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Now that my own home is finally free of termites and I have moved back in, I would like to get back to telling you how "Voices of the Homeless" came to be -- because first it was a performance.

As a quick recap, I had decided to apply for a grant called an Artist in the Community Partnership Grant and partner with Project Understanding, who serves the homeless.  Should I get the grant, I would put together a performance piece where the homeless told their stories, in their own words, while jazz improvisers played music behind them.

In January of 2010, I had had my orientation meeting, I'd spoken to the Homeless Angel Bob (see 2nd blog below), and I had found my partner, Todd Goehner of Project Understanding.  Now I needed to put together a grant submission.

People ask me if I do much grant writing.  I don't even know what that means.  The grants I've applied for have all had boilerplate questions you must answer and narratives you must write.  It's almost like painting by the numbers.  So if anybody out there reading this blog wants to apply for a grant, please know that "grant writing" is not as scary as it sounds.

But it is time consuming.  It literally took me six weeks to compile all the required documents and writings.  It was like submitting to the Appellate Court.  I had work samples and letters of recommendation and news clippings from my own gigs and concerts and a narrative (you know, what makes me so special that I deserve this grant).

And I had to have a budget.  ARG.  I'm a jazz singer.  I don't even think "budget."  I think things like, "I should have focused on retirement."  But with the help of a friend, I figured out how to put a budget together.

Then I compiled the entire mess, submitted it, and went away for a few days to clear my head.

Tomorrow I'd like to tell you how my life completely changed once I got that grant.  And by the way it hasn't been the same since.

But that's for another blog.

Thank you once again for reading.
Till next time,
Toni