How to get Foundations to Award Your Organization the Requested Funding!

On the Internet you see a lot of website's offering information for sale on grants. Well I am here to tell you that all that information on grants is free if you know were to look for it. It is also better organized for you. I am going to discuss what is needed to win a foundation grant and how creative you need to be in order to be awarded those funds.

There are four types of foundations but here are the three we are interested in:

1. Independent foundations: There sole purpose is to award grant funding to nonprofit entities in their communities.
2. Company sponsored foundations: They are usually linked to a company and typically fund grants which are in the company's best interest. Such as only funding a grant for a nonprofit organization that is located were their employees live and work. In this case the immediate area were they have a plant or office.
3. Community foundations: They are setup and run by local communities and only fund those grants that serve those communities directly. These foundations can be some of the most helpful since they have very strong ties to their local community.

Foundational grants offer help to "maintain and aid charities" in their work as foundations as defined by the Tax Reform Act of 1969. This definition is important because it defines the boundaries in which it must function as a foundation in order to receive favored tax treatment.

One of the questions I get asked the most is how to locate a foundation that will write a grant?

Well the best place to start a search to locate a grant maker to fund some of your revenue is not the information for sale on the Internet we spoke of earlier but the Foundation Centers, which are located in major metropolitan communities.

These centers offer libraries, onsite classes, webinars, free access to their foundation directories and more. You can find them on the internet at http://foundationcenter.org. If you are not located near one you can subscribe to their services, take webinars free, and learn more by surfing their website.

The Foundation Centers are a valuable resource with nice employees who are very helpful for those unfamiliar with this type of research. I personally use one near me at least twice a month and always seem to find or learn something new.

Another way to locate foundations is to search the Internet using a major search engine such as Google, Ask, MSN or Yahoo.

When you do this type of research use search terms such as foundations, grants, nonprofit funding, fundraising and other keywords to locate websites of the foundations that have them. Unfortunately not all foundations have websites yet but every year that increases. Still you will be able to find foundations that offer grants.

Once you find 7-10 foundations that serve your geographic location and fund the population that your nonprofit services, then you can organize the results. Organize the foundations alphabetically as well as by deadline date for application. This will help you to locate information, keep up with deadlines and prioritize which foundations offer the best chance of funding your organization. That will help you stay focused and organized which lead to winning grants.

Read very closely the website or their documentation for what and why they fund their grants. They will give you a list of organizations they have funded in the past as well as the initiatives they wish to have an impact on the communities they serve. Make sure your organization falls into what they are looking for in the way of grantees. Follow their guideline instructions for applications, Letters of Inquiry and or submissions of Letters of Request or final proposals to the letter.

After you have determined that you are a good fit for the organization check out their eligibility requirements to be certain if your organization is eligible for a grant.

If you are eligible the next step is to call the program officer or who ever administrates the grant process to introduce yourself and your organization. Do not skip this step! Foundations, especially independents and community foundations, are in the business of writing grants and they will be happy to speak with you to be certain your organization is one they would be interested in looking at as a potential grantee. Remember if they award you a grant they become like a partner and will have your best interest at heart. This step could save you and the program officer a lot of time in writing and reading letters. They will appreciate this time saving approach and treat you accordingly.

If they ask you to send a Letter of Inquiry then they are interested. Be sure to be creative and tell a compelling story in the letter so that they feel your passion about the good the both of you can accomplish.

When you speak to the program officer be prepared to answer questions about your organization, but remember to have your questions ready also as they will reciprocate and answers your questions as well. This is a professional manner that these business meetings take so be sure you always present yourself as a professional.

If the program officer says they would not be interested, do not take it personally as they have a narrow focus. Just move on and call the next foundation you have researched. You will find someone in the 7-10 foundations you have researched that will be interested if you follow the above advice.

In conclusion I would like to reiterate that the more compelling and emotional you are in describing your program the more apt you are to get the grant funding you are requesting.

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