There seems to be some commonly held myths about grant funding and grant writing. I wanted to quickly touch on these because they detract from important items communities need.
Myth 1: We need a grant writer to find us money.
Not exactly true. The important thing to find "money" is to have a solid, reasonable project that fits into to an overall plan. If the project or group of projects create a reasonable plan that will move your community forward, then the funding will come and yes, then you may need a grantwriter to assist. There is funding out there for qualified, solid projects. Generally there are two types of funding sources for your projects, government and non-government.
Myth 2: Grant Writers work for free.
There's a common thought that a good grantwriter can be found to work for free. That's not true, though some may work on a percentage of the grant that has become few and far between. As with anything you get what you pay for much of the time. It's common to find varying fees. Some charge a flat writing fee, others charge a percent or retainer. Some grant funding has stipulations that prevent it from being used for salary or for the ser ice of writing it. I'm sure you can find a grantwriter or assistance for many different scenarios to aid in funding your project.
