Skill Sets for Life

By Jillian Wheeler | May 24, 2011

Last week our son, Matt, graduated from college.  He has worked hard these past few years, learning the skills he will need to make the kind of life he wants to live.  On Graduation Day his whole family gathered to support him and let him know how proud of him we are.  And of course, it’s also an accomplishment for all of us who helped him reach this point in his life.

All over the country, young people are graduating from college. In the best case scenario, each of them has learned a set of skills that will make it possible for him or her to create a prosperous, happy life doing meaningful and enjoyable work.

What about your skill set?  Are you doing work you love?  Does your work add value to your community?  Does it enrich the lives of others, while also providing a good income for you you and your family?

Perhaps you have a good job, but you’d like to expand your scope.  Perhaps you’d like to spend part of your time doing something new and interesting, that brings you into contact with new people and situations while creating an additional source of income.  Maybe you would like to make a greater impact on your community and the world.

Or, perhaps you are very happy with your work life, but you want to support an organization or a cause dear to your heart.  Community projects always need money, and there is always a shortage of people with the knowledge and skills to help those projects.

In the same way I have loved helping my kids achieve their goals, I love my work teaching and imparting the skills necessary to find grant money and create non-profit organizations.  Participants in our Grants Training Classes are working finding grants and serving important causes all over the world.

Our next class starts June 6, 2011.  After careful consideration, we have lowered the cost of the class.  In fact, the tuition for this class is the lowest ever.  We want to make it possible for everyone who has thought about taking the classes in the past, but could not because of price, to enroll now.  If you’re one of those people, here is your chance.

www.GrantMeRich.com/classes.htm

If the classes are new to you, here’s some more information.  Our Grants Training Classes consist of two modules, one on how to find and write grants, and one on creating a non-profit.  When you participate in the class, you enter into a 9-week conversation with me.  I send you one or two new lessons each week.  You read, complete the homework and send it back to me.  I give you the feedback and support that will help you accomplish your goals.

With the skill set you will learn in these classes, you can become a Certified Grant Writer.  You can act as a consultant to community organizations, hospitals, colleges or schools, even government agencies.  You can work for yourself, or you can work within an organization.  You can even found your own non-profit group, and create a wonderful job for yourself, doing work you’ve dreamed about.

What do you need to bring to the table when you take our classes?  You should be a good communicator, someone who can hear the ideas of your client and help her put those ideas into words.  You should be open to learning how to do basic research.  It helps if you enjoy people and like helping people.

Some other benefits?  Grant writers earn a good living.  An average grant writing consultant is paid $50 to $150 per hour.  You will usually dress in business casual.  You’ll meet interesting people, and will be a well-respected professional.  And in this economy, there is a greater demand than ever for grant writers.

www.GrantMeRich.com/classes.htm

And if you’d like to see some graduation pictures, and keep in closer touch, please become my friend on Facebook, at: profile.to/jillian.  You can also follow me on Twitter, at Twitter.com/drjillian.

I’ll look forward to seeing you there.

Topics: All Grants Posts, Education | No Comments »

Happy 2011!

By Jillian Wheeler | January 1, 2011

Are you sensing an energy shift for 2011?

I’ve got a great feeling about the new year.  The economy has been challenging, but the silver lining is that most of the entrepreneurs I know are learning new techniques, adapting and updating their approach to business.  For those folks who work for other people, it looks as though the worst may be over.

Unemployment is still high, but for the first time since 2007, the country actually added jobs in 2010. Americans are once again saving money. Stocks, bonds, and commodities posted gains during the past year, and the U.S. dollar increased in value.

In the world of grants, things are still promising.  There are some excellent new government grants programs, and although foundations and corporations have experienced lower incomes on their investments (the source of most grants), my clients are still getting funded. As communities need increased support, funders are stepping up to help.

My intention for 2011 is to provide a wider range of information products to help you realize your goals through grants. Thank you for your interest in the work we do; all of us here are so grateful for you!

And for 3 steps to make ALL your New Year’s wishes come true, please visit my other blog:

www.DrJillian.com

And if you want to take advantage of our Holiday Special – $3500 worth of personal grants consulting for only $797 – you can start here:

www.surveymonkey.com/s/TGR7KS7

Have a beautiful year!

Topics: All Grants Posts | No Comments »

Happy Holidays to You!

By Jillian Wheeler | December 25, 2010

It’s a beautiful crisp day here in Austin.  We celebrated our Family Christmas gathering last weekend with all our children and grandchildren, so today is a time of quiet enjoyment and spiritual reflection.  I have a simple dinner on the stove, and after church, I’ll put a pineapple upside down cake in the oven.  Our youngest son and our niece, home from college with her boyfriend, will join us later.

I am grateful to you for the time we spend together. Thank you for reading my work and for supporting our business. I love hearing from you about your ideas for your community, through your emails, and on Facebook and Twitter.  Thank you, too, for all the good you do in the world.

Today I’m wishing you all the joys of the season: the love of family and friends, peace, tranquility, and hope for the year to come.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Topics: All Grants Posts | No Comments »

Let Us Find Your Grant Money – Special Holiday Offer

By Jillian Wheeler | December 23, 2010

Grant money is still available.  Here at GrantMeRich.com, we provide tools to help you find grant money, and prepare grant applications.  But not everyone wants to take the time and learn the skills involved in doing these tasks.

For our clients who want a more “hands on” approach to finding grant money, we offer personalized grant consultations services.  All our consulting begins with the basic Grant Resource Report.  This is a report we prepare for you, then deliver to you both electronically and in bound, printed form.

In the report, we list every source of foundation, corporate, and government grant money for which you and your project are likely to qualify.  Then, once you have the report, you have the tools to create your grant applications.  Alternatively, should we agree to continue to work together, we can assist you in preparing grant applications.

The Grant Resource Report is the absolute foundation of your grant application strategy.  Preparation of the report is labor intensive, and requires about three weeks to complete.  The cost of preparation, listed on our Consulting page, is $3500.

Right now, however, and just for a short time, we are offering a Special Holiday Offer:

Grant Resource Report – only $797.

We’ve never before offered special pricing on our consulting services, and we can only offer 5 of these packages.

If you have a community project you would like to fund, or if you are interested in grants for real estate, and creating affordable housing, you can put our expertise to work for you, at a fraction of the usual price.

To get started, just fill out some basic information at:

www.surveymonkey.com/s/TGR7KS7

I think you’ll agree this is an extraordinary offer.  You’ll understand why we must limit it to only 5 packages.  This can be your first step the getting the funding you need and want, but you must act quickly.

Complete the survey, and I’ll give you a call to get you started.

Topics: All Grants Posts | No Comments »

Affordable Grants Consulting – Just for the Holidays

By Jillian Wheeler | December 21, 2010

Most of our information products focus on finding grant money, creative ways to use grant money, and learning how to prepare grant applications.  It has been our tradition the past few years to offer one or two of our training products at a holiday discount price. However, this year, we’ve decided to do something different.

As you may know, one of the services we provide is personalized grants consulting.  Our clients include businesses, social service agencies, and individuals interesting in establishing community projects.

We work with clients on a two-step basis.

Step One is to provide a Grants Resource Report to locate grant money. In report, for any individual project, we provide a customized search of 20,000 foundations and corporations, along with searches of federal and state grant databases supported as appropriate by telephone and Internet research.  We identify those sources of grant money which are likely to be a good fit for your project, and we send you a personalized report which details full information about each of the available grants, whom to contact, and how to apply.

Step Two is optional.  The client can proceed in completing the grant applications on his own, or he may choose to hire us to complete Step Two, the submission of the grants.

This year, we are offering Step One, our personalized Grants Resource Report package, as our Special Holiday Offer. This survey report is usually priced at $3500.

Special Holiday Offer price is only $797.

Only 5 of these packages will be offered at this price.

If you are interested in finding out if this Special Holiday Offer is right for you, you may complete this short survey:

www.surveymonkey.com/s/TGR7KS7

But remember: Only 5 packages are available at this Special Holiday Offer price.  Complete the survey, then I’ll contact you to help you get started.

Topics: All Grants Posts | No Comments »

Black Friday

By Jillian Wheeler | November 26, 2010

It’s Black Friday, and in keeping with the spirit of the day (great bargains!), we are offering 10% off the already reduced prices of our two most popular products!

“The New American Land Rush: How to Buy Real Estate with Government Money!” is the one-of-a-kind resource that takes you right to the thousands of grants and low cost loans the government has available for real estate investors and aspiring investors.  Right now, when money is so tight and there are so many great bargains, it’s invaluable information!

Buy it today, and we’ll immediately refund you 10% of the already low sale price:

www.NewAmericanLandRush.com

People all over the world have taken our Grants Training Classes.  These are the 9-week email classes that teach you everything you need to know to find grants, write winning proposals, and deal with funders.

Enroll today, and get an immediate 10% refund on your tuition:

www.GrantMeRich.com/classes.htm

Buy now, while the offer is still active – then you can go back to those delicious Thanksgiving leftovers!

Topics: All Grants Posts | No Comments »

Rebuilding New Orleans

By Jillian Wheeler | November 15, 2010

Because of my interest in low-income housing, I have been wanting to spend some time in New Orleans, to see the progress being made there. Until last week, I had returned only once (in 2006, a year after Hurricane Katrina).  That visit we just talked to people in the Quarter and spent some money. We were welcomed with open arms; at that time tourists were still few and far between.

Recently I went back to spend a week in the city. I had a chance to visit the neighborhoods devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and to to survey some of the new affordable housing that’s being created there.  In the next few days I’ll have pictures ready to upload. But in the meantime, I thought I’d share some of my overall impressions. I am still sorting out everything I saw. It was definitely sensory overload.

Before the storm, 500,000 people lived in greater New Orleans. Hundreds of thousands of residents left in anticipation of the hurricane, and many of them have never returned. The 2010 census will be released in early 2011, and should provide more accurate information. But the estimate I was given locally was 350,000 current residents.

There are empty houses everywhere. In fact, New Orleans now leads the nation in derelict property, with 44,000 abandoned buildings and empty lots. That is 25% of the city’s real estate, a greater percentage than Detroit, which is in some areas a ghost town, or Baltimore.

All around downtown one sees abandoned buildings. Charity Hospital, which provided 2800 beds, sits vacant and will be relocated to another block. Many businesses closed and will never reopen. Schools are empty, filled with mold and beyond any repair.

We’ve heard a lot about the 9th Ward (upper and lower), and so like many people, I had the misconception that only poor people lost their homes in the storm. In fact, 80% of New Orleans was under water for weeks.

Beautiful City Park was virtually destroyed, but has been largely restored through the efforts of volunteers, including many horticulturists and landscapers from all over the country. The adjacent middle class neighborhood of Gentilly suffered destruction of 81% of its houses. Lakeview, a beautiful neighborhood that fronts Lake Pontchartrain, was similarly affected.  Throughout the midtown neighborhoods, families are obviously working on their homes, using any extra money they can generate to make repairs.

Most residents of New Orleans did not have flood insurance. Homeowners insurance was usually sufficient to replace roofs and exterior materials, but coverage did not extend to any of the water damage or resulting mold. So in the more affluent neighborhoods, just as in the very low-income neighborhoods, many houses sit empty, their occupants having simply walked away. Other houses have been torn down, so that one drives down many residential blocks and sees only a few houses, with other driveways that lead to lots now overgrown with grass.

Writing this, I first had to touch on the extent of the damage, because it is simply stunning to see.  But much progress has been made, and in my next post I will describe the restoration efforts I observed.  It was inspirational to see the work of thousands of volunteers, and the creative use of grant funding to rebuild the city.

Meanwhile, if you would like to know more about the government programs that support the development of affordable housing, and how you can participate as an investor or developer, visit:  www.NewAmericanLandRush.com.

Topics: All Grants Posts, Grants for Individuals, Real Estate | 1 Comment »

Grants for Veterans

By Jillian Wheeler | November 11, 2010

Happy Veterans Day to all the millions of vets who’ve worked and sacrificed on behalf of all of us. We appreciate you!

If you’re a veteran, are you aware there are housing programs just for you?  The Veterans Administration has a variety of programs you might want to take a look at, and other agencies offer grants that could be a good fit. 

In fact, veterans programs are just part of what the government has to offer in terms of real estate grants and low-cost loans. There are literally thousands of programs offered by the federal government, state governments, and many cities and counties.  Some are appropriate for home buyers, and many can help you invest in real estate.

To find out how you can take advantage of these little-known grants, check out my “New American Land Rush: How to Buy Real Estate with Government Money!”

www.NewAmericanLandRush.com

This is a great time to take advantage of this information, because we’re having a big sale. But hurry, because I’m not sure when the price will go back up.

Topics: All Grants Posts | No Comments »

Are there Grants for Medical Marijuana?

By Jillian Wheeler | October 31, 2010

I just received an interesting question through Twitter. Someone wanted to know if there is grant money to start a medical marijuana business in Colorado.

While no one has ever asked me this particular question before, I am often asked whether there are grants to support non-traditional projects such as alternative health centers, or centers for new age spirituality. Unfortunately, the answer is “probably not.”  If those projects are presented under the auspices of a larger, more traditional organization or project, the likelihood would be higher.

There are two reasons this is true.

First, funders make grants available for specific purposes. These purposes are set forth under the guidelines of the foundation, company or government agency, and it is quite simple to get the information regarding the guidelines. Program managers must adhere to these guidelines when they make grants, and they have a heavy responsibility, making decisions as to how to spend the money in their care.

Second, established institutions, and also wealthy individuals and families, tend to be culturally conservative. While it is true that some grant makers are interested in more liberal causes, few of them are willing to go too far out on a limb to fund projects that are considered experimental or part of the counterculture.

Topics: All Grants Posts | No Comments »

Don’t get scammed when looking for grant money.

By Jillian Wheeler | October 23, 2010

As a grants consultant, I am often contacted by clients who’ve had a prior bad experience. Here are a couple of recent examples of folks who’ve been scammed:

One couple I know own a small business, and it’s taken quite a hit during the recession. Looking on the Internet for help, they came across a site that promised to write and submit grant proposals for funding for their business.

They called and spoke to representatives from the site, who sounded professional. They then paid almost $4,000 for the service.

After a few weeks, they began to get a little nervous. They called back, and were reassured that proposals were indeed being submitted. A little later, at their request, they were emailed a list of foundations which had received a grant proposal on their behalf.

When a few months had passed, they finally contacted me. When I explained to them that foundations never fund businesses, only non-profit corporations, they were devastated. The website organization had probably done what they said they would, and sent some kind of boilerplate proposal to the list of foundations. But there had never been any chance the foundations would give them money, because they were not a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.

I am working with another client that is a relatively new non-profit. They came to me after spending $25,000 on a grants consultant who never accomplished anything tangible for them. In fact, it took courage for them to start over with me.

I really hate to hear these stories, but I understand how difficult it must be for people who have never worked in the world of grants to make a good decision as to whom to trust.

Here are a few hints:

Before you hire anyone to find you a grant, or write a grant proposal, get references. Then check those references. Don’t just call the references, Google them and see if they are reliable.

Have a letter of agreement that specifies deliverables. For example, I usually start by preparing a survey of grants available for the project. The client pays me for that service, and I deliver the survey, which specifies exactly which government agencies, foundations, and companies give grants in the area of my client’s interests. The survey includes contact information for the funders, and specifics about how to approach them and how to apply.

At that point the client can go forward armed with that information, and contact the funders directly, or he can retain me for the next step. But at every point along the continuum, I deliver specific services and the client knows exactly where his money is going.

If you want to explore the possibility of a grant for your project or organization, I’m happy to hear from you. And I’ll give you an honest answer as to whether or not funders will be interested in your project.

For more information about my consulting services, check here:

www.GrantMeRich.com/consulting.htm

Topics: All Grants Posts | No Comments »

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