Get the Gold: A Physical Educator's Guide to Grant Writing

s we enter the 21st century, there is increasing pressure on A public schools and teachers to demonstrate student competence. Numerous states and individual school systems currently use end-of-year tests to measure the progress of their students. These tests are designed to evaluate competence in the “academic” subjects (e.g., reading, writing, math, and science). Physical education and other so-called minor subjects (e.g., art, music, shop, home economics) receive little or no attention in these year-end assessments. In addition, these “minor” subject areas are generally the first to have their already depleted budgets slashed even further and the last to get funding for equipment and facility upgrades. Physical educators have a variety of financial needs that must be met if they are to maintain a high-quality program. There are replacement supplies such as balls, nets, and hockey blades. Then there is new equipment to be purchased (e.g., balance beam, volleyball standards, tumbling mats). Physical educators often face dilemmas such as, “Do I order replacement balls or a new tennis net?” The possibility of purchasing roller blades to implement in-line skating or a climbing wall to expand the curriculum is but a dream for many of them. But does it have to be this way? Are there other options for physical educators interested in expanding their curriculum and obtaining more equipment? This article provides a guide for obtaining “wish-list’’ items and facility upgrades. Grants are often available for such projects, especially if the funds will be used for both the school and the community or for after-school programs. The process of procuring this external funding involves three basic steps: (1) locating sources of funding, (2) learning the application procedures and eligibility requirements, and (3) writing and submittingagrant proposal. Physical educators must be willing to invest significant time and effort in this process. In most cases, simply writing a grant proposal is not enough to procure funds. Rather, “there must be a process of-planning, and of research on, outreach to, and cultivation of potential foundation and corporate donors” (Geever & McNeill, 1997, p. 1) . The good news is that there appears to be an abundance of money available to grant-seekers (Bauer, 1995; Geever & McNeill, 1997; Sladek, 1987). Grants constitute a multibilliondollara-year enterprise-if it were a business, it would be at the top of the Fortune 500 list. Various sources disperse over $150 billion per year in grants (Miner, Miner, & Griffith, 1998). These sources include federal and state government