Grant Writer Predicts Success at Milton School Committee Meeting

Receiving highly sought after grants with large dollar amounts can be a long learning process, but with a 18 months under his belt the Milton Public Schools grant writer is confident the next six months will be rewarding.

Chris Masalsky, the district's part-time grant writer, spoke to the Milton School Committee at their regularly scheduled meeting, Tuesday night. Masalsky showed the committee a chart of 10  grants he is currently pursuing, along with deadlines and award announcement dates.

Masalsky made it clear that applying for these educational grants, many of which are in six figures, is an evolution. Each proposal is graded by the awarding agency and then returned to the applicant. This allows Masalsky to see what did and didn't work in his narrative, prompting improvement.

Aside from the last year and a half worth of experience, Superintendent Mary Gormley has gotten Masalsky some support from Milton parents and residents. In a recent email blast, Gormley asked for parents who write grants professionally to join a think tank of sorts to help direct the grant writing initiative.

The request was widely received, and seven individuals responded. This group will help plan what grants to apply for and promote greater collaboration.

Part of collaboration includes parents who are employed by the awarding agencies, which are often major companies, to write a letter of support. Milton parents who work for company's that have educational grants are encouraged to contact the district.

Though Masalsky said it was unfortunate he couldn't announce millions of dollars worth of grants at this time; he was happy with the evolution of Milton Public Schools' grant initiative.

"I think we're going to be very successful over the next six to eight months," Masalsky said.

Rather than just applying for everything, Masalsky told the committee it is important to identify areas of need and pursue those grants. Physical education and activity, safety and the Outdoor Classrooms were among the identified areas.