Grants and Mission
Nonprofits need to stay on mission and in grant seeking, they need to identify funders whose interests match what they do. The process results in matching mission to mission. There is probably no better example of pragmatic philanthropy than in grant making, where meeting specific expectations of the grant maker is key. The image of the beggar on the steps, however pitiful, does not appeal to contemporary grant makers.
There are dozens of online resources, including the Foundation Center, to locate prospective funders. Some sites are established to list only foundations that give to animals, the arts, education or another cause. In fact, the abundance of information can be overwhelming.
More importantly, nonprofits need a strategy for grant seeking that extends beyond approaching individual grant makers. Individual grant applications are tactics in an overall plan.
What's a grant seeker to do? Board education, expanding the data universe and writing proposals that articulate the grant maker's goals are among means to success.
Educate the Board
Grant seekers should develop a presentation to educate the nonprofit's board. This will position the trustees to make better suggestions about prospective funders. Board members may be uncomfortable admitting that they know little about how grants are made. A board presentation can be designed to teach them about grants, how they are made and how board members can participate in identifying grant makers.
Road Less Trampled
Nonprofit grant seekers have a lot of information available but it is only as useful as it relates to the task at hand. In fact, while traditional online resources are substantial, nonprofit grant seekers are often travellng a worn highway. Hundreds of grant seekers may be filing an electronic application at the same time. There are several other ways nonprofits can identify grant makers:
- Use grant resources such as those offered by the Foundation Center only as a starting point.
- Research IRS information through the publicly available 990 forms filed annually by nonprofits. The National Center for Charitable Statistics has databases on multiple levels, from raw data to succinct profiles of various nonprofit entities. The 990 details giving in a particular year and reveals patterns of giving over time.
- Study the grants made by certain nonprofits and understand them in the context of geographic preferences. Some grant makers make applaud your cause in Newark, NJ but only make grants in Boise, Idaho.
- Consider the relationship among area grant makers. Certain grant makers tend to be part of a pool of funders for particular causes. Deep Pockets and Money Bags frequently support the same causes in the same area and have alliances with people who act similarly.
- Talk to local bankers. They often have access to information about trusts and foundations that is perfectly legal to disclose but not always readily accessible to the general public.
Write for the Grantmaker
Good writing reaches the audience and, for the same reason, good grant proposals communicate with the grantmaker. From writing the executive summary to suggesting memorials, grant seekers need to connect the grant maker's vision with the nonprofit's mission to shape a giving opportunity.
In other words, the nonprofit needs to show how it will best help the grant maker to do its work, not the other way around. The grant maker has specific criteria for extending the grant. Instead of the beggar on the steps, the grant seeker needs to be viewed as a viable business partner carrying out a charitable purpose. To get the grant, the nonprofit must be able to show how it will tangibly manifest the grant maker's goals.
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