Grant writing class draws students from around Missouri

Nevada Daily Mail

A Healthy Nevada-sponsored grant writing seminar drew nearly 30 participants to Nevada last week.

The week-long course, which ran Monday through Friday afternoon, taught participants how to successfully work through the grant writing process.

John Gulick, Healthy Nevada Development and Coordinator, said the training pulled participants from around the state, the furthest coming from southeast Missouri and Kansas. Seven people from Vernon County were in the class.

Gulick said the training event allowed more Vernon County residents to gain grant writing skills, increasing the number of trained grant writers to 12. Several previous grant writing scholars from the area attended the course in St. Louis, taught by the same instructor -- Linda Boedeker -- last April.

While the course did not provide any certification, it did provide training on best practices and gave grant writers resources for future project.

"It will help them better understand the process," Gulick said.

Boedeker said grant writing students would be given a year long subscription to a grant database, and be able to consult with her on future projects.

Attendees brought along current grant projects or ideas, and worked in teams to strengthen proposals. Participants from Nevada discussed two relevant issues, including a permanent location for the Vernon County Farmers' Market and transportation needs.

Group work allowed those involved to network and share experiences about similar projects completed outside of Vernon County. Gulick said a perk to the course was the development of new professional relationships, which will allow for future projects and feedback from outside the county.

According to Gulick, the event likely pumped $10,000 into the local economy from hotel accommodations, dining and other activities from out-of-town visitors.