As I have talked about before, I mostly contract with non-profits that have never applied for grants before and want to grow from a $0 to $1M+ grant budget.
My strategy is typically to start with the non-profit’s neighborhood and systematically spiral outward.
Grant Writing Tip of the Day
Review your client’s grant ready docs every 3 months and request updates as needed.
I drew the above picture because it was easier to explain in a visual. Often, neighborhood block grants or micro-foundations help revitalize a neighborhood. It is best to start here for grant funding because the likelihood of being awarded is higher.
Then, look for community grants. These are from community foundations, Kiwanis and Rotary clubs, and local family foundations. Community-level grants only fund a community, like Middle Georgia or Southwest Florida.
Once you have exhausted the neighborhood and community grant opportunities, move to state grants. These government grants or foundations consider applications from anywhere in your state.
Next, look for regional grant opportunities. These are usually foundations that fund regions that matter to them. For example, I recently applied for a grant from The Grassroots Fund on behalf of a client. They fund environmental projects in New England.
And, finally, once you have started at the middle of the spiral and moved all the way out, begin applying for national grants.
Why wait to apply for national grants?
- They are highly competitive.
- They almost always ask for a list of “other grant funders.” They want to see that your community supports you before they will support you.
- They usually specify that the annual budget be $1M+ (there are exceptions, but not many).
- The grant applications are more complex and require more financial docs (again, not always, but usually).
That said, I have applied for and won national grants very early on. However, I only applied because the grant was a PERFECT match. Recently, I won the NFL Healthy Relationships grant, the American Eagle Outfitter Foundation grant, the Bill Belichick Foundation, and the Just One More Foundation grant for young organizations with budgets of under $1M. But, they were an unbelievably perfect match for the mission, so I took the chance.
Unless the national grant is a perfect match, without any doubt, stick to the spiral for the most success.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants