Grant Workshop in Anderson Provides Rare Opportunity

CONTACT: TRENNA METTS, EXT. 2227

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8/31/2001

ANDERSON --- Organizations and educators who seek grants will have a rare opportunity to develop or improve their skills during a workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 11 & 12 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Anderson County Public Library. The two-day workshop "Grant Seeking Fundamentals," is the result of a collaborative effort among Tri-County Technical College, the Anderson County Public Library, and the Polaris Corporation of Inman, SC.

According to Laurel Horton, a Certified Trainer for Polaris, "I've presented this workshop all across the country. Usually, I just stand up and tell people how to find information about private foundations, but at the Anderson Library, the participants actually have the opportunity to access the vast online resources of the Foundation Center during the workshop."
The Anderson Library is one of only four libraries in the state, which houses the Foundation Center Cooperating Collection of publications and supplementary materials. This year for the first time, the Library has added subscriptions to FC-Search on CD-ROM and the Foundation Directory Online Premium. These are the most comprehensive tools available for identifying appropriate sources of foundation support for non-profit and educational organizations. "With FC-Search and the Online Directory, the grant seeker can save many hours of going through directories reading individual entries looking for possible funding sources," says Horton. "To have these resources available locally for free is almost unbelievable."

The Continuing Education Division of Tri-County Technical College has offered the Polaris Grant Seeking Fundamentals workshop for several years. Now, through this partnership with the Anderson County Library, the College is able to provide improved, up-to-date training to help local educators and non-profit groups become more successful in securing funds to support their projects. "And it's not just local folks who attend our workshop," says Trenna Metts, career development director for Tri-County's Continuing Education Division. "Last year a woman from Puerto Rico and a gentleman from North Carolina came to Anderson, because this was the best location for them to get this training."

The Anderson County Public Library welcomes the workshop as part of their efforts to encourage local grant seekers to make use of the extensive resources of the FC Cooperating Collection. During the workshop, Marybeth Evans, Community Services Librarian, will guide participants through the Collection, demonstrate the CD-ROM and online resources, and help individuals to conduct searches. "Even people who don't have much computer training catch on quickly when they see how much information is available and how easy these tools are to use," says Evans.

Although the tools make the grant process easier, it's still a lot of work to put together a fundable proposal. According to Horton, "There have been some recent scams promising 'free grant money' to individuals to pay of debts or to take vacations. Unfortunately, some people get taken in and pay money for a list of sources, most of which don't give grants to individuals for any reason. Foundations exist to help nonprofit groups and schools fund projects that provide public benefit. Our workshop shows these groups effective ways to develop good projects, identify potential funders, and then to put the proposal together so that the funder can see what needs to happen."

The cost of the workshop is $180, and space is limited. To register for "Grant Seeking Fundamentals" or for more information, contact the Continuing Education Division of Tri-County Technical College, Ext. 2220, at one of these numbers: Anderson County -- 225-2250; Oconee County -- 882-4412; Pickens County -- 859-7033; or Clemson/Anderson/Pendleton -- 646-8361 and TDD/VOICE 1-800-735-2905.
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