Govt. Grant Hopes

Alright, so me and my partner are hoping to acquire an Educational Grant so we can go to schools and teach the children about animals and reptiles. I know one of the first steps in doing this is giving a cover letter. I've never applied for a grant before and I'm not quite sure how to go about this. I've written a rough draft of a cover letter that I was hoping you could read and give feedback on. It is as follows:

To whom it may concern,
My name is Cody Mathers, I am a senior in high school and I along with my business partner Stacy Cook run a small reptile breeding program mainly focused on Ball Pythons, I however have my hopes set on expanding my acquired knowledge to the general public. I am requesting a government supported educational grant in order to help spread awareness and knowledge to children and adults of the innocence and natural beauty of reptiles. I have been working with small and large reptiles for over 10 years and have been studying them my entire life, my goal and my hopes are to spread my knowledge to all who will listen in order to help protect the natural world in which reptiles play such a key role in. My plan is to educate children about the innocence of reptiles and help them tell the difference between harmless and harmful reptiles, as well as show them the beautiful spectrum that reptiles hold. I have already acquired animals such as Pueblan Milk Snakes which mimic Coral Snakes in a flashy display of color. I also have an array of Ball Pythons ranging in size to show children that not all pythons are big scary creatures, but are in fact small and harmless. I would also like to show that not all pythons are alike, doing so would require a Reticulated Python or a Burmese Python, both of which I am hoping to acquire via a permit granted by you for use of the animals for educational purposes. I am also requesting a grant in the sum of $15,000 to acquire these animals as well as necessary caging, heating, food, and a variety of other animals to show people the broad range of reptiles. Ultimately I hope to educate people to the point where they will not kill local reptiles (some of which are endangered) but instead learn to avoid them or simply observe them as they go on their way.
Thank you.
Cody Mathers

Where to start.....
- Proper punctuation & sentence structure (I understand that this is a ROUGH draft).
- Don't try to so hard to emphasize your experience. You are a senior in high school...maybe, what, 17?18? Stating that you have been working with reptiles (small and large) for over 10 yrs suggests a lot considering the age range of 7-17...and to say that you were studying reptiles before that may garner smiles, but is unlikely to be taken seriously.
- Is the same person/department that issues the permit offering the grant? If so, address that person/department. The letter/application should be as specific to the particular grant as possible.
- Stating that you you have a business partner, and run a reptile breeding program focused on BPs may be counterproductive to getting grant money...especially when your vague description of how you plan to use the money (purchase animals, caging, feeding, etc) seems more business related than education based.
- I would recommend finding out what grants are offered, and for what purpose; then trying to show how what you plan to do meets the goals and criteria of the grant.
- My own approach would be to apply for the permits separately, and in advance. That way, you can use the permits to your advantage in your cover letter.

I thought an education grant was for the purpose of furthering one's education?

Years ago, I was on the board of an organization that offered a research grant pertaining to reptiles and/or amphibians...any applications that didn't specify the research goal, the plan, the specific needs, etc didn't even get to the consideration phase (it was long enough ago that I don't recall whether those applications were sent back to be revised, but I suspect that they were not - the requirements were clearly described, and if people wanted the grant, they should make the effort to provide the expected information).

Oh my, looks like it's a rougher draft then I thought. Thank you so much for the info Harald, I'll get working as soon as possible.