Session Overview
We are 20+ years old but have not applied for a federal grant since 1997. We have an all new staff with limited major grants writing. We'd like to apply for several NEH and NPS grants; the paperwork is daunting. Before we engage a grant writer and dive in, we'd like to have an exploratory call with someone who has been down this road before. How much time does it take? What best practices should we know? If a deadline is Jan 11 and we pushed, could we get it done? Should we apply and fail and come back next year and try again (Is there any advantage to showcasing your persistence? Or does that just waste everyone's time?)
Nonprofit Overview
Our current mission, which is in grave need of a rewrite, is
Rancho Camulos Museum is a 40-acre NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK situated within an 1800 acre working ranch. It is the best remaining example of a Spanish-Mexican rancho in its original rural environment and is noted for its literary significance as the setting for Helen Hunt Jackson’s novel Ramona. Rancho Camulos is dedicated to researching, collecting, preserving and interpreting the diverse cultural heritage and agricultural history of Southern California from 1853 to 1943. Through restoration of its buildings and grounds, Rancho Camulos seeks to connect the past with the present by offering programs that will educate and enrich all audiences.
We are a museum, a cultural center, and a research library. Our true scope of impact would be mythmaking, nation building, Native American material culture, sacred architecture, climate change, agriculture, innovation, resilience, and cultural geography. And more, but this gives better context.