Tag: find grants

Where to Research Grant Opportunities

Moving through the maze of grant opportunities can be a daunting challenge. There are so many organizations, with varying criteria, and new opportunities pop up all the time. Anyone who has worked on grants knows it can take as much time to research eligible grant applications as it can take to apply for them. It’s important to keep an eye on new opportunities as the reward can be well worth the search. Here are some tips to help you find the right grants for your organization.

Think Local… Like, really local.
Start with your board. Many organizations neglect to tap into the networks of their boards. Your board members are probably some of the people most connected and loyal to your organization, who volunteer their time, talent, and treasure. They want to be helpful. Many board volunteers sit on other boards and committees. When is the last time you asked if they knew of any opportunities?

United Way and other community funders. Most people think of the United Way and similar organizations as only conduits for workplace giving. However, many of these community fundraising organizations have open grant cycles bi- or semi-annually. These nonprofits can also spearhead efforts to organize volunteer time or in-kind support that can benefit your organization.

Kiwanis Clubs, Rotary Clubs, and other community membership groups. These local affiliation groups, and ones like them, are made of community members dedicated to making the world a better place. Many of the older, more established clubs have foundations, restricted to funding initiatives in the communities in which they were established.

Look to your Peers. Yes, we all do it! Look at websites, annual reports, and social media to see which foundations have given to your peers. And even though it might seem counter-intuitive, meet with other fundraisers and grant writers to see if they have any ideas. Most funders do not give multiple years in a row to the same applicant. Many times your peers are more than willing to share their success with you.

Local Nonprofit Affinity Groups. Local membership and professional development groups such as the Association of Fundraising Professionals, nonprofit education centers, and others, will boost grant opportunities from time to time. Membership sometimes required.

Regional, county, and statewide.
Community Foundations. Whether city, county, state or regional, community foundations are comprised of charitable giving funds established by generous donors. The community foundations collect fees and draw from their endowment to create pools of available-to-spend grant dollars. Most have open grant cycles 2 or 4 times a year.

Corporative Giving. Who are the largest corporate employers in your region? Many businesses who have made their money in your community have foundations or giving programs to give back to the community. Check their websites for foundation information, and if so, check their 990s for previous grant history. Don’t see any mention? Try to find their marketing/public relations contact and inquire.

Think digitally… the future is here to stay.
The internet has given us so many tools to make our lives easier. There are many industry tools to research opportunities, though all have an associated membership cost. Two of WGW’s favorites are Foundation Directory Online and GrantScape.

Foundation Directory Online. Who remembers when the Foundation Directory was a book? Now the resource is online, with information on thousands of funders, including corporate foundations and U.S. federal agencies, updated weekly. Filters and search tools give you access to grant histories which means you can spend a lifetime seeing the types and amounts of grants awarded, all with a few clicks!

GrantScape. According to its website, GrantScape is the largest and broadest grants opportunities database available. In addition to its search functions, GrantScape also has workspace functions that can help you manage, track, and analyze your opportunities, as well as set up alerts for new grants opportunities.

Don’t get overwhelmed by the possibilities! Williams Grant Writing (WGW) has the team, time, skills, and systems in place to act as your grant writing partner. WGW can help you research funding opportunities, review draft applications, apply for the grant funding, and help you stay on top of reporting and deadlines. WGW has a proven track record of connecting nonprofits to funding. Contact us today to see how we can help!

The Elephant in the Room: Grant Writing as Fundraising

There are many blogs, books, and conferences devoted to nonprofit fundraising. Topics, such as direct mail best practices, making “the ask,” and getting your board on-board, have been dissected again and again.  Yet, how honest are the conversations around fundraising coupled with grant writing?  Compared with the personal, relationship-based nature of appealing to individual donors and meeting face-to-face with local businesses for financial support, fundraisers can feel overwhelmed when also expected to research and write grants on top of their other responsibilities. When everything’s a trade-off, should your fundraiser spend their time grant writing? Or is their energy better spent cultivating relationships and stewarding donors? Here are a few considerations when debating the best use of your fundraising team’s time.

Grant writing is unique and requires a special skill set. Grant writing is vastly different from other types of fundraising and other types of writing.  The process is often solitary, reflective, and inward-focused. A strong grant application should be clear and concise, making sure to answer questions directly, with little-to-no niceties.  Simple, detail-driven, transactional grant writing is oftentimes in stark contrast to the friendly nature of a fundraiser who interacts with donors.

Grant writing is a process, with a system and deadlines. Maybe not the first or second time you apply for a grant, but once you’ve applied for enough grants, a good grant writer develops a system.  How is your system working for you?  Do you have a system? Large foundations have entire teams to monitor grant deadlines and reporting.  Smaller organizations with limited resources may find it difficult to systematize grant writing while balancing other fundraising activities.

When successful, the real work starts. When the grant is awarded, you and your organization must administer, track, and report on the grant funding.  There is typically more demanded on an organization when funding comes as a grant, so fundraisers must have the system in place to concentrate on the reporting.

Making the case for outsourcing your grant writing. Contracting your grant writing to an outside team frees staff to focus on what matters most: your mission and your donors.  Professional grant writers will write more objectively about your program and have the tracking systems in place to handle researching new grant opportunities and reporting once grants are obtained. What are you waiting for?

Williams Grant Writing (WGW) has the team, time, skills, and systems in place to act as your grant writing partner. WGW can help you research funding opportunities, review draft applications, apply for the grant funding, and help you stay on top of reporting and deadlines. WGW has a proven track record of connecting nonprofits to funding. Contact us today to see how we can help.

The Fine Art of Dining with Donors

The hallmarks of the greatest grant seekers.

It’s an exciting scene. Two people take their seats at a candlelit supper. Two parties ready to make a good impression and maybe even form a lasting partnership. They know a little about each other and all the signs point toward it being a good fit. The music plays. The candles flicker…then one of them starts talking really loudly at high speed about their own needs. All the while they’re not listening to a word the other person is saying, gets everything wrong about them, and pays no attention to what their date ordered.

Check, please.

Cringeworthy, right? In that one simple scene you learned everything not to do when seeking a grant from prospective funders. If we could sum it up even more succinctly, you’ll need preparation, patience, poise, and presentation to stand a chance against the thousands of grant seekers on donors’ date lists.

Competition is tough, and there’s no such thing as a guaranteed grant. We don’t want you discouraged or downhearted, and that’s why we’ve put together a fun (and totally factual) guide to stand you in good stead. We’re going to talk you through best practice like it was a date with a potential donor. Ready? Then let’s get down to business and discuss the challenges of finding funding.

Hard cash versus humanity

If you’re a nonprofit organization (NPO), then you’re not in business for the money. You’re there because your mission matters to you and to those who benefit from your work. This puts you in the fine position of being able to project the human interest in yourself or your business: a very attractive prospect for those looking to fund NPOs. You’re more than a financial deficit with a face. You’re someone trying to do something that matters.

What you should never forget is that the ones who are doing the funding are not just a giant dollar sign with legs. They’re people too, and who they are matters.

Don’t turn up for dinner thinking your date will pay for everything and all you have to do is tell them why they should. Why was this grantor an attractive “partner” for you? Why do you think you will be attractive to them? Like any relationship, you’ll need to have something that links you both – something that connects and can make it last.

Know the people you’re reaching out to for funding as best you can before making the first move. Find out as much as possible from their public contact information (their dating profile, if you like). You wouldn’t close your eyes and click on any random dating profile then roll up to the restaurant. You’d want to know if there’s a common interest. You’d want to know what you already share, what can be built on and anything you might just have to live with.

Does your potential donor have a website? A newsletter? A number you’re permitted to call? Some grantors do but others don’t. Sometimes a letter of inquiry is the best (and only) way to go. However they want to be contacted, be a considerate date and adhere to that method.

Hard date(..a)

OK that one was bad. But yes: hard data. This is key to your success. Who you are numerically has to stand up to scrutiny as strongly as you do personally. Don’t make the mistake of not having your figures together in a clear and concise format. A well-oiled set of numbers with no soul won’t sway funders, and the same goes for a fantastic spirit with shaky math. After all, if you’re not 100% on where you are financially, how will you know how much funding to ask for?

Not only this: if you’re successful in achieving grant funding, then your donor is going to want a detailed report on how much is going where, when, to whom, and why. Cultivate a head for figures before you show up for dinner.

You’ve found a grant body. Just who are they, exactly?

You’ve found out they give grants? Great! These generous groups are all pretty much the same right? Wrong. Finding out they’re open to funding is only the first part. How do they fund?

Are they a private group or foundation, run by or in the name of an individual or family? Perhaps they’re operated by a company who uses their business profits to give grants. Some of the private foundations submit 990 PFs (PF meaning private foundation), which detail who they’ve given money to in the past. When you’re researching potential donors, it’s very helpful to see if their 990 PF is available.

Public foundations and charities receive their giveaway grant funds from a number of outside sources. Every type of foundation will have interests in where their investment is going. Find out if their funds will be cause-specific or if you have leeway to on where you think the money should go.

The real deal here is that you have to be ready to go back to the drawing board if you’re approaching more than one investor and make sure your proposal matches their terms.

Don’t presume the date is on because you’re ready to go

You’ve researched a potential funder and they’re attractive to you.

Step two is understanding you won’t be the only suitor at the table. Grant organizations are overwhelmed with applications, so you need to reach out and ask when they might be available to discuss your proposition. This could take time. You’ll need to be prepared to answer any initial questions they will have (they’re checking you out too) and be poised and patient as you present yourself.

This first contact between you and a potential donor can reveal key things for and about both parties. Maybe when they give you more information you’ll have to write them off your list of potential partners. Maybe they’ll be just what you’re looking for.

The key thing here is to reach out after your research and get to know the funder even a little better. It’s a delicate stage in the relationship so don’t rush it. First impressions, remember?

Be honest and confident

It would be very easy to post that picture of Henry Cavill/Megan Fox as your dating photo and watch the invites pour in. What’s not so great is showing up for dinner looking nervous and slightly less like Superman.

When you’re pitching yourself to a funding body deal in where you are now as much as where you want to be. Your mission is worthwhile and your vision is strong, but never be afraid to be open about areas where you’ll be able to improve. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Funders know you’re coming to them because you need help. You’re showing initiative. You want to grow. You aspire to something greater. Painting a picture of a perfect organization will make grantors wonder why they’re needed in the first place. Honesty means credibility in the eyes of investors.

Approach the funder who has what you want to receive and who is looking for what you want to give. Know what you want, know what they want, and you’ll be doing great out of the gate.

This dating imagery is completely appropriate

We’re not kidding. If you’re successful in gaining a grant, then you and your donor will become partners. You’ll be a team pursuing similar goals and moving forward in a union of give and take that aims to see both sides satisfied and fulfilled in a successful future. If that isn’t a relationship, we don’t know what is.

In any lasting partnership, the research you do before you even start one is a commitment in itself. Once you’ve absorbed this article and put it into practice you’ll be in the best position to start seeking a grant.

…and sometimes? You get a no even after doing everything right. We’ve all been there. If you’re refused a grant, don’t let it get you down. They may be playing hard to get or they’re just not the right match for you. There are plenty more Friends With Finance in the sea!

Have you looked into which partners may be right for you? In an ideal world there would be a passionate and people-friendly organization who would handle all your grant writing, report writing, research, review drafting and they’d – wait a minute, that’s us! We specialize in all that and more, and we’d love to team up and aid you in drafting the best possible grant request. You can reach us by phone, fax, email or contact form right here.