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Finding the Perfect Grant for Your Nonprofit

by Tim Forbes on February 18, 2020
Tags:grant management, Tim Forbes

Finding the Perfect Grant

Most development professionals and fundraisers who work for nonprofits apply for grants at some point in their careers. After all, someone in the organization has to do it! Grants are often an excellent source of money to accomplish specific initiatives.

In 2018, contributions from foundations made up about 16% ($66.9 billion) of the national philanthropic giving. While individual donations still make up 68% of the total charitable giving, grants for nonprofits are an excellent secondary funding source for all kinds of organizations.

Finding grants that fit your organization's mission can feel overwhelming. They come in every shape and size you can imagine! Identifying the best grants to apply for can require some serious research, time, energy, and maybe even a little self-reflection.

There are many resources and services to help you identify and apply for the grants that best fit your organization. We rounded up a few resources and tips to help you get started!

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Grants are more than just money, they're partnerships

Before you start filling out those applications, it's best to broaden your thinking about grants. The point of a nonprofit grant is not actually to distribute money (though that's what most nonprofits focus on). Ultimately, a grant is a partnership between your organization and the grant funder.

A better way to think of grants is from the funder's perspective. To the funder, grants are investments in change, a way to partner with organizations that are making a real and measurable difference in the world.

This should impact how you think about--and write--your grant application! Your proposal should serve as a document that clearly articulates your mission. Your grant proposal isn't just a request for money, it's a call to action and an invitation to partner with your organization to enact change!

Choose your grant partners wisely

If grants are really partnerships, you should select your partners carefully. You want a financial partner that agrees with your mission. For example, if your organization is committed to protecting organic farms, then you probably shouldn't accept grant money from businesses connected with pesticide production.

If you are looking for grants to fund your healthy lunch initiative, it's probably not wise to take money from a soft drink company or the sugar farmer's association (we aren't sure if that's a real association, but you get the point).

Think of your proposal as a form of advocacy

Take the time to shift how you and your staff think about grant writing. Instead of viewing the long, sometimes arduous process as a way to get much-needed money, embrace the view that grant writing is actually a form of advocacy for your mission!

One of the things that makes grant writing challenging is that most of the applications require extensive research and evidence-based content. You are in a position to present stories and data in a way that advocates for people and proposes a way to bring transformation.

Viewing nonprofit grant writing as a form of advocacy helps you and your team embrace the process of defining what changes your organization wants to achieve with the grant money. Viewing grant writing as advocacy helps you discern the best grants to apply for because your motivation is not to get funded, it's to advocate for your cause.

A Little Prep Work Goes A Long Way Before Applying for Grants

There's an overwhelming number of places to look for grants and practically a grant for every issue under the sun. Don't worry, you won't need to read every grant application. You just need to develop a system to identify your specific needs and the grants your organization might be eligible for and interested in. This will also help you avoid taking all the time to apply for grants that weren't ideal fits for your nonprofit or specific needs.

Start with specific needs

Before you start sifting through thousands of grants, spend some time writing a list of specific goals and needs. It's much easier to identify the right grants to spend time applying for when you know exactly what your organization needs.

Sit down with your leadership team, the board of directors, and program directors to identify short term, mid-range, and long term goals and needs. Be as specific as possible and avoid being too conservative or too outrageous. If your after-school program really needs 500 boxes of crayons and 1,000 boxes of goldfish crackers, write that down!

Think about general operating costs for your organization as well. Some grants are designed to fund overhead costs. Also, spend time creating a list of needs and wants for any new programs you'd like to start.

Prioritize your needs and wants

Once you and your team are satisfied with your "needs and wants" list, prioritize everything and identify the most essential things on your list. You might have a few things that are clear priorities. Perhaps the board of directors or your executive director wants to focus on specific programs. However, you decide to prioritize your list, be sure everyone understands and is in agreement.

Determine costs and timelines

Next, you and your team must figure out how much the items on your list cost. Instead of guessing, take the time to research exactly how much money you will need to pay for each item.

Those crayons and tissues you need for the after school program? Look up how much each box costs (and do a little cost comparison). Sure, it's time-consuming, but it will definitely help you find and receive the right kinds of grants (and will help you save time in the grant-writing process).

Last but not least, create a timeline. By what dates do you need the funds? The nonprofit grant process can take a while. From start to finish, the process can take anywhere from several weeks to a couple of months. Be sure to add some wiggle room to your timeline.

How to Find The Best Grants For Your Organization

Now that you have an idea of how much money you need and when you need it, you can start looking for the perfect grant partner!

Look for grants that fit your organization

This one might seem a little too obvious, but start with a simple Google search of "grants for…" and type in your specific type of organization. You can also narrow your search to your geographic area to find grants for your city or region.

If your organization hasn't received grant money before or doesn't have a large donor base, many experts recommend starting with local grants. Smaller local grants help your organization build credibility and gather more supporters in your geographic area before you go after larger grants.

Carefully review the grant requirements

Most grants have relatively strict guidelines (and rightfully so). Once you find some grants that you think your organization might qualify for, set aside time to review each grant's requirements carefully.

Don't just look at the application requirements, carefully scrutinize how the grantors want to receive updates and other regulations. You don't want to apply for a grant that has requirements you can't adhere to down the line.

Write applications for each grant

We know, it's tempting to copy and paste. But, each grant deserves a custom application that is written to that grantor. Remember, you're looking for partners, not just money. Taking the time to apply for each grant individually instead of trying to copy and paste information will help you submit better proposals and increase your chances of winning the grant.

Of course, you'll be able to copy and paste research, statistics, and other data. That information doesn't change. But you'll probably want to adjust how you present the content in each application. Remember, you're advocating for your community and your mission! This is your chance to speak on behalf of the people (or mission) you serve.

Some organizations decide to hire professional grant writers or investing in some training for your fundraising staff.

Places To Look for Nonprofit Grants

There are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of places to look for nonprofit grants! Don't limit your search to online, though. Look at annual reports and newspapers to find out who is giving to organizations like yours.

Here are a few databases and other websites to get your search started. Your state probably also has some regional databases that are worth checking regularly.

Are you looking for ways to improve your fundraising beyond grants? Here are three more resources to help you identify more areas to take your organization's development department to the next level.

 

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