district.

Using their advice and experience, here is our guide which will hopefully help others to do the same.

Step 1: Determine your needs

When completing applications for grants or asking potential funders for help, you must be specific and detail exactly what you need and how much it will cost.

In addition, you will be most successful when you can show how what you are asking for will help meet specific goals. For example:

• Blogs as a class website are an easy and effective way for teachers to keep parents and students informed about what is going on in class
• Blogs are student friendly to use, and the built in privacy settings and content monitoring systems on Edublogs provide for a safe and easy to manage blogging experience
• Blogs naturally tie into curriculum standards such as writing, communication, critical thinking, ePortfolios, and technology proficiencies

Also, are you able to include multiple teachers or schools into the plan? Potential funders are more likely to be excited by a project that has the greatest bang (reach and impact) for their buck.

Our users have found successful grants for:

• Edublogs Pro accounts for one teacher to provide blogs to all of his or her students
• Bulk upgrade accounts to provide Pro blogs for 5 to 10 teachers
• Edublogs Campus accounts for an entire school, school district, or university

Step 2: Find grants and funding sources

This is the big one. We’ve found that the most successful grant seekers have found sources close to home such as Parent Teacher Organizations and local businesses.

Many cities, districts, and states have educational non-profit organizations that provide assistance to educators as well. If you haven’t heard of any, ask around to see if any of your colleagues have.

For other sources, we recommend the following websites which have a wealth of information:

1. Funding Your Technology Dreams – A HUGE list!
2. SchoolGrants.org
3. US Government Ed Grant Programs
4. Australian Learning & Teaching Council Grants

Because there usually isn’t enough money to fulfill each request or application, it is best to apply to as many grants as possible and always be on the look out for new sources.

Step 3: Complete the application or write a proposal

Depending on the source, you may have a lengthy process. In some cases you might have multiple rounds and parts that are due at different times. Always pay close attention to the application process and deadlines to make sure everything is completed on time.

A few other tips for completing grant applications:

• Make sure to really know the funding organization’s priorities and what they are looking for – tailor your message to this closely
• Be positive and confident in your writing and correspondence
• Have colleagues proof read and provide suggestions – for Edublogs related grants, we’re happy to help too!
• When appropriate, find academic research to support your requests and how it meets an academic need

Step 4: Keep at it

It is an ongoing process which may not be successful the first time around. Most grants will only fund 1 to 3 years at a time as well, so it may take additional searches even after your blogging or technology project is off the ground.

Don’t give up and always be on the lookout for potential opportunities.

Do you have anything to add?

Are there any additional sites to find grants that we can add to our list?

Maybe you have a success story you would like to share?

We would love to hear from you in the comments below.