Misc. Grant Tips
It is becoming more and more common these days for people to write grant proposals in efforts to get money to make their projects happen. Below are some grant tips and grant resources that you can use when writing your own grant proposal.
1. You must determine which foundations and entities have given grants in your region that are similar to your own needs and grant proposal.
It is important to speak with those whom have received said funding and get advice from them. It is always best to request a copy of their successful grants.
2. You will need to research the current guidelines and requirements for those foundations and entities on what they are willing to fund and when your grant proposal will be due.
If it is known that a particular foundation won’t fund a specific expense, then you shouldn’t request funding for that particular expense. Wording is an extremely key part of your proposal.
3. Use templates of successfully funded grants any time possible as a base for your own proposal.
There are a lot of funding entities that will send you copies of proposals that they have funded. The entities that won’t send you said copies, will often give you the contact information for past grant recipients, and with due diligence you should be able to extract the proposals from their respective sources.
As you read more and more previously funded proposals, you’ll see how important proper wording and format is to the entities executing the actual funding of the grants. Try to get grant tips from those templates as well.
4. Terminologies are important.
You will probably want to utilize the same terms you find in a funding entities requirements in your own grant proposal.
Remember that your proposal is essential a written sales presentation and keywords and catchphrases can play a key role in whether or not you receive the funding that you’re searching for. They are going to tell you what they are willing to fund, so ensure that your proposal specifically states that your are requesting funding for a project that they are already looking to fund.
5. Networking is also a key factor in your success.
By opening up dialogue with individuals who’ve done work with the entities that you are submitting proposals to, you can increase your chances of getting funded. Talk to individuals at the funding entity as much as you can without becoming a pest or offending them.
You should be able to establish a rapport with these people and they will be more likely to give you free advice that you can use to help secure the funding that you are looking for.
Funding entities profoundly respect and appreciate requestors whom take the time to gather all the necessary facts and do their due diligence. It is also possible that your interaction can promote name recognition which may further your chances of receiving the funding that you are looking to receive.
6. Keep it short.
It is imperative that you are definitive enough for the grant reviewer(s) to understand what exactly you are trying to propose, however, you must remember that they review stacks and stacks of proposals and it’s a tedious and painstaking job.
The reviewers typically “speed read” the proposals in efforts to get an idea of what you expect to do. So if you keep your proposal short and simple you have a much better chance at being one of the potentially fundable few.
If you overwhelm the person doing the review with too much detail they’ll be less likely to pour through it in a valid attempt to understand exactly what you are trying to accomplish. When this happens, you are likely to end up in the “Not a chance” stack. Create a much more understandable proposal and you’ll be increasing your chances of being funded.
7. Taking from grant tip number four; catch phrases and keywords, titling your project is equally important.
You want to attempt to use a title that will be catchy as well as descriptive to the purpose of your project.
8. A good proposal should be easily understood and should express your ideas and purposes in a concise, yet enthusiastic manner. The “abstract” of your proposal is the most important paragraph within.
9. You’ll want to show, in your proposal, that you’ve recognized who’s done similar projects.
Also you’ll want to display your partnerships with the proper entities that can ensure that you’ve made arrangements for sufficient support to fulfill your projects goals. This can also increase your chances of receiving the grant funding that you are applying for.
10. A big problem with grant funded projects is resistance to future economic fluctuations.
A lot of projects fizzle out once the original grant funding has been depleted. Show how your project will continue to receive funding or generate revenue once the original funds have been utilized.
11. You need to show measurable goals and outcomes.
What will be produced and what will be the outcome of the funding of the grant. Who and how many will benefit from the use of the moneys. You will need to be able to prove the results of the project. Creating an efficient Grant Proposal Budget and Statement of Cash Flow will help with this.
12. Be reasonable.
It is understandable that you may want to show how your project will attain many, many goals, however, you must keep your goals within reason. If you claim to be able to reach too many goals and objectives with the funding that you are requesting it will show improper planning and goal setting. This will make a reviewer shy away from your project.
13. Tie yourself to a regional, or even a national, issue and ensure that your grant proposal is based on a system or model that can be duplicated once you’ve proven that your project works. Make it apparent that your not just going to benefit a few people in a small, unknown town in a part of the country that very few people live in. Show that you’re solving an issue that is shared by multiple regions, or the entire nation. Make sure that you show how your project can greatly affect a broader area.
14. You may need to bring partners into the mix, however, remember that the more partners you have the harder it will be to satisfy every one of them.
This is especially true when you are working with large sums of money. Make sure that the partners you align yourself with are people that you can trust and work with on a regular basis. Be careful, getting the funding is only the beginning of your project.
15. Remember, you may not necessarily get funded with your first proposal.
The planning, research and writing that you’ve done will still allow you to get funded elsewhere. You can typically save your proposals to use as templates for future proposals. Even veteran grant writers reuse sections of successful grants.
16. Make your project enjoyable.
Remember, once you get the funding you’ve requested, you’re going to be working very hard to make your project come to fruition. This goes along with the “be careful what you wish for” figure of speech. Make sure you plan effectively, the last thing you will want to do is start applying for another grant immediately after the approval of the first because you didn’t prepare properly!
17. There are many online resources specifically designed to assist the amateur, and seasoned grant writer. Find them and use them. In this Do-It-Yourself packet we will include some for you, however, online resources appear and disappear daily so be sure to do your due diligence as well.
18. Lastly, you don’t have to submit to only one funding entity at a time.
Just remember that it isn’t prudent to submit the exact same grant to every funding entity, so be sure to change the proposal slightly so that if you receive funding from multiple sources the grants can coexist and dovetail together instead of becoming a duplication of the same proposed grant.
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