“Can/should I do a ‘foundations campaign’ and send the same request to several different foundations?”What to do:
Proceed with caution. Yes, you can submit substantially the same request to several foundations, especially smaller foundations that have no prescribed format, or those that accept your state’s “common grant application” format. However, every foundation is different and should be treated uniquely. For example, some require several copies of each request, while others may require that copies be sent to trustees separately. Nothing is worse than seeing an obvious “find and replace” job with the wrong number of spaces before a foundation’s name, or a different font within the narrative, or two “the’s.” So if you choose to do this, proofread carefully and make sure it does not appear like a cut and paste job.
It is always a nice touch, whether requested or not, to use the cover letter to explain why your organization is a good fit for the foundation’s priorities. This requires a little work and creativity, but will set your requests apart from those that use the same cover letter for every potential funder.
Find out more about how Grants Plus can help your organization.