Behind the Curtain of the Federal Funders

1
Behind the Curtain of the Federal Funders

• Lucy Barber
• National Historical Publications and Records
  Commission
• www.archives.gov/nhprc
• Lucy.barber_at_nara.gov

2
Three Steps to Funding (Zen)

• Know Yourself
• Know Us
• Know the Process

3
Federal Granting Agencies

• Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
  www.imls.gov
• Also creates LSTA money
• National Endowment for the Humanties
• www.neh.gov
• Also supports State Humanaties Councils
• National Historical Publications and Records
  Commission
• www.archives.gov\nhprc
• Also support SHRABS (another cool acronym to
  throw around at parties)

4
Know Yourself!

• What do you want to do?
• What do you need to do it?
• Can we (the funders) help?

5
Know Us

• Read! We probably said part of it and well
  share more
• Call!
• Write!
• If you dont click your ruby slippers, you will
  get nothing.

6
Behind the Curtain

• Program officers have priorities and specialties
  and office politics.
• Our bosses have priorities and political
  pressures.
• Our decision makers have priorities, personality
  quirks, and lives.

7
A Grant Officer
8
Federal Funders Kindergarten!

• Follow directions
• Share
• Follow directions
• Go exploring
• Learn to read
• Remember how did Dorothy get home?

9
Electronic Record Proposal Example

• Question 1   What is the purpose of the project
  and what are its goals?Introduce the overall
  goal of your project. Identify explicitly in
  which of the four categories -Planning, Start-up,
  Expansion, Service Provider - you are applying.
  Then, explain the project's relationship to your
  strategic plans, organizational goals, and
  collection management plans. Discuss the nature
  of preliminary planning and the review of
  existing standards regarding electronic records
  preservation.

10
Know the Process Grants.gov

• Remember what you learned in Federal Funder
  Kindergarten
• We all have to get through it.
• Share. Ask.
• Accept the juice and cookies
• Take a nap.

11
Out of OUR hands

• Peer Review Panels
• Mail out (read independently, never meet)
• Live panels (read independently, meet)
• Difference
• Conversation vs. read independently

12
In Their Hands

• Program officers do not make the final decision.
• NHPRC style
• Program officers compare notes and make
  compromises.
• Our bosses review our recommendations.
• Our commission make a recommendation.
• The Archivist has the final say

13
Success

• Success can be your worst nightmare
• How to accept money?
• How to hire?
• Failure can be success
• You know what you want to do
• You figure out how to do it without us
• Whichever share your approach with others who
  start the cycle over.

14
Do Ask!

• If you dont ask, you will spend the rest of your
  life with Frank Morgan.
• If you ask, you may go back to Kansas.
• Share your ideas or you are part of the curtain
  or the ruby slippers

15
Beyond the Feds!

• The Foundation Center
• http//foundationcenter.org
• The Nonprofit FAQ?
• http//www.idealist.org/if/i/en/npofaq
• Stanford Social Innovation Review
• http//www.ssireview.org/
• And Mellon, MacArthur, Pew, or other big
  foundations in your region.
• ?My dad, Putnam Barber, edits this.

16
Thank You

• Coolest Knitting Site
• www.ravelry.com
• My cousins photo site
• www.tinyvices.com
• Great singer Mary Gauthier
• http//www.marygauthier.com/site.php