By PAT MELGARES
K-State Research and Extension news service
MANHATTAN, Kan. – A popular grant-writing workshop that has helped thousands of Kansans secure funding in their communities is about to turn 100.
Nancy Daniels, a community vitality specialist with K-State Research and Extension, said a Sept. 27 workshop in St. John will mark the 100th public session she’s taught since 2016 – reaching more than 2,919 Kansans.
“We surveyed participants, and of the 33% that responded, we found that within the first year after they took this grant writing class, they acquired more than $52 million for their communities and local projects,” Daniels said.
Ryan Russell, the executive director for Stafford County Economic Development, says that record of success is something he hopes to spur within his region, which has set its sights on attracting value-added food businesses, resurrecting Main Street in several towns, and building houses.
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“We want to help build the capacity within our county and surrounding counties to be able to have a better pool of people who can write grants,” Russell said
He notes that his organization often writes grants in partnership with the county and city governments, and other non-profit organizations. But he is often unable to fulfill requests for other grants that could help those groups.
“We are looking at the grant writing workshop as an educational opportunity for organizations to be able to help themselves,” he said.
The workshop – which is open to anyone interested -- will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 27 in the Stafford County Annex Building, located at 210 E. Third Street in St. John, Kan. Registration costs $60, and is available by contacting Russell at [email protected], or 620-314-5561.
The workshop is co-sponsored by the Golden Belt Community Foundation, South Central Community Foundation, and the 21 Central Extension District. Daniels said experts from the Kansas Infrastructure Hub, Kansas Rural Water Association, Kansas Housing Resources Corporation and the Kansas Department of Commerce will be on hand to explain funding opportunities available to Kansas communities.
Participants will also learn about the federal government’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, known as BIL, which is in its third year of a five-year commitment to invest $1.2 trillion into infrastructure in U.S. communities. BIL supports investment in transportation, energy, broadband, water and cybersecurity and resiliency. Matching funds are available through a Kansas-based program known as Build Kansas.
“Being rural makes people feel like access to funding and state programs is more difficult, even if it isn’t,” Russell said. “There’s often a mentality that grant and state funds are for the high population areas; people in rural areas feel left out. It’s good to do events like this to bring state programs to our areas, and have the people in charge of those funds tell our local residents that they can access these funds and programs.”
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Daniels began teaching in-person workshops in 2016, then online workshops only in the latter stages of the COVID pandemic.
“In 2022, we went back to doing both in-person and online settings,” she said. “We’ve taught in-person for local communities, the Kansas Fire Fighters Association, the League of Kansas Municipalities, the South Central Kansas Library System and many more.”
More information on community development and support for writing grants is available online from K-State Research and Extension.