Getting grants—state, federal, from foundations, or otherwise—has always been a competitive and overwhelming process. Community participants of the Sustainable Cities Network have longed for a workshop on grant writing not only to fund their own projects, but to bring more investment and positive change to Arizona communities. SCN answered this call with a grant workshop on September 13, 2017, facilitated by one of Arizona State University’s own Research Advancement Managers, Ann Marie Hess, who has extensive experience in developing, managing, and implementing large grant-funded projects.

This workshop touched on understanding critical parts of RFPs and writing effective proposals, and emphasized the value of collaboration on projects and in securing grants. Participants were able to share their progress on current grant applications, as well as discuss opportunities for joint projects, collaborations, and applications.

In all, over 40 participants benefited from this half-day workshop. Future workshops may be held and customized further depending on attendee feedback. For now, these participants—ranging from communities of all sizes across Arizona—have the starter tools to develop some highly competitive grant proposals and applications. Watch out, grant providers! Arizona communities are coming for you.

Links to the presentation and materials provided at this workshop can be found here.