In my last column I said, “Sometimes a single one-time grant will build enough momentum to start and maintain a project that would otherwise not be feasible.” Today I want to highlight an example of a grant that is doing just that.The Tiny House Workshop sounds like something you would find at the North Pole. But this workshop is right here in Del Norte County. The Tiny House Workshop is a project of the Del Norte High School career and technical education classes. In this program students gain job training and practical experience in all aspects of construction as they build a tiny house.Without grant funding this project would not be where it is today. According to a story in the Wild Rivers Outpost (5/31/22), the Tiny House Workshop was built using a $693,000 California Careers Technical Education Facility Grant and $152,698 in voter-approved bond dollars.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');The construction of this workshop provides space for the Tiny House Program where the students can learn to build houses out of the rain. They have just sold their first tiny house and plan to use the proceeds to continue the program and buy materials for construction of the next tiny house, thus perpetuating funding for the program.What I love about this program is that it is bringing grant funds into our community that have a combined benefit of technical education, employment training and a tangible product. This program will build functional tiny houses that can be installed as accessory dwelling units which will help our housing shortage.This is a win, win, win. Go Warriors!I understand why some government employees do not pursue grant funding. You must do extra work to apply for a grant, then you will have to do extra work if you get the grant. But this did not dissuade one creative government employee who is helping to grow a small, but important local program.Danny Clark was hired last November by the Del Norte County Library District to be the new Literacy Coordinator for Del Norte Reads, a program targeted to empower community members through literacy education.However, after hearing about the deficiencies in our youngest learners caused largely by two years of COVID restrictions, Mr. Clark was inspired to propose a new Family Literacy Project. This will support parents as primary reading teachers by providing materials, coaching and additional teaching aids.Danny Clark didn’t wait for someone else to figure out how to fund this project. He found grant funding through the California Library Literacy Services and expects to receive a $30,000 grant in July which will fund salaries and operations to enable a full-scale Family Literacy Project.“This grant effectively doubles the budget of this program and I anticipate this grant will be available for the next five years,” explains Mr. Clark. “The extra funding will enable us to create a new job and hire an additional employee to help expand the program.”This is a good example of how one person and a relatively small grant can make a big difference.For more information about Del Norte Reads call 707.464.7072 or stop by the library.These extraordinary individual and group efforts give me hope for the future of our community. Both projects contribute to education which is a key component of economic development. More grants do more good! Kevin Hendrick is the Chair of the Del Norte County Democratic Central Committee googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });