Emily Brammer (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG – The West Virginia Grant Resource Centers led a free Grants 101 Workshop on Friday in partnership with the Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library to help local organizations grow their grant writing capacity.

The training, which took place in the library’s Summers Auditorium, attracted 37 in-person attendees and 30 virtual attendees representing local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, educational institutions, and other regional entities.

Developed and presented by the Grant Centers’ team, the Grants 101 Workshop is a comprehensive training that guides participants through each critical step of the pre-award process, including: identifying funding opportunities, crafting competitive project proposals, maximizing community partnerships, building budgets and budget justifications, understanding matching funds, learning common grant attachments, and getting grant-ready.

Through the training, participants gain a more thorough understanding of the grant writing process and elevate their project development and application assembly skills, organizers said. No prior writing experience is required to attend.

“This is what economic development looks like on the ground level,” said Sara Payne Scarbro, co-founder of the WV Grant Resource Centers. “With support from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the West Virginia Legislature, we are honored to have an opportunity to travel the state and offer our training and services to passionate West Virginians who want to elevate solutions and help drive economic growth. We are here to help!”

Brittany Chaber (Photo Provided)

Since launching in January 2023, the Grant Centers have led 102 training events, directly upskilling more than 3,360 individuals. In addition to training, the Grant Centers offer cost-free, one-on-one technical assistance to West Virginia communities and other grant-eligible entities, helping applicants develop competitive proposals to support their economic, community, and workforce development projects and drive economic prosperity across the state.

For more information about the Grant Centers’ services, upcoming events, or resources, visit: wvgrantcenters.com.

The WV Grant Resource Centers is a partnership between Marshall University and West Virginia University. The effort is supported by the Legislature and the ARC to help West Virginians develop competitive proposals to support their economic, workforce, and community development projects and drive economic prosperity. To date, the WVGRC has helped secure more than $46.7 million through 106 successful projects, sustaining/creating 199 jobs.

Jessica Shaw (Photo Provided)