Grant writing program helps towns compete

In America in the early years of the 21st Century, competition for grant funding has reached skilled and sophisticated levels. Because of that, specialists from big city agencies most often come out the winners, filling out applications expertly and meeting all deadlines with ease.

In the past, rural areas have been left in the dust. Mostly, that's been because both interest and expertise have been lacking. But -- early in 2000 -- the situation started changing in the western Nebraska communities of North Platte and McCook.

The turnaround came because of two separate but related happenings. First, in both North Platte and McCook, community organizations realized they needed to band together in their search for grant funds. And, second, an information systems specialist from North Platte, Bonnie Buckland, decided to enter the grant-writing field. With a doctorate from the University of Colorado, and information systems' experience with the hospital in North Platte, Buckland was determined to show that, with a diligent, professional approach, rural areas could compete with the metropolitan areas for grant funds.

After seeing how well Buckland Consulting was doing for North Platte, the REWARD program of McCook employed her firm as its grant writer in the latter portion of 2001. The contract period officially began in February of 2002, and since that time, Bonnie Buckland and her daughter, Victoria, have combined to obtain grants totaling $777,735 for McCook agencies. While that's impressive, it could be just the start. Twenty two more applications, seeking grants totaling in the millions, are in the works for McCook and Red Willow County projects.

The best part is that it's not costing the McCook agencies nearly as much as they thought it would. "We charge by the hour," Bonnie Buckland said, "and at this time the REWARD group from McCook has built up a balance in their account." The unspent total has reached $95,000, allowing the McCook agencies to skip their third year payments of $10,000 each for the REWARD program.

You can't beat that. No fee for the year, even though there's the hope that McCook agencies could receive many more grants.

Yes, grant-writing is an exact and demanding craft, often dominated by specialists from big cities. But Bonnie and Victoria Buckland are showing that, with a dedicated and diligent approach, the outstate communities of McCook and North Platte can compete with the big boys for grant funding.