Confessions of a baby grant writer

I started working with ECM at the beginning of November, and these past two months have been full of activity and new experiences.  The primary focus of my position is grant writing, and before coming to ECM, I had only ever written one other grant (during my Nicaragua internship in the summer of 2013).  So I feel like I'm learning a lot of this as I go, in terms of figuring out what goes into writing a grant proposal, how to approach foundations, etc.  I have to admit there are times when I feel insecure and unqualified.  But then, there are times when I feel like I am growing and learning and finding a groove.

On the other hand, I feel like this position uses a lot of my skills, and that my past experiences have prepared me for it.  I like writing and feel that I'm pretty good at it, so this is just learning to write in a new way.  My internship in Nicaragua introduced me to grassroots community development work and the importance of actively maintaining a community-driven perspective.  I love being able to speak Spanish with my coworkers and community members, and continue refining my conversation skills and learning new words.

Throughout this learning process, I’m discovering some of the interesting aspects of being a grant writer.  First, I get to have kind of an overhead view of the organization and its programs.  I get to see what everyone is doing, hear everyone’s vision for where they’re going, and help them dream and scheme about how to get there.  And I love that.

The other side of that coin, though, is that my particular tasks aren’t very interesting to tell about.  I mostly sit at a computer all day, writing and editing proposals, researching foundations and grant opportunities, updating my spreadsheets of information, meeting with program staff to learn their vision and priorities, etc.  I like writing, and I like using language in different ways to communicate what we're doing.  But the program staff – Lidia, the Clinic Director, or Morgan, the Urban Farm Manager, or John, the Executive Director – are the ones with their hands directly in ECM’s projects.

The other odd aspect of this job is the constant waiting that it seems like it will entail.  We submitted a short proposal to a family foundation last week, and that felt like an accomplishment.  I’d been writing and revising the draft, and meeting with Lidia and John, for about a month, so it was gratifying to check it off my list.  But we won’t hear from them until February, so it will weeks before we know if they will approve it or not.  And based on the research I’ve done, a two month response time seems relatively quick.

I love being here at ECM and getting to be a part of their work.  Since my job isn’t too noteworthy on a day-to-day basis, in the coming weeks I’d like to tell you all a bit about ECM’s different programs.

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season (for those who celebrate, whatever you celebrate), and thanks for reading!

New opportunities, new adventures

Hello again, Internet!

It’s been a while, and I never told you about the end of my internship in Nicaragua, for which I apologize.  Since my last post, I concluded my internship with FSD, finished grad school, and moved back to my beloved hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I’m back, and resurrecting this blog to tell you about two new exciting developments.

First, after several months of job searching, at the beginning of November, I began working with an organization called East Central Ministries.  ECM is a faith-based community development organization located in the International District of Albuquerque.  The organization serves a low-income, predominantly Hispanic/Spanish-speaking population, and focuses on partnering with the community to develop sustainable and creative solutions to their needs.  I love ECM’s approach to ministry, in that they invite the community members to become agents of change in the process of neighborhood revitalization, and the community members are the ones who define their greatest needs and goals.  ECM carries out its mission through a variety of projects, including a low-cost health clinic, a community food co-op, an urban farm social enterprise, an affordable housing community, and youth programs.

My role at ECM primarily focuses on grant writing (beginning with the clinic), and may extend to include other communications and volunteer coordination tasks.  This position is a really good fit for me, my skills, and my interests, because I get to write, use my Spanish, and work promoting human rights in the city that I love.  It’s a joy going into work every day, and I’m so excited that this gets to be my first post-school job.

Thus far in these two months, I have

• Read through dozens of old documents and grant applications to get my bearings
• Assembled a database of around 80 grant opportunities we can consider applying to
• Written and submitted two proposals
• Interviewed the clinic staff to understand their roles and perspectives
• Written new content for the website based on those interviews to better express the current operations of the clinic

If you’d like to learn more about ECM, you can visit their website at www.eastcentralministries.org. 

The other update I’d like to share is a trip I am taking with a group from my church, Sandia Presbyterian.  We will be travelling to Guatemala this January with Living Water International to help dig a well and conduct hygiene classes in a rural community outside of Antigua.

I’m excited about this trip because it will be an opportunity to build relationships of service and compassion across cultures, and to see more of the diversity of the Body of Christ.  I like Living Water’s model because they have a team permanently stationed in the communities where they work to ensure the long term sustainability of the well projects, and because they involve local community members on their team and in the coordination of their projects. 

I’m actually currently fundraising (until December 18) for this trip, so if you’d like to donate, you can do so here.  Anything you can give would be much appreciated.  Prayers and encouragement are also much appreciated!

Anyway, I will be sure to give an update on the Guatemala trip, and I hope to be giving some updates on my work with ECM in the coming months.

As always, thanks for reading, and take care!