Grant Writing and Beyond
Jana Jane Hexter
4/13/2015
Grant Coaching, Mentoring,
& Training
Jana Hexter
P.O. Box 764
Trumansburg, NY 14886-0764
Tel: 607-387-3412
www.grantwritingrevealed.com
www.grantschampion.com
Email: janahexter@grantschampion.com
4/13/2015 © Grantomatics LLC 2007-14
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WELCOME AND HAVE FUN
How to get the most
out of this session
• Be open to what you hear
• Write down an intention of what you will
learn
• Take notes
• Share with a colleague or friend within 24
hours
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Who are they?
 Experience
• 454 years in the field
• Written 24,590 proposals
• Raised $1,780,199,555 ($1.7 Billion)
• Average amount raised: $67 million
• Average Success Rate – 74%
 Descriptors
• Gender and Geography – 36% male
• Field of Interest
• Consultants/Staff
The Anna Karenina Principle
“’Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in
its own way.’ By that sentence, Tolstoy meant that, in order to be
happy a marriage must succeed in many different respects;
sexual attraction, agreement about money, child discipline,
religion, in-laws, and other vital issues. Failure in any one of
those essential respects can doom a marriage even if it has all the
other ingredients needed for happiness. The principle can be
extended to understanding much else about life besides marriage.
We tend to seek easy, single-factor explanations of success. For
most things, though, success actually requires avoiding many
separate possible causes of failure.”
Jared Diamond,
Guns, Germs & Steel
Grant Writing Self-Assessment
Quiz
www.grantwritingrevealed.com/thequiz/grant-self-assessment-quiz
GIFT COPY OF THE BOOK
http://grantwritingrevealed.com/the-book/getthe-book
What You’ll Learn Today
1. Have a clear understanding of the four
fundamental elements of grant development
success.
2. Awareness of the sacred nature of grant
development.
3. Learn the 15 things that funders most
commonly want to see in a grant
application.
4/13/2015 © Grantomatics LLC 2007-13
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The Four Elements
1.
2.
3.
4.
Research – Where
Relationships – Who
Project Design – How
Writing – What
And the crucial fifth element……
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WHY Seek Grants
Are grants the best way to go?
• Advantages
– Money is available and sometimes in large
amounts
• Disadvantages
– Often are a one-shot infusion of funding
– Usually specific in coverage
– May only offer partial funding
4/13/2015 www.grantschampion.com
© Grantomatics LLC 2007-13
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WHY Seek Grants
What is Grants Process About?
Sacred Service
www.grantschampion.com
© Grantomatics LLC 2007-13. All rights reserved
WHY EXERCISE
1. What is your dream for the world?
2. What are you passionate about creating?
3. What will be possible or exist in the world
when you succeed?
1. WHERE to find funders
• Foundation Center
– www.fdncenter.org
– Free – Foundation Finder, 990 Finder
– Paid – Fdn and corp directory online
Be Rigorous
- Are you really a fit?
• Actions speak louder than words - look at their
giving pattern
• Do they fund what they say they fund?
• Do they give in your region?
• Do they give to your type of organization or
project?
• Be selective
Research Elements
1: Three Core Beliefs About Prospect Research
2. Knowing When to Respond to a Request for
Proposals
2. WHO to Build Relationships
With for Success
• Know who is who
• Be courageous - get over your reluctance to
reach out to build a relationship.
• Get to know their interests and what they
care about and seek ways to empower them
• Respect and curiosity
4/13/2015 www.grantschampion.com
© Grantomatics LLC 2007-13
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If you find a foundation of
interest
•
•
•
•
LISTEN
Assess your mutual interests
Truthful communication
How many applications were
received/grants made last year?
• What is the most common mistake they see?
• What is the review process?
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Collaborations
• Know your value
• Power of partnerships
• The miraculous
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Sufficiency
“Sufficieny is a context we bring forth from
within that reminds us that if we look
around and within ourselves, we will find
what we need. There is always enough”
Lynn Twist, Soul of Money
Collaboration Elements
13. Three Ways to Nurture Strong
Collaborations
21: Honor Your Power
Relationship Elements
3. Know Each Person’s Role and Responsibility in Foundations
4. Getting Through the Door
5. The “Getting to Know You” Process
6. Finding and Empowering Your Champion in the Board Room
7. Four Ways to Respect Your Funders
4/13/2015 www.grantschampion.com
© Grantomatics LLC 2007-13
3. HOW: To Plan a Fundable
Project
Grant writing must be guided by project
planning which must be part of the agency’s
overall strategic planning.
But first…….
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Be a Fundable Organization
Check out Linda Butler’s Checklist for
Success at
http://butler-consulting.com/
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Planning
• Define the need in terms of your clients, not
your organization
• Define the solution consistent with your
mission
• Involve your staff, administration and board
to gain consensus
• Then start thinking about costs and
administration
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HOW: EXERCISE
NEEDS
ACTIONS
OUTCOMES
Planning Elements
9. Getting Your Team Thinking
10. Promise Only What You Can Deliver
11. The Art of Eliciting Information from Very,
Very Busy People
4. WHAT - Writing
•
•
•
•
•
Answer their questions
Write for the reader
Tell a good story
Balance story with facts
Be crystal clear
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Layout
•
•
•
•
•
Lots of white space
Clear, easy to read font
Break up large amounts of text
A picture speaks a thousand words
Follow guidelines
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Writing Elements
14: The Power of Story
15. Mastering the Art of Persuasion
16. Be Crystal Clear
17. Writing By Committee
18. 7 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Write So the Reviewer Responds Positively
22. Be Impeccable with the Truth
15 elements funders want to see
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Fit with their mission
Brevity
Clarity – answers their questions
Vision
Evidence of Planning
Solid, long-term, effective partnerships
Passion for what you propose
Commitment of Board, Staff and
Community
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15 things funders want to see
9. Project viability
10. Sound budget
11. Fully trained staff
12. Respect for them and their role in the
community
13. Biggest bang for their buck – best use of their
investment for the community
14. Organizational reputation for honesty,
integrity, and reliability
15. Organizational financial stability
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Vision
Dr. King’s Beloved Community is a global vision, in which
all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In the
Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness
will not be tolerated because international standards of
human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of
discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by
an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In the
Beloved Community, international disputes will be
resolved by peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation
of adversaries, instead of military power. Love and trust
will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will
prevail over war and military conflict.
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