Grant Writing USA
Introduction
Instructor: Andy Anderson
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Learning
how to
swing the clubs
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First Some Glossary
Page 30
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501(c)3 Nonprofits
• Basically Only Two Sources of Money for
Grants in the United States
• FG & RP
1. Federal Government (or state or local government)
– Allocated by congress/elected officials
– Comes from taxpayers?
2. Rich People
– Comes from proceeds of businesses
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Two Types of Charitable Organizations
recognized by IRS Under 501(c)3
• Nonprofits – Set up primarily to solicit and
receive money for the community benefit
– Donations from individuals
– Donations from Foundations
• Private Foundation – Set up primarily to gather
and give money for community benefit, the
difference is….
– The bulk of donations generally come from a single
source: i.e. rich people, rich families, communities or
corporations
– Typically only donate to recognized 501(c)3
organizations
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Other Examples
• Clark Co Education Foundation
• Emergency Services Foundation
(esfweb.org)
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For Information on Setting Up a
Nonprofit
• www.irs.gov
• www.nolo.com
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Request for Proposals (RFP)
• RFP: Request for proposals,
• SGA: Solicitation for Grant
Applications
• NOFA: Notice of Funding Availability
• FOA: Funding Opportunity
Announcement
• CFP: Call for Proposals or Call for
Papers
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Programmatic Requirements of the
RFP
•
•
•
•
•
•
What do you propose to do?
How do you propose to do it?
Who will be involved?
How much will it cost?
What are the expected outcomes?
Etc.
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Technical Requirements of RFP
• Who can apply - Eligibility
• Submission Deadline
• Format of proposal
– How many pages or words or characters
– Font and font size
– Margins and spacing
• Signatures
• Certifications
• Attachments
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Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor
Directions are:
“Just one person’s
idea of how
something ought
to be done!”
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Critical Advice
• Read RFP immediately and thoroughly
• Put everyone who will contribute on notice
– Resumes
– Support letters
• Begin doing anything you can on day one
– Addressing envelopes
– Filling out the application
– Gathering attachments
– Etc.
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The Great Cull
• Upwards of 60% of all proposals are
bounced in technical review either
because:
1. the applicant was not eligible to apply,
or
2. they did not follow RFP guidelines.
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Community Foundations
• A tax-exempt, nonprofit, autonomous,
publicly supported, philanthropic
institution composed primarily of
permanent funds established by many
separate donors for the long-term
diverse, charitable benefit of the
residents of a defined geographic area
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Corporate Foundation and
Giving Programs
• Look for corporations that have a presence in
your community
• Go to their website and check out their corporate
giving link.
– May be called something else. Corporate
responsibility, corporate philanthropy, community
funding. etc.
• Find out who and what they fund.
• Almost always have to be nonprofit to receive
funding from a corporate foundation.
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Funding Cycle
• How long does it take to write a
grant?
• Anticipating deadlines by looking at
funding cycles can help you complete
proposals on time without going
crazy.
• Begin working on next year’s
proposal using last year’s RFP!
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In-Kind Contributions
• In-kind contributions can only be
counted to the extent that they
benefit the grant.
• Sometime referred to as “match”
in federal grants
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Operating or General Support
• Perhaps the hardest money to
get!
• Do you ever feel like this guy?
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What
are grants
best used
What
are Grants
For? for?
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Organizations that “make it”
usually find some form of
soft money that frees them
from reliance on the good
will of others for their
general operating costs.
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st
1
Rule of Grant Writing
ASK!
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Some Corollaries
• If you help other people get what
they want, you’re more likely get
what you need.
• Always seek for and focus on the
greater good!
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Quick Inventory
• Work Book
• Grants Map sheet
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Core Components of a Grant
Proposal
1. Who are you and why are you exceptional?
(Credibility Statement)
2. What measurable problem or need are you
focused on? (Problem Statement or
Assessment of Need)
3. How much impact on the problem or need
will you have? (Measurable Objectives)
4. How will you accomplish the impacts
(Methods)
5. How will you evaluate your methods and
impacts? (Evaluation Plan)
6. How will you spend the money? (Budget)
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Big Disclaimer!
• What we talk about, and what you
learn in this class, you should do
in lieu of specific instructions from
the grant funder.
• However, when the grant maker
tells you how to do it, always do
it their way!
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Attributes of Money
• Money congregates.
• Money creates a gravity that attracts other
money to it.
• Money is subject to inertia, hard to get it
moving, but once moving, it tends to stay in
motion.
• Money is attracted by and to success and
positive and uplifting attitudes.
• Money seeks out those causes worthy to
receive it
• Money often comes only when the organization
is fully prepared and ready to receive it.
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Who’s credible?
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Supplanting
• Supplanting can be criminal.
• Supplanting will result in
disallowed costs which must
be repaid.
• Most audit findings are related
to the supplanting issue
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Supplanting
Federal
Supplementing
Grant Funds
or Augmenting
OK!
Supplanting
or Replacing
Not OK!
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Submitting Federal Grants!
• www.grants.gov is now the standard
method for almost all submissions to federal
agencies
– Find out what grants are available
– Download the RFPs
– Download the applications that accompany
each proposal
– Submit all proposals (registration required)
• A couple of hoops to jump through…..
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DUNS Number
• All entities applying for a federal grant must have
a DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System)
number.
• Developed by Dun and Bradstreet
• Not a Federal Tax Number; it’s like a credit
reporting system for businesses.
• Your agency may already have one. Check with
your financial people.
• Phone 1-866-705-5701
• Online at Dunandbradstreet.com
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EO 12372
(Executive Order 12372)
Intergovernmental Review
• SPOC or Single Point of Contact
• 19 states currently require this. List
can be found at:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc
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States that have Opted In to E.O. 12372
ARIZONA
Matthew Hanson, GPC
Matthew.Hanson@azdoa.gov
KENTUCKY
Lee Nalley
Lee.Nalley@ky.gov
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Joanne O. Morin
michele.zydel@nh.gov
ARKANSAS
Tracy L. Copeland
tracy.copeland@dfa.state.ar.us
LOUISIANA
Terry Thomas
Terry.Thomas@la.gov
NORTH DAKOTA
Rikki Roehrich
rroehrich@nd.gov
CALIFORNIA
state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov
MARYLAND
Linda C. Janey, J.D.
clearinghouse@mdp.state.md.us
RHODE ISLAND
Benny Bergantino
Benny.Bergantino@doa.ri.gov
MICHIGAN
Ed Hug
hug@semcog.org
SOUTH CAROLINA
Bonny L. Anderson
banderson@budget.sc.gov
MISSOURI
Sara VanderFeltz
sara.vanderfeltz@oa.mo.gov
UTAH
Ken Matthews
stategrants@utah.gov
NEVADA
Department of Administration
slambert@admin.nv.gov
WEST VIRGINIA
Mary Jo Thompson
Mary.j.thompson@wv.gov
DELAWARE
Lindsay Lewis
Lindsay.Lewis@state.de.us
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Pat Henry
http://opgs.dc.gov
FLORIDA
Lauren P. Milligan
Lauren.Milligan@dep.state.fl.us
IOWA
Kathy Mabie
Kathy.Mabie@iowa.gov
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Grants.gov
• SAM
–System for Application
Management
• AOR
–Authorized Organizational
Representative
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Sample grants.gov
Application Package
• oppSGA-DFA-PY-08-21-cfda17.275.pdf
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Ways to do the actual writing
• Outline the proposal following the RFP
format
• By Committee: Assign each person a
different section or sections.
• Compose your response within an
electronic copy of the RFP
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Summary or Abstract
• The essence of our desires condensed to
a compelling sales pitch!
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The Ask: A statement that must be
included somewhere in your
proposal:
• Who?
• How Much?
• What For?
Signature
requests
The
Works
TriCity
Jefferson
Animal
ForProductions
Vegas
County
Shelter
requests
School
requests
$1.1
District
$100,000
to establish
stagea3to
musical
million
$300,000
requests
to $600,000
conduct
YouthBuild
establish
a spay plays
and
a
during 2011.
program.
neuter
children’s
clinic.
nutrition program.
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Where’s the Money?
• Links to resources may be found at the
GrantwritingUSA alumni forum:
www.grantwritingusa.com/grads
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What to do now…
• Detemine what money will fund - the
problem
• Estimate the measurable outcomes of
your project?
• Determine what impact this $ will have on
the problem.
• Budgets usually have to wait for the RFP,
but begin developing a relationship with
your finance people now.
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What to do now…
• Research what are other people doing in
your field. Borrow the best practices.
• Start investigating the possibility of using
outside evaluators.
• Seek opportunities to meet and develop
potential relationships with people who
have access to, or can help you get
funding (schmooze factor).
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What to do now…
• Start researching potential grants
• CDFA is #1 place for Federal resources
and grants
• Look at Foundation Center Search for 990
forms.
• Other sources for 990 forms
– Urban institute, National Center for charitable
stitistics website:
http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/
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What to do now…
• Based on your 990 search, make a list of
private foundations in your area
• Research their websites (or other sources)
to determine their funding priorities
• Send a query letter asking them if they
would consider a formal proposal from you
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