By Erin Weldon

By Erin Weldon

You’ve done it! You’ve written a compelling narrative that clearly lays out the need in your area, your plan to meet that needs, and how you’ll measure your success along the way. You’ve dotted your i’s, crossed your t’s, and can finally mail this off to the funder. You check their guidelines to make sure you didn’t miss any attachments and--Oh no. Budgets. For all of us who have hazy, traumatic memories of high school algebra class, the word budget alone is enough to make us want to hide under our desks. 

First, double check the funder guidelines. Do they ask for a program budget, an organization budget, or both? Do they ask you to specify what budget items the requested funds will cover? Remember from that first blog post—the number one way to jeopardize the success of a proposal is to ignore what the funders are asking for.

I don’t know how much money I’m going to have yet! How can I make a budget?

The budget is meant to provide reasonable cost projects for the project. It should be realistic, accurate, and flexible. A budget needs to include both expenses and revenue sources.  Program expenses are usually broken down into categories such as “Staff Salaries and Benefits, Supplies, Equipment.” Organization budgets should also include ongoing operational expenses such as utilities, rent, and fundraising costs. For your revenue, include all anticipated revenue streams, including other grants, projected individual gifts, and earned income such as membership fees or sales.

If I hire a grant writer, can’t they just make up a budget for me?

No. It’s important that your budget, like the rest of your proposal, be realistic. You’re asking someone to trust you with their money, and you must handle that money with fidelity. 

I asked Sue in Accounting for a budget, and she sent me this 20-page document with every expense on it. Can I just attach that?

No. Unless a funder is asking for a specific level of detail, a good rule of thumb is to limit your budget to one page. If they want to flip pages and pages of detailed expenses, they’ll tell you. If not, they’re looking for a snapshot of your expenses, to get a general sense of where you’re applying your financial resources. Don’t provide them with an overly detailed document that will confuse them.

Do I have to stick to this? Can I change it if I get more or less money?

Yes, you can alter your budget if you end up with more or less funds than you expect.  It’s your responsibility to execute your budget with reasonable fidelity, but funders are people too and understand that sometimes things change. If you’ve received an award and you want to make changes to the project budget, contact the funder and ask what their policy is. Some allow budget changes up to a certain amount; others might want to meet with you to discuss.

This is the seventh in an eight-part series on grant writing from Aril Consulting.

By Erin Weldon

As a contract grant writer, I’m occasionally asked, “Can’t you just write me one proposal, and I’ll send it out to a bunch of foundations?” This is an unwise idea for several reasons—most foundations have their own form, with their own specific questions, and won’t even read your application if it isn’t written to their standards. 

But even when using a standard application, it’s still important to target your request to the foundation’s mission and current funding priorities. Otherwise, you commit the same faux pas as a job applicant who writes one cover letter and sends it out to 20 employers. They can tell, and it doesn’t work.

Choosing your Funder

• When you’re deciding what funder to submit a proposal to, it’s important to read their funding requirements, current priorities, and their mission. Make sure that your request aligns with their larger mission.

Where do I address this?

• Some funders have a specific section to address this. For example, the Philanthropy Northwest Common Grant Application, which is used by funders throughout Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming, includes a section that entitles “Appropriateness to the Funder’s Mission.” Here, you explain how your project or program meets this particular funder’s guidelines and criteria
• Even if the application does not include this section, you still need to address. You can weave in language throughout your application that refers to their mission and demonstrates your alignment. (For example: “Like the XYZ foundation, we are working to make the world a more just place. The proposed program does so by….”)
• Either way, make it clear that you’ve done your homework on the foundation and determined that you’re a good fit. 

Most importantly, remember that foundations have missions too. Unfortunately, it’s easy to make the mistake of thinking that foundations exist just to give out money. Don’t forget that they, like your organizations, are driven by a mission and are seeking to make a positive difference in areas that they find important. As an applicant, you need to make the case to them that your work helps achieve their mission. Ultimately, a successful grant proposal pitches that you have something to offer them. 

This is the sixth in an eight-part series on grant writing from Aril Consulting.

Depending on the services you offer, you can either use external evaluation tools or develop your own. Tools can measure both qualitative data (like written feedback from clients) and quantitative data (like tracking the number served or other metrics). There are over 35 different types of evaluations—outcome-based, goal-based, process-based, to name a few—and a wealth of information online about all of them. Below are a few of our favorite online resources.

• Tools and Resources for Assessing Social Impact (TRASI) --This online database, managed by the Foundation Center, contains a comprehensive listing of 150 approaches for measuring and analyzing social impact for programs and investments.
• The Outcome Indicators Project, from the Urban Institute provides a framework for tracking nonprofit performance, including several useful tools for outcome-based evaluation and including ideas of performance indicators for 14 different program areas.  
• Outcome Measurement: Showing Results in the Nonprofit Sector describes current efforts, success, and challenges in measuring nonprofit success.

This is the fifth in an eight-part series on grant writing from Aril Consulting.