Have you completed a grant application where they asked if the grant funds would be “matched?”
Maybe you checked “No” without really understanding what that means and how it can increase your odds of winning the grant.
Many foundations ask this question. Matching grants are funding awards that require an organization to raise 20% to 100% of the grant award in another way.
Sometimes, these grants are referred to as challenge grants because they challenge organizations to increase their funding by leveraging the grant’s promise.
How can “matching funds” increase your odds of winning the grant?
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It is simple, really. Funders want each granted dollar to have the maximum impact. In a 100% match, the funder knows that the end result will be that each one of their dollars will have an impact of two dollars. They report this to their stakeholders, making them look really good.
Matching grants are a great way for an organization to ramp up donor fundraising. The same principle applies. If a donor knows that their donation helps reach the grant match, they understand that their donation will be more valuable.
If a grant funder asks if you plan to match the grant, have a quick conversation with your Executive Director or Director of Development to determine whether creating a match is feasible.
Grant funders tend to favor matching grants because their dollar has more impact and they aren’t the only funder of the project. These two factors provide them with added security.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
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