BPOC Express: Shared Digital Asset Management in a private cloud in under 6 months | Balboa Park

BPOC Express: Shared Digital Asset Management in a private cloud in under 6 months.

Check out the great work Balboa Park in San Diego has done in developing a collaborative DAM in this write up which they did.


BPOC Express: Shared Digital Asset Management in a private cloud in under 6 months | Balboa Park:
Overview

Writing grant proposals as screenplays

I recently took a half-day workshop in grant writing by Jonathan O’Brien which was sponsored by an organization offering Technical Assistance Grants. He compares writing grant proposals to writing screenplays - a useful slant for organizing one’s thinking about important elements to be included. “Time is of the essence” took on new meaning for me. He encourages us to present our proposal within a context of urgency and state the consequences if the project is not funded. He suggests this will get your proposal set in the “consider” pile on the first review. Of course the proposal still has to be compelling and well documented to make it through the process toward funding.

While investigating funding source for a couple of computers for an arts organization, I discovered a case for getting to know staff at the granting agencies... On the website the scenarios were all organizational development with no mention of actual equipment funding. By talking to an assistant at the granting agency I learned equipment would be an excellent cause and was encouraged to apply. The trick is to focus on how the equipment, program or materials (digital images) will serve your audience - not how it will serve the staff or department. Connect each reason of need to an overall goal for your organization. Example - With a goal of creating broad support to develop a more stable base for programming by enhancing communication and increasing membership, the computers will allow us to expand our correspondence with the larger community by creating an email list to share upcoming events, reminders, and an avenue for dialog. Specific details also enhances your request. Example - The single ten-year-old computer has crashed several times in the past year bring all work to a halt each time; most recently it caused a week’s delay in sending invitations to artists to participate in an exhibition, which is a major fund-raiser for the operations of the Center.

NOTE:

The National Endowment for the Humanities http://www.neh.gov/

The Humanities Collections and Reference Resources

http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/HCRR.html

Deadline: July 15, 2010

If this is a perfect match for your project and you lack experience in grant proposal writing, get help from someone experienced in Federal grants...

A nexus of local funding resources

Let’s dig a little deeper into community foundations as a source of funding for your imaging and metadata projects. Most communities have an umbrella organization bringing together individuals, families, businesses, and institutions to create permanent charitable funds to be used to improve the quality of life for the community. They have a mandate to serve their communities, and can’t limit their focus to a few areas. They also must have a geographic focus. Council on Foundations provides a list of over 850 community foundations found nationwide http://classic.cof.org/locator/ to help you find those that serve your community.

The websites of the foundations that I have looked at are very well organized and allow you to easily find information about their grant opportunities and procedures. Spend a bit of time learning about the foundation and the funders - their focuses and activities before diving into the grants section. And look at previously funded projects. This will also help you get a concrete sense of their mission. Education and arts are still strongly supported by some funders.

Some community foundations strictly manage philanthropy, others will offer other kinds of assistance to non-profit organizations - publications, references, or even hold grant-seeking development workshops. The community foundation is going to know it’s community and the compelling issues.

If you are new to exploring the world of funding it’s a supportive environment to learn the ropes...

Who is providing funding?

There are basically two classes of grant makers - foundations and governments

The category of foundations includes private, family, corporate, and community foundations. Start local: Private donors may already be lurking in your membership; family foundations are often looking to support non-profits within their own locale; and community foundations serve as a clearing house for local private and family funding sources, they also may provide management and training for small non-profit organizations. Corporate support may come either from the corporation directly or through a foundation established by the corporation specifically to fund social causes served by non-profit organizations. Some foundations distribute grants nationwide, so research efforts should eventually reach beyond the local area.

Government funding is available at all levels - municipal, county, state, and federal governments. Particularly at the federal level, the process of applying for a grant can be very labor intensive. However, the federal government also passes some portion of it’s funding down to the local levels thus reducing the amount of red tape in applying for those funds.

To get the Money... do your homework

Now everybody is buzzing, saying it is a great idea to digitize the image collections, if only the money can be found... Grants are a great source for this kind of project, but do your homework first. Write out a project proposal that includes a mission statement which complements the larger organizational mission and includes an assessment of the user’s needs. Always keep in mind the benefits of the project to the end user. All your planning, strategizing, and writing at this point will serve you through every step of the process.

Research the equipment and support needs. Once the costs of the hardware, software, and staffing are determined consider the best strategies for convincing colleagues to “put their money where their mouth is”. The old saying “it takes money to make money” is true. Find seed money to allocate from your own budget then start looking for collaborators. The department, the library, IT, and other departments that use images are likely beneficiaries of the project. Go up the chain, often the President’s office, the alumni association, or Friends groups have funds for special projects. Befriend your organization’s development officers. Use each funding commitment to encourage further contributions by the next group you confer with. Continue to cultivate these contacts even if they do not offer funding immediately. Keep everyone informed about your progress.

It does not matter how small each pledge is, it all adds up! Not only are you raising the money, but you are also raising awareness and building a committed endorsement. When you approach the larger community for funding this demonstration of support will almost be more important than the money gathered from the internal sources.

What are the strategies you have used to get your colleagues involved and committed?

Future posts will discuss types of funding organizations, and provide pointers for writing grant funding requests...