Annie Soerensen, D 49 grants and fund development specialist, provided an update on D 49’s grant program, which started in the 2003-2004 school year. Soerensen summarized the grant program’s achievements with the following statistics:
| School Year | Total Grant Dollars |
| 2003-2004 | $148,000 |
| 2004-2005 | $203,000 |
| 2005-2006 | $232,000 |
| 2006-2007 | $250,000 |
| 2007-2008 (to date) | $450,000, with a goal of $1.6 million |
Soerensen said there are two approaches to grant writing: securing grants, which emphasizes the dollars, and fund development, which emphasizes the program and the relationship with the funding agency. Soerensen said she prefers to focus on fund development, looking for grants of more than $20,000 that will serve the district as a whole and span multiple years. She also trains teachers on how to apply for smaller grants.”The growth of the district and demographics has helped put D 49 in a better position to get state and federal grants,” Soerensen said. For example, the district has received a multi-year $477,000 state grant to eliminate barriers to success for expelled and at-risk students.
