Title: Introduction to Grantwriting: Part 1
1Introduction to Grantwriting Part 1 Tony
Motyl, LICSW P.O. Box 768 Easthampton, MA
01027 Phone 413-527-5421 tonymotyl_at_comcast.net
2Learning Objectives for Today
- . . . learn where to find information about
funders on the Internet - . . . learn how to analyze information about
prospective foundations and government funding
sources - . . . learn how to begin to develop a
grantwriting strategy based upon your research
3Legislation/ Public Policy
Idealized Cycle of Funding
Grant Announcement/ Funding Available
Program Evaluation/ Social Science Research
4Community or Populations Needs
Funders Needs
Organizations Needs
5FOUNDATIONS, INFORMATION TOOLS 1. Foundation
Center http//fdncenter.org/ 2.
GrantSmart http//www.grantsmart.org 3.
National Network of Grantmakers
http//www.nng.org/ 4. Associated Grantmakers of
Massachusettshttp//www. 5. Grants Glossary from
UCLA http//www.research.ucla.edu/sr2/gloss.h
tm 6. GuideStar http//www.guidestar.org 7.
Grants Glossary from UCLA http//www.research.uc
la.edu/sr2/gloss.htm 8. Grant Resources Links
http//www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/grants.ht
m 9. The Grantsmanship Center http//www.tgci.co
m 10. GuideStar
http//www.guidestar.org GOVERNMENT
RESOURCES 11. Massachusetts State
Grants http//www.comm-pass.com 12. Federal
Grants Portal http//www.grants.gov 13.
Federal Grant Opportunities
http//www.fedgrants.gov/ 14. White House Office
of Faith-Based Community Initiatives
http//www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/ 15.
Department of Health and Human Services
http//www.hhs.gov/grants/index.shtml 16. Housing
and Urban Development http//www.hud.gov/grants/
index.cfm 17. Department of Justice
http//www.usdoj.gov/10grants/index.html 18.
Department of Education http//www.ed.gov/f
und/landing.jhtml?srcrt 19. Population
Statistics and Data http//www.census.gov
TEXT Winning Grants Step by Step (2nd), Mim
Carlson, The Alliance for Nonprofit Management
(ISBN 0-7879-5876), June 2002, Jossey-Bass.
6Analysis
Private Foundations
- Managed by its own trustees and directors
- Supports charitable, educational, religious, or
- other activities serving the public good
- Provides grants, primarily to other nonprofit
- organizations
- Nongovernmental, nonprofit entity
- Has money a principle fund or endowment
-
7Four Types of Foundations 1. Independent
foundations established by a person or family of
wealth (this comprises the largest group) 2.
Corporate foundations created and funded by
businesses corporations 3. Operating foundations
established to operate research, social welfare,
and charitable programs 4. Community foundations
supported by and operated for the benefit of a
specific community or region (technically not a
foundation but a public charity that make
grants)
8- Corporate Direct-Giving Programs
- Corporations tend to give to nonprofits whose
programs benefit the communities where their
employees live and work - Corporate giving does not adhere to private
foundation laws file a Form 990-PF. - Corporations can deduct up to ten percent of its
pre-tax income. - Corporate support can be cash grants or in-kind
gifts. - RESOURCE National Directory of Corporate
Giving gives details on over 2,000 corporate
foundations and an additional 1,300 direct giving
programs. Find it at your local Foundation
Center Cooperating Collection.
9Identifying Prospective Funders By . .
. SUBJECT The foundation has expressed an
interest in funding programs in a specific
subject field, such as child abuse, or childrens
health. GEOGRAPHY The foundation funds programs
in a particular city, state, or region. Although
some give nationally and even internationally,
most funders limit their giving to specific
geographic areas. TYPE OF SUPPORT The
foundation provides specified types of support,
such as building funds, seed money for pilot
project, or general operating support.
10- What Do Funders Look For In a Grantee?
-
- A history of funding and by other sources,
- whether governmental or private
- Demonstrated sound fiscal management
- practices
- A strong, diverse, and involved board
- Utilization of volunteers
- Evidence the organization is well known in its
- community and addresses a community need
- Strong management and qualified staff
- A realistic budget that fits the scope of the
- agency and project.
11 As you develop your list of prospective funders,
ask yourself . . . Have they supported programs
or projects similar to mine in the past? Do they
award the type of support I want? Do they award
grants in my geographic area? Have they funded
applicants like my organization?
12FOUNDATIONS
13FOUNDATION CENTER Address http//fdncenter.org/
Key Features 1. RFP Bulletin 2. Foundation
Finder 3. Grantmaker Websites 4. 990-PF Search 5.
Common Grant Applications 6. Cooperating
Collections
14FOUNDATION CENTER RFP Bulletin Address http//f
dncenter.org/pnd/rfp/ Key Feature Subscribe to
the RFP Bulletin to receive the Bulletin in your
email each Friday
15FOUNDATION CENTER Foundation Finder Address htt
p//lnp.fdncenter.org/finder.html Key
Feature Free lookup tool that provides basic
facts on more than 70,000 foundations in the U.S.
Foundation Finder is designed for those
seeking quick access to core information about
a foundation, possibly as a starting point for
more in- depth research.
16FOUNDATION CENTER Grantmaker Web
Sites Address http//fdncenter.org/funders/ gra
ntmaker/index.html Key Feature 2,400 websites
listed by type of foundation
17FOUNDATION CENTER 990-PF Search Address http//
lnp.fdncenter.org/finder_990.html Key
Features Provides detail of how to interpret 990
tax return
18Key Points on a 990 Tax Return
19(No Transcript)
20FOUNDATION CENTER Common Grant
Application Address http//fdncenter.org/funders
/cga/index.html Key Features The common grant
application format has been adopted by groups
of grantmakers to allow grant applicants to
produce a single proposal for a specific
community of funders, thereby saving time.
21FOUNDATION CENTER Cooperating Collections Addres
s http//fdncenter.org/collections/ Key
Features Free funding information centers that
provide a core collection of Foundation Center
publications and supplementary resources. FC
Search is their comprehensive database on over
76,000 funders and over 350,000 grants awarded
22National Network of Grantmakers Address http//
www.nng.org Key Feature Application format
accepted by over 50 national foundations
23National Network of Grantmakers Address http//
www.nng.org Key Feature Application format
accepted by over 50 national foundations
24Foundations Accepting the NNG Common Application
Format
25FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
26The Grants.gov Initiative
- Mandate - Presidents Management Agenda and
PL106-107 - Eleven Partner Agencies
- HHS (managing partner), Defense, Education, HUD,
Justice, Transportation, Agriculture, Commerce,
Labor, FEMA, and NSF - Other Participants
- OMB (Office of Management and Budget)
- 15 other federal grant-making agencies
- Universities and other academic institutions
- State, Local, and Tribal governments
- Non-profits, faith-based and community initiatives
27Benefits of Grants.gov
- Single source to search for government grant
opportunities - Common face for applications to different
agencies - Existing mechanisms can continue to exist
- Avoid having to learn dozens of different
agency-specific application systems - Grants.gov will continue to work with the grantee
communities to ensure requirements are met,
including pilots and training
28GOVERNMENT GRANTS Address http//www.grants.gov
Key Features One-stop shopping for government
grants. Email notification service
29GOVERNMENT GRANTS Email Notification Address ht
tp//www.grants.gov/ReceiveGrantOpportunityNotific
ation Key Features Four subscription options
30GOVERNMENT GRANTS Find Grants Address http//ww
w.grants.gov/Find Key Features Search for
grants
31GOVERNMENT GRANTS Search Grants Address http//
www.grants.gov/Find GrantOpportunities Key
Features Online search tips
32GOVERNMENT GRANTS Search Grants Address http//
www.grants.gov/Find GrantOpportunities
33GOVERNMENT GRANTS Apply for Grants Address http
//www.grants.gov/Apply Key Features Three step
process
34Grant Proposal DevelopmentOverview of Key
Sections
35INTRODUCTION (Optional)
What is the message you want to convey? You
can trust us. We have experience. This is
a problem we can fix. We will not waste your
money. We have the solution.
36ABSTRACT/SUMMARY (Optional)
- Complete towards end of the writing process
- Accurately and concisely reflects the scope of
proposed project - Describe the objectives of the project
- Describe approach to be used
- Describe the results and benefits expected
37NEEDS ASSESSMENT/ PROBLEM STATEMENT
You need evidence to make a compelling case that
you have a problem
38GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
- Your projects general purpose (goal).
- Your expectation of change within your target
population or community (objectives).
Goal
39METHOD/APPROACH
- The Nuts and Bolts of your proposal.
- This is what the funder is buying.
- The narrative of this section is the longest part
of your proposal.
40EVALUATION
- Measures the effectiveness of the project
- Demonstrates that the objectives have been
achieved - May demonstrate the project was efficient
- Evaluation should be an ongoing part of the
project, not only a summary evaluation at the end
of the project - Evaluation should reiterate the objectives and
determine if they were met - Evaluation may be done in house or by a
consultant
41EVALUATION SECTION MAY INCLUDE . . .
- Process/formative evaluation
- Outcome evaluation
- Measurement
- Data collection/information systems
- Quantitative/qualitative methods
- Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
- Dissemination
- Logic model
- Cost Benefit Ratio
42BUDGET
- Budgets are cost projections.
- Your budget is the window into how projects will
be implemented and managed. - Well-planned budgets reflect carefully thought
out projects.
43How Funders Assess Your Budget
- Can the job be accomplished with this budget?
- Are your costs reasonable for the market - or too
high or low? - Is the budget consistent with proposed
activities? - Is there sufficient budget detail and
explanation?
44- Be wary of chasing grants by seeking funding to
grow your programs rather than strategically
aligning your funding resources with your mission
and community need. - Avoid reading into the application by ignoring
the express purpose of the funding and trying to
make it fit your community, organization or
model. - Do not assume the reader knows about the problem
or your area. Grant reviewers may not be experts
or even well-informed about the problem the grant
application is focusing on. - Follow the directions precisely. When in doubt,
call for the federal program staff for technical
assistance. - Use as up-to-date needs assessments and data.
- Get input from your target population or
consumers in helping you to develop your approach
and method. Conduct focus groups and key
informant interviews. - Remember your competitors and collaborators. Do
not ignore potential partnerships and existing
programs in your community. - Do not ignore your recruitment plan. If you
build it will they come? - Remember that your goals should reflect the needs
you have identified and your objectives should be
specific, quantified, time-specific and
measurable. - Your evaluation should include a mechanism for
getting client feedback. - Are you the right applicant? Does your
organizational capacity and history to justify
meeting the applicant qualifications. - Provide a budget detail that supports your
program methods and show how it is cost-effective.