by Keith Kato
If there is one community that understands “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch,” it is Heinleiners. The Heinlein Society operates off membership dues and donations, for which we are always grateful. The Board of Director’s vision is to expand our programs, and have initiated two grant request proposals in the spirit of TANSTAAFL.
The first is to our old friends, the Heinlein Prize Trust. The Trust has graciously supported THS with matching grants for brand new members, donations, Heinlein’s Hall of Famous Missourians bust fund, and compensation for mailing and shipping charges for Heinlein For Heroes. They, like we, exist on behalf of Robert and Ginny Heinlein’s legacy.
The second is to Northrup Grumman, the employer of Emeritus President Mike Sheffield. Northrup Grumman is offering an “Excellence in Volunteerism” grant on behalf of its employees. Mike was nominated by THS, and given his stellar record of leadership and accomplishments, when I wrote a testimonial letter in the application there was no need for any spin or embellishment.
As of this publication, we haven’t heard back from the Heinlein Prize Trust. Unfortunately, our application with Northrup Grumman was unsuccessful.
The Board has also initiated a low level effort (for the moment) in search of other financial support. At the recommendation of Sharon Sheffield, we have acquired the services of Holly Piper Grant Writing Services. Owner Holly Piper Lang has built her business serving organizations that are usually small, and usually non-profits. Holly has already identified 16 or so possibly support sources with decently high chance, in her judgement, of favorable return. Holly is basically still on her honeymoon (congratulations on your marriage!), but when she returns she will be tasked by the Board to create proposal templates and begin the proposal process.
In the spirit of TANSTAAFL, Holly will receive 2% of any captures, a “Cost Plus Fixed Fee” arrangement for those of you who ever dealt with Department of Defense contracts. If your organization qualifies and would find Holly’s services of interest, please contact Keith Kato and we’ll introduce you.
And we couldn’t end this article without the usual shameless plug: ALL monies sent to THS are 100% tax-deductible in the U.S.; since we are a 501(c)(3) corporation that pays neither salaries nor compensates travel expenses. Our tax ID number is 76-0660576. The Board, committee members, and other workers on behalf of the Society volunteer their effort without compensation.
