Book Review

Issue 26(1)

Grassroots Grants: An activist's guide to grantseeking (2nd Edition). (2004). Andy Robinson. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 288 pp. Price $29.00 (paperback). ISBN 0-7879-6578-2.

Review by: Marsha A. Miller

Kansas State University

NACADA Assistant Director, Resources & Services

Andy Robinson uses this highly practical text to delineate the four basics skills needed to be an effective grant writer:

In the 1990s grant making foundations and the individuals willingly distributed the profits from their stock market investments to those seeking funding for projects that would positively impact our students. By 2004 grant seekers learned that just as the stock market giveth, so does it take away. Today 72,000 U.S. grant making foundations are much more selective in funding grant proposals with the majority of grants let from state and locally based groups. A recent look at the Community of Science (COS) grant database showed grant monies available for specific locations such as Los Angeles, Austin (TX), Indiana, New Hampshire, Parkersburg (WV) and the five boroughs of New York.

Robinson notes that the average time from initial idea to funding is 2 years; the same time needed to birth an elephant! The correlation is not lost on successful grant seekers who have discovered that an idea simply is not enough. Ideas must be allowed to mature. Maturing takes effort and this book is an able companion for those seeking guidance through this maturation process. Most administrators realize that grant monies provide the opportunity for new venture, not the capital to meet continual needs. Robinson advises that few funders support efforts beyond 3 years; therefore grant seekers are wise to develop big impact ideas that will not need outside funding in order to continue beyond the 3 year window.

Robison's text is ripe with ideas for the novice grant seeker. From how to build your case to successful grants administration, the insights provided here are certainly worth the cost of the text. The novice grant seeker will find that the sample documents, including sample solicitation letters and four successful grant proposals, are helpful.

Although the target audience for this book is administrators of non-profit organizations, advising administrators with high impact ideas that need outside funding will find this book very useful. This text, along with the grant writing links provided by the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources will help academic advising administrators take the first step to successful grant procurement.  

References

Community of Science grant database. (2005) Retrieved June 6, 2005 from http://www.cos.com/.