On September 18th and 19th, SCoRE and the Community Engaged Research Council (constituted by representatives from SEI, IPaT, RBI, EI2, BBISS, and PIN) hosted a Grant Readiness Training for Small Community Organizations.  Over the course of two full days at the Outdoor Activity Center in West Atlanta, participants were guided in a hands-on workshop by Katie O’Connell, a seasoned data-wrangler, planner, and grant-writer who has worked closely with SCoRE to create a technical assistance program for community-based organizations.  At the request of many of our community partners, building on webinars offered through the RCE Greater Atlanta last year, O’Connell designed the training to help these partners build the foundational systems, content, and strategies needed for effective grant seeking. Rather than focusing solely on writing techniques, this intensive workshop emphasized organizational readiness—equipping participants with materials such as boilerplate content, budget templates, outcome measurement frameworks, and funder research strategies. Tailored for organizations with limited staff who juggle multiple roles, the training provided practical, immediately applicable tools that support a proactive, long-term approach to securing grant funding.

In the closing session of the workshop, participants could choose from three focus areas that were supported by BBISS staff and two special faculty guests - Gregory Randolph (SCaRP) and Clint Zeagler (IPaT), who facilitated conversations focused on Rhetorical Strategies and Data Visualization, respectively.  New BBISS staff member, Kristin Janacek, supported a group of partners interested in learning about Proposal Writing with AI. Each participant departed on Friday with an organized digital filing system, core narrative materials, and draft application components that reflect their mission, programs, and community impact. SCoRE hopes to offer the training again next year for a new group of partners, as well as further online learning opportunities this fall and spring for the 14 partners who attended the workshop and shared, in their surveys, that the training was valuable and motivating.  Pabitra Poudyel, Social Adjustment Program Manager at Refugee Women’s Network, participated in the training with two other RWN staff members. She shared that she appreciated “the opportunity to learn from such an amazing team. The training and the information shared were truly valuable . . . [W]e as a team learned a lot and had the chance to make meaningful connections.”