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.

Finally! Now it’s time to tell the funder what you plan to do.

Your description of the program should follow from the content of the needs section. Your funder has just been convinced of a pressing need and believes something must be done about that problem. The goal of the program description is to convince that reader that you have the solution to that problem. Think of the Program Description as answering the question “What is your organization doing to meet these needs?”

Here are a couple of tips as you go about answering that question:

Don't expect funders to give the benefit of the doubt. You have to prove your case through concrete details about your program offerings.  Don’t rely on adjectives to do your work for you!

• Don’t write: Excellent educators will provide great lessons for students who usually don’t do well.
• Instead, write: ABC program will hire a team of highly-qualified educators, with over 2 years of classroom experience and a track record of above-average student scores. Lessons will be developed from the state standard using the nationally-recognized backwards planning process, which research has shown is linked to higher student outcomes (Cite). ABC program focuses on students with a history of low academic achievement; in 2012, our average entering freshman was 3 years below grade level in reading and writing skills.

Know your funder and tailor your proposal to them. Consider their knowledge base and familiarity with your sector. If you are seeking funding from the state Department of Education—the same folks who develop the state standards for your education program—they don’t need a detailed explanation of those standards. If you are seeking funding from the Smith Family Foundation which funds a variety of initiatives benefiting children, give them an explanation. Also consider their area of interest. Do most of their grants benefit students of color? Provide information on your student demographics.

Follow the guidelines! Every question a funder asks, they ask for a reason. If you ignore guidelines or skip a question, you’re not just failing to provide the information you need. You’re also casting doubt on your ability to follow funding guidelines if you receive an award. Give ‘em what they want. If you face challenges answering any of their questions, don’t just skip them—explain. 

For example, the guidelines might say: “Provide a brief description of the qualifications of the program leader.” But this is a pilot program to be launched later, and you haven’t selected a leader yet. You might be tempted to skip this question. Instead, explain why you don’t have an answer, Provide a brief description of agency leadership, and explain why you don’t have a program leader yet. For example:

• As ABC program will not be launched until March 2013, program staff have not yet been hired. Application requirements for the program leader include 5+ years of classroom experiencing, a history of producing high student outcomes (top 90% of cohort), significant leadership experience, and a passion for closing the achievement gap. ABC Program Leader will be supervised by Director of Education Joe Smith, who has 20 years of experience in education reform and received the 2012 Excellence Award from XYZ.

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

For those seeking foundation funds for the first time, grant applications can seem daunting. In this series, I hope to demystify the process of applying for grants by providing a brief overview of each section of a typical grant proposal. I'll start with my favorite section--the Needs Statement.


The Needs Statement

The first step of a funding request is to convince a potential funder that there is a serious, immediate, and unmet need in the community. The needs statement is one of the most, if not the most, crucial aspects of your grant proposal--if you haven’t convinced someone there is a problem, they have no reason to invest in your solution. 

 The needs statement (also known as the problem statement) answers the question: “What need or problem does your proposal address?” A compelling statement pulls at the reader’s heartstrings, but is backed by statistics and research. Key components of a need statement are:

• Facts or figures about the extent of the need. 
  

Research-based facts and numbers show the number of people affected, the extent of the problem, and the extent of its affects. Research should be as specific as possible to the region you are serving. Similarly, if your program serves a certain population—children or the elderly, for example—provide statistics for that population group. 

In addition, research can demonstrate the extensive impact of the problem you are addressing. For example, if you are addressing a high drop-out rate in high school students, include research demonstrating the long-term negative impact of failing to graduate--higher unemployment, higher risk of incarceration, and poor health. 

For example: 10% of all Smith County residents over the age of 65 are “food insecure,” meaning they don’t know where their next meal will come from.  Individuals who suffer from hunger are more likely to suffer from a variety of life-threatening health problems; this risk increases with age, as key nutrients are crucial to preventing many health problems, including diabetes and osteoporosis.(1)  
(1) Don't forget to cite your sources! Use MLA or Chicago style.

• Story of the need
  

This gives a human (or animal, or natural) face to the problem. This appeals to more emotionally-driven readers, who need to understand the personal or individual impact of the problem. This could be a profile of one of your clients (with an alias or last name removed), or a story from a published news article. 

For example: Jim, a retired Smith County resident, has trouble making ends meet with his Social Security checks. Some months, he has to choose between paying his extra medical bills and going to the grocery store. He often turns to fast food, which is cheap and easy—but at his last medical check-up, his blood pressure and cholesterol were at dangerously high levels. Jim’s arthritis also makes it hard for him to do basic tasks. Even if he could afford healthy food, it would be a struggle to prepare it.

• What is being done & why it isn't enough.

Finally, you need to demonstrate that at least some portion of the need above is not being met.  Perhaps current services are nonexistent, limited, ineffective, or fail to reach a specific population. Here, you are showing why your organization & its services, specifically, are necessary.

For example: While food banks do a lot to combat hunger in our community, they are difficult to access for homebound seniors who are unable to leave their houses. In fact, ABC Food Bank in Smith County noted last year that their services reach “only a small portion of those in need.” 

Remember, a needs statement always addresses the need of whoever is receiving the services--it does not address what your organization itself needs.  Never say "Our organization needs money to fix the gym ceiling,"--instead, "Our community's children need a warm, dry place to play."

Need a hand crafting your compelling grant application? Contact us today for a free half-hour consultation and to learn about our services.

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

If your organization is considering applying for grant funds for the first time, there is some information you’ll need to gather before you start the process. Grant applications are often highly detailed, and before starting an application you should make sure you can provide all the required information. Though the process can be daunting, it will go much smoother if you gather your materials first!

Whether you are writing the application yourself or hiring a consultant, your organization will need to gather the following information for most applications:

• Overall budget for your organization. Usually you will need a budget for the last fiscal year (including actual income and expenses) as well as a proposed budget for the current year.

• Program budget. This should be fairly specific. It’s not enough to say that your budget for the program is $20,000—you need to break this down into budget categories such as personnel, supplies, rent, etc.

        If the prospect of budgeting gives you flashbacks to high school algebra class, 
        check out the Budget-Building Book for Nonprofits! It offers guidance for every 
        step of the process.

• Specific request. Your request should be for a certain amount (usually no more than 10% of your overall budget), and you should indicate what specifically the funds will be used for. Do you want funds for supplies? Your office staff? Transportation? Funders want to know exactly how you will use their money.

• Measurable impact. Gather concrete information on the numbers and demographics of the people you serve. If you are considering going for grant funds at any point in the future, start tracking this information now! (It’s also helpful for internal evaluations). This should include both what you have done in the past (i.e., served 10,000 meals to 3,000 individuals last year) and a reasonable projection of what you plan to do during the grant period.

• Systems to track success. A funder wants to know how you plan to measure your program’s effect. Do you plan to track the number of people served? Administer surveys to measure satisfaction? Track graduation rates? Design a tracking system that you can faithfully implement and use to report accurate information back at the end of the grant period.

        Not sure how to develop a program evaluation? Check out Grant Space's      
        knowledge base to find approaches, guidelines, and tools you can tailor to your 
        own programs.

• 501(c)3 Letter or Fiscal Sponsor letter and agreement
  
• List of your board members and their affiliations
  
• List of key organizational staff and their qualifications
  
• IRS form 990
  
• Most recent audited financial statements (if you have them)
  
• Letters of support or collaboration (if applicable) 

Need help developing the above materials? Have them in hand and want to apply for a grant? No matter where you are in the process. Aril Consulting can help! Contact us today for a free half-hour consultation and to learn about our services.

This is the first in an eight-part series on grant writing from Aril Consulting. Check back next week for tips on writing a compelling needs statement!