I spent some time yesterday listening to grant related podcasts and webinars. A recent webinar by The Grantsmanship Center stood out to me and I want to share a few important points about grant writing from funders’ perspectives.
Vetting Grants
One of the funders on the panel represents a large, established community foundation. He mentioned that, although they advertise as funding nationwide, 75% of their funding remains within their community.
This stood out to me because it is very important to check a funder’s 990 form. Just because they say they fund a specific region, focus, demographic, etc, doesn’t mean they actually do. The 990 will tell you if it is worth it to apply.
Read more about actionable ways to vet grants here.
Funding Trends
The panel was asked about the funding trends they are seeing for the upcoming new year and some of their responses included:
- Climate change
- Programs centering marginalized populations
- Initiatives focused on addressing systemic issues, not simply applying band-aids. (Root cause giving)
- Programs that are collaborative and leverage resources from mulitple organizations.
- Generational change programs (career development, sustainable farming, etc)
Impact
It was interesting to hear every panel member discuss the pressure they are under from their donors to report on impact. Anything organizations can do to increase the impact of funding dollars will increase the chance of award. (Grant matching, collaborations, lean organizations)
We don’t have a crystal ball, but we can consider what funders are saying and try to stay ahead of it.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
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