Hooper to attend grant writing workshop
By MORGAN MARSHALL
Vice President , PMSA
The Peabody City Council unanimously voted June 25 to send Kristen Hooper, Main Street director and economic development coordinator to a grant writing workshop in Emporia at the end of September.
The cost of the program is $875, but Hooper was able to receive a scholarship that reduced the cost to $437 due to the City's partnership with the Peabody Main Street Association and its 501(c)3 nonprofit status.
The "Grantsmanship Training Program" is a five-day workshop that encompasses the entire grant development process. In addition, there is a full year of support service to participants in the program, as well as exclusive access to funding databases. The certificate of completion that is awarded at the end of the program is now being required in order to be more competitive in the grant process and will open the door to more funding for projects in our community
The city council should be commended for having the vision to recognize this opportunity is a worthwhile investment.
Will we be flush with millions of dollars of "free" money? Probably not. But, we could possibly locate a grant to help pay for the mercury remediation at the former sewer plant, or find a few bucks to help with curb and guttering. These are merely ideas.
Every little bit helps, and if we have somebody on staff that can successfully complete the grant writing process, it could help us keep our taxes low and tackle some of the items on our "wish list." This certification could help to achieve goals that help the entire community and could lead to assisting you secure funds to help make projects near to your heart a reality.
