Grants abound from a myriad of sources, no matter where you are located. In searching for grants available to serve organizations or persons in rural areas, you will have federal, state, local, private foundation, church-related, local philanthropists or your county's United Way to choose from. In sifting through grant possibilities, keep in mind the type of grant you are eligible for. Are you a 501(c)3 nonprofit agency? A church? A small business? A minority-owned business? A public or private school? A rocket scientist? A new business seeking to expand? An artist? A pharmaceutical company? A day care agency director?
Instructions
Funding Sources
1. For local government grants, contact your closest governmental unit. Sometimes cities have community development block grant funds which are ultimately federal or a line item in their budget to fund projects from local nonprofits. State departments of education, community development, etc. may have funding opportunities. For United Way funds, contact the United Way office in your county. Federal grants can be researched on the Internet. At times there are quasi-regional agencies such as an agency on aging or regional planning commission that distribute grant funds. Church-related grants may be obtained from denominational headquarters. Fortune 500 companies may have their own private foundations. For example, Toyota has a foundation which specializes in literacy grants. Do not waste time requesting funds for a purpose unrelated to the funding source's niche. Start with small local or foundation grants to get your feet wet before attempting a federal grant.
2. Formally request a copy of the grant application. Make extra copies immediately. Follow instructions to the letter. Use their forms. Be sure you keep a copy and submit your completed application in the manner required and by deadline. Label your attachments as instructed. Save drafts on your computer.
3. Compile commonly requested documents in a file such as mission statement, personnel policies, list of board members, annual budget and proof of nonprofit status.
4. Ask for copies of successful grant proposals under the Freedom of Information Act from governmental authorities. Be prepared to pay for copies. Pick up a reference or library book on available grants and apply for them. Insure you have adequate clerical support for crunch time (the day or two before submittal deadlines). Do a checklist of requirements for the grant and review the final product against this checklist prior to submittal. Send staffers to any and all meetings where a funding source is describing apply for a grant from their organization.
5. Research your potential funder by reading their publications and websites, and noting any mention of them in news articles. Are their funds increasing or dwindling? Is there tough competition for these grants? Who locally has obtained these grants? Analyze their "buzz words" and favorite projects.
6. Know key demographics and statistics about your area and who you want to serve.
Depending on the type of grant sought, go to your library or Internet and consult census figures, governmental statistics, crime and poverty rates, incidence of disease, education levels, etc.
7. Prepare a line item budget for the grant using their forms and line items. However, keep a chart for later use that translates that into the budget line items that your organization and audit lists. Be prepared to show what other financial resources you can provide in addition to the funds you are requesting from them.
8. If you are collaborating with another agency, you will need to work closely with them in completion of the grant application and entire concept of the project. Delineation of responsibilities between agencies and/or use of subcontractors will come in very handy later. Nowadays, landing grants is all about quantifying goals and expected outcomes. For example, it is not enough to state that "area teens will reduce their drug use." Better to state that "Colson County, TN teens between the ages of 16 and 18 will demonstrate reduced drug use by a 10 percent decrease in arrests for marijuana during the period 6/1/09 to 5/31/10." Determine in advance how you will track or obtain this information. In some instances you will be required to project outcomes by calendar quarter and submit quarterly or monthly reports.
Tags: community development, funding source, grant application, grant funds, line item, line items, state that
