Upcoming Events

March 23

April 8

Training

Alaska Funding Exchange offers a variety of individual and organizational capacity-building workshops and classes:

Training Workshops:

AFE professionals offer a variety of training opportunities in grant writing:

1. A 1-2 hour grantwriting overview covers the basics of program planning, finding funding sources, and proposal preparation. This option is a good choice if you need a conference workshop or general staff orientation to grant writing.  Cost: $150/hour plus travel expenses(if any)

Our two-day and five-day grant writing classes are offered in concert with a class sponsor - a nonprofit organization that would like to receive several scholarships and a bit of the profit from the class. 

In return, the sponsor provides the location for the class and registration logistics.  Go here for more information about sponsoring a class with Alaska Funding Exchange in your community.

2. 

   Two-Day Grantwriting Workshop
   This is an introductory class to the world of grants, introducing the participant to where to look for funding sources, writing simple grant proposals,  and some of the requirements and jargon of this world.

   The goal of this workshop is for students to leave the class with an idea of the best places to look for the types of funds they are seeking, writing a basic grant proposal, and the most effective ways to approach potential funders.  (Cost to participant:  $350)

3. Five-Day Intensive Grantwriting Class
   This option is the best for new or inexperienced grant writers, or for grant writers who want to develop a cadre of grantwriting colleagues and are interested in new and better ways to do their work. Classes are limited to a maximum of twelve students.
   
   In this workshop, each student brings a simple Request for Proposal (RFP) of the type of grant proposal they are interested in learning to prepare. As we work our way through the class, students will use their RFP to guide their class project. There will be homework in the evenings, so come prepared to work! Each student will work on their own proposal and learn to edit others’ proposals. Students leave the workshop with a completed proposal that can be submitted directly to the funder and also dissected into templates for future proposals.
   
   Because each student brings a different type of RFP from which to work, all students benefit from hearing questions and answers about a variety of proposal types. It’s been our experience that students get to know each other during the week and often leave with a network of peers who continue to support one another in their grantwriting efforts long after the end of the class. (Cost to participant:  $999)

   "I would tell anyone who writes grants or even needs to manage a grant, or is part of the process to take this class. I was able to see the grant process from different angles. I particularly learned the most about organization tips that will make my process much easier." - Grantwriting Intensive Participant

   
   

4. Sustainable Pathways: Building Financially Healthy Organizations
   In this 3-day class, students complete a comprehensive fundraising strategy for their nonprofit organization using the information and resources presented in class. Topics will include:

   • Funding Trends & Major Sources of Income
   • Analyze Your Current Income
   • Determine Program and Fundraising Objectives
   • Saving Money
   • The Eight Methods of Fundraising
   • Creating a Campaign Timeline
   • Assigning Tasks
   • Locating Resources
   • Building Collaborations

   Text: Sustainable Pathways: Building Financially Healthy Organizations by The Funding Exchange, Inc. (included in class fee)

   (Cost to team:  $1500)

5. Tips, Tricks & Tune-Ups
   Grantwriting can be an engaging, creative  -- and sometimes exhausting profession! Get an extra shot of energy and enthusiasm as you network with other grantwriters, learn some new ideas, and gather resources for accomplishing your work faster, better and easier.
   Sharon Gherman of The Funding Exchange and Cindy Adams of GrantStation will share some of the tips they’ve learned in their more than 50 years (can you believe it?!) of planning projects and writing successful proposals. While there will be many ideas presented, participants are also encouraged to share their own tips and tricks in this roundtable gathering of experienced development professionals.

Webinars

Online Grantwriting Workshop
The Funding Exchange is pleased to announce that we now offer a webinar version of our popular Grantwriting Overview class for aspiring or moderately-experienced grant writers located beyond the Fairbanks, Alaska area.

This is an overview class to the world of grants, familiarizing students with the best places to look for the types of funds they are seeking and the basics of writing a grant proposal, and familiarizing students with the terminology and structure of the field of grantseeking. The material and handouts will be identical to FEI’s Two Day Grantwriting Overview class. (Cost: $350 per person or $595 per site)

Tips, Tricks & Tune-Ups
Grantwriting can be an engaging, creative  -- and sometimes exhausting profession! Get an extra shot of energy and enthusiasm as you network with other grantwriters, learn some new ideas, and gather resources for accomplishing your work faster, better and easier.
Sharon Gherman of The Funding Exchange and Cindy Adams of GrantStation will share some of the tips they’ve learned in their more than 50 years (can you believe it?!) of planning projects and writing successful proposals. While there will be many ideas presented, participants are also encouraged to share their own tips and tricks in this online roundtable gathering of experienced development professionals.

Workshops

All topics listed below may be offered as a half-day or full-day workshop. Cost: $1500/day plus applicable travel expenses. Watch our website as this list grows, and let us know if you have a topic you’d like to see addressed!

1. Building Partnerships: 2 + 2 = 5
   A partnership can be two or more organizations working together for a common purpose. Partnerships may have a "one issue" or "one purpose" focus or a "multi-issue" or "multi-purpose" focus. And partners don't necessarily agree on everything. A powerful partnership can produce far reaching results much more easily and effectively than any effort by a single organization. There is indeed power in numbers. In fact, most grantmakers and individual donors see a strong partnership as a more likely candidate to receive ongoing funding than a single organization. Identifying potential partners and building strong partnerships will be the focus of this webinar.

2. The Funding Matrix: Simplifying Complex Programs
   A funding matrix is a spreadsheet tool that's useful for visualizing large or complex programs and for planning a program or project budget with varied funding sources. This webinar focuses on how to create a funding matrix for your project, and how use this tool to help you triage grant announcements and communicate your project vision to others.

3. Critical Issues for Nonprofits: Energy Costs
   Organizations everywhere are feeling the pinch of rapidly-rising energy costs, which are affecting the price of everything from copy paper to travel. When planning your project, be sure you've given serious thought about how to reduce costs to a minimum without negatively impacting your mission. This webinar will present an organizational planning process that builds on the "3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." The ideas presented will help you learn how to maximize your project's impact while conserving resources and preserving staff morale.

   Watch for more “Critical Issues for Nonprofits” coming soon!

4. Boundaries in Business
   Do you have trouble saying ‘no’ effectively? Do people take advantage of you? Or do you seem to anger your employees on a regular basis? This workshop will help you identify the issues at stake, help you correct the thinking that created (or allowed) the problem, and provide you with tools to begin making needed changes.