Top 10 Resources to Find a Good Grant Writer

[Note: Always check any potential hire's credentials, and check out the resource that you receive a referral for a hire from.]

In order to begin to understand what you should do when hiring a grant writer, read the following two posts:

What Are the Steps to Hiring A Grant Writer?http://thegrantplant.blogspot.com/2004/07/what-are-steps-to-hiring-grant-writer.html

Pricing Grant Writers - What Should We Pay?http://thegrantplant.blogspot.com/2007/07/pricing-grant-writers-what-should-we.html

Top 10 Resources to Find a Good Grant Writer:

10. Talk with colleagues in your local nonprofit sector (or if you live in a small town, talk with your colleagues in the nearby larger town or city) and ask them which grant writer they've worked with that they'd recommend. Ask why they'd recommend them.

9. Look up whether there is a professional grant writers' affiliation in your region (again, look into the larger nearby town if you live in a smaller community). If there is (e.g. Puget Sound Grantwriters Association, Upstate New York Grantwriters Association, etc.) ask if they have a list of consulting grant writers. Usually they won't make referrals, but they will provide a list of members who are consulting.

8. Call a university who has worked with organizations working on the same cause as yours' is, and ask which grant writers they would recommend.

7. Whether your nonprofit is a United Way agency or not, call your local United Way and ask one of their program managers if they can comfortably recommend a grant writer or two who they've worked with.

6. Contact a nearby regional (if not local) nonprofit resource center or organization (e.g. in Sacramento Nonprofit Resource Center, Nonprofit Resource Center of Alabama, Nonprofit Resource Center of Western Virginia, etc.) and ask whether they have a list of member professional grant writers.

5. Call your local community foundation (and if there isn't one near you, call the community foundation in the closest large city to your town). e.g. The Seattle Foundation, Lincoln Community Foundation , or The Rhode Island Foundation, etc.

4. Search the Internet for professional, accomplished grant writers who have referrals, who know your cause, who know grant donors who fund your cause, and who works in your geographic region. How do you find these qualities? Search for them (e.g. "grant writer, arts, Los Angeles"). Also, when you talk with them, ask them about these qualities. Get and follow up with their referrals!! Check everything out!

3. If there is a respected foundation that your organization has partnered with in the past (who your group received a grant from), ask one of their program managers which grant writers they know do excellent work. Foundations see all kinds of grant applications; they know who is good at applying for grants.

2. American Association of Grant Professionals is a great professional national grantwriters affiliation. They offer their member consultants' list. As always, talk to a few potential hires, get references and follow up with them.

1. The most respected/ethical/reputable professional fundraising affiliation the U.S. is the Association of Fundraising Professionals. They provide a list of AFP affiliated professional fundraising consultants. You can search for the service you need (grant writing) by geographic location. When you do contact a potential grantwriter, ask the writers if they have experience seeking grants for whichever cause you work for in the region that your organization serves. I encourage you to call a few of the grant writers, listed there. Always ask for referrals. Cursor down to the bottom of the page to search. The link to their consultants' list is:
http://www.afpnet.org/ConsultantDirectory/Search.cfm?folder_id=940

Every Day An American or Canadian Nonprofit Will Win $500 Worth of Promotion Items

Promotional Products Retailer 4imprint Accepting In-Kind Grant Applications

Deadline: Ongoing

4imprint ( http://www.4imprint.com/ ) is now accepting applications for its 2008 one-by-one charitable giving program. For the third year in a row, the online and catalog promotional pro- ducts retailer will award a $500 in-kind grant every business day of 2008 to a charitable organization in the United States or Canada. In kind items include polo tees, mugs, notebooks, etc. and more.

In 2007, 4imprint awarded in-kind grants totaling $138,000 to nearly three hundred schools and universities, hospitals and health care organizations, children's charities and mentoring organizations, churches, civic groups, and others. In-kind grants were awarded to organizations across North America, in forty-six states, the District of Columbia, and five Canadian provinces.

Applications are due two months before the requested donation is needed. In order to be eligible for a donation, an applicant must be employed by or be a member of the board of directors of a 501(c)(3) organization, school, registered Canadian charity/ society, or religious organization, and must be at least 18 years of age.

Organizations interested in applying for a grant are invited to visit the program's Web site.

RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10011731/onebyone

Grants for Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

From The Foundation Center...

Open Society Institute Seeks Proposals for Substance Abuse Treatment Program

Deadline: May 1, 2008

The Open Society Institute ( http://www.soros.org/ ) is seeking new ideas for its Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap initiative. This groundbreaking $10 million program is designed to provide greater access to high-quality treatment for drug and alcohol addiction to all who need it.

According to a recent national survey, four out of the five Americans who need help for substance abuse problems are unable to get addiction treatment -- either due to lack of health insurance, inadequate insurance, or lack of addiction treatment in their communities.

Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap grant applicants must identify a common geographic area within which they will affect change; partnerships at the state, county, or city level are welcome to apply.

Applicants are asked to demonstrate success and assess their level of readiness on two key strategies: 1) building awareness of the treatment gap among stakeholders; and 2) the implementation of effective strategies for increasing insurance coverage, increasing government appropriations, and/or improving the efficiency and effectiveness of treatment available. Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap will support a wide range of projects and partnerships that meet the program's goals. Eligible applicants are required to show proof of 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, government, or quasi-public authority status; and have a scope of responsibility that includes a cohesive governmental jurisdiction (e.g., city, county, state, tribal jurisdiction).

A minimum of six grants will be awarded through this call for proposals. Grants of up to $600,000 each will be awarded for the entirety of the grant period, including overhead costs. A copy of the Request for Proposals outlining eligibility criteria, key dates, and submission requirements is available at the Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap Web site.

RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10011725/opensoc

Top Ten Ways to Find a Grant Donor Who Will Give to Your Nonprofit

10. Have done your homework - whatever your organization knows it needs grant money for (e.g. new program, ten new wheelchairs, a capital campaign (new building), etc.) be sure to have planned out: the timeline, staff, action items, expected results, research the target audience, understand what the real need in the community is that your new item/program is addressing, etc.

9. Research foundations, corporations, etc. who give grants. Do not print a list of foundations who operate near your town and decide the organizations on the list are who you're nonprofit is applying to for grants. Create a list of foundations who:

• donate to organizations that operate in your region (or who give to organizations that serve in your region)
• donate to the cause or issue that your organization is addressing
• demonstrate a history of giving, in the amounts that you're needing to raise, to organizations that are similar to yours'

Your organization should begin the grant application process by submitting Letters of Inquiry (LOI's) (or initially approach the potential donor how they prefer to be approached, according to their giving guidelines), to the grant donors who meet all three criteria, above.

8. Write an honest, thorough, succinct, easy to read grant proposal and tailor an original (master template) according to each foundation's guidelines' directions. All foundations are different from one another. One foundation will want you to include the list of your organization's Board of Directors, and another won't. They all require different things - read each foundation's giving guidelines.

7. Get organized. Upon receiving responses (and some are always 'we are sorry but...' and 'please go ahead and apply') from foundations to your initial contact; plan out when each application that your organization has been invited to submit is due, or when you want to have it 100% completed by (to get it into the mail, to arrive on time).

6. Prepare and educate any executive director and board members who may meet with foundation (or grant donor) representatives. Sometimes grant donors want to see a site location (when considering giving to a capital campaign, for instance), or interview organization leaders to get a feel for the organization's culture, management style, openness, etc. Get each of your organization's leaders information on the foundation, on the grant that you're applying for, and help them with talking points. They should speak honestly from the heart about why they're with your organization, answer all questions, remain open. No executive director or board member should expect to do a 'perfect' interview. Rather, they are the 'cherry on the sundae' to the organization's reputation, successes, etc. and the grant application. They should try to relax and enjoy the talk, if they can; when a potential donor wants to meet with your organization - it's encouraging and a good sign!

5. Be grateful for the foundations who decline your application. When you receive a grant it's a great feeling. The reason why I say 'be grateful for the declines, too' is that they remain a potential grant donor to your organization now, just as they were when you applied. During your foundation research (prospecting) you determined that they are. So, give it a couple of days and call their program manager (if the foundation accepts calls - look in their giving guidelines to find out) and say 'thank you for reviewing our application, we plan on applying during the next giving cycle that we're allowed to (some foundations only allow an application a year, others don't care how often you apply), could you let me know why our application was not granted or give me some suggestions?' It's OK to do this. It allows you to understand better what they want and at the very least, they've read what your organization does. You always want potential donors to know about your organization and what it does. You've done this much. Apply again.

4. Manage any grant that your group receives. It's a donation from a potential future donor to your organization. Do not spend the grant on anything other than what you stated it would be spent on, in the proposal. Create a way to track the program, project, items, etc. that you received the grant for. Provide clients with a survey asking about the program. Track who receives a new wheelchair, ask the owner for feedback on it - gather stats on the people benefiting from the grant support. Whether the donor asks for it or not, provide the grant donor with an end of grant report (state what their money was spent on, what it helped to achieve, state how you know these data points, and say 'thank you').

3. Communicate with grant donors. If something 'bad' happens (e.g. major funding for the program falls through, the site that you were going to build your org's new building got bought from under your organization, etc.) call up the foundation and tell them. Be proactive, be forthright, and remember that you're trying to get a donation now but you want a good relationship with any potential donor and to do that - you must be honest. You don't want them to find out about the mishap through another source. Besides, I've literally heard more than once, that projects or programs that were in jeopardy were saved by the potential grant donor because they believed in the new program/project so much. They knew that the need existed in our community.

2. Do not send grant donors things like newsletters, annual appeal letters, etc. after they've given to your organization. They don't need extra mail. Keep a relationship up with their program manager but don't annoy them. Develop the donor to give again in the future.

1. Give your organization enough time to be successful. Grant writing is not a quick fix fundraising method. Be sure to plan ahead. Be sure to plan out the timeline. Give yourself at least three months to research and write; and give the foundation 3 - 6 months to decide whether they'll give the grant or not. Expect these time lines. They're pretty common.

Grants for Green Building Research

From The Foundation Center...

U.S. Green Building Council Commits Additional $1 Million to Fund Green Building Research

Deadlines: March 6, 2008 (Pre-proposal Submissions); Grant pre-proposals will be accepted from February 12 through March 6, 2008.

The U.S. Green Building Council ( http://www.usgbc.org/ ), a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation, has doubled its funding commitment for green building research grants to be awarded in 2008 to a total of $2 million.

Of the additional $1 million in grants, $500,000 has been allocated for K-12 school facility research related to occupant impacts. The Green Building Research Fund was created to spur research that will advance sustainable building practices and encourage market transformation. Matching funds from other sources are encouraged in order to maximize the potential of USGBC's contribution toward filling critical research gaps. The research will result in knowledge, policies, technologies, and tools that have an immediate and positive impact on sustainable building development, design, construction, and operation. A portfolio of projects will be selected. Several grants will be awarded in two general ranges: $50,000 to $150,000, and $150,000 to $250,000 (total one-time, non-renewable grant distributed throughout the project timeline). A quarter ($500,000) of the $2 million total is reserved for K-12 school research relating to occupant impacts.

Academic, nonprofit, and other research institutions are the primary recipient audience for the grants. For-profit entities are permitted to apply but are strongly encouraged to partner with academic or nonprofit institutions and must clearly describe public versus private benefits. Grant pre-proposals will be accepted from February 12 through March 6, 2008. Selected applicants will be asked to submit comprehensive proposals for the final phase of the selection process.

Visit the Green Building Council Web site for the Request for Proposals and application procedures.

RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10011608/usgbc

Grants for Model Programs or Collaborators Assiting Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

From The Foundation Center...

Avon Foundation Offers Support to Assist Children Affected by Domestic Violence

Deadline: March 31, 2008

The Avon Foundation ( http://www.avonfoundation.org/ ) launched the Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program in 2004 to support domestic violence awareness, education, direct services, and prevention programs. As part of the Speak Out program, the foundation launched the national Not Seen, Not Heard: Helping Children of Domestic Violence program in 2005 to assist the children of domestic violence.

The Avon Foundation is seeking proposals from nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations that assist children who have been exposed to or are victims of domestic violence. For 2008, the foundation will focus on the following strategic priority: innovative coordinated-response models between domestic violence organizations and organizations that assist child victims of abuse and/or children witnesses of domestic violence.

Proposals will be accepted from domestic violence organizations that have demonstrated experience assisting domestic violence victims and that are developing or expanding a model of collaboration to include agencies that assist child victims of abuse and/or children witnesses to domestic violence in order to provide therapeutic services to the children; offer services to both the children and the non-offending adult caregiver, including family support and parent education; are willing to utilize a licensed provider of counseling and specific modalities of treat- ment and have linkages with at least one other government and one other nonprofit organization; and are willing to serve as a national model.

Grant amounts range from $10,000 to $50,000 each, depending on the size, scope, and impact of the program proposed. Grants are non-renewable. However, an organization may submit a new proposal the following year for continued funding. To be considered for funding, applicants must submit a proposal before April 1, 2008.

Visit the Avon Foundation Web site for complete program information.

RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10011601/avoncompany

Grants for Programs or Collaborators Providing Assistance to Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

From The Foundation Center...



Avon Foundation Offers Support to Assist Children Affected by Domestic Violence



Deadline: March 31, 2008



The Avon Foundation ( http://www.avonfoundation.org/ ) launched the Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program in 2004 to support domestic violence awareness, education, direct services, and prevention programs. As part of the Speak Out program, the foundation launched the national Not Seen, Not Heard: Helping Children of Domestic Violence program in 2005 to assist the children of domestic violence.



The Avon Foundation is seeking proposals from nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations that assist children who have been exposed to or are victims of domestic violence. For 2008, the foundation will focus on the following strategic priority: innovative coordinated-response models between domestic violence organizations and organizations that assist child victims of abuse and/or children witnesses of domestic violence.



Proposals will be accepted from domestic violence organizations that have demonstrated experience assisting domestic violence victims and that are developing or expanding a model of collaboration to include agencies that assist child victims of abuse and/or children witnesses to domestic violence in order to provide therapeutic services to the children; offer services to both the children and the non-offending adult caregiver, including family support and parent education; are willing to utilize a licensed provider of counseling and specific modalities of treat- ment and have linkages with at least one other government and one other nonprofit organization; and are willing to serve as a national model.



Grant amounts range from $10,000 to $50,000 each, depending on the size, scope, and impact of the program proposed. Grants are non-renewable. However, an organization may submit a new proposal the following year for continued funding.



To be considered for funding, applicants must submit a proposal before April 1, 2008. Visit the Avon Foundation Web site for complete program information.



RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10011601/avoncompany