One of the most frustrating parts of being a newer
organization or trying to grow a new program is the requirement that you
provide a prospective funder with results. It's especially hard when the grant
application is an online form that gives you a limited amount of space to
explain your results or projections.
That was the case for "Mary", who called me
yesterday about reviewing her grant application to a major foundation. She was
trying to raise money for a new program, and had been rejected at least four times. Saying she was frustrated
could be the understatement of the year. Her comments were along the line of
"How can I produce results if I can't get the funds to even begin?"
For Mary and all the rest of you out there spinning your
wheels, maybe these tips will help you with your fundraising
1. Have reasonable
expectations. You are probably not going to find one source that will fund your
whole program. Separate your program into specific sections that can be
presented as individual opportunities for grantors to help, and ask for funds to
support them in that order. This can also create an opportunity for the grantor
to continue to support your program year-over-year.
2. Develop reasonable
goals that are commensurate with your capabilities and be able to condense them
into a short sentence or two. If it is a
new program, forecast your expected results clearly by setting milestones. This
also makes it easier to provide or forecast results.
3. Research the
grantors. This means searching for organizations that specialize in capacity
building or seed money that have a history of funding new programs and who are
aligned with your mission and geographic area.
4. Be objective. One
question I often ask is, what you would do if the roles were reversed? Read your application as though you are the
one furnishing the money. Would you invest in your program? How is your
organization different from all the others pursuing the same funding?
5. Understand the
difference between funding a program and supporting an organization's basic
infrastructure. If you need general support, look for grantors that have shown
an interest in providing that type of funding.
6. Grantors are often
looking for a long-term result or benefit, so be prepared to illustrate more
than the immediate needs in your program. For instance if you are opening a
food pantry, the immediate short-term goal is to provide food. Can you show how will this impact the recipients in the
long term?
Your job as a grant applicant to prove that investing in your program is a wise
use of the finite amount of grant money available.
In Mary's case she was approaching the wrong grantors and
expecting funding for goals that would take at least five years to attain. By
targeting her appeals to a different type of supporter, and breaking her
request down into phases, I think she will have better success.
Want someone to look over your grant language? Email me
and let's look at it together!
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