THIS CHAPTER
If I had a dollar for every call and email I received from everyone and every organization wanting to pursue grant funding, I’d be super rich. I can actually recite the response that I regretfully have to give most inquirers.
In this chapter, I give you an overview of everything grant related and encourage you to read on through each chapter to get the full picture of every aspect of the grantwriting journey. If you have always wanted to learn more about grant writing, want to build relationships with potential funders, learn how to connect with your elected officials to stay in the know about federal grantfunding opportunities, and secure funding, this is the only book written to put you in the driver’s seat on your journey. Get out your highlighters and sticky notes and let’s get started!
Orienting Yourself on Grantseeking Basics
In order to hone your “find a grant now” skill set, you need a lot of basic information. First things first: what a grant is not. A grant is not a way to pay off your debts, like mortgages, student loans, government loans, or utility bills. It’s not a way to fund your first trip abroad. A grant also is not a way to get out of jail free. You won’t find a grantfunder that will give you free money for personal needs.
In this section, I explain common terms and lay out the basic information you need to know to jump on the grantseeking boat without a life preserver.
Learning common grantwriting terminology
Basically speaking, a grant (sometimes labeled a cooperative agreement by government funding agencies) is a monetary award of financial assistance to eligible grant applicants. The principal purpose of the grant is to transfer dollars from a funding agency or entity (grantor) to a recipient (grantee), who undertakes to carry out the proposed objectives (the written implementation plans in the grant application narrative) that they committed to when they submitted the grant application. Here are some common grantwriting terms and their definitions:
Grant/cooperative agreement: The distinguishing factor between a grant and a cooperative agreement is the degree of government (state, federal, or local) participation or involvement during the grantee’s actual startup and implementation of the proposed activities. A grant award is made via a contract or agreement between the funding agency (the grantor) and the recipient (the grantee), with the grant supporting the activities and deliverables (implementation strategies and measurable time-bound objectives or benchmarks) detailed in the proposal/application (and finalized during the process of confirming the grant award). Reading the grant application’s guidelines thoroughly (and multiple times) is critical to being funded. (Refer to Part 2 for tips on finding grantfunding opportunities.)
Grantor: A grantor (also known as a grantmaker or funder) is the organization or agency that receives your funding request and decides to fund it or reject it. Grantors include the grantmaking agencies of the federal government, tons of state and local government agencies (including in the U.S. territories), and more than 100,000 foundations and corporate grantmakers. Two categories of grantors exist:Public-sector funder: Any government grantmaker (federal, state, county, or local unit of government) that awards grants with money that comes from congressional allocations, federal pass-through dollars to states and municipalities, or taxpayer dollars — the public-sector.Private-sector funder: A foundation or corporate grantmaker (independent of private foundation, operating foundations, corporate foundations, and community foundations) that uses funds from private sources — investments, contributions, donations, or grants — to fund eligible grant applicants.
Grantee: The eligible grant applicant designated to receive a grant award. All grants require the grantee to use the funds as written (and promised) in the grant application. The required grant award paperwork is considered a contract between the grantor and the grantee. Up until you’re awarded the grant, you’re a grant applicant; you become a grantee only if you are approved for funding and agree to accept the award.
So, how do you get a grantor to give you a grant and make you a grantee? After you’ve reviewed the guidelines (at least three times) for submitting an application and made initial contact with the potential funder, you’re ready to research, write, and submit your grant application or proposal (also known as a funding request). I fill you in on the pieces or sections of a grant application/proposal in the section “Looking at the components of a grant application,” later in this chapter.
Checking out different types of grants
Almost every grantfunding agency publishes specific types of funding it awards to prospective grantseekers. When you know what you want to use grant monies for, you can evaluate whether your request fits with the type of funding the grantor has available. For example, if you want money for architectural fees related to a historical preservation project, you can skip applying to a grantor that’s only accepting grant requests for small technology-related equipment.
Look long and hard at the different categories of funding offered:
Annual campaigns: Grants to support annual operating expenses, infrastructure improvements, program expansion, and, in some cases, one-time-only expenses (such as a cooling-system replacement).
Building/renovation funds: Grants to build a new facility or renovate an existing facility. These projects are often referred to as bricks-and-mortar projects. Building funds are the most difficult to secure; only a small percentage of foundations and corporations award grants for this type of project.
Capital support: Grants for equipment, buildings, construction, and endowments. This type of request is a major undertaking by the applicant organization because this type of large-scale project isn’t quickly funded. An organization often needs two to three years to secure total funding for such a project.
Challenge monies: Grants that act as leverage to secure additional grants from foundations and corporations. They’re awarded by grantmakers that specifically include challenge grants or challenge funds in their grantmaking priorities. These grants are contingent upon you raising additional funds from other sources. Typically, a challenge grant award letter directs you to raise the remaining funding from other grantors; however, that typically excludes government grants.
Conferences/seminars: Grants to cover the cost of attending, planning, and/or hosting conferences and seminars. You can use the funding to pay for all the conference expenses, including securing a keynote speaker, traveling, printing, advertising, and taking care of facility expenses such as meals.
Consulting services: Grants to strengthen an organization’s capacity can be used to retain the services of a consultant or consulting firm. For example, if