In this enlightening book, nationally recognized author and fundraising consultant Stanley Levenson shows school leaders how to move away from labor-intensive, nickel-and-dime bake sales and car washes, and into the world of big-time fundraising. Following the model used by colleges and universities, the author presents a wealth of practical strategies for supporting school finances by pursuing grants and gifts from corporations, foundations, the government, and individual donors. A proactive blueprint, this resource focuses on public responsibility in helping America's public schools become world-class learning institutions. Fundraisers will learn about the entire fundraising spectrum, from corporate, foundation, and government grants, to grants and gifts from individual donors. This valuable package of ready-to-use tools and strategies includes: (1) Basic steps for starting a public school foundation; (2) Practical techniques for writing winning grant proposals; (3) Examples of winning grant proposals; (4) Tips for overcoming obstacles; (5) Suggestions for establishing a development office; (6) Techniques for obtaining grants and gifts from individual donors; (7) Helpful approaches to annual campaigns, capital campaigns, and planned giving; (8) A list of 101 foundations and corporations interested in giving to the public schools; and (9) Extensive bibliography, references, and web sites. In this comprehensive guide, educators will find specific creative solutions for obtaining funding that will support the finest schools for the all the nation's children. Following a foreword by Wendy D. Puriefoy and a preface, this book is divided into 14 sections: (1) From Needs to Opportunities; (2) What Is Big-Time Fundraising?; (3) Public School Foundations; (4) How to Get Big Gifts from Individual Donors; (5) Annual Campaigns, Capital Campaigns, and Planned Giving; (6) Applying for Corporate and Foundation Grants; (7) Strategies, Requests for Proposals (RFP's), and Resources for Winning Corporate and Foundation Funding; (8) Writing Winning Minigrants; (9) Writing Major Grant Proposals That Get Funded; (10) Preparing the Evaluation Plan for Your Application; (11) Preparing the Application Budget; (12) After You Receive the Grant, Then What?; (13) Some Examples of Winning Grant Proposals; and (14) Conclusions. A bibliography and index are also included.