designing a successful grant strategy elizabeth super, mpa october 16, 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Designing a Successful Grant
Strategy
Elizabeth Super, MPA
October 16, 2015
Goals For Today
1. Understand the components of a successful grant strategy in order to develop an annual grant strategy for your organization
2. Learn the elements of competitive grant applications
Grant Strategy: What Is This?
• Project management tool
• Task list: Stewarding, Check-ins
• Due dates for applications/LOIs
• Reports
• Tracking document (YTD)
• A way to appear organized
Components Of The Grant Strategy
Components Of The Grant Strategy
Pause For Questions
Start With What You Know
• Review current and previous foundations
• Confirm reporting is up to date
• Grant Strategy Action: Schedule “Applications and Reports” Action Item
• Make a wish list
Researching Grant Prospects
• Start with other organizations that work in your focus area and service population• Nonprofits in your community
• Foster care, youth development/mentoring
• Social/human services
• Look at their websites, annual reports, etc.
Researching Grant Prospects
• IRS Form 990s (http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/990finder/)
• Foundation websites
• Databases (Foundation Search, Foundation Center, GuideStar)
• Community foundations, United Way, etc.
From Research To Practice
• Make a determination: • Have they funded organizations similar to ours?
• What was their average grant size?
• Do they fund organizations year-to-year?
• Note due dates
• Create a “profile”
• Determine your best guess on positioning
• What questions do you have?
Pause For Questions
Stewarding
• Grant Strategy Action: Schedule “Stewarding” Action Item
• Read the foundation’s website
• List out the trustees/directors (IRS Form 990)• Send to your board, your staff, your everyone. See who is
connected.
• Call the foundation
Make Your Plan
• Grant Strategy Action: Schedule “Applications and Reports” Action Item
• Outline the grant application (list out questions)
• Determine what information is needed: Decisions, Budget and Attachments.
Drafting Your Application
• Outline your program
• Ask questions internally: • What is the need for program/services?
• What gap are we filling in the community?
• What will we do? How will we do it?
• What is the impact? How will we measure?
• Why is this important?
Drafting Your Application
Reviewing Your Grant Application
• Have someone else read your application• Did we answer all the questions?
• Does everything make sense?
• Are there typos?
• Have someone else read the guidelines• Did we include the correct number of copies?
• Are the attachments correct?
Submitting The Application
• Submit the application! Yay!
• Grant Strategy Action: Move from “Applications and Reports” to “Pending LOIs/Applications.” Set a deadline to check in.
Pause For Questions
What Happens When You Get Funded?
• Celebrate! Hooray!
• Communicate with everyone who helped you on the grant.
• Call the foundation.
• Grant Strategy Action: Move from “Pending LOIs / Applications” to “Awards To Date.”
• Grant Strategy Action: Add the “report” due date on the strategy.
What Happens When You Are Declined?
• Be bummed, frustrated, and give yourself space to experience whatever emotion comes first.
• This is important: Pay attention to “why” we were declined.
• Call the foundation. Ask these questions: • Is our program aligned with your mission?
• Did we forget to include any materials?
• How can we improve our application in the future?
• What other suggestions do you have for our next application?
• Grant Strategy Action: Move from “Pending LOIs/Applications” to “Declined.”
Grants In Practice: The Best Grant That Was Never Submitted.
• Stewarding – Done!
• Program Design – Done!
• Thoughtful Process – Done!
• Outline application – Done!
• Decision to NOT submit application – DONE!
• Huh?
