Grant writing for Kindles - experiences and ideas for funding your Kindle vision.

[Will DeLamater]

This would be a great topic for folks to share ideas on. Please let us know if you have a grant funding source or even an idea about one. Also, if it is possible, please share information on how you wrote your grant and what made it successful. Maybe the stimulus could fund some Kindles for you and your kids...?

[Kosie Eloff]

Hi folks

I was given a grant by our university's library to pilot a course involving e-readers. While I still have some operational issues to sort out, I think what I did to receive the grant was just to be passionate about what I'm doing and sharing that passion with the right people. 

I encourage everyone to involve your library - or anyone else that HAS to deal with the ebook issue at your institution campus. For instance, I've been consulting with our library / teaching digitization staff about HTML/CSS (for EPUB) / arranging tablet workshops and a bunch of other things prior to receiving this sum. 

Other ideas (that I am still pursuing; I want this for my undergrads, too):

1) Have local companies (especially publishers!) help subsidize the devices. You can customize the screensavers on the devices to show sponsor information, e.g. http://www.ereadernewsandreviews.com/tips-tricks-10-putting-custom-...

2) Contact a local distributor to offer discount on bulk purchases. Sponsorship information can be added as above. My problem is that our local distributors don't cater for *proper* e-reading platforms and that, of those, only Amazon ships to South Africa. 

3) Contact agencies in your area that support innovative ideas that are otherwise limited (funding / institutional culture / "ahead of its time"). In South Africa, the (Mark) Shuttleworth Foundation's Fellowship Programme is perfect. In fact,a local initiative to transform print shops into book stores is a SFFP fellow. 

4) Send in your allies ! I have colleagues with contacts in various sectors of our university and industry that I asked to ask around for me. They understand how electronic reading is changing the world and are more than happy to help. 

[Will DeLamater]

Great post, Kosie, thanks!

[Kosie Eloff]

Just more detail on the course in which I want to pilot the ereader study: 

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154928

[darcy white]

HI!\

I live in AZ and just wrote (March) and received (May) a grant from SRP:

http://www.srpnet.com/education/grants/learngrant.aspx

I received $2000 which i will use to purchase as many Kindles as I can- i wrote into the grant "donation in kind" from my PTSA (PTS) hoping they will be able to purchase the difference between what i can buy, 25 or so, and a class set - 30, at least. 

Being a Kindle e-reader and FIRE fan, i searched out the best e-reader covers i could find as well. I want slide-ins, not tabs on corners (they expand). Once in the case, a little piece of velcro material keeps them in place( will not slide out).

I purchased a sampling of a few- contacted the company and have a deal/coupon/agreement for $2.50 each synthetic leather for a min # of 20 including tax/shipping. They sell for $8.99 on their site.

I have also contacted/received word back from Best Buy about potentially purchasing my KINDLES from them- if they can include tax and give me a better price than the $79. Why not use consumerism and competition to its best machinations!

Anyhoo~ that's where i am. Awaiting a quote back from Best Buy, and i also let them know i will need to purchase multi-USB hubs to charge, as well.

I need help creating/modifying a contract for students/parents - my high school students will be assigned a numbered Kindle, they will NOT leave the classroom, and i want parents to be accountable for their children's habits/breakage.

More than willing to help on this end!

darc

[Bernadette Harris]

I have prepared a grant proposal for Kindles for our fifth and sixth grade reading classrooms, but do not have access to too many funding sources.  If anyone knows of corporate funding sources, etc. that might fund this, please let me know. One caveat that we have is we are a charter school, and although we are a public school, we are NOT nonprofit...so that puts some constraints on who we can apply with.

[darcy white]

Bernadette Harris said:

I have prepared a grant proposal for Kindles for our fifth and sixth grade reading classrooms, but do not have access to too many funding sources.  If anyone knows of corporate funding sources, etc. that might fund this, please let me know. One caveat that we have is we are a charter school, and although we are a public school, we are NOT nonprofit...so that puts some constraints on who we can apply with.