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This page was updated on 3/24/2008.
Federal and Private Funding Sources: What's the Difference? | Federal Funding Resources and Tips | Private Funding Resources and Tips | Grants and Funding: A Bibliography
When you are developing an idea for a proposal, it is important to determine if the idea has been considered in your locality or state. A careful check should be made with legislators and area government agencies and related public and private agencies which may currently have grant awards or contracts to do similar work. If a similar program already exists, you may need to reconsider submitting the proposed project, particularly if duplication of effort is perceived. Both you and the grantor agency should have the same interests, intentions, and needs if a proposal is to be considered an acceptable candidate for funding.
Select Resources
Tips
Grantsmanship involves a variety of skills that, when combined, result in successful grant applications. The National Institutes of Health offers a variety of information on outreach activities, resources, and information targeted to new grantees.
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Private funding sources represent an important, but often-overlooked resource. Two segments of this sector are foundations and nonprofit organizations [501(c)3]. There are approximately 103,000 foundations and 1,300,000 nonprofit organizations across the United States [IRS Business Master File 12/2004 (with modifications by the National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute)]. Each private funding source has its own set of eligibility criteria and application requirements.
Tips
Step #1: Gathering Information
- Know the mission of your organization and the objectives of the project you wish to have funded. These must be well matched to the objectives of the funding source(s) being considered. Foundations differ from public grantmakers that have a "general grant program" with no preset focus.
- It is imperative to gather the most current information about a foundation.
- Initiatives and programs may change without formal notification.
- Prepare a "foundations worksheet." This will outline the data you need to collect in order to determine whether seeking a grant from a particular source is likely to be effective.
- Once the foundations have been selected, contact them before beginning your proposal. This will help validate your research interest, as well as gather additional information about the grantor's priorities and interests.
Step #2: Writing the Proposal
- The proposal should have the following components:
- Executive summary or introduction
- Statement of need
- Project description or solutions section
- Budget or request for funds
- Organization information
- Conclusion
- Appendix (if permitted by the foundation)
- In writing your proposal, avoid jargon, be compelling, but don't overstate your case, and keep it simple.
- The proposal should be concise. Foundation reviewers are often board members who meet only a few times a year and have many proposals to review. It is imperative to attract and retain their attention.
- The project description should address what you want to accomplish overall, how the objectives will be accomplished, who will carry out the project, and how you will measure your progress.
- Budget information should be kept simple. The financial description of the project plus explanatory notes should not exceed one page.
Step #3: Submitting the Proposal
If you submit the proposal through a board member involved in the foundation, minimize personal contact until the review process is complete to avoid appearing pushy.
Step #4: Following up on the Decision to Fund/Not Fund
If the answer is yes...
- Research what payment procedures the foundation uses. Some grantors include a check with the acceptance letter, while others may make partial or quarterly payments based on cash forecasts.
- Check on any reporting procedures that the funding source may require.
- You may want to inquire about what was best about your proposal and what could have been better. Although most grantors are not likely to comment on your proposal, it should not hurt to ask.
- Keep in touch with the foundation. For example, place them on your public relations mailing list so that they will receive news or press releases, or write them at the completion of the funded project to let them know how successful you have been.
If the answer is no...
- Send a thank-you letter. Express your appreciation for the time and effort spent on reviewing your proposal.
- Ask for helpful comments on your proposal and whether the funding source would look favorably on resubmission with certain changes.
- Ask whether the funder could suggest any other funding sources that may be interested in your project.
- Don't take rejection personally.
- Be persistent. If the foundation has no staff and you have no links, you may not find the answers to your questions. However, successful grant seekers are persistent.
Reference
Geever, J.C., & McNeill, P. (1997). The Foundation Center's guide to proposal writing (2nd ed.). New York: The Foundation Center.
Select Reference Publications: Grant Preparation
- Bauer, D.G. (2003). The "How To" grants manual: Successful grantseeking techniques for obtaining public and private grants (5th ed.). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
- Burke, M.A. (2002). Simplified grantwriting. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
- Carlson, M. (2002). Winning grants, step-by-step (2nd ed). Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass.
- Miner, L.E., Miner, J.T., & Griffith, J. (2003). Proposal planning and writing (3rd ed). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
- Ogden, T.E., & Goldberg, I.A. (2002). Research proposals: A guide to success (3rd ed). Burlington, VT: Academic Press.
Select Magazine/Newsletter Publications from Grant Resource Publishers
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