Grant funding for nonprofits.
As
tough economic times continue, and donor support gets thinner,
nonprofit organizations will need to aggressively pursue
various sources of grant funding in order to stay afloat.
Tough
times also mean the competition for grant funding will
be fiercer today than ever before. The competition may
be stiff, but grant funding opportunities for nonprofits
are still out there.
Sources
of grant funding for nonprofit organizations.
Main sources of grant funding for nonprofits include
the government, corporations, and private foundations.
These grantors will vary greatly in terms of the specificity,
subject matter, amount of funding provided, and the
desired scope of submitted proposals.
In
addition, it may be easier for some nonprofits to win
grant funding in a recession than it is in a boom time.
State and federal government agencies have increased
their grant funding for nonprofits as a result of the
economic stimulus bill. The American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009 provides lots of new grant opportunities
for nonprofits of all types. Be sure to perform a thorough
search by going online to the government’s Web site
for the recovery act.
Searching
for appropriate grant agencies: Finding the right nonprofit
grant funding agencies to fund your grants can be a
daunting and time-consuming task. An Internet search
will pull up many Web sites where you can search for
sources of grant funding online.
When
using online directories to find grant funders, these
tips can save you time and effort:
- Refine your search criteria before starting. Relevant
criteria may include your key words, subject matter,
target audience, geographic location, or other parameters
that match your goals.
- Identify the type of support your nonprofit is seeking:
new program, general operation, etc.
- Look for grant funders who have an interest in your
specific subject matter, and who fund the type of grant
support you are seeking.
- Look for granting agencies in your geographic area.
Get
to know your prospective grant agencies.
After you’ve identified several promising sources of grant
funding for your nonprofit, start doing your research.
What are the grantor’s goals and objectives? How well
do they match those of your nonprofit?
Read
all the information on the grantor’s Web site, including
the types of grants they’ve funded in the past. Familiarize
yourself with their grant guidelines and make sure you
can supply all the information they request. Pay attention
to deadline dates.
Tailoring
your grant for each grant funder: Do not send the same
version of a grant proposal to multiple grant funders.
Instead, target your grant to each agency so that it
immediately captures the attention of that agency’s
program officer, or whomever will be reviewing your
grant. Craft custom cover letters that let the funder
know you’re knowledgeable about their interests, and
that your interests are a good match.
Note that some
sources of grant funding will request supplemental materials
to be submitted with your grant proposal, while others
will not. Government agencies, for example, often do
not require that grant applications include a cover
letter. Submit only—and all—the materials which are
specifically requested by the grantor.
Hired
Gun’s Grant Writing Services.Personal
attention, professional results.
We know how confusing and frustrating the grant process
can be, and that doing it properly means a lot of hours
that you’re not out doing your work. But we also know
how critical grant funding is for nonprofits. That’s
why our experienced grant writers are proud to offer
professional, affordable help for nonprofits throughout
the entire granting process.
When
you hire Hired Gun to write your grant, you get:
- Individual attention. Unlike big grant-writing agencies, with Hired Gun you get an experienced writer exclusively devoted to your case. We take
the time to learn about your organization and what makes your mission
special. We conduct extensive interviews
with your key staff, members and volunteers so we can convey your group's enthusiasm.
- Professional expertise. Writing winning grants takes
practice. Hired Gun’s founder, Becky Antworth, is an
award-winning writer and an experienced grant writer. She
knows what granting agencies do—and do not—want to see
in a grant proposal, and how to make your organization
stand out in the stacks of competitors. Though we can’t
guarantee our grants will get funded, we certainly believe
our experience increases the chance that it will.
- Complete, compelling, powerful grants. Our grants have
a well-defined objectives and assessment measures. We
incorporate historical data, illustrative charts and
graphs and statistical analysis for comprehensive, competent
grants that immediately capture the grantor’s attention.
- A grant that’s done on time and on budget. You tell
us when you want it, and we deliver the final draft for your review—on time and
on budget. It’s that simple. If desired, we will also submit
your grant and handle follow-up with the granting agency.
We’ve
written grants for submission to a variety of funding
sources, including: The National Science Foundation,
Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, The Wish You Well Foundation, SigmaXi Research Foundation,
The Dana Foundation, The Russell Sage Foundation, The
American Psychological Association, The Neuroscience
Institute and The Ferst Foundation.
Contact
us for more information
on our complete grant writing services for nonprofits
of all kinds, including a free, no obligation estimate for your next
grant.
 Read
the next article: How
to write a nonprofit grant proposal.
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