Don't Let Grants Stress You Out
*Originally published on 6/14/19 by CharityHowTo. There are so many nuances to be considered when creating a successful grant seeking strategy. Whether you are relatively new to the field of grant seeking or you are looking to increase your success percentage and craft more competitive grant applications, there are always tips related to the best practices of grant seeking that can help hone the way…
Explain how you will transform lives, but remember… we will not fund staff. Nonprofit Haiku by Rosie Oldham This fabulous poem from Vu Le’s blog at Nonprofit AF illustrates some of the frustrations in nonprofit and grant work. It reminds me of a wonderful experience I had this year reviewing grant proposals for a local community foundation I admire because of their diversity, open-mindedness,…
This month I served as a grant reviewer for the first time. I had three foundation applications to review in six weeks (a pretty generous time-frame). I will join in the chorus of other grant professionals that say if you have the opportunity to serve as a reviewer, do it. Here are the 10 Tips Judy learned by serving as a federal grant reviewer. …
While many on social media may think of #FOMO as the Fear Of Missing Out as it relates to social activities, vacations, and other exciting adventures, when I think of #FOMO it is the fear that many grant professionals deal with…missing out on a perfect grant opportunity. Yes, I occasionally have a middle of the night moment of panic that I missed the opening…
The popular television show, MythBusters, began on the Discovery channel in 2003. Like this tv show which fact checks and dispels or proves urban legends, the world of grants is ripe with myths. Time for Spring Cleaning! Let’s bust three of these grant myths! Myth #1: Grant funding should only support program costs. Vu Le, Executive Director of Ranier Valley Corps, has a reply…
Anyone doing grant research for an organization has probably heard this at least once when discussing research results: “Aren’t there any national funders?” In my experience doing a lot of grant research, most grantmakers have geographic preferences. They give priority, or may exclusively fund, certain geographic areas. This could include the places where their founders or trustees live(d), or communities with company facilities in…
The Roman deity Janus had two faces. One looked toward the past and the other the future. As the god of beginnings and endings, he focused on both the past and the future. Grant writers understand this duality. Our grants balance the power of words to evoke and reassure with their ability to excite and envision. We write in the voices of our…
Do you want to write twice as many grants in half the time? It sounds like a gimmick, I agree. Yet, there is real truth in the title of the book, “Scrum: Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time.” As an Agile framework, Scrum is a wonderful approach for grant writing teams to utilize as a means to increase the efficiency…
Are you feeling bored with your grant proposals? Are you getting tired of doing the same thing over and over again? If you are feeling bored, there is a good chance your grant reviewers are also bored reading through your grant proposal. Why not add some creativity to your grant proposals? Spice up your grant proposals with these creative ideas. Get out of…
I have been conducting quite a bit of funder research lately, which has given me an opportunity to further develop my foundation research strategies. I’d like to share some lessons learned from digging deep into the Foundation Directory Online (FDO): Be aware of how the list of grants in the grantmaker’s profile is created. The grants listed in a grantmaker’s profile usually…