How Grants Plus Maneuvers through the Funding Maze

The Funding Maze

The path to successful funding requires the same logic and strategies used to navigate through a maze game. Maneuver the marbles around the obstacles without falling into the holes while simultaneously charting the correct course. Grants Plus has the expertise and experience to move your organization through the maze and the process. We will advance a strategy to attain your organization’s funding goals, and assist you with any or all of the steps of a grant proposal.

The Start: Organization Readiness

Before jumping into the grant world, it pays to be sure your organization is ready. Funders look for organizations that have a clear idea of their mission and programs. If you can clearly identify your goals and objectives, a funder is more likely to see how they fit in the picture. Here are some points to keep in mind:

Know where you have been, where you are and where you want to be
Know the funding climate
Know (or get to know) the funders
Do the work well and on time

Grants Plus will assess your organization’s readiness and get you in shape to approach funders. We go beyond devising a proposal: we create a plan. We target funding sources that have an interest in your organization and its programs.

Funding Research

While many funders may come to mind when thinking about grants, it is important to do your homework. Your mission and programs must fit into the funding priorities and interests of the foundation.

Some things to consider:

Does the organization fit within the foundation’s funding criteria? (Type of organization, location, mission, type of support being sought, amount being sought, etc.)
Has the foundation funded organizations similar to this one?

One of the greatest funding research tools is the Foundation Center Library. There are five locations throughout the United States that offer free information to the public: New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Cleveland and San Francisco.

Grants Plus will assist your organization in finding a funder to fit your needs. With more than 40 years of combined experience, we have multiple resources and can ask the right questions throughout the research process.

Introductions + Connections

In grantseeking, personal contacts can help, but demonstrating that your organization has strong leadership will also take you far. Who you are, your organization’s past, as well as future goals must be communicated with specific and compelling language.

As experts in the grants field, Grants Plus can get you known in the funding world. Letters of Inquiry, if needed, are drafted at this juncture to introduce your organization and its need, establish organizational credibility, and present a summary of your case.

The Proposal Process

Proposal writing is just one step in the grantseeking process. Time should be spent developing the program or project and researching and cultivating donors before starting to prepare a proposal.

Grants Plus will help you through the proposal process. We will:

Define the program clearly, including goals and timeline
Develop a comprehensive program budget.
Estimate costs for staff, materials and equipment
Develop a method of evaluation for your program
Strengthen your organization’s case for support
Draft the proposal, based on the funder’s specific guidelines
Tailor the proposal for other funders
Submit the proposal on time

Yes or No

Sometimes, the waiting really is the hardest part! Once you have heard back from a funder, the answer will determine which path you take next.

If your proposal is funded—Congratulations! Now it’s time to focus on the details of the program, make sure the grant is being managed efficiently, keep track of progress and results. Most funders will want a final report, some will want a mid-program evaluation.

If your proposal is denied—try again. It’s important not to get discouraged if your proposal isn’t funded. Talk to your contact and find out why the proposal was denied. There may be various reasons but only one or two you can actually control. Listen carefully and adjust your proposal if necessary.

Grants Plus will communicate on with funders your behalf to develop a plan to move forward, as well as adjust or rewrite proposals that haven’t been successful in the past.

Report + Reapply

Reporting back to the foundation is critical. Your job as a grantee organization is not done until a report is submitted to the foundation. Each funder will have different guidelines for reporting. Be sure you are reporting at their requested intervals and in their requested manner.

Good reporting and evaluating will help build your case for continued funding from a foundation, or even new funding for a different program. If you can show, both qualitatively and quantitatively, that your organization took the grant seriously throughout the funding period, you are in a great position to continue a funding relationship.

Grants Plus is an expert in managing the grant process from start to finish. While there are many steps in the Funding Maze, our firm can make the process less daunting. We are committed to tailoring our services to your needs.

Contact Grants Plus for assistance in finding your way through the funding maze.
lauren.steiner@grants-plus.com