You are sorting the day’s mail when you come across an envelope from the XYZ foundation that you sent a proposal to three months ago. You had already wondered twice this week when you would hear back from them. You eagerly rip open the envelope, and unfold the creased three-page letter. Great news-your organization has been awarded the grant! In the amount of… Hey, wait a minute. This is only for half the amount that we asked for. What is going on? What are we supposed to do with half the money-give half of a meal or half of a winter coat to our clients?
Why would they do this you might ask? The fact is that many times foundations and other funding agencies do not award all of the grant funds that you need for a project. The hard truth is that you need to submit grant applications to more than one funder for the same project.
Funders are not out to shake your world up. Typically, they have several focus areas (such as education or youth development) that they are trying to promote change in as well as funding multiple organizations. I read recently that many foundations can only fund approximately 5-10% of the grant requests that they receive. One way of helping more people is giving yours and other organizations a lesser amount than requested. Funders expect you to work collaboratively with other organizations including other funders. The more community support that an organization has, the more stable they will appear. The old saying “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket” applies to both funders and the organizations they support. You want more than one donor for your project.
Even though it might not feel like it at the time, getting less funding than you asked for is really a great opportunity to create a relationship with a new funder or build on an existing relationship with a current funder.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
The Grant Contract
You have gone through months of planning, researching and writing your proposal to the funder. After weeks or even months of waiting for a response, the day's mail brings you the envelope you have been waiting for. Encouraged because it seems thicker than the typical one page denial letter, you eagerly rip open the envelope. Your heart beats with joy as you quickly scan the document that explains how your beloved funder has decided to give life to your project with their generous funds. You thumb through the rest of the document. Wait…what is the rest of this information? A contract, this sounds serious. Your pulse slows and breathing may seem a little more labored as you read several pages of lingo that must have taken a team of lawyer’s years to develop. Do not fear. For many foundations and all government agencies, the grant contract is a standard business procedure.
This contract may spell out the precise terms of the award. Some of the components may include allowable expenditures, specific reporting requirements, expected deliverables (Program outcomes) preferred recognition/publicity methods and much more. Study this document before you sign and return it to the funder. Make sure you are able to do exactly what is required.
If there have been program changes since you submitted your proposal, now is the time to call and discuss them with your funder-before you sign the legally binding grant contract and send it back to the funder.
Not every funder requires a signed contract when awarding a grant. Each contract will vary based on the funding organizations requirements. If a funder requires a contract, typically the check will be sent after you return the signed contract. Look at everything very closely, and if you have questions, call your contact person at the funding agency.
This contract may spell out the precise terms of the award. Some of the components may include allowable expenditures, specific reporting requirements, expected deliverables (Program outcomes) preferred recognition/publicity methods and much more. Study this document before you sign and return it to the funder. Make sure you are able to do exactly what is required.
If there have been program changes since you submitted your proposal, now is the time to call and discuss them with your funder-before you sign the legally binding grant contract and send it back to the funder.
Not every funder requires a signed contract when awarding a grant. Each contract will vary based on the funding organizations requirements. If a funder requires a contract, typically the check will be sent after you return the signed contract. Look at everything very closely, and if you have questions, call your contact person at the funding agency.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Capturing Data
Once upon a time, a level headed grant-writer worked night and day to help his organization receive the funding they needed for its programs. He wrote strong needs statements, helped create reasonable goals and objectives, and a nice evaluation plan. Everything was perfect. The generous funders delightfully gave their grant dollars to help the wonderful people he described in his proposals.
The level headed grant-writer smugly put his feet up on his desk and crossed his arms behind his head feeling very satisfied with himself. He knew all was well in the world. As soon as that thought flashed through his mind, he remembered that the work had only just begun. He knew that now they would have to do what they said they would do and report their progress at appropriate intervals.
Reporting requirements vary from funder to funder, but all funders will want to hear from you about the progress you are making. They want to make sure they have invested wisely. Some funders want an annual report, while others require a monthly status update. Make sure you understand what your funder requires, and that you can fulfill their reporting expectations before you cash their check.
Determine what data is the most necessary to collect as you move forward for both reporting requirements and effectively evaluating the outcomes of your program.
It is prudent to collect appropriate data at regular intervals. If you run a homeless shelter, count the number of meals served daily as well the number of occupied beds each night. Tabulate the totals on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
If possible, try to have the program officer fill out a brief one page monthly report to keep you informed about the progress of the program. Do not wait until a week before the final report is due to a funder to look at your data. You cannot create data for an entire year for a report. This will make you and your staff very grumpy, and your funder will see right through it. In addition, you want to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of your program on a consistent basis so that you can make adjustments as needed. Consistent qualitative and quantitative data collection will help you to evaluate your activities and outcomes in a fair, honest manner.
The level headed grant-writer smugly put his feet up on his desk and crossed his arms behind his head feeling very satisfied with himself. He knew all was well in the world. As soon as that thought flashed through his mind, he remembered that the work had only just begun. He knew that now they would have to do what they said they would do and report their progress at appropriate intervals.
Reporting requirements vary from funder to funder, but all funders will want to hear from you about the progress you are making. They want to make sure they have invested wisely. Some funders want an annual report, while others require a monthly status update. Make sure you understand what your funder requires, and that you can fulfill their reporting expectations before you cash their check.
Determine what data is the most necessary to collect as you move forward for both reporting requirements and effectively evaluating the outcomes of your program.
It is prudent to collect appropriate data at regular intervals. If you run a homeless shelter, count the number of meals served daily as well the number of occupied beds each night. Tabulate the totals on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
If possible, try to have the program officer fill out a brief one page monthly report to keep you informed about the progress of the program. Do not wait until a week before the final report is due to a funder to look at your data. You cannot create data for an entire year for a report. This will make you and your staff very grumpy, and your funder will see right through it. In addition, you want to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of your program on a consistent basis so that you can make adjustments as needed. Consistent qualitative and quantitative data collection will help you to evaluate your activities and outcomes in a fair, honest manner.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
What about the "Writing" in Grant-Writing?
Grant Proposal writers know that they wear at least two hats when writing for their organizations or clients. Writing and fundraising are two of the more relevant duties that a grant proposal writer performs.
The fundraising portion of a grant writer's responsibilities can often overshadow the need for excellent writing skills. As grant writers, we need to be able to follow funder’s guidelines precisely while telling a great story about the non-profit organization and the people it serves.
Funders want to know the facts. Each proposal must include quantitative data and the fiscal history of the organization to help funders determine if your organization will be a good steward of their funds. They also want to hear from you at a more human or personal level. This is where your excellent writing skills come in handy.
Put yourself in the place of a funder who is trying to decide whom to give its money. Read the following paragraphs. Which might look or feel more heartwarming to you as a funder?
Our program can help 50 women gain necessary job skills that they need to turn their lives around and be productive citizens that contribute to their families’ needs and society as a whole. Many of these women have had troubled pasts including drug addiction, prostitution, and abusive living situations.
OR
Our program will help 50 women from disadvantaged backgrounds to enhance their life skills. Women like Patricia, who lost her eyesight in her left eye due to an abusive husband's frequent beatings. Patricia came to us with two small children and one small suitcase, which contained everything that she was able to escape with. She feels fortunate to have gotten out of her abusive situation alive. Over the past six months, Patricia began working through the issues that brought her to our center. She sincerely desires to move forward, provide a stable home environment for her children, and learn the skills she will need in order to live a healthier lifestyle and provide for her children. Our center will continue to offer shelter, counseling and job skills training for Patricia and the dozens of other women like her.
The first paragraph does state important information, but the second paragraph grabs at the heartstrings. You want some of both in your proposal. You want to show the problem and how your organization's services will help the population you are targeting. In addition, you want to show how it will make a difference in the life or lives of others.
As grant writers, it is important to gain skills in writing as well as fundraising. To continue building your writing abilities, take a writing class at your community college or online. Last week I attended what was billed as the first ever-online writer’s conference. Much of the material covered was fiction related, but I still learned a lot and had a lot of fun in the process. You can also look for writing resources at your local library. Join a writer’s critique group that will review your non-fiction proposals.
Funders appreciate well-written proposals that are clearly within their funding focus.
The fundraising portion of a grant writer's responsibilities can often overshadow the need for excellent writing skills. As grant writers, we need to be able to follow funder’s guidelines precisely while telling a great story about the non-profit organization and the people it serves.
Funders want to know the facts. Each proposal must include quantitative data and the fiscal history of the organization to help funders determine if your organization will be a good steward of their funds. They also want to hear from you at a more human or personal level. This is where your excellent writing skills come in handy.
Put yourself in the place of a funder who is trying to decide whom to give its money. Read the following paragraphs. Which might look or feel more heartwarming to you as a funder?
Our program can help 50 women gain necessary job skills that they need to turn their lives around and be productive citizens that contribute to their families’ needs and society as a whole. Many of these women have had troubled pasts including drug addiction, prostitution, and abusive living situations.
OR
Our program will help 50 women from disadvantaged backgrounds to enhance their life skills. Women like Patricia, who lost her eyesight in her left eye due to an abusive husband's frequent beatings. Patricia came to us with two small children and one small suitcase, which contained everything that she was able to escape with. She feels fortunate to have gotten out of her abusive situation alive. Over the past six months, Patricia began working through the issues that brought her to our center. She sincerely desires to move forward, provide a stable home environment for her children, and learn the skills she will need in order to live a healthier lifestyle and provide for her children. Our center will continue to offer shelter, counseling and job skills training for Patricia and the dozens of other women like her.
The first paragraph does state important information, but the second paragraph grabs at the heartstrings. You want some of both in your proposal. You want to show the problem and how your organization's services will help the population you are targeting. In addition, you want to show how it will make a difference in the life or lives of others.
As grant writers, it is important to gain skills in writing as well as fundraising. To continue building your writing abilities, take a writing class at your community college or online. Last week I attended what was billed as the first ever-online writer’s conference. Much of the material covered was fiction related, but I still learned a lot and had a lot of fun in the process. You can also look for writing resources at your local library. Join a writer’s critique group that will review your non-fiction proposals.
Funders appreciate well-written proposals that are clearly within their funding focus.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Grant Writing- An Accidental Occupation
I fell into the profession of grant writing quite by accident. I had studied social work, hotel and restaurant management and ended up with a degree in business management. While working as a volunteer coordinator for a nonprofit organization in Northern Virginia, a grant opportunity with a very short deadline became available to the organization. The desire to be a team player and learn a new skill prompted me to actually volunteer to write this grant proposal. The organization was awarded the grant and a new career was born.
After several more years and a move to another state and work with another nonprofit, I was ready to become a freelance grant writer. Grant Consulting Services began in September 2000 out of a desire to serve organizations that help people in need.
The Market
The nonprofit sector has seen tremendous growth over the past decade. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics there are over 1,397,263 nonprofits in America-a growth of 28.8% over the past eight years. While as a group nonprofit organizations cover a wide spectrum of size, scope and mission, the vast majority of nonprofit organizations, in the United States are small, with fewer than fifty staff, and have a mission focused on service.
Nonprofit organizations provide a wide array of services from healthcare, education, youth development, homeless shelters, adoption, crisis response, services to assault victims and batterers and much more. Services are typically provided at low or no cost to the beneficiaries, so other revenue must be obtained to help offset the cost of providing services. Grant writers help to obtain a portion of that revenue.
Grant writing straddles two business categories: writing and fund raising. The proposals must be written exactly to the individual specifications of each funder. Even when a grant proposal is perfectly written it is not always awarded, in fact I have been told that only one in three proposals are actually funded. So it seems that grant writers and hall of fame baseball players have something in common; a baseball player can bat at an average of .300 and be inducted into the baseball hall of fame. A grant writer can get a hit on only one out of three proposals and be considered successful. In the fundraising side of the business: networking, who you know in the community and getting your foot in the door to speak to the appropriate funder can really increase your chances of success. Grant writers work with people at foundations and agencies and not necessarily with individuals like other fundraising professionals who spend the majority of their time building relationships with individuals.
Necessary Skills
There probably aren’t many grant proposal writers who decided that pleading for money was their dream job when they were 9 years old and relentlessly pursued the profession. Nevertheless, sufficient training is necessary to hone your writing and fundraising skills. More and more professional organizations and colleges are offering classes in grant writing such as The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University that offers a certificate in Fund Raising Management.
Many community organizations offer introductory grant writing workshops or seminars. Look for one that is sponsored by an organization that provides services that are of interest to you. For example, if you are interested in the healthcare field, check your local hospital to see if they ever offer grant writing seminars, or if you are interested in education, check with your school district to see if introductory seminars are available. Depending on the area you live in, you may need to look at a county, state or even regional level to find the right opportunity. The Foundation Center offers a great introductory course to grant proposal writing titled Proposal Writing Short Course that gives an easy to understand overview of the grant writing process.
A combination of different skills are needed for success in the grant writing profession. In addition to some type of professional training, grant writers have to have the ability to collaborate, write like there is no tomorrow due to the looming deadline, have excellent written and verbal skills, understand needs of different people groups, and convey how the program or project will help to alleviate the need. Working with other organizations or multiple people within the organization is essential to proper program development. All aspects of the program or project must be planned out prior to writing a grant proposal. The writing of the proposal is typically one of the last steps in non profit program development. Most importantly people working with non profit organizations need to have a high level of compassion and desire to help meet the needs of people who may be experiencing very trying circumstances.
Hanging out your own shingle
Grant proposal writing is a profession that is easily managed from a home based office. A computer with a word processing program, fax, cell phone/business line, and copier are necessary equipment. The majority of draft and finished grant proposals can be sent to your clients via email.
Some states require a grant writer to be licensed and bonded so check with your state and local governing authority to determine if you are required to be licensed as a professional fundraiser. Follow all other sensible and legally mandated business practices.
Nonprofits typically hire consultants by word of mouth, so your marketing and advertising should include a very heavy emphasis on personal networking. The Association of Fundraising Professionals has local chapters in major metropolitan areas that offer wonderful networking opportunities. Go to as many non-profit networking type meetings as possible and get to know the who’s who of the nonprofit organizations in your area, and make sure they get to know you too.
Article originally published in:
The Dabbling Mum™ E-zine
National Publication for BUSY Parents
July 17,2006 Edition
Copyright, Valerie Nelson, 2006
After several more years and a move to another state and work with another nonprofit, I was ready to become a freelance grant writer. Grant Consulting Services began in September 2000 out of a desire to serve organizations that help people in need.
The Market
The nonprofit sector has seen tremendous growth over the past decade. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics there are over 1,397,263 nonprofits in America-a growth of 28.8% over the past eight years. While as a group nonprofit organizations cover a wide spectrum of size, scope and mission, the vast majority of nonprofit organizations, in the United States are small, with fewer than fifty staff, and have a mission focused on service.
Nonprofit organizations provide a wide array of services from healthcare, education, youth development, homeless shelters, adoption, crisis response, services to assault victims and batterers and much more. Services are typically provided at low or no cost to the beneficiaries, so other revenue must be obtained to help offset the cost of providing services. Grant writers help to obtain a portion of that revenue.
Grant writing straddles two business categories: writing and fund raising. The proposals must be written exactly to the individual specifications of each funder. Even when a grant proposal is perfectly written it is not always awarded, in fact I have been told that only one in three proposals are actually funded. So it seems that grant writers and hall of fame baseball players have something in common; a baseball player can bat at an average of .300 and be inducted into the baseball hall of fame. A grant writer can get a hit on only one out of three proposals and be considered successful. In the fundraising side of the business: networking, who you know in the community and getting your foot in the door to speak to the appropriate funder can really increase your chances of success. Grant writers work with people at foundations and agencies and not necessarily with individuals like other fundraising professionals who spend the majority of their time building relationships with individuals.
Necessary Skills
There probably aren’t many grant proposal writers who decided that pleading for money was their dream job when they were 9 years old and relentlessly pursued the profession. Nevertheless, sufficient training is necessary to hone your writing and fundraising skills. More and more professional organizations and colleges are offering classes in grant writing such as The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University that offers a certificate in Fund Raising Management.
Many community organizations offer introductory grant writing workshops or seminars. Look for one that is sponsored by an organization that provides services that are of interest to you. For example, if you are interested in the healthcare field, check your local hospital to see if they ever offer grant writing seminars, or if you are interested in education, check with your school district to see if introductory seminars are available. Depending on the area you live in, you may need to look at a county, state or even regional level to find the right opportunity. The Foundation Center offers a great introductory course to grant proposal writing titled Proposal Writing Short Course that gives an easy to understand overview of the grant writing process.
A combination of different skills are needed for success in the grant writing profession. In addition to some type of professional training, grant writers have to have the ability to collaborate, write like there is no tomorrow due to the looming deadline, have excellent written and verbal skills, understand needs of different people groups, and convey how the program or project will help to alleviate the need. Working with other organizations or multiple people within the organization is essential to proper program development. All aspects of the program or project must be planned out prior to writing a grant proposal. The writing of the proposal is typically one of the last steps in non profit program development. Most importantly people working with non profit organizations need to have a high level of compassion and desire to help meet the needs of people who may be experiencing very trying circumstances.
Hanging out your own shingle
Grant proposal writing is a profession that is easily managed from a home based office. A computer with a word processing program, fax, cell phone/business line, and copier are necessary equipment. The majority of draft and finished grant proposals can be sent to your clients via email.
Some states require a grant writer to be licensed and bonded so check with your state and local governing authority to determine if you are required to be licensed as a professional fundraiser. Follow all other sensible and legally mandated business practices.
Nonprofits typically hire consultants by word of mouth, so your marketing and advertising should include a very heavy emphasis on personal networking. The Association of Fundraising Professionals has local chapters in major metropolitan areas that offer wonderful networking opportunities. Go to as many non-profit networking type meetings as possible and get to know the who’s who of the nonprofit organizations in your area, and make sure they get to know you too.
Article originally published in:
The Dabbling Mum™ E-zine
National Publication for BUSY Parents
July 17,2006 Edition
Copyright, Valerie Nelson, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
One Year Anniversary
It is hard to believe that I have been blogging for one year now on the topic of grants. I have enjoyed blogging so much that I began blogging for another organization several months ago. Those articles can be viewed at Families.com , and are written on the subjects of education and parenting. This assignment is more time intensive than this blog, as I have a minimum word count and must blog 5 days a week to meet the number of posts goal, but nonetheless it has helped me to write on a daily basis which is a good tool to practice in the profession of grant writing.
I was also recently published in an e-zine with an article called "Grant Writing-An Accidental Profession" describing grant writing as a profession and how I fell into it.
I am looking for ideas and reader suggestions for future blog articles. If there is a particular subject you would like to see written about please reply to this post or email me at Grantstuff@wowway.com.
As grant writers, we are often viewed as the red headed step-child (No offense to any red headed step-child) in the fundraising world. In the mix of writing professionals, I think we are not always taken as seriously as fiction or writers of other genres. In fact, I believe that grant-writing is another genre that needs to be practiced and developed like any other form of writing. We need to understand our audience and write to them utilizing personal stories intermingled with facts and driven by a need. We need to be able to convey a need to a potential funder in such a way that they are moved enough to provide funding to meet that need. Of course the grant proposal is not the only step in this process, but it needs to be written professionally while following the funder guidelines.
I was also recently published in an e-zine with an article called "Grant Writing-An Accidental Profession" describing grant writing as a profession and how I fell into it.
I am looking for ideas and reader suggestions for future blog articles. If there is a particular subject you would like to see written about please reply to this post or email me at Grantstuff@wowway.com.
As grant writers, we are often viewed as the red headed step-child (No offense to any red headed step-child) in the fundraising world. In the mix of writing professionals, I think we are not always taken as seriously as fiction or writers of other genres. In fact, I believe that grant-writing is another genre that needs to be practiced and developed like any other form of writing. We need to understand our audience and write to them utilizing personal stories intermingled with facts and driven by a need. We need to be able to convey a need to a potential funder in such a way that they are moved enough to provide funding to meet that need. Of course the grant proposal is not the only step in this process, but it needs to be written professionally while following the funder guidelines.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Making the Ask
Some people wonder if a grant proposal is the right place to ask for money, or is it better to give information about the organization first. The answer is-make the ask very clearly and succinctly. Also, it may be tempting to create a ten page document that gives heart wrenching stories and fabulous statistics that all lead to the crescendo of asking the funder to give money for your spectacular program; resist that urge.
The majority of funders prefer that the amount and purpose of the grant be spelled out in summary format on the first page of your proposal so that they do not have to through your entire proposal so they can determine exactly what you want. Don't make the person that might help fund your program and target audience dig through pages of information just for effect. He or she might just throw your proposal in the trash-just for effect. Foundations may get hundreds of proposals per funding cycle, so don't give them any reason to reject yours.
In some cases the proposal is the first contact you will have with the potential funder, so you want to give a positive impression the first time. Follow their guidelines perfectly, and don't be afraid to ask them specifically for what you want. Do not give ambiguous information such as: "Look at our website for further details", or "We will leave it up to you to decide how much money you want to give us toward the program." They won't take the time to look at your website and they will decide not to fund you with those wimpy statements.
Do your research and make sure the potential funder gives money to organizations in your geographic area, with your focus and within the range you are asking. It makes no sense to ask for $1 million for a capital campaign for a homeless shelter from an organization that gives grants in the amount of $5,000 for arts organizations. Always do your homework.
The majority of funders prefer that the amount and purpose of the grant be spelled out in summary format on the first page of your proposal so that they do not have to through your entire proposal so they can determine exactly what you want. Don't make the person that might help fund your program and target audience dig through pages of information just for effect. He or she might just throw your proposal in the trash-just for effect. Foundations may get hundreds of proposals per funding cycle, so don't give them any reason to reject yours.
In some cases the proposal is the first contact you will have with the potential funder, so you want to give a positive impression the first time. Follow their guidelines perfectly, and don't be afraid to ask them specifically for what you want. Do not give ambiguous information such as: "Look at our website for further details", or "We will leave it up to you to decide how much money you want to give us toward the program." They won't take the time to look at your website and they will decide not to fund you with those wimpy statements.
Do your research and make sure the potential funder gives money to organizations in your geographic area, with your focus and within the range you are asking. It makes no sense to ask for $1 million for a capital campaign for a homeless shelter from an organization that gives grants in the amount of $5,000 for arts organizations. Always do your homework.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
LOI vs. Full Proposal
In our acronym crazy world even seasoned grants professionals sometimes need a secret decoder ring to figure out the grant jargon. One of the more confusing acronyms is “LOI”. This three letter tyrant can stand for several different types of grant requirements.
A Letter Of Inquiry is a brief, usually two pages, letter requested in lieu of a full proposal by grant-making institutions as a screening device to determine if the funder might be interested in learning more about your program or project. Sometimes if the program officer or the Board of Trustees like the way you presented your program in your LOI, they will ask you to submit a full proposal with a budget, financial statements and all the other bells and whistles.
Letters Of Interest are typically the same thing as a letter of inquiry. Both terms are used interchangeably.
On a side note, did you know that Duilio Loi {born April 19, 1929) is a retired Italian boxer who held the Italian and European lightweight and welterweight titles, as well as the world junior welterweight championship. Loi fought from 1948 to 1962, and retired with a record of 115 wins (26 KOs), 3 losses and 8 draws.(Interesting fact found at Wikpedia.com ) Alas, I digress; back to grant LOI’s.
A Letter Of Intent is often utilized by federal and state agencies and is a required element of a grant application. Typically the letter of intent is due well before the actual application and lets the particular agency know that you plan on applying for funding under a particular RFP (Here is yet another acronym-this one means Request for Proposals). The primary reason that agencies may require the letter of intent is to try to determine just how many proposals they will receive, therefore ensuring they have enough proposal reviewers to judge your application.
The important thing to remember no matter if you are answering an LOI, or RFP-follow each individual funders specific guidelines and know your grant acronyms.
A Letter Of Inquiry is a brief, usually two pages, letter requested in lieu of a full proposal by grant-making institutions as a screening device to determine if the funder might be interested in learning more about your program or project. Sometimes if the program officer or the Board of Trustees like the way you presented your program in your LOI, they will ask you to submit a full proposal with a budget, financial statements and all the other bells and whistles.
Letters Of Interest are typically the same thing as a letter of inquiry. Both terms are used interchangeably.
On a side note, did you know that Duilio Loi {born April 19, 1929) is a retired Italian boxer who held the Italian and European lightweight and welterweight titles, as well as the world junior welterweight championship. Loi fought from 1948 to 1962, and retired with a record of 115 wins (26 KOs), 3 losses and 8 draws.(Interesting fact found at Wikpedia.com ) Alas, I digress; back to grant LOI’s.
A Letter Of Intent is often utilized by federal and state agencies and is a required element of a grant application. Typically the letter of intent is due well before the actual application and lets the particular agency know that you plan on applying for funding under a particular RFP (Here is yet another acronym-this one means Request for Proposals). The primary reason that agencies may require the letter of intent is to try to determine just how many proposals they will receive, therefore ensuring they have enough proposal reviewers to judge your application.
The important thing to remember no matter if you are answering an LOI, or RFP-follow each individual funders specific guidelines and know your grant acronyms.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
More On Following Those Rules
One of the more important yet simple procedures to follow when writing a grant proposal is to follow the funders guidelines explicitly. The majority of grant making organizations have set guidelines that they publish regarding the required contents for each proposal. Find out what those requirements are, get a copy and comb through line by line to make sure you understand what is expected. Many proposals are prematurely tossed out because the author used a 10 point instead of 12 point font.
The instructions for Federal and State proposals can sometimes be almost as long as the proposal itself. Before starting on a complicated proposal- read through the instructions first, then go back and begin to pick each section apart. At this point you will want to determine who on your grant team will be responsible for each required element. You can utilize a software program such as Microsoft Project, keep a running written document with each person’s assignments and deadlines or use a simpler method such as marking up with color coded highlighters.
Many times even small family foundations will have written instructions such as, “As a first step, please submit a two page letter of inquiry explaining the projects goals, objectives and attach a program budget.” You want to follow those instructions to the “T” as well. Do not send a three page summary with your full organizational budget, and your latest glossy annual report. If they need more information they will ask for it.
If the guidelines are non-existent, not clear about what to send and you are unable to contact a person directly at the foundation, then it is best to send less. If you can’t contact someone chances are the organization does not have the resources to read a lengthy proposal. You can send a short letter asking for their written guidelines, or submit a brief one to two page letter outlining your project, making the ask for a certain dollar amount and politely let the organization know you can provide further information should it be required.
The instructions for Federal and State proposals can sometimes be almost as long as the proposal itself. Before starting on a complicated proposal- read through the instructions first, then go back and begin to pick each section apart. At this point you will want to determine who on your grant team will be responsible for each required element. You can utilize a software program such as Microsoft Project, keep a running written document with each person’s assignments and deadlines or use a simpler method such as marking up with color coded highlighters.
Many times even small family foundations will have written instructions such as, “As a first step, please submit a two page letter of inquiry explaining the projects goals, objectives and attach a program budget.” You want to follow those instructions to the “T” as well. Do not send a three page summary with your full organizational budget, and your latest glossy annual report. If they need more information they will ask for it.
If the guidelines are non-existent, not clear about what to send and you are unable to contact a person directly at the foundation, then it is best to send less. If you can’t contact someone chances are the organization does not have the resources to read a lengthy proposal. You can send a short letter asking for their written guidelines, or submit a brief one to two page letter outlining your project, making the ask for a certain dollar amount and politely let the organization know you can provide further information should it be required.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Incredible Shrinking Awards
I have noticed an interesting situation over the past 6-8 months: With the exception of two grant awards, ALL of the grants that have been awarded to my clients recently have been lower than the original requested amount. Of course this does happen frequently and over the past eight years I have experienced the rush of receiving an award and at the same time the disappointment of realizing the awarded amount is lower than the original ask amount. However, the reduction in award amounts seems to be happening more frequently with foundations and corporate giving programs.
In my quest to find out why, I discovered that there is not currently a good answer. At first, I thought that I could blame it on the economy since it is a catch all blame basket for whatever is ailing the country. Then I thought that it was because more giving was diverted from the usual funding areas to help with hurricane relief efforts.
However, the latest statistics show that in 2004 giving increased by 5%. A report released last month by the Foundation Center noted that grants made only by foundation grantmakers increased in 2005. "Giving by the nation's close to 68,000 grantmaking foundations reached a new milestone in 2005. Estimated giving totaled $33.6 billion, up from the previous high of $31.8 billion recorded in 2004" (Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates Current Outlook, p.1).
So if giving is increasing then why are the grant amounts typically smaller? Several factors come to mind. Funding for the natural disasters over the past two years have only slightly diverted funds from other more traditional areas such as education, arts, and research. In addition the number of nonprofit organizations that need grant funding to operate has grown dramatically over the past ten years to over 1 million organizations in the United States alone.
Lastly, corporate and foundation assets have remained relatively flat or only slightly increased over the past three years. Foundations in particular calculate their grant budgets for the next year based on their assets from the past three to five years. When budgeting for 2006 many foundations utilized figures that may have reflected their 2001 assets. If you recall, 2001 was a tough year financially for many including foundations that lost millions with their investments.
More focused giving, higher competition for grant dollars and lack of perceived assets are part of the reasons why many organizations are giving smaller than the requested amount of grant dollars.
Next time, I will explain what to do when you receive a smaller check than expected.
In my quest to find out why, I discovered that there is not currently a good answer. At first, I thought that I could blame it on the economy since it is a catch all blame basket for whatever is ailing the country. Then I thought that it was because more giving was diverted from the usual funding areas to help with hurricane relief efforts.
However, the latest statistics show that in 2004 giving increased by 5%. A report released last month by the Foundation Center noted that grants made only by foundation grantmakers increased in 2005. "Giving by the nation's close to 68,000 grantmaking foundations reached a new milestone in 2005. Estimated giving totaled $33.6 billion, up from the previous high of $31.8 billion recorded in 2004" (Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates Current Outlook, p.1).
So if giving is increasing then why are the grant amounts typically smaller? Several factors come to mind. Funding for the natural disasters over the past two years have only slightly diverted funds from other more traditional areas such as education, arts, and research. In addition the number of nonprofit organizations that need grant funding to operate has grown dramatically over the past ten years to over 1 million organizations in the United States alone.
Lastly, corporate and foundation assets have remained relatively flat or only slightly increased over the past three years. Foundations in particular calculate their grant budgets for the next year based on their assets from the past three to five years. When budgeting for 2006 many foundations utilized figures that may have reflected their 2001 assets. If you recall, 2001 was a tough year financially for many including foundations that lost millions with their investments.
More focused giving, higher competition for grant dollars and lack of perceived assets are part of the reasons why many organizations are giving smaller than the requested amount of grant dollars.
Next time, I will explain what to do when you receive a smaller check than expected.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
More on Federal Grants
I am one of the few people, I believe, that actually enjoy writing Federal grant proposals. Now before you write me off for good, let me explain why. All Federal proposals that I have worked on have clearly defined instructions that explain in detail exactly what is needed for each section. Most Federal proposals are scored on a point system and typically the higher scored proposals are the ones that are funded. Usually the issuing agency is even kind enough to give you a rubric, which explains how each section in the proposal will be scored. For example under the target population section the rubric may show that 10 points are awarded for services provided to multiple ethnic groups, 5 points for services to one or two ethnic groups and 2 points for services serving only one ethnic group.
Perhaps it is because I thrive when I am organized, but I much prefer this knowing exactly what is expected of you method than to writing only two pages that describe the organization in detail and explain precisely what the organization will accomplish over the next three years with such limited word space. I guess I am a person of many words, as is the case with most writers!
Back to grants. Each Federal agency has its own criteria and instructions, which can sometimes be larger than the proposal itself, for their grant programs. The step after properly planning the program is to get a hold of the RFP or application and sit down with a nice cup of tea or java or whatever you prefer and comb through every word on every page while taking notes about action steps. After you are done with that, go back through your notes and prioritize each action item and create a timeline which assigns responsibility for completion of each action item for each team member. Remember that most organizations applying for Federal funding are collaborationg with other organizations. Keep in mind that you may need to obtain information from other agencies that have different ways of disseminating information than you are used to. Allow extra time when collaborating with others.
Now to the attachments. The Feds are particular about non profit organizations performing lobbying activites, discriminating against people groups, employing criminals and many other such pesky matters. Forms are provided by the government for the agency that is applying for the grant to sign and include as attachments to the proposal. These are pretty straightforward forms, just don't forget to include them.
The EPA in connection with Purdue Univesity has a nice grant tutorial that offers practical grant proposal writing information and a writing activity.
Yes, the Federal proposals are very time comsuming, can be emotionally draining if the program is not properly planned out, and can be donwright frightening for the first time Federal proposal writer, but the payoff can be huge in terms of dollar amounts awarded and people served through the program.
Perhaps it is because I thrive when I am organized, but I much prefer this knowing exactly what is expected of you method than to writing only two pages that describe the organization in detail and explain precisely what the organization will accomplish over the next three years with such limited word space. I guess I am a person of many words, as is the case with most writers!
Back to grants. Each Federal agency has its own criteria and instructions, which can sometimes be larger than the proposal itself, for their grant programs. The step after properly planning the program is to get a hold of the RFP or application and sit down with a nice cup of tea or java or whatever you prefer and comb through every word on every page while taking notes about action steps. After you are done with that, go back through your notes and prioritize each action item and create a timeline which assigns responsibility for completion of each action item for each team member. Remember that most organizations applying for Federal funding are collaborationg with other organizations. Keep in mind that you may need to obtain information from other agencies that have different ways of disseminating information than you are used to. Allow extra time when collaborating with others.
Now to the attachments. The Feds are particular about non profit organizations performing lobbying activites, discriminating against people groups, employing criminals and many other such pesky matters. Forms are provided by the government for the agency that is applying for the grant to sign and include as attachments to the proposal. These are pretty straightforward forms, just don't forget to include them.
The EPA in connection with Purdue Univesity has a nice grant tutorial that offers practical grant proposal writing information and a writing activity.
Yes, the Federal proposals are very time comsuming, can be emotionally draining if the program is not properly planned out, and can be donwright frightening for the first time Federal proposal writer, but the payoff can be huge in terms of dollar amounts awarded and people served through the program.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
The Maze of the Federal Grant Process
Getting that large federal grant sounds like the answer to all of your agencies problems doesn't it? That evaluation is not always accurate. Government funding, especially at the federal level, can be difficult to obtain, and just as difficult to keep due to arduous reporting requirements, program restrictions, and non-allowable expenditures.
First and foremost your program has to be properly planned for several reasons:
1. Typically Government Request For Proposals (RFP's) are issued and the deadline to submit the proposal is typically within 1-2 months after the RFP is made public.
2. The proposal itself is very detailed and time consuming. An agency can expect to work an average of 100 hours on each proposal, and that is if it is well planned out prior to the RFP release.
3. Generally Federal programs require that you work with one or more other agency to help serve a larger number of people. Cooperative agreements will need to be drawn up declaring which agency will be responsible for each part of the program.
Usually RFP's are issued at the same time each year depending on the agency. For example if HUD issues its SUPERNOFA in the spring of each year, you can usually count on it being released each spring. Of course you don't want to miss an RFP because of the short turn around time, so you can subscribe to the Federal Register, which is published each weekday and contains all rules, executive orders and grant information by agency. Another must see site is the Grants.gov website that allows you to review federal grant opportunities, and in many cases submit your proposal online. Online submissions are now required for many proposals, so if you plan on submitting a federal proposal, familiarizing yourself with this site will be essential. The Grants.gov site is much more user friendly than the Federal Register site.
Check out those sites and next time I will discuss the actual application process included the dreaded attachments in more detail.
First and foremost your program has to be properly planned for several reasons:
1. Typically Government Request For Proposals (RFP's) are issued and the deadline to submit the proposal is typically within 1-2 months after the RFP is made public.
2. The proposal itself is very detailed and time consuming. An agency can expect to work an average of 100 hours on each proposal, and that is if it is well planned out prior to the RFP release.
3. Generally Federal programs require that you work with one or more other agency to help serve a larger number of people. Cooperative agreements will need to be drawn up declaring which agency will be responsible for each part of the program.
Usually RFP's are issued at the same time each year depending on the agency. For example if HUD issues its SUPERNOFA in the spring of each year, you can usually count on it being released each spring. Of course you don't want to miss an RFP because of the short turn around time, so you can subscribe to the Federal Register, which is published each weekday and contains all rules, executive orders and grant information by agency. Another must see site is the Grants.gov website that allows you to review federal grant opportunities, and in many cases submit your proposal online. Online submissions are now required for many proposals, so if you plan on submitting a federal proposal, familiarizing yourself with this site will be essential. The Grants.gov site is much more user friendly than the Federal Register site.
Check out those sites and next time I will discuss the actual application process included the dreaded attachments in more detail.
Monday, January 16, 2006
So you got the grant, great! Now what?
You have done your due diligence and submitted the proposal and have been awarded the grant. Great news. Now you can relax right? Wrong! Your work has just begun.
Now you have to actually do what you said you were going to do in the proposal. Hopefully you set realistic goals, objectives and activities. You need to be able to track those as well as the financial expenditures. The most effective way to do this is to utilize some type of software. For the financial component you may be able to use your organization's current financial software such as QuickBooks, or Quicken. Whatever you have be sure to track each and every penny of the granting agencies funds. Creating a simple excel spreadsheet might be all you need to use to track activities. Use software that will give you the best ability to track your progress. You will need the information at a later date and it can be tedious trying to remember what you did seven months ago.
With the check you will probably receive an award letter that outlines when reports are due, how the funds can be expended and other important information. Review this letter immediately and store in a prominent place in case you need to refer back to it.
There should be an internal process in place to book and track the funds. This process needs to have the capability to differentiate grant funds from individual gifts or endowments. Often times funders will require you to place the check in its own separate account so that interest can be calculated and expenses made specifically for the program or project that they funded. Make sure your bank can do this for you.
After six months or a year, funders normally require an accounting of how you spent their gift in the form of a progress or final report. Since budgets are projections and necessitate educated guesses, sometimes the funds need to be expended in a different way than originally proposed. Some organizations will allow for a certain percentage of the total amount to be moved between line items. For example, lets say the funder gave $40,000 for salary, $2,500 for equipment, $2,500 for consulting and $5,000 for supplies for program X. The director of the program leaves the organization after six months. After two months without replacing the program director you have additional funds available in the salary line, while you have depleted the funds in the consultant line because you have had to rely more heavily on the consultant to meet the constituent needs. Let's say the funder allows you to move 10% of the total grant ($50,000), you may be able to move $5,000 from the salary line to the consultants line to defray the additional cost. Remember that unless the project or program completely stopped when the program director left, someone was doing the work. If another staff member took on the responsibilities of the program, he or she should be compensated with a portion of the grant funds. When in doubt contact the funder to find out what they will allow as far as line item changes.
This brings up a very important point-contact the funder throughout the course of the grant on a regular basis, especially when challenges arise. Invite the program officer to the event they are sponsoring. Send that press release to the funder even if it is not directly tied to the program they are funding. Send your quarterly newsletter, and annual report. You want to use every opportunity to market your entire organization, not just the program they are funding. Making them aware of other programs or projects that your organization is involved in may boost potential interest in those programs from the funder in the future. They may not have time to read the press release or decline your invitation, but contact has been made and that is important. It shows them that you care about their support. Of course, don't harass the funder by sending weekly updates, but don't wait until the final report is due to let them know about the progress that has been made.
A colleague recently wrote an excellent article called Stewardship: What Happens after the Grant is Won that nicely details the relational aspects between granting and recipient organizations.
Now you have to actually do what you said you were going to do in the proposal. Hopefully you set realistic goals, objectives and activities. You need to be able to track those as well as the financial expenditures. The most effective way to do this is to utilize some type of software. For the financial component you may be able to use your organization's current financial software such as QuickBooks, or Quicken. Whatever you have be sure to track each and every penny of the granting agencies funds. Creating a simple excel spreadsheet might be all you need to use to track activities. Use software that will give you the best ability to track your progress. You will need the information at a later date and it can be tedious trying to remember what you did seven months ago.
With the check you will probably receive an award letter that outlines when reports are due, how the funds can be expended and other important information. Review this letter immediately and store in a prominent place in case you need to refer back to it.
There should be an internal process in place to book and track the funds. This process needs to have the capability to differentiate grant funds from individual gifts or endowments. Often times funders will require you to place the check in its own separate account so that interest can be calculated and expenses made specifically for the program or project that they funded. Make sure your bank can do this for you.
After six months or a year, funders normally require an accounting of how you spent their gift in the form of a progress or final report. Since budgets are projections and necessitate educated guesses, sometimes the funds need to be expended in a different way than originally proposed. Some organizations will allow for a certain percentage of the total amount to be moved between line items. For example, lets say the funder gave $40,000 for salary, $2,500 for equipment, $2,500 for consulting and $5,000 for supplies for program X. The director of the program leaves the organization after six months. After two months without replacing the program director you have additional funds available in the salary line, while you have depleted the funds in the consultant line because you have had to rely more heavily on the consultant to meet the constituent needs. Let's say the funder allows you to move 10% of the total grant ($50,000), you may be able to move $5,000 from the salary line to the consultants line to defray the additional cost. Remember that unless the project or program completely stopped when the program director left, someone was doing the work. If another staff member took on the responsibilities of the program, he or she should be compensated with a portion of the grant funds. When in doubt contact the funder to find out what they will allow as far as line item changes.
This brings up a very important point-contact the funder throughout the course of the grant on a regular basis, especially when challenges arise. Invite the program officer to the event they are sponsoring. Send that press release to the funder even if it is not directly tied to the program they are funding. Send your quarterly newsletter, and annual report. You want to use every opportunity to market your entire organization, not just the program they are funding. Making them aware of other programs or projects that your organization is involved in may boost potential interest in those programs from the funder in the future. They may not have time to read the press release or decline your invitation, but contact has been made and that is important. It shows them that you care about their support. Of course, don't harass the funder by sending weekly updates, but don't wait until the final report is due to let them know about the progress that has been made.
A colleague recently wrote an excellent article called Stewardship: What Happens after the Grant is Won that nicely details the relational aspects between granting and recipient organizations.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Grant checklist for the new year
I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Mine was refreshing and relaxing, but now it is time to get back in to the world of grants.
I enjoy setting goals for myself, family and business at the beginning of the year. It helps me to stay focused and I am able to gain a sense of accomplishment when I am able to complete the activities and objectives that correspond with each goal. Grantwriters and other organizational planners can and should create a plan during the year to keep their organization's mission at the center of what they do. The steps to this planning process could include:
1. Work with your organization's key stakeholders to determine organizational priorities for the year. Identify the needs of the people being served by the organization. This will vary from year to year depending on both internal and external circumstances.
2. If a new program is being introduced, the key stakeholders develop a plan and formalize it in the form of a concept paper. If this is an ongoing program, the plan needs to be updated to reflect changes over the past year and anticipated changes over the next year. The concept paper could include the following details:
A. An overview of how the project serves the needs of the constituents
B. Goals, objectives, activities and tasks
C. Staff and equipment needed
D. A three-year preliminary budget (For new programs)
E. Outline of evaluation methods and/or assessment tools to measure outcomes
F. Post grant sustainability plan.
3. With the plan in hand, thoroughly research and identify potential funders. How do you know if granting agencies will fund the program? Know your funders. Start with the city or region that your organization is headquartered. Look at the areas major corporations, nearest community foundation, philanthropic families, and foundations. Many tools are available to research prospects on the internet. A good place to start is the Foundation Center. Check your nearest University, they may have the Foundation Center collection available for your use. There are many other resources available. Do a Google search to find one that meets your specific needs. Research as much as possible to determine if your program fits into their focused area of giving. If the funder is a foundation (Not a corporate giving program) look for their IRS Form 990 on Guidestar, which will give a wealth of information such as their total assets, previous grant amounts and sometimes provide guidelines to submitting a grant.
4. Don't try to fully fund a program with only grant funding. This is dangerous. Diversify your revenue streams with other types of funding such as an annual appeal, special events, individual donations, in kind gifts, and endowments. Generally speaking, only one in three grant proposals are funded. Be prepared to approach more than one potential funder.
5. Begin building relationships with the funder(s) whenever possible. Some granting agencies appreciate face to face visits, others prefer telephone calls or email. A colleague recently mentioned that more and more foundation staff prefer to correspond via email or letter as it gives them the ability to respond to inquiries as their schedule allows. Some organizations do not want to be contacted prior to submitting a Letter of Inquiry or full grant proposal. Follow their guidelines to the T! No use getting off to a bad start with someone you want to help meet your organizational goals.
6. Your program plan can be used to create a grant proposal based on the funder's specific guidelines. Some funders want a two page letter of inquiry, others want a ten page detailed full proposal. Again follow their specific guidelines. Having the program plan pre-written will be extremely helpful when submitting government grant applications. Typically Federal Government agencies only allow a one to two month turnaround time between when their Request for Proposals(RFP') are released and the grant application is due. These government applications can be extremely arduous and time consuming. Without a well though out plan the chances of being awarded a large government grant is very unlikely.
7. Work through the editing process and when possible include the organization's key stakeholders. Again follow those grant guidelines, don't forget the attachments such as your IRS tax-exempt letter and drop it in the mail (or email it if they prefer).
Next time I will discuss what you should do when you get the grant!
I enjoy setting goals for myself, family and business at the beginning of the year. It helps me to stay focused and I am able to gain a sense of accomplishment when I am able to complete the activities and objectives that correspond with each goal. Grantwriters and other organizational planners can and should create a plan during the year to keep their organization's mission at the center of what they do. The steps to this planning process could include:
1. Work with your organization's key stakeholders to determine organizational priorities for the year. Identify the needs of the people being served by the organization. This will vary from year to year depending on both internal and external circumstances.
2. If a new program is being introduced, the key stakeholders develop a plan and formalize it in the form of a concept paper. If this is an ongoing program, the plan needs to be updated to reflect changes over the past year and anticipated changes over the next year. The concept paper could include the following details:
A. An overview of how the project serves the needs of the constituents
B. Goals, objectives, activities and tasks
C. Staff and equipment needed
D. A three-year preliminary budget (For new programs)
E. Outline of evaluation methods and/or assessment tools to measure outcomes
F. Post grant sustainability plan.
3. With the plan in hand, thoroughly research and identify potential funders. How do you know if granting agencies will fund the program? Know your funders. Start with the city or region that your organization is headquartered. Look at the areas major corporations, nearest community foundation, philanthropic families, and foundations. Many tools are available to research prospects on the internet. A good place to start is the Foundation Center. Check your nearest University, they may have the Foundation Center collection available for your use. There are many other resources available. Do a Google search to find one that meets your specific needs. Research as much as possible to determine if your program fits into their focused area of giving. If the funder is a foundation (Not a corporate giving program) look for their IRS Form 990 on Guidestar, which will give a wealth of information such as their total assets, previous grant amounts and sometimes provide guidelines to submitting a grant.
4. Don't try to fully fund a program with only grant funding. This is dangerous. Diversify your revenue streams with other types of funding such as an annual appeal, special events, individual donations, in kind gifts, and endowments. Generally speaking, only one in three grant proposals are funded. Be prepared to approach more than one potential funder.
5. Begin building relationships with the funder(s) whenever possible. Some granting agencies appreciate face to face visits, others prefer telephone calls or email. A colleague recently mentioned that more and more foundation staff prefer to correspond via email or letter as it gives them the ability to respond to inquiries as their schedule allows. Some organizations do not want to be contacted prior to submitting a Letter of Inquiry or full grant proposal. Follow their guidelines to the T! No use getting off to a bad start with someone you want to help meet your organizational goals.
6. Your program plan can be used to create a grant proposal based on the funder's specific guidelines. Some funders want a two page letter of inquiry, others want a ten page detailed full proposal. Again follow their specific guidelines. Having the program plan pre-written will be extremely helpful when submitting government grant applications. Typically Federal Government agencies only allow a one to two month turnaround time between when their Request for Proposals(RFP') are released and the grant application is due. These government applications can be extremely arduous and time consuming. Without a well though out plan the chances of being awarded a large government grant is very unlikely.
7. Work through the editing process and when possible include the organization's key stakeholders. Again follow those grant guidelines, don't forget the attachments such as your IRS tax-exempt letter and drop it in the mail (or email it if they prefer).
Next time I will discuss what you should do when you get the grant!
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