Free Grant Information

The following information is to be used when the targeted foundation or corporation does not request information in a specific format for the LOI or proposal.

Letter of Inquiry: This is sent prior to the proposal to determine eligibility. It should be 2-3 pages: this includes the asked amount and what program the money will be supporting; brief history; general services; need; and contact info.

Cover Letter: Brief overview with reason for request. Should not parrot proposal. Includes the amount and contact information.

History and Credibility: State agency's history, past performance, accomplishments, capacity and uniqueness. Sometimes the mission is stated here. Explain why your agency started. Include: location of agency and target audience; age group; and demographics.

Problem Statement or Needs Assessment: Clients have needs, organizations don't have needs. Build your case support. Need should be relevant to your agency's ability to address. Support with evidence of need at appropriate local, state, national, or international level. Make absolutely certain the program is consistent with need described. For example, childhood obesity or high school drop-out rates.

Goals and Objectives: A goal is a broad-based statement of the ultimate result of the change being undertaken, which is sometimes not reachable in short term. Objectives should establish benefits that are specific and measurable.

Anticipated Outcomes: Changes in participants' lives or community or organizational condition that will result from your program.
Methodology: Activities necessary to achieve objectives. Include timeline if needed.

Evaluation: How agency will measure success in terms of your objectives and outcomes.

Future Funding and Other Sources of Support: Can you show other support? Is project sustainable? Who else do you plan to approach? What proposals are pending?

Budget: Project budget and operational budgets are requested. Budget should be realistic in terms of project.

Budget Narrative: Description of how you established the costs. Do this even if you don't send it.

Summary: Sometimes a concise one or two page summary of proposal is requested. Hit main points of each listed category. This is written last but inserted at the beginning of the proposal.

What to Do After You're Funded
by Nelson Holl (deceased)

After you've been told the fabulous news of your winning a sizable grant award, and the champagne in your Dixie cups has gone flat, I (the head of a foundation myself) recommend you do three things:

1. Sit down with a tasteful piece of stationery or a cheery card and send a thank you note to the funder.

You don't need to gush or grovel, but hearty thanks are an excellent way to cement your new relationship. Have a board member sign, or have all the staff in your small office write something, or send some other token of genuine appreciation. Even an e-mail is OK, but just do it.

2. Then put the funder on your mailing list-prudently.

What you don't want to do is behave like the funder's kids-you cash the check and aren't heard from again. And you want to avoid the funder looking at your material 11 months hence and saying, "Who?" Instead, gently and judiciously keep your group in front of the funder. Maintain that feeling of connectedness and create the impression that you're all in this together.

If you have a monthly or quarterly newsletter, put the funder on the list for a free lifetime subscription. I don't actually think the funder should have to pay extra for information, but one group we recently funded with over three-quarters of a million dollars did indeed charge me $25 for their materials. We live in a diverse world.

If your organization holds events, and the funder is local, make sure he or she is invited to every public event. Don't expect the funder to attend, but people like to feel included, and events illustrate your group's activities.

3. Take an empty file folder, label it "Foundation Reports," and place it right on your desk.

As successes or interesting events in your organization are documented, remember to slip a copy into that folder. News clippings are an obvious choice, as are attractive invitations to events, concise reports, and work products such as published data and articles. When it comes time to report on a grant, reach into this file, go back 12 months in what you pull out, and walk to the photocopier. A third of your reporting work may be finished.

A major aspect of reporting is the financial accounting. There may be some person on the planet who likes this part of the grant making process, but I haven't met him or her. Yet this section of the report is central, because the law and common sense say, if someone gives you tax-subsidized money, you need to show exactly what you spent it on. This is one time when you should suppress every bit of your creativity and do exactly what the funder says about reporting requirements. There's a good chance that the financial part of the reporting specifications was written by a CPA or a lawyer, and you cross those kinds of people at your peril.

I want to suggest three reasons for paying close attention to grant reporting: First, most groups hope to receive repeat funding. The group that is late or fails to comply with reporting requirements will be on shaky ground for a renewal grant. And even if you know you're not going to receive a second grant from this funder, due to certain rules and restrictions, you still have to assume that funders talk to each other, because we do. So when I run into a colleague and he says he has a proposal from your group and notices we used to fund them, you don't want me to say either "Who?" or, even worse, "Oh yeah, those folks never reported." Reports are a way of building relationships, and relationships underpin all grant making.

Second, you might actually teach the funder something. Let them know how the grant turned out, what was a great success and what was unanticipated. Share the lessons. We funders study at the University of Grantees. In my foundation, the board is very interested in how their grants turn out, and they enjoy reports, or at least summaries.

Finally, even though some might smirk at this, I think you can learn from your own reporting. Sitting down and summarizing what you did over the past year is an excellent way to improve your work. It forces you to step back from the daily struggle and think about what you accomplished, what your greatest challenges were, and what you've learned. And as long as you're going through the trouble of writing the report to comply with grant terms, get some mileage out of it. Share the document with your own board and staff members-give them an opportunity to feel proud, too.