by Jill Myers

There are more than 1,500 federal grant programs and more than 90,000 foundations in the United States offering grant money to deserving communities, organizations, and individuals.  Health care, human services, and community development are among the top areas targeted for this funding.  Chances are good that your organization currently has an initiative or need that will qualify for grant support. 

With so many funding sources and grant programs out there, finding the most appropriate grant can be daunting.  Here are a few grant-seeking tips.

Have a good reason for seeking the grant.

Before you start your search for the perfect grant program, you need to have a clear understanding of your organization’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities.  Knowing these will enable you to readily identify the gap between where the organization is and where it wants to be.  Being able to articulate the problem area you are attempting to address through the grant funding is extremely important. 

Grant seeking with your organizational needs and issues in mind will help ensure your search process is proactive rather than reactive.  Your grant proposal will be better written and reviewed if it appears that your need for funding had been identified prior to writing the proposal.

Grant program creators and reviewers are adept at recognizing when applicants have tried to create a need and fit solely because they were aware of the grant program.  Resist going after grants unless you’ve identified a link between what they are funding and what your organization needs. 

Research potential funding sources.

There are several good databases and listings of grant programs on the Internet.  Federal grants can be researched at http://www.grants.gov, and the Rural Assistance Center (http://www.raconline.org) provides links to many sources targeting rural communities and organizations.  The Foundation Center (http://www.foundationcenter.org) provides information on many foundations, including how to find one that may match your needs. 

Keep a profile or database of the funding sources with the greatest match to your needs.  Most government and larger foundation grant programs run on an annual cycle, and the grant program descriptions and requirements can usually be found online.  You may locate a grant program that just made award announcements and will not be accepting proposals until next year–but the same program will likely be available next year, and you can now take your time to develop a solid proposal. 

Some foundations, especially those that focus on a small geographic area and/or limited issues, will accept letters of inquiry.  These foundations may be an excellent source for your small, targeted needs.  Look for these smaller foundations on the Internet or by contacting your chamber of commerce and larger businesses in your area.  Many large businesses create a small foundation to support the local community but do not advertise the existence of the foundation.

Don’t apply for every grant program under the sun.

Carefully read the expectations of the funding source (they may require detailed reporting, demonstration of meeting your objectives, etc.).  Take the time to fully understand the grant for which you want to apply and make an effort to create an application that is unique.

Think of it as applying for a job; organizations prefer and take notice of resumes and cover letters that specifically address them, as opposed to those that are generic and sent to every potential employer.  Funding sources are even more attuned to applicants who obviously took the time to research their grant programs and put forth a strong effort to submit a worthy application.

Though locating appropriate potential funding sources will likely take a fair amount of time and effort, it will be well worth it.   Even small organizations will benefit from setting up a grant-seeking, grant-writing and grant-management function. 

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