The Wisconsin Office of Rural Health will host a virtual grant-writing workshop on three consecutive Fridays in May. Beginning May 6, participants will learn how to identify appropriate funders, develop budgets, plan for sustainability, and other grant writing topics.  Tens of thousands of sponsors give away more than $400 billion annually. This virtual workshop will give you the insights you need to begin the grant proposal planning and writing process with confidence.     Your presenter will be Jeremy T. Miner, M.A., Associate Director of Pre-Award in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Office of Sponsored Programs. Jeremy has conducted a number of grant workshops and webinars for the Office over the past several years. In addition to developing and administering proposals to public and private grantmakers, he has served as a reviewer for federal and state grant programs and helped private foundations streamline their grant application guidelines. He has presented grantseeking workshops nationally and internationally to thousands of grant-getters. His successful grant writing techniques have generated millions of grant dollars for many nonprofit education, health care, and social service agencies.   Day 1: May 6, 2022 (all times central) 10:00am-11:00am  Overview and Building Believable Budgets 11:00am-12:00pm  Identifying Public and Private Sponsors   In this session you will learn how to find grant funding to support your organization’s programs and operations. To illustrate the diversity of funding opportunities, select grant programs will be profiled, with a focus on Wisconsin-relevant funding sources. Preparing budgets can be a bedeviling experience for beginning – and experienced – grantseekers. A budget is more than a statement of proposed expenditures. It is an alternate way to express a project’s story. You will learn that in addition to being mathematically accurate, the budget must be believable.   Day 2: May 13, 2022 10:00am-11:00am  Engaging in Preproposal Contacts 11:00am-12:00pm  Writing Problem Statements, Goals & Objectives   In this session you will learn a four-step process to help match your needs with sponsor funding priorities, to pick the sponsors that have the highest probability of funding your initiatives. Strong grant proposals often include a clear discussion of problems, goals, objectives, and outcomes. You will gain a foundational understanding of each term so you can connect with sponsors’ values as you write compelling narratives that crystalize the “why” and “what” of your proposed projects.   Day 3: May 20, 2022 10:00am-11:00am  Considering Methods, Evaluation, and Dissemination 11:00am-12:00pm  Planning for Sustainability   Increasingly, in their RFPs, sponsors are requesting information about sustainability. They want to know not only “how” your projects will be carried out, “how” project effectiveness will be determined, and “how” project results will be shared with the larger community but also “what next?”—what will happen to a project after the grant ends. In this session you will learn about five different types of sustainability and two core questions that must be answered when designing sustainability plans.     The registration fee for this three part workshop is $20 and will give you access to all three days. Jeremy will conduct the sessions on Zoom; you will receive a link before each meeting. You may register here on the Office of Rural Health site. The registration deadline is May 3. Contact Kevin Jacobson if you have any questions.     Kevin Jacobson Wisconsin Office of Rural Health 310 N. Midvale Blvd. #301 Madison, WI  53705 608-261-1888

Some rural hospitals are suspending or postponing services due to the latest COVID-19 surge.