If your nonprofit would benefit from grant-writing support, consider joining a service-learning partnership offered by Professor Lisa Dush of DePaul University.
This partnership will connect your organization with graduate students in Prof. Dush’s Grant and Proposal Writing course, which draws students from DePaul’s Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse and the Graduate Certificate in Strategic Writing and Advancement for Nonprofits. Over approximately 5-7 weeks, the students will work with 3-4 Chicago-area nonprofit organizations to develop materials that will be of use for these organizations’ grant-seeking efforts.
Is Your Organization Right for this Partnership?
Over the years, the course has partnered with a broad range of nonprofit organizations, in terms of mission and budget. Many funders are hesitant to support nonprofits that are very young; that do not have some stable sources of income, which might include donors, program revenue, contracts, and/or grants; and that lack an active strategic plan. If your organization does not meet these criteria, it may be too early for grant-seeking and the partnership will likely not be successful. The best partnerships—those that advance nonprofits toward funded proposals—are also typically with organizations that have already done some LOI or grant writing, whether successful or not.
What Will Our Organization Get from this Partnership?
Several students from the class will complete the following tasks, with your input:
- Research the Foundation Directory Online to identify funders that are appropriate for your organization and to determine which funders should be a priority
- Start or update a spreadsheet for tracking grant opportunities and deadlines
- Draft 3-4 letters of inquiry (LOIs) to potential funders
- Additionally, at least one student in the course will extend their work with your organization in their final project, resulting in one or more draft grant proposals to specific funders.
What is the Time Commitment and Project Schedule?
- Before F Aug. 16: have a 1-hour meeting (by phone, Zoom, or at your office) with Prof. Dush, to discuss your organization, its current grant-seeking practices, and your priorities for the partnership. Before or after that meeting, send Prof. Dush prior grant-seeking materials that will be helpful for orienting students and that you are willing to share.
- W Sept. 18, 6:30-8:00 pm: Attend a meeting (on DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, Zoom possible) with Prof. Dush’s class, to meet the students, describe your organization’s work, and discuss project and funder priorities. If possible, your team of 3–4 students is also encouraged to make a site visit to your organization before the end of September.
- W Oct. 2, 6:30-8:00 pm: Attend a meeting (on DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, Zoom possible) with Prof. Dush’s class, to debrief on students’ funder research and prioritize funders and projects for their LOI-writing task
- Between Oct. 2-Oct. 16: be available by email or Zoom to give feedback on students’ LOIs
- Between Oct. 16 and Nov. 13: be available for answering questions and giving feedback to students developing a full proposal
- W Nov. 13, for 30 minutes, between 6-8 pm: Attend a final hand-off and debrief meeting with students who have created materials for you; review their final memo and materials prior to this meeting
How Do We Sign Up?
If your organization is interested in this partnership, please complete the Partnership Interest Form by Thursday, August 8. Please read the “Is Your Organization Right for This Partnership” section of this page carefully before applying. Feel free to contact Prof. Dush at ldush@depaul.edu with questions.
Additional details about Prof. Dush’s past nonprofit partnership courses are available online at https://lisadush.com/nonprofit-projects/.