April 10, 2024 • 31 mins
In this episode of Connect the Knox, Julia Hurley engages with grants expert Lisa Shiveler. From her journey to Knoxville to her pivotal role in transforming local educational and community initiatives through grant writing, Lisa offers an insider's perspective on navigating the competitive world of grants. Learn about the opportunities that grants unveil for nonprofit organizations and community projects within the Knoxville area, extending from Crossville to Cocke County. Lisa's insights provide a roadmap for harnessing the power of grants to foster growth and development across East Tennessee.
Show Highlights:
(00:00) - Introduction to the Episode
(00:27) - Lisa Shiver Introduces Grants and Their Impact on Knoxville
(01:21) - Lisa's Move to Knoxville and Why She Loves It
(02:51) - An In-depth Look at Grant Writing and Its Challenges
(10:12) - Explaining the Difference Between a Grant and a Foundation
(13:44) - Tips on Grant Research and Utilizing Resources
(16:24) - How Walter State Community College Benefits from Grants
(23:53) - Encouraging Community Engagement and Utilizing Local Resources
(27:22) - Lisa’s Favorite Knoxville and Morristown Spots
(31:05) - Closing Remarks and Encouragement for Grant Seekers
Links Referenced:
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Visit Knoxville Website: https://www.visitknoxville.com/
Connect with ConnectTheKnox
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Or wherever you listen to Podcasts
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- Buy or Sell a home in Knoxville -
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Just Homes Realty Group: www.justhomesgroup.com
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Find my Home Buyers & Home Sellers Guide here: https://linktr.ee/thejuliahurley
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Welcome
everybody to another
episode of Connect the Knox.
I'm your hostess with the
mostess, Julia Hurley, connecting
Knoxville to the nation.
Thanks for joining us.
Today's episode is amazing.
You're going to learn a lot, you're
going to have a lot of fun, and
you're going to get to meet a very
good friend of mine, Lisa Shiveler.
(00:25):
Lisa, thank you so much for
being here with us today.
Oh, it's my pleasure, Julia, to be here.
I am so excited to talk about one of
my favorite subjects, which is grants.
Woo!
Alright, here's the deal,
here's the deal.
A lot of people don't know, and they
really don't know, and this is why the
podcast exists, how much opportunity
(00:45):
there is in the Knoxville area.
And when we say Knoxville area, friends,
we're talking Crossville to Cocke County.
Two time zones, That's
what Knoxville Market is.
Educational conversations, medical
conversations, not for profit
organizations and conversations.
And people don't really know where to
get these resources, and you know what?
They don't even know where they come from.
And Lisa's the expert on that, and this
(01:07):
is what we're going to talk about today.
So you know, when you come to
Knoxville, Where things are coming
from and where you need to focus.
Lisa, tell us a little bit
about your trips into Knoxville.
Like, how did you end up here?
Tell us your, tell us
your Knoxville story.
Well, my, my Knoxville, Tennessee
story came actually as a result
of natural attrition from
(01:29):
Florida to Georgia and now here.
I have landed in my perfect
place in East Tennessee.
The people here are amazing.
The cost of living is remarkable and
who wouldn't want four whole seasons?
I've never had that before.
It's, it's wonderful.
Sometimes in one day.
Yeah.
(01:50):
Sometimes in one day,
as we just experienced.
So it has been a real
pleasure to get to do that.
And I have, um, had experience in
lots of different things to bring
me to this place, but I'm home.
I'm happy.
This is my new place.
I might even start wearing more orange.
Ooh, best
(02:10):
color in the world.
Best color in the world.
No one looks good in it, so
everyone looks great in it.
That's my story on orange.
It's the best color in the world.
Okay, so it is.
It's massive.
All right, so here.
I always ask people the exact same
questions, and you know it's interesting
no one has the same answers, which I love.
Tell us about your profession,
(02:30):
because this is very specialized.
What you do is Extremely competitive,
very specialized, and even people who
specialize in it have a massive failure
rate and you've succeeded everywhere.
You are, you are very rare in your career.
So tell us about your career and
kind of the flow of how that goes.
(02:51):
Oh, I'd love to.
Thank you.
So, grant writing is basically
asking people for money.
We ask People that have money to give
foundations, private foundations,
business foundations, the government,
state, local, federal government, all
for money to incorporate into projects
(03:12):
that we want to have happen that's
going to, that are going to better
the lives of East Tennessee residents.
in our area.
So, working for a college, which is
Walter State Community College based
in Moorestown, we have an amazing 10
county service area in East Tennessee,
and so my job is to get funds to
support the entirety of Walter State's
(03:34):
service area, and even beyond, because
we have no geographic barriers.
If you are an international
student, come on!
If you live in a state, Knoxville.
If you live in Kentucky, we would love to
have you here as long as we can serve what
you need from your educational standpoint.
So after decades of working in non
(03:55):
profits, I actually started my own
grants business when I came to East
Tennessee, because I realized that not a
lot of non profits really had experience
in that or the resources to do it.
As you mentioned, that grant writing
is a very competitive business
and less than between 10 and 25
(04:15):
percent of grants get funded.
That's it.
So, I don't know about you, but most
people don't like to be told no that
often, so you get really used to and
very good at not only relishing the
no and relishing the feedback, but
learning from that experience, learning
from the programs that are offered,
(04:37):
our funders, and really making it
a great partnership, because that's
what it's all about is relationships.
It's not about the money.
Although the money is an incredibly
important part of it, but it's really
about what can we do that's going
to make the foundations look good.
And what can we offer to our
(04:58):
service area, our residents in
Knoxville and East Tennessee?
What can we do to make their lives better?
Is it providing a service, a
program, a funding opportunity?
Perhaps it's travel.
Perhaps it's getting to work on robots.
And as we do in our summer camps, we
have underwater robotics camps that are.
(05:18):
are sponsored which is so cool for
middle school students and they get
to talk about flotation devices and
what it's going to do and how to do
ballasts and and that sort of thing.
I didn't know about that stuff in middle
school so it's really lovely that Walter
State gets to do programs like that.
(05:39):
We have an incredible array of foundations
and funders that support our work,
not just the educational components.
That's what you would think of when
you hear the words Community College.
But again, our youth programs, we have
an amazing workforce training division
that does all kinds of non credit
courses and able, and is able to work
(05:59):
with community members and businesses to
personalize training, that sort of thing.
I get money for those programs as well.
So it really is the full gamut.
Oh my gosh, I can't even imagine.
So, from someone who has zero
conversational experience
in this realm, zero, right?
And I would say that's 95 percent
(06:20):
of people, if not more, okay?
On this side of it, it's like,
well, there's money out there.
Obviously, people have foundations.
I mean, you know, there's
foundations everywhere.
You see somebody's name, or they've
won money, or they have too much money.
Thank God bless them.
And they start a foundation.
They're like, I have too much money.
I need to give this money away.
And you're like, thank God for your money.
(06:41):
Like you, thank you.
You put your name on it.
I still don't know what that means.
That's awesome.
I'm going to kill you foundation.
I don't even know what they do,
but we know that they have too much
money and they want to give it away.
And we're so blessed that
they want to give it away.
Then you have to ask for it
in a specific way, and then it
needs to go somewhere that that
person's probably passionate about.
Yes, so, you're absolutely right.
(07:03):
So, from, from the get go,
what you see is a headline.
So and so foundation, Mackenzie Scott gave
away all this amazing billions of dollars.
Or this foundation, the Gates
Foundation, so many worthwhile
organizations that do that.
Yeah.
But when you're looking at
grant, you can't just look at
(07:24):
they have money, I want some.
You have to basically prove that you would
be eligible to even apply for the money.
One of the key, if I was going to
talk to my younger self, or if I'm
going to talk to anyone that has any
interest in grants, the first thing
I would say is do your research.
Don't just look at a headline
(07:45):
and try to grab for that money.
Grant money is wonderful, and we
are delighted that people have so
much to share and are so blessed to
share that with worthwhile programs.
But the last thing that we want
to do is to apply for funding
that really isn't a good fit.
I call it the square peg
in round hole syndrome.
(08:07):
If it needs, if it's going
to be a square peg for you or
the foundation, Don't do it.
There are fabulous foundations out there
that want to meet you where you are
as a non profit organization or as an
organization that serves our community.
There are also foundations that would,
that would welcome you exactly as you are.
(08:28):
To be able to provide you with the
funds that you need to do that.
So I would really encourage
all of you to do some research
and see and ask questions.
Most foundations are delighted to
ask some questions or have frequently
asked questions on their website.
You do a search.
You can also always go to 990 forms.
(08:50):
That is a standardized form.
That is an IRS form.
It is a publicly available form, so
you don't need any special database
to go into it, and all foundations
are required to provide documentation
of where they spent their money.
And how they spent their money.
So it's a wonderful, easy tool.
(09:11):
If you just pull up 990 Forms
and look for organizations in
the Knoxville area, you'll find a
tremendous array of organizations.
Some may be only give
to literacy programs.
Others perhaps give to youth.
Others are categorized by underserved
populations, which may be folks
(09:33):
that are low income, or are first
generation college students, or who
have perhaps been justice involved.
All those things.
factors may indicate good
grants appropriateness.
So just align yourself with it.
Don't try to fit into someone else's mold.
Be your fabulous self and
(09:54):
there's many out there for you.
I love that.
That is fantastic advice
for life in general.
Honestly, for life in
general, please just be you.
The people that you need will come to you.
I promise.
I promise they
will be there.
It's gonna just take longer
if you're special, you know?
It probably will, yes.
Yes, it probably will.
Yeah, I find it Okay, okay, so here's
(10:14):
something that may come to people's minds.
What's the difference between
a grant and a foundation?
Okay, so the grant is actually a proposal
that you write, words on a paper, an
electronic document that says, here's
who we are, here's what we do, we're
going to be fabulous at giving you
(10:35):
what you want, which is people served,
programs done, letters written, whatever
it is that you want, We're the best
organization to help you with that.
So let me tell you why we're the best
organization to help you with that.
And we'll do it within your parameters,
and we'll do it in your time
frame, and we'll do it using some
(10:57):
of your money, and some community
money, and and partnering together.
And here's where we can be great.
We know our community.
We can build that coalition of people
that also want to support our efforts.
We just need you to help us start
a program, or get us over the
finish line, or create additional
(11:18):
opportunities for sustainability in
the programs that we already have.
So that's really what you're
doing when you're out when
you're talking to foundations.
So the grant is the actual proposal.
The foundation is the place for the money.
Think of it as a bank, if you will.
Right?
Except that with the bank
So
(11:38):
it's like a fundraising effort,
but you don't have to go eat
gross chicken and backcomb your
hair, put on too much makeup.
You're just writing a, you're,
you're not judged, but you're
writing a paper and sending it in.
So that's basically, let's say for
example, you have something you want to,
you, you need to fundraise for, or you,
you have something you're passionate
about, and you really need this help,
you really need this money, and let's
say on this side of it, you would put
(12:00):
together a fundraiser of, 500 tickets at
500 a ticket or sell a table for 10, 000
and then there would be all this extra
expense and cost which we would consider
a salary for a grant writer maybe.
And then you would still have to do
all of the extra on top of that and
then you're competing with every
person in the room to get that ticket
because it may be a really rare ticket.
(12:20):
So on your end of it, it's every grant
writer is the ticket taker at the table.
They're like, I bought
a ticket to this event.
And then somebody might've bought
a table that you're sitting at.
And you're like, all right, who's
actually going to get to do the thing.
So it's super competitive.
It is super competitive.
And what you need to be mindful
(12:40):
of is in order to be competitive,
you're a super competitive person,
you're a driven person, Julia.
You know, I love that energy
that you bring to everything
that you, that you do in life.
In order to do that, you know,
you need to win a lot in order to
stand out from the crowd, right?
It's not about ego.
(13:02):
It is about, in fact,
it's just the opposite.
It's very humbling to be able
to put yourself in the backseat
and say, let me help others.
Help the people that they can help.
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(13:23):
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(13:44):
Julia, we were talking earlier about
the grants process and how competitive
it is, and just making sure that any
organization, anyone that has an amazing
idea for There is probably grant funding
out there for you, but in order to really
be effective at it and to not spend
countless hours submitting proposals that
(14:05):
will end up not being funded, I would
always encourage everybody to do research.
Now, we have a wonderful
organization called the Grants
Professional Association.
We have a chapter here in Appalachia.
And that's based in
throughout East Tennessee.
We have folks from Tennessee, Kentucky,
everywhere, even North Carolina that come
(14:28):
together and talk once a month about that.
There's a national organization called
the Grants Professional Association
that actually has grants writers.
that you can consult with.
If you don't know where to
start, they can maybe help you.
So we were talking about 990 forms.
990 forms are IRS forms that every
(14:49):
foundation has to, has to support.
And in doing so, you can get an idea.
Oh, they supported a similar organization
to ours and they gave them 10, 000.
So, I'm not going to ask for 100,
000, likely if they gave them 10,
000, they probably might not give me
100, 000 off the bat, but it would
(15:11):
give you a glimpse of what the funding
opportunities were and to give you
a glimpse of what actually happened.
You can also then reach out to that
organization and say, I know you got
a grant from so and so foundation.
Tell me what they were like to work with.
Tell me how that was,
how that was for you.
So you want it to be a good
fit for everybody and, and not
(15:33):
waste the foundation's time and
not waste your precious staff
and volunteer resource time.
Oh my gosh.
You have like the best advice.
The best advice for all of this situation.
All the best.
Live and learn, live and learn.
Yes, live and learn, live and learn.
That's fair, that's fair.
So, let's, what, so, Walter State
Community College, what, what people
(15:53):
don't know across the country, honestly,
and I think Tennessee is one of the only
states that does this, if not the only,
but it could just be one of the only.
Where the University of Tennessee has
partnered with all the community colleges
to kind of have that flow, right?
So you get the Tennessee Promise and then
you kind of can go to a larger university
if you so choose after the fact.
Tell us about how the local
community has impacted your
(16:15):
ability and your conversation.
Let's just say for example, I mean, Walter
State's a pretty gosh darn big name.
In the community college.
Well,
we have been the community college
of the year, two years in a row.
Yeah.
We're kind of a big deal.
We were awarded, um,
I have to put that in.
Our president would be, would be
mightily upset if I didn't note that.
We are delighted to be able to work with
(16:38):
community colleges throughout the state
of Tennessee, but also to partner with
our wonderful four year institutions,
University of Tennessee and, and all
the others that are within our state.
We have a great partner relationship
called Matriculation Agreements
where our students can start even
with a non credit class, right?
(17:00):
If you've been out of college and you
decide that you want to go back or you
never started college, non credit classes
can be a wonderful way of doing that.
Walter State was thrilled to be able
to be one of four pilot colleges
across the state of Tennessee to
receive, through the Tennessee Board of
Regents, what's called a badge grant or
(17:22):
reimagining community colleges grant.
So it's really geared towards
those students that don't
know what they want to do.
It's an opportunity for explicit career
exploration and some other things.
So that's a perfect example of
how we could got grant funding
that can really improve the lives
of East Tennessee residents and
make that a seamless transition.
(17:44):
That's exactly what that grant did.
That's exactly what Walter State did.
You got a grant.
That made it all the way, say that
whole thing again, it created an
atmosphere where the community actually
benefited from the work that was there.
It wasn't just a, it wasn't something
that I think some people can
imagine, oh well this, this, this
organization got money, it hasn't
(18:05):
helped me.
This didn't just serve 23 students.
This is a three year grant that will
allow us to explore career exploration,
to link credit and non credit courses.
So, if you took an OSHA 10 training
because you thought that that
might be helpful, You have no idea
(18:27):
what careers that might benefit.
And so if you have an interest in
that, we have those programs available.
We have professional advisors that
can help you say, gosh, I know I'm
good at this and I know I like it.
That's a perfect place to start.
So be good to yourself.
(18:47):
I know we were teasing about
be your fabulous best self,
but I really mean that.
There are grants out there for
you just doing what you do.
If you have a great idea, there's probably
a grant out there that can help with that.
There's probably money out there from
foundations that can help with that.
But more importantly, as East Tennessee
(19:09):
residents, we want everybody to
be the best version of themselves.
At Walter State, our tagline
is write your story, right?
You don't need to write your own story.
Somebody else's story.
Write your own.
Choose what you want to do
and we can help you get there.
Maybe it is partnering with
the University of Tennessee.
(19:29):
Maybe it is, maybe it's that
you never want to set foot in a
classroom, but you really want
to do things that are hands on.
You really want to be
of service to people.
We have lots of service oriented projects
that you can do and be a part of.
And connect with the community.
That's really what community
colleges as a whole do really well.
(19:50):
And Walter State, I have to
admit I'm biased, but Walter
State does it exceptionally well.
And it's because of our administration.
This is a huge opportunity
to really hear this.
And I think from a baseline level.
You're either in the know or
you're not in the know from a
(20:11):
baseline level of really and truly
what opportunities are out there.
And I think a lot of people, a lot
of people that we don't realize
Tennessee's education system, especially
the out, like the higher education,
I don't mean just college, higher
education is workforce development.
In a story, we're extremely
focused on workforce development
in the state of Tennessee.
(20:31):
It could be a four year degree,
it could be a two year degree,
it could be a certification.
And Tennessee has put together so Much
effort that all of those things are
valued and all of those things can be
funded and all of the people that want
to take advantage of it will we will find
a way to get you where you want to go.
And I think that outside of the state
(20:51):
of Tennessee that this system that they
are building that you are building with
these grants has made it available to out
of the state people to come in and say,
I don't know where I can get this help,
but I know I can get it from this state.
Or, I don't know where to go and
everybody knows to go to you.
It is a growing conversation that outside
(21:13):
of the state of Tennessee, if you have
a passion for electricity, if you have
a passion for underwater welding, if you
have a passion for being a physician,
we have a teaching hospital for you.
All of the things that are available
through your grant writing into Walter
State, which again I'm going to brag
on as well, I'm very well aware of the
accolades that they have earned, that
you all have earned from your hard work,
(21:35):
filters out into growing this community.
By better and better every single day by
allowing people to do what they love and
learn how to do it and make money doing
it and provide back to their community.
It's huge.
You are right on Julia and I can't
thank you enough for mentioning
workforce development because that
is such a driver for Walter State.
(21:57):
Um, and it should be a driver
for our entire community.
People to be happy, to live where
they're happy, to work where they're
happy, to do a job they love, and
to have that community support.
So, opportunities like this,
grants, I'll close the loop
for you in that conversation.
(22:18):
The Governor's Initiative on Vocational
Education, so called GIVE grants.
Walter State was honored to receive not
one but two of those in a single year.
We got nearly two million
dollars in funding.
through the Governor's Vocational
Education Program, and we focus that on
two areas, hospitality and manufacturing.
(22:41):
So we have groups and our project
directors that go out into
elementary school and middle
school and do career awareness.
We have virtual reality goggles that
can help students identify career
awareness and and put on these things
and and get under cars and Open
(23:02):
people up for surgery and do all these
things virtually so they can really
get a sense the number of people.
As I was growing up, um, in middle
school and high school, and when I was
a director of admissions in a college in
Georgia, the number of people that said,
I want to enter the medical field, I want
to be a doctor, I want to be a nurse.
Oh, but not so much on blood, not so much
(23:25):
in chemistry, not so much in anatomy.
Well, those are core things.
So, if we can talk to our students.
and our students parents and
families when students are in fourth
grade, fifth grade, sixth grade,
and say, what do you like to do?
You might be good at something you never
(23:46):
even knew was an opportunity for you.
We want to plug them in
to those opportunities.
The earlier you can have a conversation
about opportunities, whatever they
are, the earlier they can choose one.
Absolutely.
Or fail at one and be
like, that's not for me and
I'm going to try something else.
Well, and I'll say, you know, this is
(24:07):
my seventh career, not job, career.
And each one of those has made me a
better grant writer because I can pull
from my admissions director experience.
I can pull from my nonprofit experience.
I can pull from my government
experience, my community experience,
my Chamber of Commerce experience.
So get plugged into your community.
That is the one thing that I would say.
(24:29):
If you aren't sure what's
available in your community, pay
attention because it's out there.
There are amazing opportunities in
Knoxville, the greater Knoxville area,
East Tennessee, everywhere you look.
If you're not sure where to start,
let me, other than Julia Hurley's,
you know, Connect the Knots podcast,
(24:51):
which is fabulous way of learning
more about it, I would also recommend
you simply pick up the paper.
Join the Chamber of
Commerce as an individual.
If you don't have a business
that you're associated with, the
Chamber has amazing opportunities.
(25:11):
There's a lot of opportunities and
really, the more you can avail yourself
of that, the more opportunities you have.
If anyone is interested in learning
more about grants, obviously,
there are a ton of grants writing
professionals available, for you But
I am happy to be a resource because I
really love sharing this information.
As you can tell, I'm passionate about it.
(25:33):
And I really just want to make sure
that people get connected to right
opportunities and better lives.
This is the whole point of the podcast.
The whole point of the podcast.
Connecting Knoxville to the nation.
Who do you need in Knoxville?
Who do you need help from?
And we always have an answer.
There is always a professional
in Knoxville that is an
(25:53):
exemplary professional.
A top tier.
People don't even know
what Knoxville offers.
People have no idea and now we know.
Every person I interview Is all the way up
here in their sector of what they offer.
And they're all exactly like you, Lisa.
They all say, call me, email
me, I will help you with this.
I want to make sure
you're proficient at it.
I want you to be the best and I
want to contribute to that success.
(26:14):
And that's something that the
Knoxville community is special for.
I know it is.
So, wrapping that up, how
do people find you and ask
for help?
Well, um, they can find
me through Walter State.
Lisa Shiveler, and I'm happy to to
share that information, but I would
encourage them really to look beyond that.
I'm 1 person, and I'm certainly happy to
(26:36):
take any and all phone calls referrals.
But I did mention the grants
professional association.
There's also the, there are also
nonprofit associations that do amazing
networking and training for boards
and nonprofits in grant writing.
So I would encourage you
to get involved in that.
And finally, just be true to you.
(26:59):
Look at your board, look at your
volunteers, know what your strengths
are, and then go out and be a part of
marketing to those strengths because it's
going to be a great day to get that money.
We're aside.
Now we're off the topic and
we're going to exciting stuff.
We're going to do the rundown.
When people visit you and they've
never visited the area before,
(27:20):
where's the first place you
take them?
Ugh, hard question.
Every time I come to Nongshill,
I go to a different neighborhood.
Because everything, every neighborhood,
is like its own unique little And so
if I had my perfect place, I would say,
point on the map, find something in the
greater Knoxville area, and be a tourist.
(27:43):
That's my favorite thing to do, is to
explore, not knowing what Knoxville
has, but exploring what I don't know
Knoxville has, and really relishing
that uniqueness that Knoxville brings.
So, you're in Morristown.
Right?
One of our favorite areas, and it's
one of the fastest growing areas
in the Knoxville region right now.
(28:03):
So big.
Morristown is so hot right now.
Your schools are
exploding with popularity.
Your new private school that was just
built a few years ago, already at
capacity, outstanding sports programs,
outstanding education programs, a lot,
a lot to enjoy in your downtown area.
Tell us what your favorite
spots in Morristown are.
Oh gosh, um, well, I, I try to
(28:27):
Always work with local businesses.
Those are my favorite.
I love, they know me at
my favorite coffee place.
Oh, are you going to get
your normal chai tea?
Yes, I am.
You know, so that's really
wonderful, that sense of community.
So we have some fabulous, if you all want
some things, we have everything from An
(28:47):
amazing Mexican bakery, Walito's Bakery.
It's great.
We have these great coffee places here
called 60 Beans, which is now in three
different locations, and they will treat
you like family the first time they get to
know you, the second time you're family.
It's amazing.
They are wonderful for coffee
(29:08):
and chatter and amazing crepes.
So they're in downtown Morristown as well.
We're working with downtown
businesses in Morristown.
We have the Little Dutch that's
been there for forever and is a
real cornerstone of our downtown.
And then we have wonderful opportunities
like the 1907 Brewery, which allows
(29:30):
us a crafted Brewery and has amazing
things like trivia on Wednesday night.
So if you all ever want to come up,
you can do team trivia and we have
fun and have a beverage and really
just relax and enjoy some good things.
So Knoxville and um, has a wonderful
things, but Moorsound is really growing
(29:51):
and I can't, if you all haven't been
to Moorsound lately, Come see us.
You would love to know what
we're doing here.
Oh, more sound science.
I love it up there.
I love it up there as a realtor, you know.
You're in my area.
My favorite area.
We have homes for sale.
Y'all, thank you.
(30:14):
This has been such a pleasure.
I always love talking with you.
You have unmatched energy and passion.
And I think and believe very
much that leaders in every
community have to have that.
So other people can follow that and
exude that and that is such a great
example of how much effort you have
put in to just being you and then
giving you back to the community.
(30:35):
It's amazing.
I love it.
Congratulations on all your
hard work at Walter State.
I know that you're going to continue
to make that place leaps and bounds.
Amazing.
And they're so lucky to have you.
I'm lucky to have you as a friend.
We will see you very,
very soon, hopefully.
And, um,
I was just trying to match
your passion and energy.
So thank you for that.
I'm going to go have some caffeine
(30:57):
and it's been such a pleasure
to talk with you about grants.
And please let all your listeners know
that we're always happy to be a resource.
Thank you so much.
Everybody, thank you so much
for joining us for another
episode of Connect the Knox.
I'm your host, Julia Hurley,
Connecting Knoxville.
To the Nation.
Until next time.
Thank you for tuning into the show.
(31:18):
Make sure to like and subscribe.
Leave a five star review on
your podcast player of choice.
And if you would like information
on moving to Knoxville,
send me a private message.
As always, this is Julia Hurley
connecting Knoxville to the Nation.
Welcome
everybody to another
episode of Connect the Knox.
I'm your hostess with the
mostess, Julia Hurley, connecting
Knoxville to the nation.
Thanks for joining us.
Today's episode is amazing.
You're going to learn a lot, you're
going to have a lot of fun, and
you're going to get to meet a very
good friend of mine, Lisa Shiveler.
(00:25):
Lisa, thank you so much for
being here with us today.
Oh, it's my pleasure, Julia, to be here.
I am so excited to talk about one of
my favorite subjects, which is grants.
Woo!
Alright, here's the deal,
here's the deal.
A lot of people don't know, and they
really don't know, and this is why the
podcast exists, how much opportunity
(00:45):
there is in the Knoxville area.
And when we say Knoxville area, friends,
we're talking Crossville to Cocke County.
Two time zones, That's
what Knoxville Market is.
Educational conversations, medical
conversations, not for profit
organizations and conversations.
And people don't really know where to
get these resources, and you know what?
They don't even know where they come from.
And Lisa's the expert on that, and this
(01:07):
is what we're going to talk about today.
So you know, when you come to
Knoxville, Where things are coming
from and where you need to focus.
Lisa, tell us a little bit
about your trips into Knoxville.
Like, how did you end up here?
Tell us your, tell us
your Knoxville story.
Well, my, my Knoxville, Tennessee
story came actually as a result
of natural attrition from
(01:29):
Florida to Georgia and now here.
I have landed in my perfect
place in East Tennessee.
The people here are amazing.
The cost of living is remarkable and
who wouldn't want four whole seasons?
I've never had that before.
It's, it's wonderful.
Sometimes in one day.
Yeah.
(01:50):
Sometimes in one day,
as we just experienced.
So it has been a real
pleasure to get to do that.
And I have, um, had experience in
lots of different things to bring
me to this place, but I'm home.
I'm happy.
This is my new place.
I might even start wearing more orange.
Ooh, best
(02:10):
color in the world.
Best color in the world.
No one looks good in it, so
everyone looks great in it.
That's my story on orange.
It's the best color in the world.
Okay, so it is.
It's massive.
All right, so here.
I always ask people the exact same
questions, and you know it's interesting
no one has the same answers, which I love.
Tell us about your profession,
(02:30):
because this is very specialized.
What you do is Extremely competitive,
very specialized, and even people who
specialize in it have a massive failure
rate and you've succeeded everywhere.
You are, you are very rare in your career.
So tell us about your career and
kind of the flow of how that goes.
(02:51):
Oh, I'd love to.
Thank you.
So, grant writing is basically
asking people for money.
We ask People that have money to give
foundations, private foundations,
business foundations, the government,
state, local, federal government, all
for money to incorporate into projects
(03:12):
that we want to have happen that's
going to, that are going to better
the lives of East Tennessee residents.
in our area.
So, working for a college, which is
Walter State Community College based
in Moorestown, we have an amazing 10
county service area in East Tennessee,
and so my job is to get funds to
support the entirety of Walter State's
(03:34):
service area, and even beyond, because
we have no geographic barriers.
If you are an international
student, come on!
If you live in a state, Knoxville.
If you live in Kentucky, we would love to
have you here as long as we can serve what
you need from your educational standpoint.
So after decades of working in non
(03:55):
profits, I actually started my own
grants business when I came to East
Tennessee, because I realized that not a
lot of non profits really had experience
in that or the resources to do it.
As you mentioned, that grant writing
is a very competitive business
and less than between 10 and 25
(04:15):
percent of grants get funded.
That's it.
So, I don't know about you, but most
people don't like to be told no that
often, so you get really used to and
very good at not only relishing the
no and relishing the feedback, but
learning from that experience, learning
from the programs that are offered,
(04:37):
our funders, and really making it
a great partnership, because that's
what it's all about is relationships.
It's not about the money.
Although the money is an incredibly
important part of it, but it's really
about what can we do that's going
to make the foundations look good.
And what can we offer to our
(04:58):
service area, our residents in
Knoxville and East Tennessee?
What can we do to make their lives better?
Is it providing a service, a
program, a funding opportunity?
Perhaps it's travel.
Perhaps it's getting to work on robots.
And as we do in our summer camps, we
have underwater robotics camps that are.
(05:18):
are sponsored which is so cool for
middle school students and they get
to talk about flotation devices and
what it's going to do and how to do
ballasts and and that sort of thing.
I didn't know about that stuff in middle
school so it's really lovely that Walter
State gets to do programs like that.
(05:39):
We have an incredible array of foundations
and funders that support our work,
not just the educational components.
That's what you would think of when
you hear the words Community College.
But again, our youth programs, we have
an amazing workforce training division
that does all kinds of non credit
courses and able, and is able to work
(05:59):
with community members and businesses to
personalize training, that sort of thing.
I get money for those programs as well.
So it really is the full gamut.
Oh my gosh, I can't even imagine.
So, from someone who has zero
conversational experience
in this realm, zero, right?
And I would say that's 95 percent
(06:20):
of people, if not more, okay?
On this side of it, it's like,
well, there's money out there.
Obviously, people have foundations.
I mean, you know, there's
foundations everywhere.
You see somebody's name, or they've
won money, or they have too much money.
Thank God bless them.
And they start a foundation.
They're like, I have too much money.
I need to give this money away.
And you're like, thank God for your money.
(06:41):
Like you, thank you.
You put your name on it.
I still don't know what that means.
That's awesome.
I'm going to kill you foundation.
I don't even know what they do,
but we know that they have too much
money and they want to give it away.
And we're so blessed that
they want to give it away.
Then you have to ask for it
in a specific way, and then it
needs to go somewhere that that
person's probably passionate about.
Yes, so, you're absolutely right.
(07:03):
So, from, from the get go,
what you see is a headline.
So and so foundation, Mackenzie Scott gave
away all this amazing billions of dollars.
Or this foundation, the Gates
Foundation, so many worthwhile
organizations that do that.
Yeah.
But when you're looking at
grant, you can't just look at
(07:24):
they have money, I want some.
You have to basically prove that you would
be eligible to even apply for the money.
One of the key, if I was going to
talk to my younger self, or if I'm
going to talk to anyone that has any
interest in grants, the first thing
I would say is do your research.
Don't just look at a headline
(07:45):
and try to grab for that money.
Grant money is wonderful, and we
are delighted that people have so
much to share and are so blessed to
share that with worthwhile programs.
But the last thing that we want
to do is to apply for funding
that really isn't a good fit.
I call it the square peg
in round hole syndrome.
(08:07):
If it needs, if it's going
to be a square peg for you or
the foundation, Don't do it.
There are fabulous foundations out there
that want to meet you where you are
as a non profit organization or as an
organization that serves our community.
There are also foundations that would,
that would welcome you exactly as you are.
(08:28):
To be able to provide you with the
funds that you need to do that.
So I would really encourage
all of you to do some research
and see and ask questions.
Most foundations are delighted to
ask some questions or have frequently
asked questions on their website.
You do a search.
You can also always go to 990 forms.
(08:50):
That is a standardized form.
That is an IRS form.
It is a publicly available form, so
you don't need any special database
to go into it, and all foundations
are required to provide documentation
of where they spent their money.
And how they spent their money.
So it's a wonderful, easy tool.
(09:11):
If you just pull up 990 Forms
and look for organizations in
the Knoxville area, you'll find a
tremendous array of organizations.
Some may be only give
to literacy programs.
Others perhaps give to youth.
Others are categorized by underserved
populations, which may be folks
(09:33):
that are low income, or are first
generation college students, or who
have perhaps been justice involved.
All those things.
factors may indicate good
grants appropriateness.
So just align yourself with it.
Don't try to fit into someone else's mold.
Be your fabulous self and
(09:54):
there's many out there for you.
I love that.
That is fantastic advice
for life in general.
Honestly, for life in
general, please just be you.
The people that you need will come to you.
I promise.
I promise they
will be there.
It's gonna just take longer
if you're special, you know?
It probably will, yes.
Yes, it probably will.
Yeah, I find it Okay, okay, so here's
(10:14):
something that may come to people's minds.
What's the difference between
a grant and a foundation?
Okay, so the grant is actually a proposal
that you write, words on a paper, an
electronic document that says, here's
who we are, here's what we do, we're
going to be fabulous at giving you
(10:35):
what you want, which is people served,
programs done, letters written, whatever
it is that you want, We're the best
organization to help you with that.
So let me tell you why we're the best
organization to help you with that.
And we'll do it within your parameters,
and we'll do it in your time
frame, and we'll do it using some
(10:57):
of your money, and some community
money, and and partnering together.
And here's where we can be great.
We know our community.
We can build that coalition of people
that also want to support our efforts.
We just need you to help us start
a program, or get us over the
finish line, or create additional
(11:18):
opportunities for sustainability in
the programs that we already have.
So that's really what you're
doing when you're out when
you're talking to foundations.
So the grant is the actual proposal.
The foundation is the place for the money.
Think of it as a bank, if you will.
Right?
Except that with the bank
So
(11:38):
it's like a fundraising effort,
but you don't have to go eat
gross chicken and backcomb your
hair, put on too much makeup.
You're just writing a, you're,
you're not judged, but you're
writing a paper and sending it in.
So that's basically, let's say for
example, you have something you want to,
you, you need to fundraise for, or you,
you have something you're passionate
about, and you really need this help,
you really need this money, and let's
say on this side of it, you would put
(12:00):
together a fundraiser of, 500 tickets at
500 a ticket or sell a table for 10, 000
and then there would be all this extra
expense and cost which we would consider
a salary for a grant writer maybe.
And then you would still have to do
all of the extra on top of that and
then you're competing with every
person in the room to get that ticket
because it may be a really rare ticket.
(12:20):
So on your end of it, it's every grant
writer is the ticket taker at the table.
They're like, I bought
a ticket to this event.
And then somebody might've bought
a table that you're sitting at.
And you're like, all right, who's
actually going to get to do the thing.
So it's super competitive.
It is super competitive.
And what you need to be mindful
(12:40):
of is in order to be competitive,
you're a super competitive person,
you're a driven person, Julia.
You know, I love that energy
that you bring to everything
that you, that you do in life.
In order to do that, you know,
you need to win a lot in order to
stand out from the crowd, right?
It's not about ego.
(13:02):
It is about, in fact,
it's just the opposite.
It's very humbling to be able
to put yourself in the backseat
and say, let me help others.
Help the people that they can help.
We all know that real estate is
location, location, location.
Our team at Just Homes Group
Realty Executives has the true
(13:23):
expertise pairing buyers and sellers
with the right opportunities.
Whether you're looking to buy or
sell a home right here in Knoxville,
Lenore City, Clinton, or Farragut,
we have the expertise throughout
every Knoxville surrounding area.
Call Just Homes Group
Realty Executives today.
(13:44):
Julia, we were talking earlier about
the grants process and how competitive
it is, and just making sure that any
organization, anyone that has an amazing
idea for There is probably grant funding
out there for you, but in order to really
be effective at it and to not spend
countless hours submitting proposals that
(14:05):
will end up not being funded, I would
always encourage everybody to do research.
Now, we have a wonderful
organization called the Grants
Professional Association.
We have a chapter here in Appalachia.
And that's based in
throughout East Tennessee.
We have folks from Tennessee, Kentucky,
everywhere, even North Carolina that come
(14:28):
together and talk once a month about that.
There's a national organization called
the Grants Professional Association
that actually has grants writers.
that you can consult with.
If you don't know where to
start, they can maybe help you.
So we were talking about 990 forms.
990 forms are IRS forms that every
(14:49):
foundation has to, has to support.
And in doing so, you can get an idea.
Oh, they supported a similar organization
to ours and they gave them 10, 000.
So, I'm not going to ask for 100,
000, likely if they gave them 10,
000, they probably might not give me
100, 000 off the bat, but it would
(15:11):
give you a glimpse of what the funding
opportunities were and to give you
a glimpse of what actually happened.
You can also then reach out to that
organization and say, I know you got
a grant from so and so foundation.
Tell me what they were like to work with.
Tell me how that was,
how that was for you.
So you want it to be a good
fit for everybody and, and not
(15:33):
waste the foundation's time and
not waste your precious staff
and volunteer resource time.
Oh my gosh.
You have like the best advice.
The best advice for all of this situation.
All the best.
Live and learn, live and learn.
Yes, live and learn, live and learn.
That's fair, that's fair.
So, let's, what, so, Walter State
Community College, what, what people
(15:53):
don't know across the country, honestly,
and I think Tennessee is one of the only
states that does this, if not the only,
but it could just be one of the only.
Where the University of Tennessee has
partnered with all the community colleges
to kind of have that flow, right?
So you get the Tennessee Promise and then
you kind of can go to a larger university
if you so choose after the fact.
Tell us about how the local
community has impacted your
(16:15):
ability and your conversation.
Let's just say for example, I mean, Walter
State's a pretty gosh darn big name.
In the community college.
Well,
we have been the community college
of the year, two years in a row.
Yeah.
We're kind of a big deal.
We were awarded, um,
I have to put that in.
Our president would be, would be
mightily upset if I didn't note that.
We are delighted to be able to work with
(16:38):
community colleges throughout the state
of Tennessee, but also to partner with
our wonderful four year institutions,
University of Tennessee and, and all
the others that are within our state.
We have a great partner relationship
called Matriculation Agreements
where our students can start even
with a non credit class, right?
(17:00):
If you've been out of college and you
decide that you want to go back or you
never started college, non credit classes
can be a wonderful way of doing that.
Walter State was thrilled to be able
to be one of four pilot colleges
across the state of Tennessee to
receive, through the Tennessee Board of
Regents, what's called a badge grant or
(17:22):
reimagining community colleges grant.
So it's really geared towards
those students that don't
know what they want to do.
It's an opportunity for explicit career
exploration and some other things.
So that's a perfect example of
how we could got grant funding
that can really improve the lives
of East Tennessee residents and
make that a seamless transition.
(17:44):
That's exactly what that grant did.
That's exactly what Walter State did.
You got a grant.
That made it all the way, say that
whole thing again, it created an
atmosphere where the community actually
benefited from the work that was there.
It wasn't just a, it wasn't something
that I think some people can
imagine, oh well this, this, this
organization got money, it hasn't
(18:05):
helped me.
This didn't just serve 23 students.
This is a three year grant that will
allow us to explore career exploration,
to link credit and non credit courses.
So, if you took an OSHA 10 training
because you thought that that
might be helpful, You have no idea
(18:27):
what careers that might benefit.
And so if you have an interest in
that, we have those programs available.
We have professional advisors that
can help you say, gosh, I know I'm
good at this and I know I like it.
That's a perfect place to start.
So be good to yourself.
(18:47):
I know we were teasing about
be your fabulous best self,
but I really mean that.
There are grants out there for
you just doing what you do.
If you have a great idea, there's probably
a grant out there that can help with that.
There's probably money out there from
foundations that can help with that.
But more importantly, as East Tennessee
(19:09):
residents, we want everybody to
be the best version of themselves.
At Walter State, our tagline
is write your story, right?
You don't need to write your own story.
Somebody else's story.
Write your own.
Choose what you want to do
and we can help you get there.
Maybe it is partnering with
the University of Tennessee.
(19:29):
Maybe it is, maybe it's that
you never want to set foot in a
classroom, but you really want
to do things that are hands on.
You really want to be
of service to people.
We have lots of service oriented projects
that you can do and be a part of.
And connect with the community.
That's really what community
colleges as a whole do really well.
(19:50):
And Walter State, I have to
admit I'm biased, but Walter
State does it exceptionally well.
And it's because of our administration.
This is a huge opportunity
to really hear this.
And I think from a baseline level.
You're either in the know or
you're not in the know from a
(20:11):
baseline level of really and truly
what opportunities are out there.
And I think a lot of people, a lot
of people that we don't realize
Tennessee's education system, especially
the out, like the higher education,
I don't mean just college, higher
education is workforce development.
In a story, we're extremely
focused on workforce development
in the state of Tennessee.
(20:31):
It could be a four year degree,
it could be a two year degree,
it could be a certification.
And Tennessee has put together so Much
effort that all of those things are
valued and all of those things can be
funded and all of the people that want
to take advantage of it will we will find
a way to get you where you want to go.
And I think that outside of the state
(20:51):
of Tennessee that this system that they
are building that you are building with
these grants has made it available to out
of the state people to come in and say,
I don't know where I can get this help,
but I know I can get it from this state.
Or, I don't know where to go and
everybody knows to go to you.
It is a growing conversation that outside
(21:13):
of the state of Tennessee, if you have
a passion for electricity, if you have
a passion for underwater welding, if you
have a passion for being a physician,
we have a teaching hospital for you.
All of the things that are available
through your grant writing into Walter
State, which again I'm going to brag
on as well, I'm very well aware of the
accolades that they have earned, that
you all have earned from your hard work,
(21:35):
filters out into growing this community.
By better and better every single day by
allowing people to do what they love and
learn how to do it and make money doing
it and provide back to their community.
It's huge.
You are right on Julia and I can't
thank you enough for mentioning
workforce development because that
is such a driver for Walter State.
(21:57):
Um, and it should be a driver
for our entire community.
People to be happy, to live where
they're happy, to work where they're
happy, to do a job they love, and
to have that community support.
So, opportunities like this,
grants, I'll close the loop
for you in that conversation.
(22:18):
The Governor's Initiative on Vocational
Education, so called GIVE grants.
Walter State was honored to receive not
one but two of those in a single year.
We got nearly two million
dollars in funding.
through the Governor's Vocational
Education Program, and we focus that on
two areas, hospitality and manufacturing.
(22:41):
So we have groups and our project
directors that go out into
elementary school and middle
school and do career awareness.
We have virtual reality goggles that
can help students identify career
awareness and and put on these things
and and get under cars and Open
(23:02):
people up for surgery and do all these
things virtually so they can really
get a sense the number of people.
As I was growing up, um, in middle
school and high school, and when I was
a director of admissions in a college in
Georgia, the number of people that said,
I want to enter the medical field, I want
to be a doctor, I want to be a nurse.
Oh, but not so much on blood, not so much
(23:25):
in chemistry, not so much in anatomy.
Well, those are core things.
So, if we can talk to our students.
and our students parents and
families when students are in fourth
grade, fifth grade, sixth grade,
and say, what do you like to do?
You might be good at something you never
(23:46):
even knew was an opportunity for you.
We want to plug them in
to those opportunities.
The earlier you can have a conversation
about opportunities, whatever they
are, the earlier they can choose one.
Absolutely.
Or fail at one and be
like, that's not for me and
I'm going to try something else.
Well, and I'll say, you know, this is
(24:07):
my seventh career, not job, career.
And each one of those has made me a
better grant writer because I can pull
from my admissions director experience.
I can pull from my nonprofit experience.
I can pull from my government
experience, my community experience,
my Chamber of Commerce experience.
So get plugged into your community.
That is the one thing that I would say.
(24:29):
If you aren't sure what's
available in your community, pay
attention because it's out there.
There are amazing opportunities in
Knoxville, the greater Knoxville area,
East Tennessee, everywhere you look.
If you're not sure where to start,
let me, other than Julia Hurley's,
you know, Connect the Knots podcast,
(24:51):
which is fabulous way of learning
more about it, I would also recommend
you simply pick up the paper.
Join the Chamber of
Commerce as an individual.
If you don't have a business
that you're associated with, the
Chamber has amazing opportunities.
(25:11):
There's a lot of opportunities and
really, the more you can avail yourself
of that, the more opportunities you have.
If anyone is interested in learning
more about grants, obviously,
there are a ton of grants writing
professionals available, for you But
I am happy to be a resource because I
really love sharing this information.
As you can tell, I'm passionate about it.
(25:33):
And I really just want to make sure
that people get connected to right
opportunities and better lives.
This is the whole point of the podcast.
The whole point of the podcast.
Connecting Knoxville to the nation.
Who do you need in Knoxville?
Who do you need help from?
And we always have an answer.
There is always a professional
in Knoxville that is an
(25:53):
exemplary professional.
A top tier.
People don't even know
what Knoxville offers.
People have no idea and now we know.
Every person I interview Is all the way up
here in their sector of what they offer.
And they're all exactly like you, Lisa.
They all say, call me, email
me, I will help you with this.
I want to make sure
you're proficient at it.
I want you to be the best and I
want to contribute to that success.
(26:14):
And that's something that the
Knoxville community is special for.
I know it is.
So, wrapping that up, how
do people find you and ask
for help?
Well, um, they can find
me through Walter State.
Lisa Shiveler, and I'm happy to to
share that information, but I would
encourage them really to look beyond that.
I'm 1 person, and I'm certainly happy to
(26:36):
take any and all phone calls referrals.
But I did mention the grants
professional association.
There's also the, there are also
nonprofit associations that do amazing
networking and training for boards
and nonprofits in grant writing.
So I would encourage you
to get involved in that.
And finally, just be true to you.
(26:59):
Look at your board, look at your
volunteers, know what your strengths
are, and then go out and be a part of
marketing to those strengths because it's
going to be a great day to get that money.
We're aside.
Now we're off the topic and
we're going to exciting stuff.
We're going to do the rundown.
When people visit you and they've
never visited the area before,
(27:20):
where's the first place you
take them?
Ugh, hard question.
Every time I come to Nongshill,
I go to a different neighborhood.
Because everything, every neighborhood,
is like its own unique little And so
if I had my perfect place, I would say,
point on the map, find something in the
greater Knoxville area, and be a tourist.
(27:43):
That's my favorite thing to do, is to
explore, not knowing what Knoxville
has, but exploring what I don't know
Knoxville has, and really relishing
that uniqueness that Knoxville brings.
So, you're in Morristown.
Right?
One of our favorite areas, and it's
one of the fastest growing areas
in the Knoxville region right now.
(28:03):
So big.
Morristown is so hot right now.
Your schools are
exploding with popularity.
Your new private school that was just
built a few years ago, already at
capacity, outstanding sports programs,
outstanding education programs, a lot,
a lot to enjoy in your downtown area.
Tell us what your favorite
spots in Morristown are.
Oh gosh, um, well, I, I try to
(28:27):
Always work with local businesses.
Those are my favorite.
I love, they know me at
my favorite coffee place.
Oh, are you going to get
your normal chai tea?
Yes, I am.
You know, so that's really
wonderful, that sense of community.
So we have some fabulous, if you all want
some things, we have everything from An
(28:47):
amazing Mexican bakery, Walito's Bakery.
It's great.
We have these great coffee places here
called 60 Beans, which is now in three
different locations, and they will treat
you like family the first time they get to
know you, the second time you're family.
It's amazing.
They are wonderful for coffee
(29:08):
and chatter and amazing crepes.
So they're in downtown Morristown as well.
We're working with downtown
businesses in Morristown.
We have the Little Dutch that's
been there for forever and is a
real cornerstone of our downtown.
And then we have wonderful opportunities
like the 1907 Brewery, which allows
(29:30):
us a crafted Brewery and has amazing
things like trivia on Wednesday night.
So if you all ever want to come up,
you can do team trivia and we have
fun and have a beverage and really
just relax and enjoy some good things.
So Knoxville and um, has a wonderful
things, but Moorsound is really growing
(29:51):
and I can't, if you all haven't been
to Moorsound lately, Come see us.
You would love to know what
we're doing here.
Oh, more sound science.
I love it up there.
I love it up there as a realtor, you know.
You're in my area.
My favorite area.
We have homes for sale.
Y'all, thank you.
(30:14):
This has been such a pleasure.
I always love talking with you.
You have unmatched energy and passion.
And I think and believe very
much that leaders in every
community have to have that.
So other people can follow that and
exude that and that is such a great
example of how much effort you have
put in to just being you and then
giving you back to the community.
(30:35):
It's amazing.
I love it.
Congratulations on all your
hard work at Walter State.
I know that you're going to continue
to make that place leaps and bounds.
Amazing.
And they're so lucky to have you.
I'm lucky to have you as a friend.
We will see you very,
very soon, hopefully.
And, um,
I was just trying to match
your passion and energy.
So thank you for that.
I'm going to go have some caffeine
(30:57):
and it's been such a pleasure
to talk with you about grants.
And please let all your listeners know
that we're always happy to be a resource.
Thank you so much.
Everybody, thank you so much
for joining us for another
episode of Connect the Knox.
I'm your host, Julia Hurley,
Connecting Knoxville.
To the Nation.
Until next time.
Thank you for tuning into the show.
(31:18):
Make sure to like and subscribe.
Leave a five star review on
your podcast player of choice.
And if you would like information
on moving to Knoxville,
send me a private message.
As always, this is Julia Hurley
connecting Knoxville to the Nation.
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