Students’ Grant Accepted Following Grant Writing Course

ALBANY, N.Y. (September 30, 2020) – Students enrolled in an online grant writing course at the School of Public Health have had their public health grant— related to pandemic response— approved.

MPH students Justine Wright and Paula Miller completed a Grant Writing in Public Health course during the summer 2020 session, where they learned methods for developing public health grant proposals. They submitted for a technology grant through the “CS Plus Technology Mini-Grant Program” under the New York City Council for Non-Profits to aid the New York State Public Health Association (NYSPHA). The proposal was accepted, enabling NYSPHA to purchase Conference Tracker, a comprehensive software that will be used this fall to virtually connect public health practitioners across the state for a virtual workshop entitled Public Health in Crisis: Navigating Through a Pandemic and Preparing for the Future.

“Many non-profits have encountered difficulties transitioning to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Wright. “This grant will help NYSPHA members and the public health community because it will make NYSPHA’s fall workshop more accessible.”

After writing the grant, Wright secured a field training internship with NYSPHA, where she will help to coordinate the fall workshop and see the impact of her grant firsthand.

Wright and Miller’s experience is a result of the applied nature of the grant writing course, which is strategically designed for students to work directly with organizations as they build their resume and develop skills they can use throughout their public health careers.

“I am proud to have developed and submitted this important grant,” says Miller. “It is critical during the pandemic to ensure continued professional development and networking opportunities for public health professionals through programming provided by NYSPHA and others.”