A few years ago, I considered adding another grant client to my workload. My oldest son was in college, and those bills add up quickly. I was scrolling through Indeed to see if any ads for a contract grant writer caught my attention. I was so excited when one nonprofit stood out among the others.
It was a small organization that provided support for victims of domestic violence. As a domestic violence survivor, I was confident that I could write compelling grants for them. I eagerly applied and an interview was scheduled for the following week.
The interview was going very well when they asked me if I had any questions. I asked them what preparation they had done to be “grant ready.” The interviewer stuttered and stammered until she asked, “What does grant ready mean?”
Simply put, working as a grant writer for a nonprofit that isn’t grant ready is like trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon. No matter how hard you work, you won’t get far.
Grant Writing Tip of the Day
Align grant project objectives with the funder’s mission to increase your grant proposal’s relevance and appeal.
So, what is “grant ready?”
This is such a common question. I created a list to onboard new clients, ensuring I have everything I need to write epic grants. The list includes:
- IRS 501(c)(3) letter
- Board List with employers and service terms
- Annual Report / Impact Report
- Board Approved Strategic Plan
- Employee List
- Current Annual Budget
- Previous Year’s P&L and Balance Sheet
- Most recent audited financials and 990
- State Solicitation of Contributions Letter (if required by state)
- Current W9
If an organization can’t compile this list of documents fairly quickly and keep them updated, winning consistent grants will be a challenge. Sadly, the domestic violence support organization didn’t have many of these documents available, and I passed on the job.
As much as I wanted to help grow their grant budget, they had internal work to do before funders would consider them.
Don’t be afraid to ask nonprofits if they are grant ready. If they aren’t, provide the list and help them get there.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants