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.
Sort by Blog Category
Board Development | Leadership Development | Consulting | Budgeting | Strategic Planning | Grant Writing | Grant Research | Development/Fundraising
Unsolicited Proposals and Pre-Selected Orgs
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.
How to Communicate with Foundations: Clarifying Questions for Grant Fundraising
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...
Comparing Grant Research Databases
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...
How to Read and Use 990s in Grant Research
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.
Considerations When Hiring a Grant Writer
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...
Free Grant Research Tools You May Not Know About
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...
Project Research Success: 9 Expert Grant Research Tips
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.
Grant Readiness Checklist
I decided to put together a Grant Readiness Checklist to use for myself and with clients.
Simple Steps to Write an Executive Summary
Today, we are going to focus on a well-written Executive Summary.
Where to Find Grants
Knowing where to find grants takes practice. Grant research is one of the main components of grant writing and sticks out to me as difficult for many people, like learning a balance pose in yoga, especially for a novice grant writer. Much like balance poses, grant...
Pre-Program Design Sets Grant Writers Up for Success
Your grant writer can do everything else right: develop relationships with foundation officers, present comprehensive financial reports, craft a beautiful narrative to highlight your organization’s history and prior successes, check all the right boxes, but that isn’t enough to secure dollars.
Grant Research Questions to Find Ideal Prospects
While research and building relationships are both time consuming, the return on investment for both is unparalleled.
Where To Start On The Grant Writing Journey
Regardless of where you are beginning, grant writing is a journey on all fronts.
Should Grants Be a Part of Your Fundraising Plans?
Should you start writing grants, and if so, when, for how much, why and to whom?
Grants for Faith-Based Organizations
Whether you are an established faith-based nonprofit or you are a program operating under a church fiscal sponsor…today’s blog is for you.
Churches, Grants, & Faith-Based Organizations
Are you looking for money for a church?
Top 10 Questions to Ask Before Working on a Grant Application
There are some questions about grant applications that should be asked prior to working on an application.
How to Find Dollars for a Matching or Challenge Grant
How you create your match will vary based on the type of program and/or agency you have, as well as the type of funds you are requesting.
Three Ways to Identify New Foundation Prospects
let’s jump right in and learn a few new ways to find great prospects for your current needs.
What are Challenge Grants?
A ‘Challenge Grant,’ is when a foundation commits to award money to an organization based on the amount of new funds raised in response to the challenge.