Library offering free grant-seeking workshop

Fairfield Public Library will host a free workshop on grant seeking for nonprofit organizations from 10 a.m. to noon April 7.

The session will be led by Kief Schladweiler, funding information network services specialist with the Foundation Center.

Schladweiler will highlight the electronic and print resources available for free use at the Fairfield Public Library, a partner in the Foundation Center?s Funding Information Network.

The training will cover ?Introduction to Finding Funders? and ?Proposal Writing Basics.?

Introduction to Finding Funders

?Introduction to Finding Funders? provides an introduction to the Foundation Center?s comprehensive online database, Foundation Directory Online Professional, which can be accessed for free at the library.

Participants will learn how to create customized searches to develop targeted lists of foundations that will match an organization?s funding needs. The group will spend time exploring Power Search, which allows a search across nine Foundation Center databases ? grantmakers, grants, companies, 990s, news, jobs, RFPs, nonprofit literature and IssueLab reports.

Proposal Writing Basics

In ?Proposal Writing Basics,? participants learn the key components of a proposal to a foundation.

For those new to proposal writing, the class will cover:

? How the proposal fits into the overall grantseeking process;

? What to include in a standard proposal to a foundation;

? Tips for making each section of a proposal stronger;

? What funders expect to see in a proposal and attachments;

? Tips for communicating with funders during the grant process; and

? Additional resources on proposal writing, including sample proposals.

Registration required

Rebecca Johnson, Fairfield Public Library director, said participants need to register in advance for the grant workshop, so organizers know how many handouts to copy.

The library is unable to accept registrations by phone, but can accommodate participants in person. Stop by the library?s front desk to register.

Registration requires a refundable $10 deposit, cash or check, to be forfeited in the event of nonattendance.

More about Schladweiler

Schladweiler has been the Foundation Center?s funding information network services specialist since 2005. Prior to that, he served as the center?s online librarian for several years.

Schladweiler joined the Foundation Center in 1999 after working as a reference librarian for The New York Public Library.

Schladweiler received his master?s degree in library and information science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For more information about the Foundation Center, visit the website http://foundationcenter.org.