The Saginaw Community Foundation will host two free workshops in January to help people learn more about collaboration and grantwriting.  

“We’ve heard so many great community improvement ideas and we want to help people make those ideas a reality,” said Reneé Johnston, president and CEO of the Saginaw Community Foundation. “The Saginaw Community Foundation’s workshops will help people plan, implement and get funding for these ideas that could make an indelible impact on the Saginaw County community.”

The workshops are offered by the foundation as part of the Board of Directors’ Community Improvement Initiative, a new competitive grant program that will award up to $30,000 to one project in 2013.

Workshop: “Shared Visions, Community Value”

4:30 – 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 10

Register: collabworkshop.eventbrite.com

Larry Sims, a collaboration and relationship-building consultant, will lead the discussion on successful collaboration strategies and overcoming the obstacles to collaboration. Successful collaborators to join the discussion and provide examples include:

● Reneé Johnston, president/CEO of the Saginaw Community Foundation
● Pamela Cole, director of East Side Soup Kitchen
● Rich Premo, president/CEO of Hidden Harvest
● Cherrie Benchley, president/CEO of United Way of Saginaw County

Workshop: “How to Write a Grant Proposal”

4:30 – 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 17

Register: scfgrantwriting.eventbrite.com

Janet Rentsch, director of sponsored programs at Saginaw Valley State University, will review the grantwriting process, including:

● What grantmakers look for in a grant proposal
● How grantmakers review and evaluate grants
● How to present your budget
● Goals versus objectives
● Importance of collaboration
● Frequent problems found on grant applications

Reneé Johnston, president and CEO of the Saginaw Community Foundation, will give a brief overview of the Board of Directors’ Community Improvement Initiative and provide examples of eligible projects/programs. Kendra Kempf, program officer at the Saginaw Community Foundation, will review the foundation’s grant application and give input on how committees discuss and evaluate grant proposals.