It can be tough to know which grant funders are the most promising, especially for small non-profits. There are so many resources for grant writers, and it can become overwhelming.
Even as an experienced grant writer, I struggled to find grant opportunities for a new client who provides extracurricular athletics for low-income students. I quickly learned that many funders award grants for after-school activities but often exclude sports.
I had no choice but to get creative. I became a sniper.
Grant Writing Tip of the Day
Go beyond text-heavy proposals by incorporating infographics, charts, and other visual aids to tell your organization’s story.
I asked my client for the names of a few organizations that provide similar services in the area and I did a few Google searches to add to the list. Once I identified 10 or so local athletic programs for marginalized youth, I went to each website, one by one.
This is what I found on 4 of the 10 websites:
SCORE!
Now I can snipe these grant opportunities.
Many non-profit organizations publish partner lists that include all of their grant funders. I clicked on the logos and reviewed the grant criteria. Since a similar organization was awarded a grant, there is a good chance that we will be awarded, too.
Grant funders typically have a funding focus. Visiting the partner pages of similar organizations helps me to quickly vet grants that are more likely to fund our programs.
Using this sniping method, I added 8 potential grant opportunities to our grant schedule. It is a quick and easy method and has yielded great results for my clients.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants