Grant Writing Basics
“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.” ~Jim Rohn
Grant seeking can be extremely competitive, and whether you are relatively new to the field or if you are looking to increase your success and create better grant applications, these practices will give you a solid foundation to build successful proposals
Take Time To Do The Research
The first step any grant writer should tackle is determining the funders and funding opportunities that are available. A working knowledge of free and low cost foundation grant databases can be very helpful in this endeavor.
Reviewing prospective Foundation and grant funder’s 990s will give you information about their mission, programs, and finances, as well the accomplishments in the past year. This will allow you to determine which funders fit with your organization’s vision and needs as well as giving you the information to customize your grant proposals for the specific funder you are seeking a grant from.
There are different approaches to grant writing, but including both your broad overarching objectives as well as the targeted plan of action and specific goals will give you the best chance to win funding. You will also need to do the internal organizational research necessary to state your objectives in a measurable fashion, specify the results of an activity, identify your targeted audience or community, and show how you will attain the results within the grant period.
Another important factor that could help you in your grant seeking opportunities would be to research and utilize the connections of your volunteers and board members. Grant seeking is highly competitive so going in “cold” is never the best idea. Searching out connections between a person at the foundation and a member of your board, staff, or donor circle can have an incredible impact on how your proposal is perceived. If you don’t have a connection, part of this process is to create one! You can do that by calling the funder to introduce yourself and your organization. Outreach can go a long way to warm up the funder to receive your proposal. Stepping your engagement off on the right foot can put you substantially closer to winning a grant!
2. Describe Organizational Capacity
A powerful grant proposal will pique the reader’s interest and keep them reading. The Organizational Capacity (also called Organizational Description ) section of any grant should illustrate that if funded, your organization can carry out the intended plan for the grant funds. There are several important factors to include such as your organization’s history and a brief outline of past successes, especially if they relate to the current proposal. It is also imperative to spotlight your ability to manage grant funds and show budgetary results if possible. You should highlight how you understand and plan for organizational limitations in order to communicate a more complete picture. It is important to include things such as how you leverage organizational operating costs, donations, match funds, and what your programmatic strengths are.
3. Program Planning
The quality of your grant proposal depends on the quality of the program you have created or will create, so making a plan is critical. The most obvious area your program planning should address is the current community/organizational need and any local or national gaps in service. This allows your reader to visualize the need and acknowledge the insufficiency of the status quo. A powerful way to enhance your program is to connect proposals to other strategic development initiatives, whether they are within your organization or your community. Collaborations, as long as they are appropriate and helpful to reach your objective, will make your proposal stronger by demonstrating reflective, thoughtful, and collective planning.
As you go through the process of creating your plan, be sure to clearly and concisely describe project activities. Connect those activities to the goals and objectives you have outlined and show how those goals and objectives will lead to the desired outcomes. Be sure to include how you intend to gauge the effectiveness of your work.
4. Evaluation Methodologies
Evaluation of nonprofit programs is necessary for several reasons, especially when applying for grants. It can help your programming by giving your organization critical feedback on if it works, how well it works, and how you can improve it. Funders require evaluation, whether a foundation, a corporation or a government agency, they will want to know if the project worked or not.
Consequently, your proposal must include how you will evaluate your project, when you will do it and how you will report your results. This should clearly describe your performance measures and if you make estimates of performance, make sure they are marked as such and build in a structured review and revision process – preferably one that is done jointly with the funder. Be open to seeking assistance with the evaluation process and offer both financial and programmatic results for your funders.
Data is vital! Always remember that data can be your friend during the grant time frame. Utilize data as you collect it to increase effectiveness and efficiency and deliver the results your funders were counting on.
5. Communication
Last, but not least, communicate, communicate, communicate! Communication is the most crucial aspect of any grant writing endeavor. Whether it is communication with your organization’s staff or the funder, your proposal will not be as effective as it could be without information provided in a timely and thorough manner.
It is always good to ask questions and clarify information, so you can reiterate the information throughout the grant proposal. You should also be sure to follow formatting guidelines and instructions, as failure to do so may result in the funder disregarding your grant application.
Once you have submitted your application, be sure you follow up and follow through. Following up with a prospective funder shows initiative and gives you another point of contact to build that relationship. If your grant application is not approved , be sure to touch base and seek direction on what you could change or improve in the future. If you are approved, follow through on your commitment.
Continue to keep lines of communication open through the entirety of the grant timeline. Offer occasional updates - especially if there are any organizational changes. Also, be sure you note your final report deadline and get that report in on time. Every time you make contact with your funder is another opportunity to build that relationship and increase the potential to work on future projects together.
