What Do Funders Look for in a Grant Proposal?
Originally published by @TechSoup at https://blog.techsoup.org on March 3, 2021.
This blog post is the second in a series by the author. Don’t miss the first installment, How to Assess Return on Investment for Grant Writing and Management.
Ah — the quintessential question! Wouldn’t it be great to get inside the head of your intended funders to find out what really knocks their socks off? Or how about being a fly on the wall at a meeting where they make their funding decisions?
Unfortunately, I can’t read the tea leaves for you. But I can tell you two very important things to keep in mind.
1. Each Funder Is Unique and Should Be Treated as Such
If you’ve read the first blog post in this series, you already know that each funder has a particular set of funding criteria and specific goals that they are trying to achieve with their philanthropy. They also have certain values or ideas that guide them in making their funding choices. Your grant proposal should demonstrate that your organization and the funder are both on the same page.
As you research potential grantmakers, be sure to read (and reread) their published funding guidelines, priorities, and requests for proposals (RFPs). Find out who they have funded before and if and how your organization could fit strategically into their funding portfolio.
For best results, I recommend also interacting with the funder before you submit your grant proposal (as discussed extensively in the Grant Writing and Management course series). A dialogue of any sort will help you “read between the lines” of the funder information you find online.
2. Familiarize Yourself with a General “Bottom Line”
Before you start your research process, you should know what virtually all funders are looking for. Try putting yourself in their shoes for a moment.
Funders are seeking a strong return on their investment, in terms of the social impact their dollars will help facilitate. Your grant proposal should convince them that your work is worth investing in — because it is both inspiring and structurally sound. Here is a handy checklist of what that looks like.
Organizations
Funders are most interested in an organization that has the following characteristics.
Programs and Projects
Funders are most interested in a program or project that has the following characteristics.
So I recommend trying on your intended funder’s hat whenever you are writing a grant proposal. You may even want to do a mock review of your grant proposal draft to help you see it from the funder’s point of view — something we do in the Grant Writing and Management course series.
Once you know what funders are looking for, you are geared up to travel along the road to grant writing success!
Additional Resources
- Find out about Grantmaker Tech Trends That Nonprofits Should Know About.
- Learn about Due Diligence: What Grantees Need to Know.
- Get insights into Managing Grant Reporting at Your Nonprofit.
- See a webinar on Grant Writing in 2021: What’s Different and What’s the Same?
Top photo: Shutterstock
Originally published at https://blog.techsoup.org on March 3, 2021.
