Dear Leadership Grants of America, Would You Like to Give Me Some Money?

As some of you know, I've been preparing a grant application for Pepsi Refresh for some time now. The idea behind this grant is that individuals and organizations can apply for grants of $5,000, $25,000, $50,000 or $250,000; those grant applications are posted online, and viewers can vote on them daily. Each bracket has a different amount of grantees that will be awarded each month--but here's the catch: Pepsi only accepts the first 1,000 submissions it receives starting midnight EST on the first of each month.

Unfortunately, the system has been a little flawed.

Or perhaps that's unfair. What is undeniably true, though, is that a LOT of people are applying for these grants, and the high activity level tends to make the Pepsi submission site a bit uncooperative. When I logged on to submit my grant application (at EXACTLY midnight EST), the site froze up immediately and didn't let me continue. Ten minutes later, 1,000 submissions had been received. Frustrating, to say the least, and so far Pepsi has said there's nothing to be done but try again next month. Okay, I will.

But in the meantime I've been looking into other grant opportunities. Have you ever tried looking for or applying for grants? There are a LOT of them out there, but they all have specific eligibility guidelines, so it can take a while to weed through and find the grants that are applicable to you. Fortunately, I found one: Leadership Grants of America. Wonderfully, the Leadership Grants Organization awards funds to entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their small businesses.

So, I got in contact with the organization, and just today my initial application was confirmed. The next step is to submit a business plan and cover letter no later than July 16. If the proposal meets the organization's criteria, I'll be told what due diligence items are required, and the amount of funds awarded. So exciting! And I love that I have an official deadline for when to complete my business plan. Hey, I'm a writer--I like deadlines.

I'll keep you posted!

A Brief Summary of the Last 7 Weeks

It's with no little amount of embarrassment that I begin writing this latest post. Despite all my good intentions (blog at least three times a week, etc.), it's been almost two months since I've updated this blog, and longer than that since I've given you a real sense of where I am in this bookstore project. So, here goes:

LIFE EVENTS

1. As some of you know, my husband and I moved. In the period of a month, we sold one house, bought a new one, and, thanks in large part to the sweat labor of family and friends, relocated. We're farther south now, which improves the commute to Laredo by almost an hour--which will come in handy in the coming months.

2. I wrapped up my second year in my MFA program, leaving only one to go. With the classless summer months ahead, I'm looking forward to spending more time researching, visiting independent bookstores, asking advice of seasoned and new booksellers alike, and generally diving into learning as much as possible about the industry.

BOOKSTORE

I'm not going to lie: In the last few months, as I've balanced moving, school, my business, and my general life, I've had some pretty intense flashes of What the hell do I think I'm doing? I think I fully realized how difficult this whole process will be, and that it will likely take much longer to achieve my goal than my naive original estimates. I also wondered if this whole thing was even feasible, or possible, and I panicked at the thought of being the girl who gave some big talk that, ultimately, she couldn't back up. I think that was part of the reason I stopped blogging for as long as I did. With everything that was going on in my life, I wasn't sure where my head was at with this whole thing. That is to say, the desire to move forward never changed, and neither did the conviction--at all--but the confidence had somehow taken a blow. I was scared, pure and simple.

What got my head back in the game was recognizing that moving forward with opening this bookstore (with any business) is a rational (not emotional) decision I needed to make and stand behind. Or not. And if not, I needed to be honest about it, to make it clear that, despite my desire and conviction remaining intact, it wasn't the right time to actualize this particular dream. But in the end, after all the silence and inner struggle and debate, I've decided to give this a real shot. To support my words, and my desire, and my conviction, with action.

Perhaps I shouldn't have been so quick to shout from the cyber-rooftops that I'd be opening a bookstore in Laredo. After all, I knew the risks. I knew I'd be the girl who cried wolf (or, um, book) if things didn't work out, if I backed down. But I'm glad I did that shouting. I've met so many wonderful people who have been willing to share with me their experiences in opening bookstores, or who have given of themselves and their communities by donating books to the cause, or who have validated my entire reason for this venture by telling me, simply, "We need this." I look forward to meeting many more people who have so much to teach, and who will help make this bookstore thrive.

SOME FACTS

1. I'll be submitting the Pepsi Refresh grant application tonight, in approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. If approved, the idea will be open for DAILY VOTING on July 1. I'll be talking more about this in the coming days.

2. I've made a big decision to lease a space instead of buying land and doing new construction. This will dial down start-up costs by 66%, which will drastically help speed up the process of opening. And, yes, I have a solid location in mind. It's at a major Laredo intersection, and the store will be approximately 6,000 square feet.

3. The bookstore will also feature free Wi-Fi access, comfortable seating, and a cafe selling coffee, pastries, and a few carefully selected wines and beers. I want the store to be a community gathering place, one that encourages lingering and learning. I'll also tailor the store to Laredo's unique demographic by highlighting books by Latino/a authors, selling classic and contemporary literature in English and Spanish, and providing a good selection of audiobooks for the many truck drivers who pass through Laredo on their routes. And let's not forget the workshops and events. The literacy rate, as we all know (and as the national media is so quick to point out) is a major problem in Webb County. I'm planning on hosting weekly literacy workshops for kids and adults, as well as creative writing workshops. And I hope to attract many authors, especially those who are Latino/a or who are from South Texas, to give readings and book signings. These are just a few of the MANY plans I have for the store. What else would you like see?

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM ME

Accountability.

I want to keep you all informed. I want this process to be a dialogue between all of us who love books, read books, write books, and sell books; all of us who live in Texas, who have called Laredo home, who have resided in cities without easy local access to books; and everyone in between.

Thank you (again) all for your support!

It's True--Pepsi Refresh Reached March Application Quota

So, I spent all last night in a deep but confusing sleep in which I dreamed of my Pepsi Refresh grant application for what seemed like hours. I woke with a headache--and purpose. I needed to find out what was going on. But alas, what I feared last night is true: In about 20 minutes, Pepsi received more than 1,000 applications for grants. I'm in disbelief, but I also feel angry at myself. I should have known to try submitting in the first minutes--but that's not a mistake I'll make next month.

So what's the plan for the next 30 days?

I'm going to use the time to my advantage. I plan to write at least the majority of my business plan this month and use those specifics to further hone my grant application. I also saw a fantastic video made by my new friend Janet Geddis, who is opening a bookstore in Athens, Georgia late this year. She also tried applying for a Pepsi grant this month, but she had the additional frustration of her application being LOST! In any case, Janet made a really lovely video using iMovie, which has inspired me to try and do the same. (Anyone out there want to tutor me??) I'll also use this month to research other grants, which I'll be able to apply for once the business plan is done. And finally, an extra 30 days will give me even more time to build a community on this blog and on my Facebook Page--a community that will, I hope, help me get out the vote once the application is up and running.

Have any of you ever applied for grants? What have your experiences been?

Pepsi Grant Application a Bust for this Month?

The rain is falling quietly outside as I write this, and all I can see out the windows is a reflection of our living room. Ever since we received (and accepted) an offer on our house, I've been looking around with newly sentimental eyes: How can I drink my morning coffee without seeing the angular shadows the sun makes on these particular wood floors? Can we really sell the couches we've cuddled up on for the last three, four, years? And what of the view from our back deck? Surely a little patch of yard can't replace that. Selling a house you've loved is a bittersweet thing, for sure.

Tonight, too, is bittersweet. I expected to rattle off an exuberant post pointing you all in the direction of my grant application on Pepsi Refresh, and beg for you to spread the word in all the ways you can. I've been preparing for that moment ever since I first heard of the Pepsi Refresh Project, which will award $1.3 million in grants every month in 2010 to the projects that receive the most votes online. But an hour--an HOUR--after applications started being accepted, I was informed that Pepsi had already received their 1,000-application quota for the month of March. The site politely asked me to try again on April 1.

Is this a mistake? Brought on, perhaps, by a sudden influx of traffic? Or some mishap during the scheduled maintenance earlier tonight? I hope so. I'll be getting in touch with someone from the company bright and early tomorrow morning.

Now for the sweet part of the evening: I created a Facebook Page for Provocation and Privacy! I've gotten many requests for one in the last couple of weeks and finally had a couple of hours to sit down and make it happen. Then I had the pleasure of watching as my night-owl friends and supporters started becoming fans. Very exciting stuff! I hope they'll share the page with their networks and so on. It'll be a great place for you to get quick updates in between these longer posts--and interact with others who care about books, reading, and literacy. Find the page here.

Also, we've broken 1,000 pageviews on the blog. :)

Thank you all, as always, for your support. I'll let you know what's going on with the Pepsi Refresh grant application as soon as I find out!

The Photos Are In!

What a crazy week it's been so far! Who got to experience the snow in Austin and other Texas cities?

Well, if you recall, last Wednesday I mentioned my goal of more than doubling the readership of this blog by the same time the following week. It's that time, and while readership hasn't quite doubled (my fault, for neglecting to post daily), it HAS increased a fair bit. Last Wednesday, the blog had nearly 450 page views. As of right now, those page views have jumped to more than 750! Not a bad gain, and the day's not over yet. Share the link to this blog with your friends, coworkers, and family via your social networking sites or good old-fashioned word of mouth. I'm confident we can get 150 more views by tonight! And by next week, I'm making the ambitious goal of doubling page views again.

In other news, Courtney Sames came through for me big time on photos to use in my Pepsi grant application. Through the photos and the rest of the application, I hope viewers and voters everywhere will be moved enough by Laredo's story to vote for this project. $250,000 will go a LONG way toward actualizing this dream--and achieving funding through other grant organizations, financial institutions, and/or the Small Business Association.

I have to run to a meeting, but I wanted to quickly update you all first. I'll post again tonight with an example of two of Courtney's beautiful work . . . and a few other updates!

First Grant Application: In Progress!

Yesterday, I started filling out a $250,000 grant application on www.refresheverything.com. Pepsi is giving $1.3 million in grants each month to the ideas that seem most refreshing, positive, and feasible—and which earn the most votes from people who go onto the site. So, starting March 1, GO VOTE (I’ll attach the link when it’s up)! Two ideas per month will win the $250,000 grant amount.

I was so excited to see that Pepsi is doing this! Before learning about the program, I had read of a bookstore in East L.A., which is heavily populated with Latinos, that was granted a $500,000 MacArthur grant. Until that point, I hadn’t thought of grants as a potential funding resource—but as soon as I read the article, I knew that applying for them would need to be a priority. My goal is to win as much in grants as possible so that I can present that capital to banks and the Small Business Association when applying for a small business loan. But I digress.

I meant to say that, on my first search for grants, I was a little discouraged. I found that many of the grants for which this project is well-suited require nomination, rather than application. For others, I tend to fall in between the listed categories: The bookstore is not yet in business, so I can’t apply as a business requesting funds. But individual applicants are often required to submit proof that their idea can be executed in a shorter amount of time than this one realistically will. I still have much more research to do, but these were my preliminary findings. Which is why I was thrilled to see a commercial for Pepsi’s grant program! I’ll be working on the application this week so that I can submit it as soon as possible; only 1,000 ideas per month are accepted. I’ll let you all know when I finish the application and—most importantly—when it’s online and ready for voting!