Grants are vital for helping businesses grow. Whether you’re using it to seed a new idea or cover operating costs as you expand, a grant can be a lifeline for businesses small and large. But grants aren’t free money. They’re provided for specific purposes and usually have requirements, deliverables and limitations attached. Whether you’re starting the grant application process or have been awarded a grant, it’s vital to be able to clearly and effectively demonstrate how you intend to use, or how you’re using, grant funding. Our animated videos and graphic recording services can help.
How visual aids can support your grant application
Applying for a grant is often a multi-step process. In addition to researching and writing the actual application, you might also take one or more meetings with the funding source. These meetings might occur prior to the application process, or as part of the application process itself.
A pre-application meeting can provide valuable insight into what the funding source expects to see from you, and what specific action items or key deliverables are needed to draw their interest. Take note of these items and include visual elements and assets that demonstrate who the grant funds were used for and how the mission was fulfilled. Please reach out to See in Colors to learn more about how we can work with you to develop visual assets such as animation videos and graphic recording that tangibly, and professionally communicate your strategy to your funding source.
How visual aids can demonstrate funding allocation for an awarded grant
If you already have a grant in hand, congratulations! Your objective now is not only to be a responsible steward of those funds, but to prove to your funding source that the funds will be well spent in driving your mission and projects forward. Make your case in a compelling manner using the following visual formats:
1. Animated video
Animated video is ideal for communicating ideas, stories, and information in a visually compelling way. See In Colors can help you develop an on-brand, high-impact video that clearly and granularly communicates how you’re using grant money achieving your deliverables. For example, we created this video with the University of Michigan as part of the Adaptive Sports & Inclusive Recreation Initiative. Although one piece of a larger initiative, this video is a great example of how a team can show progress in a tangible way, while also being powerfully intentional about your message and image.
2. Graphic recording (on site).
Graphic recording creates a large-scale, real-time visual record of what’s being verbally presented. It allows you to highlight and connect key concepts and ideas so that your audience doesn’t miss critical points during your presentation. Take this photo from the Education Development Center as an example.
The large document in the background was the result of a graphic recording session run as part of a kick-off meeting for a multi-stakeholder initiative built around a framework called “collective impact.” The session brought people together around a physical artifact that succinctly and powerfully highlighted the shared vision and messaging being discussed and developed. Graphic recording is a simple, concrete way to anchor relationships, with people leaving the meeting thinking: “we made this.”
3. Graphic recording (virtual).
Virtual graphic recording happens on screen in a virtual environment such as Zoom. It’s a powerful way to visually show the funding source in real-time what you’re working on, while also capturing genuine reactions from participants, something that can be vital for fostering communication and relationship building. An example is this virtual graphic recording session we put together for the University of North Carolina, who used grant funding to host a two-day maternal health equity symposium. This session helped funders, stakeholders and other organizations see first-hand how that funding was being used.
Whether you’re in the grant application process or have been awarded a grant, incorporating visual scaffolds into your documentation helps position your organization as being resourceful, responsible and effective. Elevate your working with powerful visual aids that can easily communicate to your funding source why you’re the ideal choice for funding – and how you’ll deliver. Talk to See in Colors about how our animated videos and graphic recording services can take your grant proposal or presentation to the next level.
Lisa
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