In the past I admittedly skipped past most grants by fraternal organizations. They are mostly very low dollar amounts and can be high maintenance (They like to Zoom call and have ceremonies).
If you aren’t sure what fraternal organization grants are, they are grant funding awarded by volunteer local community organizations like Kiwanis Club, Elks Club, or Rotary Club.
Last year I decided to pay more attention to these grants and apply for more on behalf of my clients to see how it worked out.
Even with Q4 still to come, I have changed my mind about fraternal organization grants.
I commited to apply for at least four fraternal organizations for each of my clients. I focused on the ones that were affiliated with my clients’ organizations in some way- either through a volunteer, staff, or Board member.
If there were no connections for me to leverage, I reached out with an introduction of the organization. My goal with the initial contact was to schedule a presentation for my EDs at the next meeting.
Once someone from my client’s org presented to the fraternal organization, I completed their application. I reminded them in the application that we presented at their meeting.
Out of 44 applications on behalf of my various clients, we were awarded grants for 50% of them and the average grant size was $4,000.
For some of my clients with larger budgets, this wasn’t worth it and unless we are awarded higher amounts this upcoming year, I will not continue applying.
For my smaller clients, an extra $8K-$10K for the year was worth it for them and I will continue applying.
There are a few reasons why I see these grants as valuable:
- Higher odds of winning- there isn’t much competition and if they liked your presentation, you are a sure thing.
- Simple applications- most of these applications are 1-2 pages and take only an hour or so to complete.
- Future opportunities- even with a small grant award, the members are connected within the local community and will likely recommend your organization for other grants.
Overall, these are worth applying for, especially if the organization is new-ish and has a budget of less than $1M.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants