Collaborative Grant Writing and Knowledge Transfer Initiative

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

The purpose of the Collaborative Grant Writing and Knowledge Transfer initiative was to improve the county’s ability to propose grant projects to private and public funders, while obtaining resources to benefit the community. A core group consisting of a county executive, department administrator, financial manager, information technology manager, commission director, and support professionals developed a unique collaborative writing process, outlining the steps to take when writing a proposal. Further, the program increased organizational learning through a series of workshops and templates accessible at shared, electronic locations. The initiative improved skills for a broad population of county employees, many of whom had never created proposals for funders in the past. The group was identified funders that aligned with organizational goals, responded to public and private funders with successful proposals, developed a checklist for components of a proposal, shared knowledge about common missteps to avoid in grant proposals, and organized training and technical assistance materials. With no additional expenses and without consultants, the group led a collaborative process that resulted in new revenue awards of more than $850,000. Perhaps most importantly for the future, the program resulted in knowledge transfer of grant writing skills within multiple political subdivisions.