That same B-29 was also heavily damaged by a tornado, which hit the museum site (not a common occurrence in Connecticut). Perhaps some insurance money as well?

> Do any of us on this list actually spend
> most of their time pursuing grants?

Actually, this is something I am about to learn. A local group I am working with is trying to save a Marconi installation. There will be a nice rail component as he did "invent" railroad radio and proved his technique on the DL&W in Hoboken, Sranton and Binghamton.

The grantwriter is one of my best friends, so I am taking some first-hand lessons. He's a master at getting things through. Even got to visit the White House when he got the Marconi sit listed in the America's Treasure's program Hillary Clinton promoted.

Rob

rdavis@rypn.org

> That same B-29 was also heavily damaged by a
> tornado, which hit the museum site (not a
> common occurrence in Connecticut). Perhaps
> some insurance money as well?

Also, a good-sized grant from Conn., back in the days (1980) when they did such things. They don't anymore.

hpincus@mindspring.com

I have worked on this too, and have actually been a mini-grant reviewer for the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The problem increasingly has been (on both the state and national levels) that grant monies are even fewer and farther between than before, and they were bad to begin with. Our grants from the state haved been sliced to 1/2 of 1/2. The entire granting program from the IMLS changed to the point that they are now funding 1/4 of what they were funded before (you guessed it; we are NOT in that quarter). Doesn't mean you don't try; doesn't mean you don't continue to write, research, and fill out those forms.

What, IMHO, we should be doing is setting up our OWN granting agency, something that does grants for specifically rail preservation projects. That is the only way (again, IMHO) that we can truly begin to see real effort put towards our specific type projects. A jury of our peers, elected, from all over, could meet each granting period to determine what projects to support. Heck, Kalmbach has already started this in some ways with their TRAINS award, but its just that, a start. Then, and only then, can we be confident that people who understand the issues that face rail preservation movement are reading and calling the shots.

In the long haul, grants are fine, but you really have to be two-pronged: donors are just as important, and very often HAVE to be a part of the picture to MATCH those grants. Hence why I think that even if I only send $50.00 to EBT, at least I'm part of the solution, and not the problem. This year I'm buying a ticket on whatever UP trip puts up this year too, even if I can't go, because its an investment in keeping steam alive, well, and on the mainline. Maybe its working for a non-profit, but I am increasingly beginning to feel that if I'm asking for money for projects like this, I better dang well be doing the same for fellow organizations.

TJ

> Actually, this is something I am about to
> learn. A local group I am working with is
> trying to save a Marconi installation. There
> will be a nice rail component as he did
> "invent" railroad radio and proved
> his technique on the DL&W in Hoboken,
> Sranton and Binghamton.

> The grantwriter is one of my best friends,
> so I am taking some first-hand lessons. He's
> a master at getting things through. Even got
> to visit the White House when he got the
> Marconi sit listed in the America's
> Treasure's program Hillary Clinton promoted.

> Rob


Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org