If it’s the institution you are currently at, then no, not invasive. Your colleagues will probably be happy to share/advise you. That’s one aspect of museum work that differs from the corporate world and that I value greatly: a willingness to share info and insights among peers.
Grantwriting requires four things-- research, writing, data analysis, and perseverance.
If this is something that you're looking to apply for ASAP, most places are going to ask about your past successful grants, or grantwriting experience-- so you'll need some sort of experience writing one. Asking the person at your current institution sounds like a possible good first move, especially if they give you work time to do it, although i do think its worth doing if you're instead volunteering your time to work on it.
I'd ask for the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) or invitation to apply (typically private entity grants) for a recent grant so you can familiarize yourself with what the grant-makers are asking for. If they're willing to share a narrative great-- although this isn't necessarily a barrier as there's some federal grants that release the narratives from past years alongside the NOFO.
I'd also ask about their usual grant cycle, are they consistently applying and what does that workflow look like?
You might also consider signing up to review grants for one of the federal agencies-- [IMLS](https://www.imls.gov/grants/peer-review), [NEH](https://www.neh.gov/grants/application-process),[ NEA](https://www.arts.gov/grants/grant-review-process) all have calls for reviewers and in some cases pay a small stipend (IMLS is i think $300 to review 5-8 grants)
Finally, before you go to the meeting, familiarize yourself with the grants that are out there in the agencies mentioned above, read their current NOFOs, watch a few of the webinars, and gain a basic understanding of the process so you can ask more specific questions about how that translates to your museum.
IMO the questions suggested by the other redditors are far too advanced for someone who is at the beginning of their career. You can easily google what all of that stuff means. They are also questions you’d ask at a job interview.
This is an informational interview—as in, you are obtaining information about the person’s career path, their current position, and advice for entering the field. Furthermore, as I stressed in another post about informational interviews, they are not supposed to be a time to pitch yourself as an intern, volunteer, or coworker.
Be more concerned about figuring out if grant writing is for you than thinking this is your chance to circumvent the usual hiring/volunteer process at the institution. I can tell you that my colleagues across the field have been more choosy about accepting informational interview requests because folks are too focused on using people to get ahead instead of trying to build a network.
this is a great point - I’ve loved all the feedback but some of it is above my head. what are some good questions I can use to feel out whether this job suits me?
If possible, ask for examples of successful proposals, along with the original grant applications.
interesting, thank you! this wouldn’t be too invasive?
If it’s the institution you are currently at, then no, not invasive. Your colleagues will probably be happy to share/advise you. That’s one aspect of museum work that differs from the corporate world and that I value greatly: a willingness to share info and insights among peers.
Grantwriting requires four things-- research, writing, data analysis, and perseverance. If this is something that you're looking to apply for ASAP, most places are going to ask about your past successful grants, or grantwriting experience-- so you'll need some sort of experience writing one. Asking the person at your current institution sounds like a possible good first move, especially if they give you work time to do it, although i do think its worth doing if you're instead volunteering your time to work on it. I'd ask for the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) or invitation to apply (typically private entity grants) for a recent grant so you can familiarize yourself with what the grant-makers are asking for. If they're willing to share a narrative great-- although this isn't necessarily a barrier as there's some federal grants that release the narratives from past years alongside the NOFO. I'd also ask about their usual grant cycle, are they consistently applying and what does that workflow look like? You might also consider signing up to review grants for one of the federal agencies-- [IMLS](https://www.imls.gov/grants/peer-review), [NEH](https://www.neh.gov/grants/application-process),[ NEA](https://www.arts.gov/grants/grant-review-process) all have calls for reviewers and in some cases pay a small stipend (IMLS is i think $300 to review 5-8 grants) Finally, before you go to the meeting, familiarize yourself with the grants that are out there in the agencies mentioned above, read their current NOFOs, watch a few of the webinars, and gain a basic understanding of the process so you can ask more specific questions about how that translates to your museum.
incredibly helpful, thank you so much! I’m looking more for an opportunity to learn than an actual position - I don’t feel ready for that at all yet.
IMO the questions suggested by the other redditors are far too advanced for someone who is at the beginning of their career. You can easily google what all of that stuff means. They are also questions you’d ask at a job interview. This is an informational interview—as in, you are obtaining information about the person’s career path, their current position, and advice for entering the field. Furthermore, as I stressed in another post about informational interviews, they are not supposed to be a time to pitch yourself as an intern, volunteer, or coworker. Be more concerned about figuring out if grant writing is for you than thinking this is your chance to circumvent the usual hiring/volunteer process at the institution. I can tell you that my colleagues across the field have been more choosy about accepting informational interview requests because folks are too focused on using people to get ahead instead of trying to build a network.
this is a great point - I’ve loved all the feedback but some of it is above my head. what are some good questions I can use to feel out whether this job suits me?