Behind the Scenes: Grantsman

The Grantsman placement is an In-League position which seeks funding for League projects and various needs through the submission of grant applications.  Drafting and compiling a grant application can be a challenging and rewarding experience.  All applications require an explanation of the organization which you represent and how that organization benefits a specific need.  Writing about how The Junior League of Midland, Inc. serves the Midland community constantly brings joy and pride to my heart. 

This year has been a busy one for the Grantsman and Assistant Grantsman placements. Since May 2014 we have applied for over $170,000 in grant funding.  Together we have submitted ten grant applications for projects including Suits with Skills, Face the Race, Reading Olympics, Scholarship Clearing House, and Second Tuesday Club. 

Our largest grant request was for funding to make improvements and upgrades to our Headquarters Building.  An application was submitted to the Beal Foundation of Midland requesting a large amount of money in order to purchase new technology for Mabee Hall, the community board room, and the computers used by the Scholarship Clearing House committee.  A focus has been brought on the need to update and upgrade our technology at Headquarters in order to better serve The League and those non-profit organizations who utilize our building.   Additional future grants will be submitted seeking to complete the funding for our proposed projects. 

Another focus of the Grantsman placement has been continued funding of the Face the Race program.  In 2014, we were awarded a generous grant from the United Way in the amount of $8,000 in order to expand the program to all four Midland junior high schools.  This one time award of money allowed The League to double our exposure and impact on young girls in the community.  However, in order for The League to maintain these additional schools we must raise and collect money for the program supplies required. This year four different applications requesting over $20,000 have been submitted on behalf of Face the Race.  Three of our applications included requests from sporting good suppliers directly including Academy Sports and Outdoors, Adidas, and Finish Line.  Our largest request, however, was made to The King Foundation, a foundation serving central and West Texas communities. 

It has been the belief and strategy of the current Grantsman placements that it is in The League’s best interest and is the best use of our time and effort to target foundations and grant sponsors located in, and tied to, the Midland area.  We believe that our applications will be given their best shot and have a higher probability of being funded when we make our plea to those who understand the climate of the Permian Basin and can directly see the impact of The Junior League of Midland, Inc.  For example, our recent grant application on behalf of our newest program, Reading Olympics, was made to the Abell-Hanger Foundation, a foundation founded in Midland whose mission is to serve non-profit organizations making a difference in a select group of fifty-seven West Texas counties.    

As the League year closed, we will finalize and submit an application to the Dollie Ruth Neal Foundation through the Permian Basin Area Foundation requesting funding for our Suits with Skills Program.  In 2014, The League was blessed with an increase in funding of an additional $5,000 from the foundation.  This additional funding allowed for growth in the Suits with Skills program.  It is our goal to seek and receive that same funding amount in order to maintain the progress and success of the Suits with Skills program.

Drafting, reviewing, compiling, and submitting grant applications can be a tedious job in which the results are outside of your control.  We would like to thank those League members who have responded to our numerous emails and answered our detailed questions over and over again in an attempt to help us gather information about your programs for the grant application.  Your help, information, and heartwarming stories about the work The League is performing in our community are what make our job possible and our applications endearing.  Thank you for your time and your work in making our job that much easier to help fund the League. 

Elizabeth Rainey, 2014-2015 Grantsman

This article first appeared in The Junior League of Midland, Inc.'s monthly publication, "Tumbleweed." Read the entire issue here->