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For those of you new to grant writing, guidelines vary from donor-to-donor and agency-to-agency. As grant writers often say, “If you have seen one application, you have seen one application.” Keep this in mind as you read through guidelines.
Do you ever wonder if anyone at a foundation actually reads your grant reports? If so, you are not alone. Let’s be honest: writing a grant report can be time-consuming, frustrating, and stressful. But grant reporting is also incredibly important. So, let’s talk...
We get a lot of questions about how organizations could access private foundations that operate on a “by invitation only” funding model. It is quite common for private/family foundations to pre-select organizations they are interested in supporting.
You just received a grant rejection letter. Ouch! You found a great foundation prospect and did your due diligence. You even asked all the right questions to make sure your organization was a good fit. But still, your proposal was turned down. And with a...
Recently, we’ve been sharing our best tips for how to find well-suited grant prospects for your organization. But what do you do once you’ve got a list of incredible foundation prospects? Step one is outreach. When connecting with new potential funders, you...
There are lots of articles out there comparing grant research databases, but most are just lists of features. They don't tell you how different tools stack up with hands-on use. Which databases are easy to navigate? Which ones are clunky? Which ones save you...
When it comes to sustainability, some grants are better than others. Usually, your first grant from a foundation will be a one-year project grant. These grants fund very specific activities and often have limited overhead rates. This means most of the funds go...
Before you get worried that you are going to have to pay a fee or get a subscription to starting incorporating 990s into your research process, you can access 990s for free online.
If you’ve ever written a grant, you’ve likely encountered the dreaded “sustainability question.” How will you sustain this work after the grant term? Well-intentioned funders are looking to be sure the programs they invest in will continue after they write a...
If you’re a nonprofit leader, finding a great grant writer is like winning the lottery. These grant writers transform your organization’s programs into written materials that move donors to write your organization a check. All while freeing up your time to...
Grant research tools have become big business over the last two decades. Today, there are several competing paid databases you can subscribe to. But not everyone has the budget to spend on a database and a staff member to navigate it. That’s where free grant research...
When setting out to build organizational capacity, one of the first challenges nonprofit leaders face is how to pay for it. In the long run, added capacity often pays for itself—whether through greater impact, efficiency, or direct fundraising capacity. But in...
Grant research is not as simple as sitting down and searching for one keyword, phrase, or type of funding. Just like grant writing is not as simple as sitting down and putting words on paper.
When it comes to small-dollar nonprofit donors, fundraisers are spending more time than ever developing online giving campaigns. But we’re here to remind you not to forget about direct mail. Old-fashioned postal mail is one of the most direct ways to reach your...
For the last decade, nonprofit fundraisers have spent each November preparing for Giving Tuesday. We write emails and social media posts. We get major donors to offer matching grants and gifts. We create graphics and carefully crafted descriptions of our...
Almost every nonprofit we’ve worked with over the last decade has struggled with capacity gaps. There are so many community needs and never enough staff to meet the demand. Organizations bounce from one all-hands-on-deck crisis to the next, seldom able to carve...
Over the last decade, online fundraising has transformed. As a nonprofit fundraiser, it’s easy to feel like you’re in a constant game of catch-up. What are the top ways to give online? Should my nonprofit invest in text-to-give tools? How can I keep my online...
Here at Funding for Good, our team has decades of experience writing grants. Combined, we’ve written hundreds (maybe thousands) of grant proposals and raised hundreds of millions of dollars. And along the way, we’ve learned a lot of lessons about grant writing....
Are you sharing your nonprofit’s impact enough? After working with hundreds of nonprofits, one of the great mysteries is how nonprofit organizations do so much incredible work—and yet all too often fail to regularly share the impact of that work with donors and...
I decided to put together a Grant Readiness Checklist to use for myself and with clients.
Nonprofit development work can be incredibly satisfying. You’re raising funds for important causes—and honing a diverse and valuable set of skills. Plus, experienced development professionals are always in demand. In many ways, development staff are the backbone of...
