Grantwriting for Growth:
10 Strategies for Successful Grantwriting
From the Reviewers Eyes
4/13/2015
EW & Associates, Inc.
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FACILITATOR
Partial TA Client List:
 The Ethiopian Community Development
Corporation Arlington, VA
 The COGIC Urban Initiatives Economic
Development St. Louis, MO
 Good Africa Coffee of Uganda, Africa
 African Community Health Institute San Diego, CA
 Somali African Parent Association, Minneapolis,
MN
 Women’s Employment Opportunity Project,
Atlanta, GA
 Atlanta Refugee Women’s Network Atlanta, GA
 Philadelphia Development Partnership,
Philadelphia, PA
 Greater Newark Business Development
Consortium, Newark, NJ
 CHAMAL, Lynchburg, VA
 The WORLD (Welcoming of Refugees for Lansing
Development) Lansing, MI
 Burmese Advocacy Center Fort Wayne, IN
 Midwest Community Development Corporation
Minneapolis, MN
 Sustainable Rural Regenerative Enterprises for
Families Atlanta, GA
4/13/2015
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Elizabeth Wilson
President, EW & Associates
Atlanta, GA
Elizabeth is a true expert in low and moderate community
economic development initiatives and policy. Her
management portfolio exceeds over six million dollars to
develop small businesses and includes initiatives funded by
the eBay Foundation, Hewlett Packard Philanthropy and the
Prudential Foundation.
M. Wilson has a strong knowledge of urban, economic, and
small business development. Since 1996, she has provided
professional leadership and training in the development of
nonprofit services and management including program
design, project planning, development budgeting, staff
recruitment, marketing and fundraising in her various
positions. She is the author of business training curriculum
and several books, including “When Life Gives You Lemons,
Open a Lemonade Stand” and “Young, Gifted &
Entrepreneurs”
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Sources of Funding
Federal
Government
36%
Other sources
3% Program Income
12%
Private Sources
27%
State
Government
16%
Local
Government
6%
Annually $307.65 Billion Given
Source: Giving USA 2009, Giving USA Foundation, researched and written by the Center
on Philanthropy at Indiana University
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Strategies for Successful Proposals
Careless
Preparation
Competence of
Applicant not
shown
Nature of
Project
Reasons for NOT receiving a grant*
*Based on an analysis of more than 700 proposals rejected by the US Public health Services. Roy Meadot,
Guidelines for Preparing Proposals, Chelsea: Lewis Publishers, Inc.
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Follow the Directions
Organize, Clarify and Structure
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Directions Matter!
• 35 – 50% of ALL federal and foundation
proposals are rejected because they are
poorly organized or don’t conform to the RFP
guidelines.
• Read and analyze the RFP
• Research
• Read winning proposals
• Follow the outline laid out in the RFP
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Remember:
• Every year, proposals are disqualified because
the writer failed to follow general format
directions regarding the number of pages,
appendices, fonts, spacing etc.
• Reviewers rank proposals lower when writers
fail to follow instructions regarding what
content goes in which section of the proposal.
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Independent eyes see
better
Organize, independent eyes and collaborate
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Types of Reviewers
• Mechanical – Lockheed Martin (50% rejection)
• Human – External – Intermediary
organizations, paid reviewers
• Human – Internal – Foundation or Corporate
Staff, volunteer stakeholders
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• Mechanical
• Review Team
• Funder Team
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• The Writer
• Review Team
• Content Reviewer
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Duties of Your Review Team
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Review checklist
Spelling, grammar
Timelines
Research
RFP Outline
TTTT’s & iiiiiii
Did you answer the ???
• Review strategy &
selling points
• Cohesiveness
• Jargon-free review
• Goals clearly stated
• Responses are strategic,
feasible, realistic, logical
• Competencies
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Finish Early
Timelines, checks and balances
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• Submitting a proposal on the
due date is late to a Reviewer.
• Early proposals receive
favorable consideration.
• Late proposals, even if received,
receive negative consideration
from reviewers.
• Online = Mechanical
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File 13 Proposals
•
•
•
•
Faxed
Handwritten
Too many attachments, pages to read
Obviously patched together from a variety
of sources
• Templates
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Remember…
• Proposal submission rules must apply to
everyone. It is not up to the discretion of the
program officer to grant you dispensation on
deadlines.
• Equipment failures, power outages, hurricanes
and tornadoes, and even internal problems at
your institution are not valid excuses.
• Get your proposal in two or three days before
the deadline.
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Remember…
Don’t Bore the Reviewer
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Prove It
Back up your facts, edit, and tie in to other data
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Remember…
• Format and brevity are important: Do not feel
that your proposal is rated based on its
wordiness.
• Proposals are meant as convincing
documents, not reports or research.
• State your case, make your main points early
and stay organized.
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Remember…
• Reviewers hate being challenged to read
densely prepared text or to read obtusely
prepared materials.
• Take pity on the reviewers. Make your
proposal a pleasant reading experience that
puts important concepts up front and makes
them clear. Use figures appropriately to make
and clarify points, but not as filler.
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Tell A Story
Beginning, Middle & End
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Remember…
• Address the big picture.
• As you are writing, convey your passion and
enthusiasm for the project, so that reviewers
become excited as they read your proposal.
• Describe why your project is exciting and
distinct from others.
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Develop a writing process
Detail your facts, edit, and tie in to other data
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Step 1-Prewriting
Step 2-Drafting
Step 3-Revising
Step 4-Editing
Step 5 - Final
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Where's the Beef? Present a clear
path from data to interpretation
to theory to result.
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Proposal Apart? What’s
New and Different?
What sets your
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Innovate Best Practices
Create, Expand, Go Beyond
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What’s Better?
What’s New?
What’s Hot?
What’s Innovative?
What’s New?
New Services?
What’s New?
New Use of
Technology?
New Markets?
Efficient?
Problem Solved?
What’s Different?
What’s New?
What’s New?
What’s New?
Who’s New?
What’s New?
What’s New?
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3 C’s Capacity, Competence
& Capabilities
Tell Your Story, Why Your Team, Meet The Need
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Remember…
• Make sure the proposal shows that your team
has both the background and expertise to
carry out the project.
• Know your organizations areas of expertise,
what are your strengths and what are your
weaknesses. Play to your strengths, not to
your weaknesses.
• Establish your credentials and expertise in a
subject area. Your track record does count.
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Focus on Needs
Know Their Story, Relate to the RFP, Meet Their Need
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Remember the Funders Needs:
Ask "what can WE do for the
corporation/funder/organization
rather than what the
corporation/funder/organization
can do for US".
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Remember…
• Know the funding source from which you seek
support.
• Never submit a proposal to a funder if you are
not certain that it is the correct source to
support your work.
• Don’t waste your time writing a proposal that
has no chance of success ...unless
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Unless…
• You want to receive feedback from national
reviewers
• You want to begin to build relationships with a
new funder
• You want to develop a portfolio of ideas
• You have a concept and want it vetted
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Know your Community’s Needs:
• Community
Assessments
• Focus Groups
• Surveys
• Requests
• Complaints
• Empty areas
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Know your Organizations Needs:
•
•
•
•
Strategic Plans
Complaints
Skill sets & abilities
Board & Leadership
Vision
• Uniqueness
• Natural affinity
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10
Relationships…
Matter!
Know Who, What and Why Before You Ask !
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Build Relationships
• Make contacts through your networks
• Memberships in organizations that facilitate
networking
• Know what the Funder is doing in your
community/their footprint
• Develop the Capacity to quickly publicize your
organizations activities
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Build Relationships
•
•
•
•
•
•
Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media
Online Newsletters, website
Blogs, webinars, trainings
Client testimonials
Media opportunities
Provide opportunities to collaborate on Board of
Directors, Loan Committees, Advisor Boards,
Volunteers, Memberships, community
organizations
• Fraternal organizations
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10 Strategies Checklist
1. Follow Directions
2. Independent Eyes
3. Finish Early
4. Prove It
5. Tell A Story
6. Writing Process
7. Innovate
8. The 3 C's
9. Focus on Needs
10.Build Relationships
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Resources and Tools
• 10 Strategies for Successful Grant Writing
PowerPoint
• Foundation Center Corporate Giving Resource
List PDF
• Writing Winning Proposal by Shipley Nordic
• Requests for Proposals – Feb 2012
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QUESTIONS?
4/13/2015
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Follow up Contact Information:
Elizabeth Wilson – biznow@aol.com
404-344-2601
www.elizabethwwilson.com
4/13/2015
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