grant writing | Best Grant Writing Workshops

Writing a Statement of Need for a Grant Application

Although this is one of the most important parts of any grant application, it also tends to be one of the most poorly written. One of the reasons for this may be that many grant writers just assume that the need for the project is obvious. Do not assume anything. The grant writer must make the case for both the need for the project and the need for financial assistance to do the project in a very clear, comprehensive, concise, and compelling manner. These are the four C’s for writing any grant application. This section is no place for vague, general, weak, or “stretching” statements.

Grant reviewers are not fond of flowery language. They tend to regard this type of verbiage with suspicion. It is as if the grant writer does not really have anything substantial to say and relies upon words designed to disguise the fact that there is no substance to the proposal. Whenever I read something like that, I feel rather insulted, as if I had been confronted with a particularly bad sales pitch. What counts with grant reviewers is a simple, direct statement of the facts. Please let your facts shine through and speak for themselves. They do not need to be embellished or exaggerated. Do not, under any circumstances, tell falsehoods in your application. This will damage your credibility with the funding agencies and word will get around. Your success rate will plummet rapidly. At the risk of sounding redundant, I will say it again: it is not worth the risk.

As I have said before and will certainly say again, it is very important to be specific. The use of statistics, when available, makes a very compelling case. Individual histories and anecdotes are also helpful. In short, anything which can help the reviewer to get a clear picture of the project should be added to this section of the narrative. The basic elements of a well-written project need section are just commonsense. They are as follows: general description of the situation, the number and type of people affected, the extent to which these people are affected, and what will happen if the project is not done.

Jan 04, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

The Importance of Critical Thinking

In the grant field, critical thinking is absolutely necessary. The caveat here is to take nothing for granted. I would like to point out several areas where grant writers should think critically. These are just examples and it is incumbent upon the grant writer to use this type of big picture thinking in all aspects of their work. These examples are as follows:

Do not assume that what has worked in another place will work in yours. It is necessary to consider how the geographic location of that project affected the results. If that is the case, then it might not be completely transferable to your area.
Do not assume that intangibles do not count in a project. Not everything can be measured in a scientific and mathematical way. Most projects do not take into account how individual will (or lack thereof) can affect the results. This is particularly true in projects having a social services component. An after-school program may not take into account students who are unusually ambitious and dedicated.
Do not assume that the staff of your agency necessarily has the capacity to carry out a particular project. It is necessary for the grant writer to mentally put herself and her colleagues into the picture of the new project and try to visualize the various pitfalls as well as strengths there might be in a given situation.
Do not assume that commonly accepted remedies to problems are always the best way to go. One of the best examples of this is working to create new jobs in a community and not being selective about what types of companies come in. Always putting the creation of new jobs ahead of environmental considerations will, in the long run, be detrimental to the community.

Dec 15, 2011 | 0 comments | View Post

Reasons for Rejection of an Application

There are many and various reasons for rejection of an application. Some of these are as follows:

The grant proposal is poorly written.
The project is a poor fit with the need and will not do much to alleviate that need.
The proposed activities are not clearly thought out and do not seem feasible.
The competition from other applications is overwhelming.
The application is good and the need is great, but other projects will serve even needier populations.
The funding agency does not have confidence that the applicant has the capacity to successfully carry out the project.
The applicant has had problems in administering other grants.

Part of the problem is getting to the real root of the rejection. This can sometimes be difficult.

A debriefing is a discussion with the funding agency as to why the application was not funded. Many governmental agencies will be happy to discuss the reasons for rejection. However, I would urge the grant writer to listen to the debriefings with a bit of caution. Feedback is sometimes given by staff members who were not actually reviewers and were not charged with the responsibility of assigning points to the application. When this is the case, something can sometimes get lost in the translation.

Overall, however, it is an excellent idea to request a debriefing. This information can be invaluable in developing the proposal for a re-submittal or for a submittal to a different agency. This is especially true for beginning grant writers. As one gains more and more experience, it will be easy to see the weaknesses in your proposal even prior to submittal. I would definitely recommend that a proposal still be re-submitted even though there are minor flaws in it. Sometimes these can be worked out with the funding agency. Sometimes they are so insignificant as not to matter. It is important to take to heart the information received in a debriefing and attempt to remedy the problems identified.

Dec 09, 2011 | 1 comment | View Post

Grant Administration- How Hard is This Going to Be?

The grantee should be prepared for many varying requirements in grant administration. I feel that it would be helpful to give a few examples showing the difference in the required paperwork for various granting agencies. All funding agencies will request documentation that the funds were spent appropriately and for the purposes specified in the grant application. This is the very least that one can expect in terms of documentation.

Probably the simplest grants to administer are those from private foundations. The application forms can be very simple, sometimes involving no more than two pages. Sometimes, no grant agreement is required. The grantee is still obligated to use the funds for the purpose for which they were intended. I am not aware of any foundation or government agencies which would simply send the money and not require some accountability.

Some foundations require several progress reports. It is also possible that special conditions may be attached to the grant in order to meet the specific preferences of the board members. These can vary widely. It may be that the foundation requires the grantee to only utilize American labor and products, or limits funding to certain geographic areas, or wishes to remain anonymous.

Most governmental entities will require the following once the grant is approved:

environmental review (this is sometimes done prior to approval)
execution of the grant agreement
documentation of banking information in order to expedite the processing of payments
written progress reports at varying intervals — these could be either quarterly, semi-annually, or annually
execution of grant closeout documents

Dec 03, 2011 | 0 comments | View Post

Letters of Inquiry to Foundations

Most foundations require a letter of inquiry as the first contact. If the project seems to be within their guidelines and funding priorities, they will then invite the submission of a full proposal.

First of all, the grant writer should restrict the length of this letter to no more than two pages if the guidelines do not specify. In this letter, your only job is to convince the foundation that your project is a good fit with their fields of interest.

Prior to beginning the letter, a decision should be made on the amount to be requested. This will be dependent in large part on the resources of the foundation. Search material should discuss the total assets of the foundation, along with the average grant amount, the smallest grant, and the largest grant.

The first paragraph should clearly state the purpose of the project so that the reviewer will know exactly what will be done. This is also the place for the total project cost and the amount requested from the foundation. Lastly, a couple of sentences regarding how the project fits with the foundation’s funding priorities should be included. These basic facts are important to have in the very beginning, so that they will catch the reviewer’s eye and she will want to read on.

The next paragraph should go into detail regarding the need for the project and include as much statistical information as possible. This is also the place to make a strong appeal to the emotions of the reader. It is wise to give one or two specific examples of the distress suffered as a result of the need for the project. This is where the “human factor” comes in. The grant writer will be wise to combine hard data and emotion in this section.

Following this, a history of your organization should be given. This should include a description of similar projects which have been successfully undertaken. This is also the place to discuss your organization’s mission and its priorities. You want to convince the reader that your organization has the capacity to undertake the project, that your staff has the appropriate skill sets for the work, and that you will give it the priority it deserves so that it may be completed in a timely manner.

The next section of the inquiry letter should go into some detail regarding how the project will be implemented. It is important to detail each step in the process from beginning to end. By doing so, the reader may see the feasibility of the project and feel confident that your organization knows exactly what it takes to get the project completed on schedule and within the budget. Goals, objectives, and positive outcomes will also be discussed here.

Sustainability and evaluation should be discussed next. Having solid plans in place for both issues assures the foundation that your organization has thoroughly thought through the entire process. The foundation will want to know that resources have been identified to continue the project beyond the grant period and that a thorough evaluation will be performed in order to determine its effectiveness.

Close the letter by offering to meet with the foundation officials at their office, host a site visit, or discuss the project over the telephone. Emphasize your willingness to provide any additional information requested by the foundation.

Nov 29, 2011 | 0 comments | View Post

Private Funding

Private Funding

Private funding is supplied by wealthy individuals, corporations, banks and foundations. A “foundation” is a non-profit organization with a board of directors and trustees which provide funds for various charitable causes. Most foundations have been organized under federal or state charters. Others have been organized under trust agreements. The following generalities in regard to private foundation funding apply pretty much across the board:

Most foundations will accept a brief letter of inquiry as the initial contact, where- as, with government sources, letters of inquiry are never used. The applicant will submit either a pre-application or an application. The pre-application can sometimes be as lengthy as an application.
Many foundations accept inquiries throughout the year. This is also true of some governmental sources. However, governmental sources are more likely to have a specific period of time when they will accept applications. In many cases, this is done once a year.
Private foundations are less likely to have specific, concrete rating and ranking systems with points assigned to various factors. Most government sources of funds spell out very precisely how they will rate and rank an application.
Private foundations are more prone to making decisions based on personal factors. This could include having personal knowledge of the applying organization or being personally acquainted with one of its staff members.
Most foundations tend to have less complex requirements for grant administration. In some cases, a final report may be required. Nearly all federal and state funding agencies require some sort of formalized reporting procedure and may have other administrative requirements which must be followed
In line with the idea that foundations are freer to choose their grantees without benefit of a formal rating system, some only give grants to pre-selected organizations. The family or individuals funding the foundation may have an interest in certain subject matter and wish to support only that particular cause.
Most foundations are not able to make large grants and, in general, support smaller projects.
Foundations are not under the same scrutiny as state and local government funding programs, and thus are freer to utilize their own rules and regulations. Federal and state funding sources must abide by the laws governing their grant programs as well as the regulations which have been developed to ensure that those laws are followed. This gives private foundations a much greater degree of internal control. Governmental agencies are bound by the strictures put into place by Congress and the various state legislatures.

Nov 23, 2011 | 2 comments | View Post

Searching for Grant Funds

Fortunately, the grant seeker will find a plethora of search resources. This is due in part to the pervasive availability of electronic information. We are in the enviable position of having to spend a significant amount of time weeding out grant search tools and potential funding agencies, rather than having to work hard to ferret out this information. It is a matter of learning to work efficiently and utilizing those search tools which will give the most “bang for the buck”. This could also be expressed as “learning to work smarter, not harder”. Of course, the beginning grant writer will need to take time to learn which search tools provide the most reliable and easy-to-access information. Learning the art of discrimination in this area does take time. Do not be discouraged if you feel at first as if your energy is being scattered in a dozen directions. With patience and diligent work, the grant writer will learn how to make the most effective use of time when doing a grant search.”

Fortunately, the grant seeker has a number of free sources to choose from in searching for federal government grants. In my opinion, Grants.gov and the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) are two of the more useful search tools, although there are others which I utilize from time to time. One of the most effective methods for determining whether a particular federal program is a good fit is by taking note of the total amount of funding available and the number of awards which will be made. This will allow the grant seeker to determine how intense the competition will be.

All of the individual states offer a wide array of grant programs in such areas as water and sewer, transportation, parks and recreation, economic development, historic preservation, law enforcement, and fire fighting. States award grants to municipalities and counties as well as nonprofit organizations. Some states will also offer assistance to for-profit entities in support of economic development. If your organization is a non-profit, get to know your local elected officials. It is quite possible that they will be able to supplement your list of potential funding sources by making suggestions from among the state programs with which they are familiar. I always search for state sources of funding first. The state programs are easier to access than federal programs due to the fact that the applicant is competing only on the state level and not against other applicants around the entire country.

Aug 01, 2011 | 5 comments | View Post