Why grants are important

Like many other things, applying for a grant has changed with the growth of the web. Each foundation and granting agency does business in a slightly different way. This is perfectly justifiable - it's their money. So the guidelines often vary. Some foundations will ask for a short one- or two-page letter describing your proposal, and nothing else to begin with. The foundation will read these letters, screen out inappropriate inquiries, and request more information if it wants to know more.

Others prefer to get the whole application up front. Some first want to know your credentials; others are primarily interested in your ideas. Some want detailed budgets; for others, money talk comes later. If the foundation asks for an initial two-page letter, don't send If they want proof of your tax-exempt status, be sure to include it. If their application deadline is June 1, don't wait till summer. If your case is an exception, this should be described in your application, most commonly in your cover letter.

But don't handicap yourself at the start; why shoot yourself in the foot before you've started walking down the road? Guidelines can sometimes be stretched, and very occasionally broken. But if you choose not to follow the foundation's guidelines, you should have very compelling reasons for doing so, and make sure they are well explained.

Even though foundation guidelines are usually clear, you may still have a question. Some point may not be covered by the guidelines, or you may not be sure about a point.

In those cases, it's perfectly okay to call and ask. Most foundations will have someone on staff to respond to calls like yours. And most foundations expect to receive such calls.

Think before calling, though. A call or other contact generally means you will need to identify yourself. Since first impressions count, you want to present yourself in the best possible light. So be sure you don't ask questions that are covered and italicized in the guidelines, Page One.

However, if you have a good reason do so, there are advantages to making a personal contact. First, the foundation staff person may also volunteer some information not explicitly in the guidelines, which can help you. Also, in the course of conversation, you can ask other questions or check on other guidelines to make sure you are on the right track.

This leads us right into the next point:. Sometimes, it's also possible to set up a meeting with a foundation staff person to explore your idea before a proposal is written or delivered. Suppose that your issue is adult education, and that the Lifelong Learning Foundation seems to be right up your alley. But you're not sure whether your particular approach is something that Lifelong Learning would seriously consider. So you call and ask if you might visit to discuss it.

Here, especially, foundations vary. Some discourage such meetings; they simply don't have enough time available. Others are more open to them. If you see value in a pre-application meeting, and if the guidelines don't tell you otherwise, consider making the request. If you do get a meeting, you can get your questions answered, which will either help you improve your application, or prevent you from wasting your time. You will also have made a personal contact, and perhaps gotten some tips along the way.

If you can't get a face-to-face meeting, you may at least be able to get guidance over the telephone. And even if you can't get that, you've lost little by trying.

One variation of the above idea : You don't have to initiate a personal contact yourself; perhaps someone else could do it for you. This is especially true if you are a new player on the grant-writing scene; or if you know few people in the foundation world; or if you don't have much of a track record, or if you are promoting an untested idea.

Perhaps you have a friend especially a well-connected friend or know another well-connected person who knows a program officer at a local foundation. It's perfectly acceptable for your contacts to call up their foundation contacts and say, "These people I know are going to be calling you about their idea to do X.

I think it's an interesting idea, and they are good people. I think you should meet them. Most organizations that make grants will want to know that your ideas have community support. This is because a usual part of the funder's mission is to serve the community. So if you can build community support before you start, that can be a big point in your favor. How to build it? Sometimes the support will be there already, and you'll know it.

Sometimes the whole community will be behind you from the get-go, waiting for you or someone else to step in. Other times, you'll need to ask for support, and be forthright about asking. At other times still, especially when you have a new or unfamiliar idea, community support may need to be actively cultivated. A good way to build support for new ideas is to circulate the outlines of your ideas, as a rough draft, or "concept paper," and ask for feedback. Most of the time, you'll want to gather the input of others in planning your grant application.

Even if they aren't experts, those others may have attractive content ideas, good strategic thoughts, and often bits of specialized knowledge which one person alone will rarely have. And even if they lack any of these things, a group can give you the support you need to get the job done. So form a working group, to talk about what should go into the application and how it should be presented. This will usually be a short-term group; it needn't meet more than a few times, unless it's a very large application.

The group might not do the actual writing — "writing by committee" is not usually preferred. But the group's original input will be important; group members can divide up the information-gathering, legwork, and possibly drafting; and the group comments on the first and later draft can be valuable too.

When you do have a proposal draft, perhaps you know of an expert or experts in the field who might be willing to review your draft and give advice. Sometimes expertise may lie within your group or organization itself; if so, call upon it. But otherwise, it's often a good idea to look for expertise from the outside. Many groups follow a different path. They hear about an RFP request for proposals from a granting organization and immediately try to apply for it. Often the purpose of the grant does not match their needs, so they shift the focus of their project to meeting the qualifications of the grant.

This lack of focus on your core values does not create a strong foundation for new start-up business ventures. Do you need a grant? Grant funds are usually used to finance the investigation of a business concept, provide working capital for ramping-up a business or other purpose. Grant funds can be used to supplement existing funds which may include funds provided by the farm group itself.

They should not be considered as a replacement for your own funds. If you are serious about this project, you need to invest some of your own funds. Are you ready for a grant? You should have a specific purpose and specific achievable goals for the use of grant funds. For example, if you are exploring a business idea or concept , do you have specific aspects of the concept you want to explore? If you are using the funds to finance a feasibility study , has the business concept sufficiently been defined to receive the maximum benefit from the study.

If you are using the funds to provide working capital for a start-up business, are all elements in place, including financing for the other aspects of the business or business start-up.

In other words, where are you in the business development process? What does the granting source want to accomplish? It has specific purposes and goals of what it wants to accomplish. Look for grant opportunities where the purpose of the grant funds is the same as what you want to use the funds for.

Commitment to the project. If you are applying for a grant, you need to be committed to the project. For example, if your project is to investigate a business opportunity, you need to be ready to carry through on the investigation. Review the RFP to obtain an understanding of what the granting organization is requiring. Numerous grants from associations like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation support groundbreaking academic research.

Through this funding, researchers learn how to overcome diseases, social disparities and other major concerns. Some researchers use grants to study languages and other cultural traditions. These grants are important to institutions of higher education because they help the school to develop a reputation for excellence in scholarship.

Grants fund artistic endeavors as well, supporting visionary projects that may help people to see the world from a new perspective. Fall Reopening Plans. We will reopen our campuses for classes, activities, and residential living in Fall Find the latest information on our Fall Plan page. Home Menu. Academics Program Types Undergraduate Programs Programs for first time students, transfers, and adults. Graduate Programs Advance your career through master's, certificate, and doctoral programs.

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The Importance of Grant Writing for Non-Profits The most common way for non-profits to continue servicing their communities is through securing grants. Why Grant Writing for Non-Profits is Paramount As grant writers gear up to help their organizations, they should realize that most awards are based on merit, not on need. Grant Writing Strategies Grant writing for non-profits is a genre of writing that has its own set of conventions. Provide a Clear Sense of Purpose One of the biggest mistakes a non-profit organization can make is to assume a gift-giving body knows what their mission is.

Measure Resources to Achieve Goal For gift-giving bodies to want to fund specific non-profit projects, they need to understand how their money will be used, and to what effect.