The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs announced its grant-workshop schedule on Monday in anticipation of a funding increase in Fiscal Year 2014, a statement said. The council will be conducting free informational workshops on grant guidelines and the application process for potential applicants throughout the state and online for the rest of the summer.

Michigan nonprofit organizations, schools and municipalities can apply for projects that would take place between January 1, 2014 and September 30, 2014. The grants will be given in five areas, programs for operations and project support, capital improvements, arts in education residency, mini-grants and new leaders. More about the grant programs can be seen at the council's website.

"We are very excited about the support we have received from Governor Rick Snyder, his administration and the Legislature," said John Bracey, executive director of the council. "The confidence they have shown in our agency and the additional dollars represented in the appropriations bill will allow us to expand funding to our current programs as well as create a new artist in residence program for K-12 schools." -

Advanced Proposal Analysis
Date: July 29, 2013
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: The Johnson Center for Philanthropy

All grantmakers were trained to do something else before entering the field of philanthropy. There are no degrees, pre-requisite training, or certifications that demonstrate competence and skill at carrying out this important role. Even experienced grantmakers continue to be plagued by the uneven results of learning by trial and error.

Prepared or not, the grantmaker role is complex and presents a distinctive set of constantly changing variables and issues. Grantmakers also have the daunting responsibility to guide precious charitable dollars into the hands of capable nonprofit organizations.

The Grantmaking School recognizes that for most grantmakers, working with applicants and proposals is the bread and butter of their career. In response, Advanced Proposal Analysis intentionally focuses on the essential skills of proposal review, recommendations, project management, and other core competency areas. We strongly believe that mastering this work is the key to excellence in grantmaking.

Key concepts include:
• Assessing proposals more efficiently,
• Spotting financial red flags,
• Finding and closing any gaps in your due diligence process,
• Using specialty grants within your organization's mission,
• Assuring transparent and ethical behavior,
• Grantee relationship management, and
• Capturing the knowledge from grantmaking.

The Advanced Proposal Analysis course is specifically designed for foundation professionals seeking to deepen their knowledge and skills on proposal assessment. Classroom size is limited to 30 participants, allowing for deeper engagement and discussion with both colleagues and instructors.

Our instructors represent some of the most experienced program officers and foundation executives in the field of philanthropy. Their organization experience and knowledge crosses corporate, private, community and family foundation models.

Course Instructors:
Caroline Altman Smith, M.A
Robert F. Long, Ph. D.

Tuition and Scholarships:

Tuition for Advanced Proposal Analysis is $1,295, exclusive of travel and lodging. Alumni of The Grantmaking School and Council of Michigan Foundations members receive a $250 discount.

Scholarships are available for qualifying organizations. Members of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) and Friends of the Family members of the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) are eligible for a discount. Only one discount or scholarship will be honored per person, per course.

Course registration deadline is July 8, 2013.

Course Location and Lodging:

Location: Johnson Center for Philanthropy, 201 Front Ave. SW Ste 200, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Lodging: Holiday Inn Grand Rapids, 310 Pearl Street NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504

Phone: 616-235-7611

A special rate of $103/night has been arranged for participants of The Grantmaking School, valid July 28-30, 2013. Guests can use the link above to make a reservation and use the group code “JCP” or contact the Reservations Department directly (616-235-7611) to make a reservation. Please be sure to reference “The Johnson Center for Philanthropy July group ” in order to receive the special rate. Reservations must be made by July 2, 2013.

Grant Proposal Writing Fundamentals
Date/Time: Thursday, July 18, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Location: 10 Nisbet

This course will introduce you to key components of writing a grant proposal to a foundation or a corporation. Topics covered will include: preparation, proposal writing, communication with the funder, essentials of budget preparation, best practices in managing reports to build long-term relationships and an overview of resources to find potential funders.

Presenter: David Holmes, Foundation Center, Cleveland, OH
Cost: $245 (Includes a copy of the Foundation Center’s Guide to Proposal Writing)

To enroll online:
• Visit http://ebs.msu.edu and click on EBS Portal Login
• Log in with your MSU NetID and Password and click on the ESS tab
• Click on Training Opportunities in the lower right of the screen
• Under Course Catalog, click on Human Resource Development
• Click on Summer 2013 current HRD classes to find the title you are interested in

We are pleased to offer you a video guide for the HRD Class enrollment process recently published on SourceLive. We hope that you will find it useful. Class Booking Video: http://sourcelive.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/how-do-i-register-for-an-hrd-class/

Community users not affiliated with MSU should contact Nancy Sanchez at sanchezn@hr.msu.edu or 884-0169. They can pay by check made out to MSU.

Title: Your Proposal Writing Questions, Answered

Date: Tuesday June 18, 2013
Time: 2:00PM EDT

Panelists
•Dave Holmes, Training Coordinator, Foundation Center-Cleveland
•Kim Patton, Training Coordinator, Foundation Center-Washington DC

Get answers to some of the most frequently asked questions in our Proposal Writing classes! Examples:
•How many foundations should you approach?
•What if you get more than what you need for your project?
•How often should you follow up with a funder after submitting a proposal?

Want to make sure that your question gets asked? Send it to us in advance! You also can post questions or comments when the chat goes live, as well as interact with presenters and other readers.

How Live Chat Works:

Live chats are text-only discussions that happen entirely online. It will NOT HAVE AUDIO. The chat window will "open" about 30 minutes before the event starts. If you cannot participate during the live event, the full transcript will be available afterward in our live chat gallery

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality announced the award of 14 grants for local sewer projects totaling $4.1 million.

The S2 Grant Program covers up to 90 percent of the costs of design and planning work for sewer projects, up to $1 million, in local communities.