The Design Activist's Handbook (prop) by Noah Scalin

Author:Noah Scalin
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Adams Media
Published: 2019-11-13T16:00:00+00:00

To ensure their books are as environmentally and baby friendly as possible, the folks at Squishy Press paid to have a third-party laboratory test them for chemical content. They also freely share material choices on their website. The testing cost only a few hundred dollars, but the couple invested about $35,000 in the entire project - not including their time.

Why embrace so much transparency? “Part of it is that we want people to start doing this the same way we do it,” Coleman says. “We want other book manufactures to start producing greener children’s and babies books because our child is encountering these books, our friends’ children, our relatives’ children. We just think this is the right way to do things.” The raw data about what’s in the books also serves as a way to educate consumers about safety issues. So far, the hardest part of the whole project has been diving into the process of distributing a retail product. Manley and Coleman have had to learn about everything from bar codes and inventory to wholesale pricing.

Five Ways to Rock a Grant Application

Every grant has different requirements and no doubt many applicants meet them, but we were curious about what sways the decision makers between one application and another. Armin Vit, of Principal UnderConsideration LLC, and one of the judges for the 2010 Sappi Ideas That Matter grants provided some tips and insight from the other side of the grant table:

Let your excitement shine through. Don’t check your enthusiasm at the door. “Be passionate about what you are proposing,” Vit says. “We could tell when someone had their heart behind it, and it pays off.”

Be specific about how you’ll spend the money. Show the judges you’ve done your homework when it comes to how much money you really need. Saying printing costs will be about $10,000 isn’t as impressive as a printer quote with the exact price tag.

Tell a compelling story. Take a look at your application materials as a whole. Do they tell a good story about why your project is important and what impact it will have? Are they visually appealing? “It’s very difficult to get people to imagine an end result and many applicants just couldn’t get us there,” Vit says. He says grant writing is an art form and practice makes perfect.

Choose your cause carefully. Judges are human and certain causes simply pull their heartstrings more than others. Take a look at all your project ideas and choose the one you believe will have the most impact when you apply for funding. “It’s hard to NOT give money to an organization fighting poverty or women abuse,” Vit says. “It’s very easy to let your emotions and social priorities dictate who you select.”

Cut out the fluff. There’s limited grant funding to go around, so judges want to make sure every dollar counts. Go through your application and make sure you’re asking for the essentials. Things like stationery, for instance, might not seem as important as the actual project you want to produce and deliver to an audience.

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