Grant Seeking 101 Webinar - Notes

3/20 Grant Seeking 101 Webinar

Notes

Managing Expectations:

·         Establish relationships, cultivate, steward

·         Reality check

o   How are you serving the community?

·         Individual donors

o   Board support

o   Establish track record

·         Identify local grant makers

·         Start-ups

o   What makes you unique?

o   Pitch project as a pilot – reasonable $$

o   Guidestar 990’s – search

·         Call and Ask! Program officer

·         Match funder with organization’s mission

·         Competitor’s funders – 990’s

·         Corporate foundations

·         Reserve searching

Develop a funding plan:

·         Begin identifying 6-12 months in advance

·         Organize by deadline

·         Identify who will write/assign

·         Multiple proposals in pipeline

·         Proposal lead – programs

Build a portfolio of documents:

·         IRS determination letter

·         List of BOD – keep current

·         990’s, current budget, 3-5 year budget

Grant review:

·         Multiple reads, board members, other staff

·         Cycles – 3 to 6 months

·         Impact your project will make?

·         How is this shared?

·         If you use percentages, give context

·         Long term results

Financial piece:

·         Be proactive about financial story

·         Short budget narrative

·         Use emotion in proposal to connect foundation to your org’s work

·         Storytelling and numbers

Qualitative vs. Quantitative

·         Need to explain impact

·         Current data to demonstrate need and relevance** examples

o   U.S. Census Bureau

o   School Report Cards

o   FBI’s US Crime Data

o   Kids Count

o   Women’s Health Care

o   Local Health Departments

Compelling program description:

·         Be realistic about metrics

o   No more than 5 objectives/outcomes

o   KISS-simplicity-not pedantic

o   Do you have resources to track the metrics?

o   Do you have the budget?

o   Ways to move indicators

§  Break into blocks, # served, $

People give to people, connect head to heart

·    Beyond the proposal:

o   DO

§  Site visit – “best chance”

·         Schedule when activity in progress

·         Have board member and client present (prep them)

·         Allow sufficient time

o   DON’T

§  Take phone calls

§  Use phone or ipads, even for notes

§  be unorganized

§  don’t overdo snacks

§  BE ON TIME!

§  No long powerpoint presentations

CASE STUDY:

·         Shared Database:

o   Better coordinator of services

o   Better referrals

o   Collaboration – especially with data

o   Cost sharing, demonstrate impact together

o   Better assess impact of grant investments

·         Questions

o   Letter of intent – no more than 2-3 pages

§  How it is going to be used will determine its content

o   Time spent writing a grant

§  Be precise with goals, not a life project

o   Create grant pipeline

§  Spreadsheet with dates, $’s, etc.

o   Foundation’s not in community – program or office in community

o   Repeat funding for same program

§  Specify program foundation is interested in

§  Focus on report

o   Develop relationships with program officers

§  How often should you contact a program officer if no response? Wait a week, and then call back.