The Grantseeker's Answerbook

, by Drake-Major, Laurel; Ferguson, Jacqueline; Gershowitz, Michael V.

Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.

ISBN: 9780834217461 | 0834217465
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 7/1/1999

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Supplemental Materials

This newly updated edition provides detailed answers to more than 100 commonly asked questions about searching for grants, written by a group of experienced fundraising consultants.

Introduction

(14)

About the Authors

(3)

Getting Started

I am new to grantseeking and feel overwhelmed. Where do I start and how can I be successful?

(2)

When faced with all the federal, state foundation and corporate grant programs available how do we decide which ones to apply for?

(4)

What is the difference between fundraising and development?

(2)

Do you think gearing up for a capital campaign can teach you to be more effective as a fundraiser for other programs as well? How can I learn the skills without going through the campaign?

(2)

How do we link our organization's strategic planning with grants development

(2)

How can we use the media to enhance the effectiveness of our grants development efforts?

(4)

Building a Team

How do we set up in-house workshops to involve more staff in grant writing?

(4)

Is there a simple way to explain to our program staff why they do not get to spend more money than is already budgeted when we receive a grant designated for their specific project?

(2)

What are good ways of getting the program staff to give me the statistics and outcomes data I need when reporting to foundations/corporations on the use of their grants?

(2)

Our chief executive and board want to start a grant office, but we have not funds to do so. Do you have any advice?

(2)

Our organization wants to set up an effective grants office. Could you give us suggestions regarding planning and staff?

(2)

How do we brainstorm grant project ideas?

(4)

How do we disseminate information about grant opportunities throughout our organization?

(2)

Our organization has some very dedicated volunteers. How can we incorporate them into our grantseeking efforts?

(2)

How can we make the maximum use of our board of directors?

(2)

How should I handle myth-busting?

(4)

Our grants office receives more requests for help in writing proposals than we can respond to. How do we deal with these requests without discouraging our staff?

(2)

We have reached the point where we need some outside professional counsel in our growing development office. Money for a fundraising consultant has been approved. What should I do to find the best consultant?

(2)

Our organization has a foundation that fundraises for certain programs. How can our grantseeking efforts combine with the foundation's work?

(2)

Will the consultant be the initial source of contact for a potential donor? Is the consultant expected to serve as a solicit? Clearly, the role of the consultant is not to open their address book for clients

(2)

Should we eliminate the full-time grants position? What is a fair price to pay a freelance grantwriter on retainer, and what are realistic expectations?

(4)

How do we work effectively with local organizations to develop a competitive collaborative proposal and then manage the project effectively?

(6)

Developing a Proposal

As I sit down to write a proposal, what information should I keep handy?

(2)

How do we use the concept paper as a grants development tool?

(4)

Increasingly we are being asked to focus our appeals not on the broad range of services our organization offers but on a few specific programs that respond to ``hot topics.''

(2)

How do we strengthen the needs assessment in our grant proposals? What data and supporting evidence should we include?

(4)

Why has replication become so hot and how detailed must we be about what makes out program replicable?

(2)

Under the proposal guidelines, we need a collaborative organization. How do we go about finding a good collaborator?

(2)

Should I ask for funds for the organization as a whole or look for grants for the individual projects we have that address specific needs?

(2)

What is the level of specificity we need to include when writing a proposal for a bricks and mortar grant? Should our request include extensive detail such as blueprints, copies of required permits and evidence of financing or should we just focus on the results of the project?

(2)

We want to be sure of funding a special project, so I am developing a uniform proposal to send to foundations. Is it OK to ask each one for full funding? Do I have to inform each funder that we are also asking others to support the project? Once we do get a grant, do I need to notify the other funders who have not yet made their grant decisions?

(2)

When should you not apply for a grant?

(4)

Are there ethical guidelines that we can follow in developing grants?

103

(4)

Working with Funders

Can you suggest ways to approach foundations in person before submitting a proposal?

107

(4)

What should I include in or with our proposal?

111

(2)

We understand the importance of networking with prospective funders, but our organization is far from the major metropolitan areas in which most founders are located and we don't have a travel budget. How can we meet with funders?

113

(2)

We've set up some meetings with funders, but what questions should they ask?

115

(2)

I've heard that site visits with a program officer can be useful. What can visits accomplish, and are they worthwhile?

117

(2)

How do I prepare for a site visit from a grantor and how can I keep this from being too disruptive to the staff and the people we serve?

119

(2)

Are there any risks to the organization from going after ``gifts in kind'' donations?

121

(4)

Most funders ask applicants to state their project's goals and objectives in the proposal, but what's the difference between the two and how do we use them to explain what we want to accomplish with the grant?

125

(2)

How can we obtain copies of proposals that already have won grants and how should we use them?

127

(2)

Do you have any thoughts on making outcomes documentation less disturbing to our work until funders move on to the next fad?

129

(2)

What is the best way to write an evaluation plan for a grant proposal?

131

(4)

What is a qualitative evaluation and how do we conduct one?

135

(2)

Is there a fool-proof way to make sure a grant application gets to the funder by the deadline?

137

(2)

What can we do to get a grant if what we are doing is what the foundation says it wants to support except that we are off on one or two specifics?

139

(2)

A funder recently recommended our proposal for funding but determined the award amount at a level below our request. Is there an effective way to negotiate with the funder without putting the grant in jeopardy?

141

(2)

We want to review the literature in our field for a grant proposal. Where do we find the research, and how important is the information for our funding request?

143

(2)

What is ``project management'' and how can it improve our chances of getting funded and effectively implementing our grants?

145

(2)

Are continuation plans for grant projects really necessary? How realistic do the plans have to be?

147

(4)

Federal Agencies

Can you help us understand federal grants jargon?

151

(2)

We're applying for a federal grant that requires a 20 percent nonfederal match. Can we use foundation funds for the match?

153

(2)

Many federal agencies are limiting the grant application narrative to 25 to 30 pages, as well as restricting the length of the appendix. At the same time, more selection criteria are being included and additional forms must be completed by the applicant. How can we present all the required information with such page limitations?

155

(4)

Once we win a federal grant, how do we handle revisions in the budget and the project?

159

(2)

Why should I become a grant reader?

161

(2)

What are federal retention requirements for grants?

163

(2)

A current topic among federal funders is ``cultural competency.'' How do we address this issue in our grant proposals?

165

(2)

What's the difference between a grant and a contract? Can I get funds for my nonprofit through contracts?

167

(6)

Foundations

What are the steps to winning foundation and corporate funds?

173

(2)

Is it worth the bother of reading a foundation's federal tax return before approaching the funder for a grant?

175

(2)

How can we translate our experience in winning government grants into writing foundation and corporate proposals?

177

(2)

More foundations seem to be requiring pre-proposal applications before they will accept a full proposal. Why? Do you have any advice for the development officer who must make time for this?

179

(2)

Why do foundations give only to tax-exempt organizations and how can my organization obtain and document tax-exempt status?

181

(2)

Federal agencies provide budget forms and instructions with grant application packets, but many foundations do not a clue as to what kind of budget information they want. What are they looking for in a budget?

183

(2)

When foundations limit the number of pages in a proposal, can we include additional information in an appendix and would it help to do so?

185

(2)

We have limited time and money to invest in soliciting grants from foundations. If we have to make the choice, is it better to concentrate on regional or national foundations?

187

(2)

Many more foundations seem to be focusing on ``grassroots'' organiations these days. Will we now have to create spin-off neighborhood organizations in order to compete, or will new programs from an experienced, older nonprofit stand a chance?

189

(2)

What is the difference between ``in-kind'' and ``cash'' matching funds? How do we come up with matching funds for our grant applications?

191

(2)

We just learned that a community foundation exists in our city. What is a community foundation, and how are its interests and procedures different from other funders?

193

(2)

Our state recently established a foundation. How does it differ from a private foundation and how should we approach it?

195

(2)

After we submitted a proposal, a foundation asked for a financial statement. What are they looking for?

197

(2)

A funder recently offered us a challenge grant. How do those grants work, and can accepting such funding work to our advantage?

199

(2)

Do foundations actually read past evaluation reports on a project before deciding to fund a new or continuation grant?

201

(2)

We are having trouble winning a grant for a new project that is innovative but has tremendous potential. How can we convince a foundation that our idea is viable?

203

(4)

Corporations

What goes into corporations' decisions about which nonprofits to support? What can I do to interest corporations in supporting my organization?

207

(4)

Our regional, multi-service nonprofit organization currently has one business that offers matching funds to us through payroll deductions. Do you have any suggestions as to how we can secure additional businesses?

211

(2)

How do we make use of gifts from business sponsors? What must be provide to the donors for tax purposes? In our recognition categories, should we estimate the dollar value of these gifts or create a separate category for in-kind gifts? If we turn one down, will we lose the donor's future support?

213

(2)

I keep hearing that businesses are the best source of local money. We are currently planning a large fundraising event. How do we get corporate sponsorship for it?

215

(2)

Do corporations put a price on their employees' donated time and then consider that part of their total corporate gift? How do I increase volunteering by corporate employees?

217

(4)

Please suggest ways we can approach successful high-tech corporations in our area for cash grants to support our work

221

(2)

My community is home to several corporations, but none have foundations or standard grant programs. How do I find out if they will give us goods instead of grants?

223

(2)

Our agency serves a range of minority groups and women. How can we effectively move our proposals through corporate and foundation sources that appear entrenched in the old-boy network?

225

(4)

Overcoming Problems

We have heard other organizations describe catastrophic problems with their grants. How do we avoid grant ``horror'' stories?

229

(2)

A foundation turned down our proposal. What factors should we consider in deciding whether to revise and resubmit

231

(2)

A non-renewable grant for one of our programs is expiring at the end of the year, but the program still needs funding. How do we ask for renewed funding and what are our chances of convincing the original funder to continue supporting us?

233

(2)

We do not want ``hands on'' donors if they expect to tell us how to manage our organization, but we do need contributions. How do we prevent getting caught in the ``do-it-our-way-or-give-the-grant-back'' trap?

235

(2)

All the attention to volunteerism lately has increased the number of people willing to donate their time to my organization. Is there any way I can increase donations in proportion to the increase in volunteers?

237

(2)

As a successful, veteran grantseeker, how do I grow in my position and maintain my effectiveness?

239

(2)

When we ask certain foundations for funding they reject us, saying that they support education, not the arts. How can the music school improve its chances for grants from foundations when they categorize us so narrowly?

241

(2)

A foundation turned down our agency's request for a grant because we have an accrued deficit. How can we get a grant?

243

(2)

Some foundations seem to behave like bankers - they support agencies that don't need the money rather than ones that spend a lot on client services and consequently have deficits. Our organization falls into the latter category, so what can we do to reduce our debt and convince funders we merit their support?

245

(2)

How do we obtain letters of support for our grant proposals?

247

(2)

To show potential funders how important we continue to be to our alumni, we need to increase the number of alumni who give to the university, we need to increase the size of their gifts and we need to improve the consistency of their giving year to year. Any suggestions?

249

(2)

To follow up on your answer about turning more alumni into regular donors, how can a university subsequently move more alumni from annual donors of small gifts to major donors of sizable gifts, without a capital campaign?

251

(2)

We are a community-based nonprofit without a public relations staff. How do you think a development person should go about getting more press coverage for our activities?

253

(2)

We do not have a communications staffer and I worry about what would happen if a tragedy occurred on our premises or during the course of our off-site programs. What should we do in an emergency to control bad publicity?

255

(2)

Our agency received bad publicity lately due to someone gone awry. How can we prevent negative press coverage from becoming a grantseeking disaster? Basically, our operation is sound

257

(2)

How can we use interns effectively in the grants office?

259

(2)

Many people I work with have no respect for the competition for grants out there. I am constantly asked, ``Well, you wrote the grant, now where's the money?'' How should I respond to that?

261

(4)

Can you suggest a summer reading list for the grantseeking professional?

265

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The Grantseeker's Answerbook

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials