Nate Dorr will provide an overview of grant writing basics during a noon Brown Bag Lunch program December 10 at the Bemidji State University Center for Research and Innovation (CRI), located at 3801 Bemidji Avenue North.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a bag lunch for the one-hour session, which is open free to the public.
A regional analyst with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Dorr will outline essential elements of the grant writing process during the program. The presentation will also describe the key parts of a six-week grant writing course he has scheduled in January, when he plans on addressing in greater detail such topics as funding parameters, grant sources, and writing tips.
"Grant writing is basically the ability to apply financial skills, evaluation skills, statistics, persuasive writing and technical writing to a project, and being somewhat passionate about the organization you are working for," Dorr explained.
"Grant funding is critical for nonprofit organizations and grass root efforts. In the past decade or more, government has cut spending on many social, environmental, workforce, and similar programs. Instead, they often contract out these services and offer grants to nonprofits with knowledge of what might work locally."
Individuals responsible for the grant process within area organizations would benefit from the December 10 session, as would employees of businesses that partner with nonprofits in seeking grant resources.
In his current position, Dorr analyzes trends in employment, wages, industry sectors, demographics and other factors of the northwest Minnesota economy. He has used his background in youth programs, low-income organizations, the economic sector, and workforce development for writing grants over the past six years. He is currently serving as a volunteer grant writer for the proposed skate and bike park in Bemidji.
Dorr earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota and a master's degree from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the U of M. He previously held positions with the Minnesota Community Action Association, the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Minnesota Legislature, and the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs in Minneapolis.
The program is part of free training and informational presentations offered by the CRI each month. A full schedule can be found here.
Formed in 1997, the Center for Research and Innovation is an off-campus facility operated by Bemidji State University to assist businesses, organizations and individuals in gaining new knowledge, achieving applied experience, and improving successes.
The CRI annually serves more than 2500 individuals and 400 businesses by providing corporate and custom training, delivering non-credit online learning, creating multimedia solutions, offering strategic organizational development, and coordinating regular informational programs in such areas as natural resources and work safety.
For more information, contact the Bemidji State University Center for Research and Innovation at (218) 755-4900; toll free, (888) 738-3224; email, cri@bemidjistate.edu; or at the Web site www.optivation.org.