Applying for Grants

First, you must read the RFP (Request for Funding Proposal) carefully. Different grantmakers will have different policies, so you must be sure you're aware of the process through which you must proceed. Look for the preliminary steps that you must complete before submitting a full proposal. Does this foundation require an initial LOI (Letter of Intent)? If so, how detailed must it be and how soon must they receive it? Don't just look at the final deadline for the full proposal - if the deadline for the LOI was yesterday, you may have missed your opportunity, even though final proposals aren't due for four months.

If you must submit an LOI, you may have to wait weeks to find out if you'll be invited to submit a full proposal, or you may find that this part of the process is merely a formality (often so the foundation or agency can anticipate the number of proposals they'll have to examine so they can plan accordingly) and that you can set to work on your full proposal right away. Be sure that you know what the situation is before you devote hours to the application process - you won't be able to get those hours back if the grantor doesn't invite you to submit a proposal.

If you have questions about the grant at any point, call or email the contact person and get your answers as soon as the question arises. Putting it off or making assumptions can hurt your chances of putting together an impressive proposal.

Once you're sure your proposal will be reviewed, it's best to make a timeline for the work that needs to be done. Some proposals don't need to be complex and detailed; you could complete them in just a few hours. Others, particularly those seeking support for a new project or the construction or improvement of facilities, may require you to do everything short of actually beginning the work. You'll need to sit down, preferably with everyone in the organization who'll be working on the project, and figure out all the details. Afterward, each member of the project team may need to do some independent research or calculations in order to fill out his or her piece of the puzzle. This takes time, so be sure that each person responsible for some aspect of the proposal budgets an adequate amount of time to get the work done. If the proposal is going to be thrown together at the last minute, it's probably better not to do it at all.

When you begin to work on the proposal, be very clear on the specifications. If the RFP says there are to be no attachments, make sure there aren't any. If the proposal must be paper-clipped and not stapled, do not staple it. If you're required to use 1.25 inch margins and you use 1 inch margins, your application may be tossed out without even being read. Large foundations and government agencies that receive hundreds of proposals for a single grant are often looking for ways to thin the pile, and they may choose to disqualify applicants based on small technicalities. A popular story in the grant world tells of the foundation that required four numbered pages, but listed them such that page 3 must come before page 2. Many applicants assumed it was a typo and submitted their pages in the usual order - only to have their applications denied.

It's not just the technicalities that can get you, though. Some applicants see that an application requires a budget for a proposed project, and they make up numbers off the top of their head, making sure only that they total the maximum amount for the grant. That usually isn't good enough - grantors like to see that you've done your homework, that you're taking this grant and your project seriously and have gone to the trouble to make sure the information you give is the best information you have access to. Be prepared to back up your numbers with facts. Meet with contractors and get estimates, or contact other organizations in your area who have worked on similar projects and find out what their real costs were.

Once you've assembled the raw materials of your proposal, you must make sure that the information is conveyed as well as possible. If your organization can afford it, it's ideal to have a full-time grantwriter with years of experience. If that's not possible, find the person in your organization who's best equipped to write a persuasive argument and to describe the technical details competently. Does anyone in the office have previous grantwriting experience? If not, has anyone worked in publishing or done lots of academic writing? Selection committees look at a lot of applications, and the ones that make their points the most clearly and forcefully are the ones that will move to the top of the pile.

So, now you've done the research, written an application that reads like a work of great literature, and, most importantly, met the deadline. You win the grant - Congratulations! But your work isn't done. Grantmakers like to see how the money is being used. They may require regular progress reports, or they may only want one at the end of the grant period. Whichever it is, make sure they get their feedback on time. You may also want to invite a representative from the grantmaker to the site where the grant is being applied, so they can see firsthand how their money is being spent. It's also a good idea to publicize the grant by putting together a press release for local news organizations and inviting them to visit your offices for a photo opportunity. It's good press for your organization and for the grantor, and they may thank you for it. It's also a good policy to make sure you've used up all the funds within the grant period. Having leftover money makes it look like you over-budgeted. In whatever you do once you've one the grant, bear in mind that this, hopefully, won't be your only interaction with your grantmaker. Building a good relationship can help you to secure ongoing support or other one-time grants. It can also make your organization more appealing to other grantmakers and to individual donors.