FundClass Archives: Ask the Expert: Grant Writing

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Amy

I work for a small museum/arts center in upstate NY (way upstate). I am interested to know if there is funding for promotional materials for art exhibits for organizations. Most of the funding that I have come across is for the individual artist not the organization holding the exhibit. Any

suggestions?

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Elizabeth

You'll need to do some research to see if you can find a funder that is interested in supporting your effort. It might turn out to make sense to broaden your request to include the entire exhibition, not just the promotional materials. A good place to start basic research would be a Foundation Center Library. Do you have one near you?? If you don't know, you can check out the Foundation Center's web site (which also has a lot more goodies for grant seekers) http://www.foundationcenter.org/.

Alternately, you might look for a printing company that would be interested in doing this for you in-kind. We just published our annual report - professionally designed and printed in four colors on high quality stock - all a gift from the designer and the printer. You'll want to give them credit on the back of the brochure and perhaps a mention on signage during the exhibition. I would approach them personally with a beautiful brochure design in-hand (something they would like to have as a representation of their printing company).

I do fundraising for a law school and have been involved in academia for a number of years. The university provides grant writing for us, so I have not been involved in serious grant writing for years. I am, however, a board member of a small Shakespeare Company that, because it offers free productions in the park each year, has a heavy reliance on donors and, more and more, on grants. We have no trouble getting the local arts council support and help from local corporate donors like Target, Mervyns, etc. But these grants are too few in numbers and dollars for even our small annual budget ($25-$30 thousand per year). There are a bazillion grants out there. How can we:
1. Best identify what type of grants would best work for us, and
2. Do we need a professional to write them (I have been doing the simple local grants)? TIA

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Elizabeth

John:

You might look to other local arts organizations and see who is funding them. Theatre companies are usually pretty good about recognizing their funders in their programs. You will probably find some local family foundations that are interested in funding the arts. Look them up on-line to start. If they don't have a web site, try a search on Google.com to see who is recognizing them as a funder. If nothing else, you might be able to find their 990 on the foundation center website. Those are a useful tool to find whom they gave to in the past and how much they gave.

I would NOT hire an outside person to write a proposal for you. I believe you would spend more time teaching them about who you are and what you do than it would take to do it yourself.

If you need outside help, perhaps you could get someone to do the research for you. Once they give you a list of prospects - check around to see if anyone you know has a connection with the family. Then that contact person or someone like you or a staffer should make the initial contact and get the ball rolling.

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Lisa

I have recently been asked to write some proposals for a rather large, very old Humane Society. Their Board of Directors is a nightmare (old money begets old money) and many of them have never set so much as a foot inside the actual shelter to see what is needed there. The new Executive director has asked me to write proposals for a much needed low cost spay neuter program as well as some educational programming for his local schools. The Board, however, feels I should be writing grant proposals to help them fund a major shelter renovation that they have planned and even gone through the motions of "breaking ground" for. The problem you ask? This Board is sitting on an investment account portfolio for the shelter that is worth over 3 Million dollars. No, that is not a typo for anyone who has seen or worked within a budget for a "normal" Humane organization. The "board" has also done nothing "extra" to raise money for this renovation, No Capital campaign, nothing outside their "normal" yearly golf tournament. They say they'll be working on it soon (I say it's a bit late in the game).

My problem is obvious, I'd guess. How to explain to possible funders that while the shelter is worth more than 3 million on paper, that money is NOT available to upgrade the animal areas, nor is it going to be "allowed" to be used to help fund a low cost spay neuter program. This need is great. The spay/neuter rate in this 7 county area is so low that this shelter alone sees 1,000 animals each month. Only 30% of these animals are either reclaimed or adopted, the rest are euthanized due to space constraints. It's only going to get worse unless the S/N issue is addressed fully.

Now that the BOD knows of my existence (although I cyber commute) they are demanding that I "not" write the grant proposals the Executive Director originally approached me to do, but that I write them a "renovation proposal" so that they can continue to hold their "assets" and get someone else to pay for the renovations! I have approached them (through a third party as they do not deign to speak to me directly) asking if they would be willing to do a "matching funds" type renovation grant, but have not heard word one from them regarding this since I proposed it over 4 weeks ago.

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. This is the first time I've run into this particular "problem" and I must admit I am a bit angry (for the animals in their supposed care) as well as professionally confused as to where my loyalty must lie in this situation!

I should also include so my signature does not confuse you, that I am one of two executive directors at a very small breed rescue as well (the BOD at the humane has no idea at all about that aspect of my professional life).

Thank you so much for ANY help or advice that you can offer me!

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Elizabeth

Sounds like too many bosses to me.

Since it was the Exec. Director who hired you, I believe that is the person to whom you should report. You might make that clear to any board members who are trying to circumvent the ED. It is up to the ED to fight the battle with the board, not you.

If you were hired by the board as a fundraising consultant, I would support your entering the fray - but as it stands, I'd advise you to take a few steps back from the "cat fight" and just try to do the job you were hired to do as best you can under the circumstances.

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Ron

Lisa,

Most of your concerns are difficult to address because we don't know the whole story of the agency, i.e. is the $3,000,000 an endowment or set aside by the Board for a particular reason. I agree with the other responder that you need to get clarity about who you report to. A grants writer shouldn't be caught in the middle of a power struggle between the board and the E.D.

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Thomasin

Thank you for leading this discussion!

We are a municipal water agency with a wide variety of funding needs, many of which fall outside the limits of currently available government funding (as far as I know!). Projects for which I would like to investigate funding include smaller projects such as defibrillators for our watershed ranger trucks, educational programs and nature trails on our watershed lands, landscaping around our facilities, fixing up our picnic areas and hiking trails, removal of invasive weed species from the watershed, conservation programs, low water-use plant workshops, etc. At the other extreme, there are the huge, multimillion-dollar projects - what if we decide to build a desalination plant, for example? Or, what if we decide to expand our recycled water plant?

Have you any particular advice regarding approaching private foundations for some of our "smaller" projects? My concern is that, since we are a public agency, private foundations might be reluctant to fund us, thinking that funds should come from water sales revenue. In fact, these projects are all "extras" - they're not required in order to supply drinking water, so we do not have money in our budget. However, they are worthwhile, good things to do for the safety and recreational enjoyment of our Marin County residents, as well as projects that fulfill our role as steward of our watershed lands.

Regarding the huge projects.....where does one start? The word "lobbying" drifts through my office, but I'm not sure what that really means, or how to begin! [However, I do know I better begin doing something now, or time will pass, and I'll still be in the same place!]

Do you have any suggestions? Any hints or advice will be much appreciated!

Thank you very much,

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Elizabeth

I believe that you WILL have difficulty finding private foundations and corporations to support the Municipal Water District. Most funders restrict their giving to organizations with an IRS 501(c)(3) designation.

There are, however, loads of foundations and corporations out there who want to support environmental education programs. I suggest you partner up with a local school or non-profit and seek funding using them as the fiduciary.

I'd listen more closely to that "lobbying" talk. Get to know your state representatives and senators. Let them know your agenda. Get meetings with members of their staff. Try to help them see how getting federal appropriation for this project will make them look so good to voters in your area. With any luck you could get a federal appropriation in 04. But, you'll need to start this process soon.

You might be able to get state dollars - but that might be even tougher than federal money in this economy.

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Thomasin

Thank you for your response to my questions on funding sources for our water district needs.

As it turns out, this morning I was asked to develop a list of potential sources of funding for a desalination plant - from feasibility studies through design and construction phases. Any extra hints, advice or last minute thoughts would be most appreciated! Wish me luck!

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Elizabeth

Thomasin:

This is not my area of expertise, but I would think government sources would be your best bet.

Bet one of our fellow Fundclassers knows how to get the rfp listings from the federal government sent to you. (We used to get it at the University of Michigan, but that was too many years ago for me to remember what they called the thing, much less how to get it!) Any help here???

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David

The Grantsmanship Center has a daily review of notices in the Federal Register, http://www.tgci.com

US DHHS's GrantNet lists Federal sources, http://www.hhs.gov/grantsnet/roadmap/index.html

The Catalogue for Federal Domestic Assistance can be accessed at http://www.cfda.gov/default.htm

And there is rumor that DHHS is working on a one-stop web site, but I think it is still in the beta stage.

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Michael

David:

I think you're right; there are many sources of information on federal grants. I'm not aware of a single, definitive source, however. The Grantsmanship Center's service is good in that: 1) it's free; and 2) it's updated daily based on announcements in the Federal Register. As you note, various government departments and agencies also offer NOFAs (Notice of Funding Availability) through their web sites, print publications, and other means.

It's important to note the difference between the CFDA and the Federal Register. The CFDA is like the Sears Wish Book -- it lists everything Sears would like to offer, including some items that are discontinued, out of stock, or otherwise not available now. The Federal Register offers a daily snapshot, like a newspaper ad, drawing attention to what's on special today -- including, sometimes, an item or two that didn't make it into the last catalogue. There's also a "hurry -- while supplies last" quality to the Federal Register, too -- these deals (grant opportunities) are going fast, and there aren't enough to satisfy all requests.

Looking only at the CFDA might cause one to overestimate the number of grant opportunities. Looking at the Federal Register alone requires daily attention to detail, and often places one at a disadvantage in applying because the application timelines on some programs are very short. If you didn't know about it before it hit the Federal Register, you've got a lot of catching up to do to craft a quality proposal by the application deadline.

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Carlos

I am a new comer in grant writing. Three months ago, I successfully secured funding (Stg Pounds 37,000) for my organization to train senior police officers on Peace Building and Conflict management. (My first experience).

I hail from a poor community where three quarters of girls who join class one dropout at 14yrs due to pregnancies, lack of fees and forced marriages. Many end up into prostitution, child labor and marriages. The rural area has a population of half a million residents with no medical facilities, water, or roads. It has two primary schools and one secondary school (most students are outsiders). HIV/AIDS and STD's are killing residents due to lack of reproductive health facilities. There are only three university graduates (two are girls & myself). There are no diploma holders. There are churches around. There are many orphaned children not going to school and lack basic needs.

I feel responsible to bring HOPE and LIGHT in the area, at least support and protect schooling children, provide reproductive health facilities and self-reliant projects.

I work for Kenya Police PR department and voluntarily help nonprofit raise funds and not affiliated to any organization.

Questions.

1. I would like to know how I could get started? If to get an affiliation to an organization or funders can support this as a program and how. Do funders fund individuals with an acceptable program?

2. How do I look for funders?

3. What contents should I include in the proposal? e.g. photos of the area, statistics

4. Is it possible I can find a sample proposal for a similar project?

5. Who else should I bring on board to effectively succeed?

6. Any other insight that may help me.

I have a strong drive to improve the quality of life. Your advice will be highly appreciated.

Thanks,

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Elizabeth

Carlos:

I commend you for your desire to help others in your community and your initiative.

I think you will have a hard time finding funding for you as an individual. I think the fastest way to get started is to work with an existing organization. Is there an organization locally that is already doing good work? Do they have a strong program with proven results? Do they have the capacity to handle budgets and do their program on a larger scale? I know that there are many funders in the United States that will fund projects in other countries. You might also look to international corporations with a presence in Kenya. Search on the Foundation Center website as a starting off point. The prospective funders will tell you what to include in the proposal. You might look over a few guidelines to get an idea of what they might expect.

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Carlos

Hi Elizabeth and folks,

Thank your for your reply.

I guess I have to form an Education Trust to help and support girl child in my area since there is no nonprofit organization within my area.

Have any idea on how to go about it? What are the basic requirements?

I have also been thinking of coming up with a children's home where I can support orphans and school dropout. Any idea on how I should get started? I guess with the formation of any of these I will then use my fundraising and PR skills to raise funds.

I had informed you before that I secured funds for my organization's training program. We have implemented the first phase that cost 18,300 stg pounds and so looking forward for the second phase. I have prepared a review report on the training indicating the budget and project description. I would like to know if I should give it to the funders for briefing or wait until the completion of the project.

Thanking you in advance,

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Elizabeth

Carlos:

I cannot advise you on how to start up any sort of organization outside of the United States. Can any other fundclassers help Carlos?

I would make sure that you keep your current funders informed of your project progress. Giving them a copy of your report and budget would help to do that.

In seeking funding for stage two, I would definitely include the report and budget from stage one as attachments to your proposal.

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Priscilla

I would start by talking with these NGOs that are some of the ones that already exist in Kenya and ask them how they started.

The Centre for Governance and Development, International Commission of

Jurists-Kenya

Kenya Human Rights Commission

Kenya Land Alliance

Kituo cha Sheria

National Council of NGOs

Oduor Ong'wen (NGO council)

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Vivian

I work as a full-time, freelance grant writer and truly enjoy this work. Because of my "freelance" status, I work in a fair amount of isolation, that is, no colleagues to bounce the work off on a regular basis. Although I have been doing this work for years, I assume that there is always more to learn. And frankly, I would like my grants to be even more effective, lively, enticing, etc. I would also like to diversify or build upon my current grant writing services as one strategy to increase my income.

I have two questions for you.

Do you (or other of our seasoned readers) have thoughts on how experienced grant writers can enhance their proposal writing skills? (I did pick up Cheryl Clarke's "Storytelling for Grant Seekers" recently, but am not far enough into it to see if it will help.

I would like to hear your thoughts about how grant writers can diversify their services. What other services are natural extensions of our grants work with clients? I have thought of one possibility so far.

I frequently am asked to meet with client prospects (board and staff) to discuss grant writing for them. It usually turns into a free consultation on what is involved for them to do successful grant writing. So I may offer this service for a fee in the future: "How to Get Ready for Grant Writing" or "Are you Ready for Grant Writing", or some such title.

Looking forward to your thoughts

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Elizabeth

I believe you might be able to generate more income by offering those services. Although I've never worked as a freelancer, I would guess that you are often brought in to seek funding to a project or program only to discover that the organization doesn't have the idea fleshed out enough for you to start writing. You might be able to sell your services as a grant team leader so you can work with their program/finance folks and help them to get ready that way.

You also asked about improving your skills. I personally disagree with the notion that the key to a successful proposal is that it is written in a style that is "lively and enticing". Since you've been doing this for years, you are perhaps just fine-tuning your style, but I'm sure you would agree, that the most important thing in your proposals is clarity.

Their discussion is often along the lines of "I don't see that they are addressing issue X", "I don't see any mention of X component (described in the narrative) in their budget", or "I don't see any supporting evidence for X".

Although lots of grants are given because of prior relationships, positive publicity, etc. Most of the large foundations and almost all government entities fund proposals that follow their guidelines to clearly articulate strong programs that meet their goals.

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Tara

I would like to ask your advice. I am not sure how best to come across when approaching potential funders. I know I have to put our cause and goals in the limelight, but I don't want to seem pushy or needy.

I get appeals from charities in the mail, and sometimes I end up giving to the charity IN SPITE OF their, well, sappy appeal with pictures of lonely puppies all over it. :) I already know their cause is worthy. Now, I know these letters are different from detailed grant applications with budgets. But does material written in such a tone catch the attention of grant makers and foundations? How much is appropriate?

I am concerned that to "just be ourselves" -- clearly state our mission, current project, intended audience, budget -- is not enough. Perhaps you could suggest some writing techniques to help us show funders that we truly are unique.

Thank you very much for your help and donated time!

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Elizabeth

Tara:

When you submit grant proposals you should explain clearly why your project is important. If they have guidelines, they probably include questions along this line. Since you are with an arts organization, you are probably already approaching funders who support the arts, but you will still have to make your case.

I searched through my stuff to find the sappiest need statement I've ever written, to give you an example of over-the-top. But once you get past the first few paragraphs it contains more typical language for a general needs statement for an institution such as ours.

The city of Detroit is about to celebrate its 300th birthday, but not without showing her age. The city is well past her prime. Back in the 19 s Detroit was indeed "roaring" as the major automobile manufacturers and suppliers sprouted up in the city drawing throngs of workers from across the United States. Today the tired remains of this hey day echo through the myriad of abandoned houses and shuttered factories. Having lost much of the most affluent 1/3 of its population to its suburbs in the last half-century, the city government has struggled in its attempts to dismantle the ever-increasing evidence of urban blight. Yet, Detroit is far from unique. Aging urban areas throughout the United States face similar problems.

What concerns us here at the Detroit Science Center is the discouraging effect this environment has on the children and youth who are born and raised in the confines of such a city.

Detroit is a striking example of untapped potential. One out of every five graduate engineers in the United States lives in southeast Michigan. Making this region one of the largest centers for technology and scientific innovation in the world. Yet, here in the heart of the mid-west, corporations are forced to import a vast number their scientists and engineers from other countries or - in far too many cases

These lucrative positions go completely unfilled. It is sadly ironic that, in times such as these, the city of Detroit still retains one of the highest youth poverty rates in the nation and its students have one of the lowest science proficiency ratings in the state. More than 85% of Detroit students are members of racial minorities - a population significantly underrepresented in science and engineering professions. Without intervention, the probability that these children will grow up to become scientists or engineers is very low. The science and technology sector holds a bright future for our nation's urban children - but only if we prepare the students of today to become the scientists, engineers and discoverers of tomorrow.

In a time when the shortage of qualified candidates for positions in science, technology and engineering has reached a near-crisis and the science literacy of our nation's children (especially its urban children) continues to spiral downward, the Detroit Science Center's programs are needed more now than at any other time in our nation's history.

The Information Technology Association of America estimates that in the year 00 there were more than 843,000 unfilled technology positions for highly skilled workers in American companies and the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment predicted a shortfall of 700,000 scientists and engineers. This shortage becomes alarming when current educational trends show that we are not cultivating a new generation of scientists and engineers in our nation's schools. Three out of fourteen high school science teachers fail to meet the National Science Teachers Associations minimum certification requirements; and of the 24,000 high schools in the nation, 7,000 offer no physics courses, 4,000 offer no chemistry courses, and 2,000 offer no biology courses. Results from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement's Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) ranked twelfth-grade US students' performance among the lowest of participating countries in general knowledge of mathematics and science.

Of the world's 21 industrialized nations, 75 percent ranked higher than the U.S. in science literacy.

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Jennifer

I'm fairly new to the grant world and work for a small public library system. My position is basically half grant writer/half reference staff. So I am responsible for helping patrons with any grant related questions, and we do have many non-profit groups who use our library resources.

The "hot" question I have received lately is, "How do I write a proposal and ask for grant money from several organizations at once?" I know this can be done, but personally, I have not had to write such a grant proposal.

Any suggestions on how to help these patrons?  Any books, websites, and other resources that you can recommend would also be very helpful.

Thanks so much! I've already learned much from this class!

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Elizabeth

Jennifer:

You can easily develop a solid proposal and send it to multiple funders. But you must be very sensitive to their guidelines. If they need it presented in a particular fashion you will have to revise your request. Check out the Fundclass digest on Case Statements - these are the basis for generic proposals.

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Daniel

Greetings,

Some colleagues and myself are in the founding stages of creating a Modern Jewish Music Commission. We are, for now, operating under a Fiscal Sponsorship agreement with a non-profit 501c3. We are looking to procure a small amount (<$15,000) per year to support the commissioning of a composer to write a work and performers to perform and record the work.

We've started by doing some brief asking around different agencies, and we have some initial leads and requests for proposals that we'll be sending in.

Any ideas on how to proceed would be most helpful. Because we are an unallied group of people, it seems to be more difficult than it might be if we were associated with a larger and well-known entity, such as a department in a University, a well-known community group, etc. Has anyone experienced doing something like this to improve one's chances of getting a grant?

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Sandy

I spent last week at a nonprofit conference and heard Terry Axelrod speak about her Fundraising model: a step-by-step guide to building lifelong donors. I recommend this to you because she emphasizes getting multi year pledges from individuals for general operating funds! Having done fundraising for nonprofits in one capacity or another for the past 10 years, I was REALLY impressed with its clarity and simplicity. Of course it takes a lot of work, but I highly recommend checking out her website: http://www.raisingmoremoney.com, and seeing her in person if you can. There are books and videos available on the site and I spoke with several nonprofit fundraisers who have been following the model and who have attended the 2-day workshop, that has had very good success.

A reminder, which I know the person leading the class on grant writing mentioned, is that only 12% of money to nonprofits comes from Foundations, 82% comes from individuals!!!At one of the workshops a foundation said they like to think of themselves as the "venture capitalists of nonprofits"

- After the first couple years we better have a way to support ourselves without them!

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David

Thank you for conducting this class on grant writing. How important is it to have a VP or Director sign a letter of inquiry to a foundation? Can I, as the lowly grants coordinator, and the only real contact person, sign the letter of inquiry?

Here are some details; I am the grants coordinator for a small, rural hospital foundation in Oklahoma, and technically, there are no employees with the foundation, so I work for the hospital. My boss who is both a VP and the Director of the foundation, I feel, is stretched thin already and unresponsive to the needs of the grant writer. Therefore, I am taking the initiative to write letters of inquiries, etc. How important is it that I have a VP, the CEO, or the Director of the Foundation sign the letters? Would the Chairman of the Foundation Board work?

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Elizabeth

Well, David, I think it depends. First of all, before you send anything out you better be darn sure the V.P. is on board with it. I would do the "CYA" move and inform the V.P. that you plan to send letters of intent to A, B, and C foundation to inquire about funding for program X. Provide the V.P. with the list of foundation board members and state that you will mail the letters on a set date over your signature UNLESS the V.P. informs you otherwise. You may find that your V.P. already has a relationship with some of the board members, thus the letter would be better received over the V.P.'s signature. In general, if you are sending letters of inquiry to foundations just to feel them out - I think you are fine signing them yourself. I would certainly try to contact them by phone first, see if there is a possibility, then tell them you are going to send more info to whomever you spoke with so they don't toss it without a second glance. (You may find during your phone conversation that they have zero interest in program X. LISTEN to what they are interested in and, if you know your organization well enough, you can switch to program Y or sponsorship of the Gala Event or purchase of the latest heart defibrillator.)

If the letter of inquiry were a part of the formal submission process, then I would get the V.P.'s signature. I understand that you want to position yourself as the behind-the-scenes person, but anything more formal I believe should come from the V.P. after you've done all your behind-the-scenes work.

Hope this helps.

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Elizabeth

Missed your question on how appropriate it would be to have the Chairman of the Foundation sign the letters.

If that person is willing, I think that might even be the BEST person to sign formal letters. I'd bounce the board lists off of the Chairperson as well. If you have folks in your organization who know one or more of the funder's board members, they can appeal to them on a peer-to-peer level and increase your chances of success.

Your Chairman might be miffed at you if they find out from their golf partner that, unbeknownst to them, you've sent something to the foundation their buddy is affiliated with.

Now I know it is sometimes impractical, but with your foundation being small and from this rural community, I would think there is a pretty good chance that some of your top people know some of the funder's top people.

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Deanna

I'm relatively new to development and am searching for a source of additional training when it comes to grant writing. While this conversation has been incredibly helpful, I think an online, correspondence or traditional classroom course might be a good starting place.

I'm looking for a course that costs under $300 where I can get not only the basics, but also some advanced insight and practical training as well. Does anyone have recommendations for good grant writing course resources?? If it is a classroom program, please keep in mind that I am based in Minnesota and have no travel budget.

Thank you in advance for your direction.

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Diane

Hello,

I'm the Program Coordinator for continuing education classes at a small community college in NY. You may want to check out our online grant writing class. It receives great reviews and it's only $79! The class is offered online through Education2Go http://www.ed2go.com/sunyulster/. You can be in MN and sign up for the class through any college in any state that is offering it. Hope this helps. Good luck.

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Elizabeth

Deanna:

The first courses I took in grant writing were through the Accounting Aid Society. I believe they are a national organization with local branches. You might want to check and see if they offer courses near you.

The Detroit Public Schools has grant writing courses for their teachers, which they also open up to outside organizations.  You might check with St. Paul's school district as well.

We have a non-profit in Ann Arbor called the NEW Center. Their whole purpose is aiding other nonprofits and they have lots of 1/2-day workshops in various aspects of fundraising. I've never heard of another organization like this, but perhaps you can ask around.

You might check out the Quest Center for Professional Development at www.questcenterbiz.com. They are nation-wide and do 4-day workshops to become a "Certified Grant Writer" and one-day workshops as well. I can't really endorse them as I just got a flyer in the mail from them last week and have never heard of them before. Also, I have never heard of this "Certified Grant Writer" designation - sounds like something they might have made up to sell their workshops.

Anyone else have some advice for Deanna?

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David

Don't forget the Center for Nonprofit Management. Oklahoma's Center is very active; in fact, I'm taking the Grant writer II workshop right now.

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Pat

Good afternoon,I am a recent member of this group and have been observing for a few months. Thank you for all the valuable information.

My question:

We are writing grants for the first time. This has been quite an experience and learning curve. What is the protocol for including a cover letter with each grant application? Most of the foundations supply a cover sheet; however, I am not certain if a cover letter is required or accepted. If yes, what should be included in the cover letter?

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Elizabeth

Pat:

I almost always include a cover letter with a proposal.

I use it to remind them of our recent contact with the foundation, remind them of how they have supported us in the past, remind them that what we do is what they want to support, and of course, tell them what we want them to fund.

I hardly ever do boilerplate letters because I try at least to know the people to whom I am sending the proposal. The letter gives you a chance to build on your relationship with them.

Here is a sample (to a funder who expressed, during a visit to our facility, a degree of concern that we were outside of their areas of interest, but she loved the facility and invited us to submit a request and told us exactly what we should ask for and how much we should ask for):

August 29, 2002

Ms. Carolyn Funder

Secretary/Treasurer

Consolidated Energy Foundation

212 West Anystreet Avenue

Anycity, MI 49201

Dear Ms. Funder:

As you saw during your visit last month, The New Detroit Science Center is an exciting addition to Michigan's educational and cultural offerings. While our new venue is certainly impressive, perhaps it is what happens "behind the scenes" which links us most closely to the interests of the Consumer's Energy Foundation:

* The New Detroit Science Center served nearly 500,000 children and family members in our first year of operations including an estimated 250,000 - 300,000 individuals from Consumers Energy service areas.

* The New Detroit Science Center serves an incredibly diverse population from across the state - providing much needed learning opportunities to children who, based on race or economic circumstances, are less likely to pursue careers in science, technology, and engineering.

* The New Detroit Science Center has strong, on-going partnerships with the East Central Michigan Education Consortium and school districts throughout metro Detroit to develop and implement ways in which we can use our new facility to support existing science education in grades K-12 and lead the way to future educational reform.

* The New Detroit Science Center works in partnership with DAPCEP (Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program) to develop and implement intensive engineering-focused programs utilizing new Science Center exhibits. These programs are already proving to have a significant impact on student learning.

* The New Detroit Science Center is a boon to Michigan's Economy, not only through our current budget of $5.7M annually, but also from the additional dollars generated through tourism.

We appreciate the faith Consumers Energy has shown in the Detroit Science Center in the past and hope you will help to build the Detroit Science Center's future with a capital gift of $25,000.

Sincerely,

Ima Boss

President & CEO

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Charlie

Dear Pat:

It has been my experience that it is best to meet the grant maker personally before you apply. At that meeting they will let you know if they want a cover letter. Some foundations find it a nuisance but if in doubt, send one reminding them of your visit and thanking them for their time. In cases where you have not had the opportunity to meet them or at least call, send a short cordial one stating your goal. It is important to appear professional in your cover letter.

Hope this helps.

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Robin

How do you get to meet the grant maker before applying? Is it best to find the ones that seem to fit and then just call them? If you don't know anyone there, whom do you ask for? Do they want these calls or would they rather get letters of inquiry? How do you meet the people you want to start building these relationships with?

Thanks for any replies.

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Elizabeth

Robin:

YES, yes, yes!You find the ones that seem to fit and CALL THEM. Look in a foundation directory for your state (one of the best investments you can make - runs about $40.00 I think) and they will list the phone numbers of most foundations.  If they list their number, they expect to receive calls. BEFORE you call, know your stuff (see the reply to Barbara) so you aren't caught off guard. AND be prepared to change tactics in case they don't want to support program X, but might be interested in program Y, or a capital gift, or an event sponsorship. Know your organizations needs before you call. Remember, it is their job (or hobby) to give away money. It is your job to find the people who want to give their money away for the things that your organization does and then make the case for them that you are doing the things they want to support. If you do your job well, you will be building long-term relationships with these folks.

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Rona

Can you briefly outline what you think is the best format for a grant proposal? The one that I use goes something like this:

1. Executive summary (with funding request)

2. Need statement

3. Org Goals and major accomplishments

4. Project goals (and major accomplishments, if applicable)

5. Project descriptions

6. Timeline and plan for evaluation

7. Attachments, including budget and budget narrative, financial reports, etc.

Any thoughts?

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Elizabeth

That looks good to me Rona. The only suggestion I might make is that you might swap the order of #2 and #3 - that is assuming the Project is addressing the Need. That way you are giving them an overall view of the organization, then telling them about a community problem that exists, then telling them how your program goals help alleviate that problem.

The MOST important thing to keep in mind when preparing a proposal is to give the funder what they want. If they have guidelines - follow them! Too often grant writers write a proposal then ship it off to their top 20 prospects and sit back and wait for the money to roll in. While this can OCCASIONALLY work, you are still doing yourself a disservice because you are taking the huge chance of turning OFF a bunch of good prospects by ignoring their wishes!

Fundraising is hard work!

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Barbara

Raising hand. May I interject? I don't know if all states use the Common Grant Application or if it's unique to Michigan, but here is a website that has the format. http://www.cmif.org/grantseeker.htm. It's an Adobe PDF file. You can click on "Common Grant Application Form" on the right hand side or double click this link. http://www.cmif.org/commap98.pdf

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Elizabeth

Thanks for sending this link - I was actually looking for it last week. The Common Grant application is a good example of what a funder might like to see.

I also think it might be a good tool to use to see if you are READY to seek funding for a program or organization. Get the program and finance folks to answer the questions on the common grant application - and you are in a much better position to speak to funders about your program