In one sentence, ask for technical assistance if the funder can’t fund your project. Some needs your organization identifies may be instructional rather than monetary. For example, you may ask the funder to show you how to do a specific task, and then you can combine that knowledge with the resources that you have:If you cannot consider awarding grant funds at this time, the board is asking for technical assistance in connecting with state-level nonprofit associations, councils, and foundations that may be potential site hosts.
In one sentence, show hope in your closing. Sign off with “Waiting to hear from you,” “Hopefully,” or some other impactful closing.
In one line of type, make sure the CEO signs the letter of inquiry. This step shows that the top administrator for your organization is aware of your request for grant funding.
Remember to proofread the letter yourself, as well as have someone else provide input on the content and character of the letter.
www.dummies.com/go/grantwritingfd7e.
Using a letter of intent
Some government grantmaking agencies and a handful of foundations request a letter of intent (a document that states you intend to apply for a grant in an open/active funding cycle). Just about all the funders that request a letter of intent have their own specific online format.
You can find an example of the letter of intent format (predominantly requested from federal grantmaking agencies) at the U.S. Department of Justice website (www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/1107796/download). It is one of 26 federal grantmaking agencies. This file is a PDF download of a one-page letter of intent’s suggested content.
Waiting Patiently for Next Steps
After you have communicated with a potential funder, if the foundation’s director or program officer does not invite you to submit a letter of inquiry or grant application on behalf of your nonprofit organization, wait at least 3-4 weeks after the encounter. At that time, you can pick up the telephone and call to inquire if it’s okay to submit a letter of inquiry or a grant application and ask for the suggested grant request range. Make sure to confirm which one of your programs they are most interested in reading more about.
If the potential funder says they are not able to support your nonprofit organization at this time, politely thank them and ask if it’s okay to circle back to them in the next funding cycle or the next fiscal year. Count to ten and start the initial contact process with the next funder in your funding plan. This is a rinse and repeat process until you hit the jackpot and are invited to submit a request for funding.
Chapter 3
Understanding Grantmaking Entities Expectations
IN THIS CHAPTER
Most private and public sector funding sources all have funding-request guidelines for your perusal on the Internet. I’m nudging you to use and stick to these guidelines — they’re the golden key to opening doors for funding consideration. In this chapter, I help you understand grant-related terms and guide you through how to tell and sell your story to potential funders. (Think of this chapter as a warm-up to the heavy lifting you do when you write your funding request proposal. More about that in Part 4.)
Delivering the Information Funders Ask For
Potential funding sources for your well-deserved grant award have been trying hard to help grantseekers, including you, understand what they want to read in an award-winning grant proposal. Although the funders’ guidelines may vary in how they order the requested information or word the headings/subheadings, in the end they all want to see commonly organized, written presentations of information.
Shift your focus from the excitement of finding grantfunding opportunities for your organization to gearing up to write the following blocks of information:
Factual information about your organization and its qualifications as a potential grantee
Compelling information about the specific project (12-month implementation timeframe) or program (multi-year implementation timeframe) for which you’re seeking funding
Planning-savvy narrative about what you intend to do with the money if you receive it
As you read through each section of the funder’s guidelines, make sure you understand how the funder defines its terms. You need to consider whether you can interpret what the funder’s asking for in more than one way in order to avoid accidentally giving the wrong info.
In the following sections, I review the basic facts you’re required to provide on most grant applications. I also give you an overview of the project details funders expect you to provide, and I offer suggestions on how to win over the application reviewers, also known as decision makers. After all, you do want to get funded, right?
Providing the facts about your organization
Any funding source you approach will have questions about the grant applicant organization’s legal name and structure, such as nonprofit, unit of government (village, town, township, city, county, or state government agency), association, or membership-based organization. Although the wording may vary slightly from one application to another, the cover documents (if applicable) and narratives of grant applications generally ask for the same basic information. Understanding exactly what the application is asking for and knowing how to reply in the right language is critical.
