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Panning for Gold: Show Me the Money

By Lynn Bennett, Bennett Educational Consulting

Whether you are a non-profit organization, a social service agency, or an educational institution, you are always on the lookout for funding to support new and ongoing initiatives. At the same time, both public and private grantors are looking for projects that meet their objectives. Finding the perfect match is the real challenge of grantwriting.

There is no secret recipe for successful grantwriting – one that will work all the time. The following recommendations are meant to improve your chances of getting funded.

• Never write a grant proposal solely for the money. Establish areas of need and be prepared to meet the deadline that comes all too soon.
• Know your prospective grantor! Research, research, and research some more! Does your idea fit the grantor’s mission and goals? Does the proposed project have a realistic chance of meeting the need?
• Read and understand the guidelines and requirements found in the Request for Proposal (RFP). Identify the key points -highlight, underline, star, make notes. Find the purpose of the grant - what it will and won’t fund. Locate the funding priority(s); criteria and scoring points; any special conditions or limitations; the specifics of page size, font size, line spacing, margins, page numbering, and number of pages. Become familiar with all components, requirements, and forms needed.
• Most proposals require a short project abstract. Do it last!!!! It is usually limited to one page or less to tell the whole story in short form.
• A well-documented needs statement is critical to your proposal. You should provide RELEVANT data - statistics and research-based support.
• Use the project narrative to more fully describe your program - goals, objectives, strategies, activities, management/staffing, and evaluation strategies. ALWAYS organize your application in the order presented in the RFP. Don’t make the reviewer have to search to find out what you plan to do.
1. A goal is broad statement of desired outcome of the project based on the needs statement. There should be 3-5 goals for a project.
2. An objective is specific and measurable - avoid the word “ALL” unless you are sure it can be achieved.
3. Describe the activities that will be conducted. Be as specific as possible to demonstrate a well-developed concept. Each activity should be correlated to a goal/objective. You should have a timeline, which is a detailed plan for when each activity will occur and indicate who will be responsible for it. For each activity there should be benchmarks/indicators such as a significant event, result, impact, or benefit.
4. The project management section of the narrative must demonstrate that you are capable of carrying out the project. It should include such information as the structure of the organization including its governance. For all project staff, indicate the position, title and name of the individual, a description of duties, the percentage of time spent on project - FTE (full time equivalent). If the person is not yet known, describe the qualifications for the position.
5. Most funding sources want to know how you plan to sustain the initiative after their money has been exhausted. Most grantors do not want to give money to a short-term solution.
6. The evaluation is an important component of most grants. It guarantees accountability in the use of funds. The plan must show that you can document successes/failures - strengths/weaknesses. You should indicate what instruments will be used to evaluate the project such as surveys, attendance, pre- and post- tests, or interviews of participants.
• The budget should use the budget form(s) provided with the grant application. Check your figures carefully. EVERY expenditure MUST match the narrative.
• The budget narrative provides a detailed description of each expenditure - tell what it is - at what price - for how many - and why you need it. Organizeto match budget forms.
• Top off your proposal with a concise cover letter. Always thank the grantor for the opportunity to apply.
• The appearance of your proposal matters! Check your spelling and grammar. Have someone proof the document even if you have spell check.

What else can you do to improve your skills as a grantwriter? Attend grantwriting trainings, read proposals that have been successful, identify an experienced grantwriter to be your mentor, or work with a team to develop a proposal. Remember that it is considered a good average if you receive 1 out of 10 proposals submitted. It’s like the old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed ...”

To contact the author about her next grantwriting class, email Lynn Bennett at lynnben@iolinc.net or call (304)842-4166.

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The Foundation Center: Founded in 1956, the Center is the nation’s leading authority on institutional philanthropy and is dedicated to serving grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public. The Foundation Center supports and improves institutional philanthropy by promoting public understanding of the field and helping grantseekers succeed. The Center collects, organizes, and communicates information on U.S. philanthropy; conducts and facilitates research on trends in the field; provides education and training; and ensures public access to information. http://fdncenter.org/

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Federal Grant Information
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The Grassroots Fundraising Journal
www.grassrootsfundraising.org

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- - - 30 SECOND REVIEW - - -

review by Lisa A. Tignor

Grantseeker’s Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Finding Funding

Cheryl Carter New, James Aaron Quick

This book takes the reader on a step-by-step journey through the maze of grant seeking.

The authors suggest that an organization prepare a mission statement and a clear objective before the search for appropriate funders begins. This allows organizational goals to be matched to the goals of potential funders. By narrowing the field of potential funders, a grantseeker has more time to find the most likely matches. Clearly defining what steps an organization will take to achieve the stated goal and how these efforts will be measured greatly increases the chance of finding funding.

Forms and worksheets included in the book allow readers to practice what they have learned using a real-life example.

Sometimes, knowing WHAT to do isn’t enough. Read this book if you want to know HOW.