Grant Tips: Advice that can give you the edge!

This is where you can find the grant tips that can help make your proposal better than good: by improving the presentation, making it more compelling and adapted to funder expectations.

Here are some sample grant tips…

Read the RFP: Sounds obvious, right? Yet funders scratch their heads wondering if anyone read the RFP. The RFP (Request for Proposal) represents the interests of the funder, outlining their needs and guidelines. It is important to understand the RFP fully as this one step can make all the difference. Breaking down these complex requirements into a checklist using Todoist can ensure you don't miss a single criteria.

Do your homework: Dig deeper and find out what the funder tries to accomplish, what organizations have received grants in the past, and its grantmaking priorities. What are its previous grants? Does it fund programs like yours? Instrumentl is an invaluable tool here, allowing you to review 990 data to see exactly who they funded and how much. Does its mission resonate with yours? Want to know more? See the Grants Research page.

Show your numbers: Nearly every proposal needs a budget to show where the requested funds will be spent. Make it realistic and compelling. Back it up with your project narrative. Using dedicated nonprofit accounting software ensures your budget aligns perfectly with your general ledger. See the Grants Budget page for more.

Get into the details: Expertise gets funded. Good intentions don’t. Lay out your proposal in logical sections that speak to your goals, the process of accomplishing your goals and how you will know if you met your goals. Don’t forget to include why your organization is qualified to do the project, and your history of accomplishments.

Focus their objectives: You may think that a funder’s job is to help you accomplish your mission. It’s not. Every funder, whether a person, company, foundation or government agency has their own mission. You have a mission. Where do they meet? Speak to this intersection (often defined during strategic planning). How can you help them meet their goals, while you’re meeting yours?

Deadlines matter: Fewer and fewer funders rely on paper proposals delivered in person, through the mail or your favorite “when it has to be on time” carrier. Most require electronic submissions that time stamp exactly when you pressed the final “Submit” button. Either way, don’t rely on their generosity to accept a late proposal, regardless of your good reason. Be on time for full consideration.

Respect the funder’s expertise: Sometimes funders have tremendous expertise in what you do. Other times they don’t. Find out and tailor your proposal accordingly. But regardless, always treat them as the intelligent people they are. 

Cultivate relations with your funders: Get to know potential funders before you make your pitch by attending their workshops, networking opportunities and other events, and remain engaged as a prospective partner. Track every interaction in your CRM to ensure you never drop the ball on a relationship. See more on the Grant Funders page. 

Communicate your difference: describe what’s uniquely inspiring about your nonprofit; reflect your powerful strengths and track record of success; and specify the tangible impact your organization provides. Including a short, powerful video can sometimes be the differentiator that makes your proposal stick.

These are just a few helpful tips. There are lots more in the content below. It’s a binge-worthy section!

Questions? Go to the FAQs!