1 / 20

Strategies for Securing Funding from Foundations

Strategies for Securing Funding from Foundations. Essential Steps for Winning Grants. Identification Research Cultivation Solicitation Persistence Stewardship. Identifying Prospects: Campus Resources. COS http://www.cos.com/. Identifying Prospects: Campus Resources.

dyllis
Download Presentation

Strategies for Securing Funding from Foundations

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Strategies for Securing Funding from Foundations

  2. Essential Steps for Winning Grants • Identification • Research • Cultivation • Solicitation • Persistence • Stewardship

  3. Identifying Prospects: Campus Resources • COS http://www.cos.com/

  4. Identifying Prospects: Campus Resources • Foundation Directory Online http://fconline.fdncenter.org/ This site is password protected.Please contact ORSPA for assistance.

  5. Other Resources • Johnson City Public Library: Foundation Center Cooperating Collection • http://www.jcpl.net/index.asp?speed=high&screen=wide&css=yes&section=rsrv&page=cooperatingcollection(no need for a password) • Foundation Center • http://foundationcenter.org/collections/cctn.html

  6. Other Resources • Also at the Foundation Center • http://foundationcenter.org/ Click on “Newsletters” to subscribe to Philanthropy News Digest and RFP Bulletin

  7. Purposes of Research • Eligibility requirements • Determining an appropriate ask amount • Preferred application process • Deadlines to apply • Funding priorities • Restrictions on use of funds • Policy on unsolicited applications

  8. Researching Foundations • Foundation Directory Online and/or COS • Foundation Center and GuideStar Web sites • Web site for the foundation prospect, if available • Print materials from the foundation • IRS Form 990

  9. Research Exercise • The Foundation CenterThe Steele-Reese Foundation (see next slide) • http://foundationcenter.org/ • http://foundationcenter.org/cgi-bin/ffindershow.cgi?id=STEE004 • GuideStar • http://www.guidestar.org

  10. Getting to know the Steele-Reese Foundation http://www.steele-reese.org/ Note: This foundation no longer funds projects in Tennessee and is used here as an example only.

  11. Using the IRS Form 990 • Foundation Center • http://foundationcenter.org/cgi-bin/ffindershow.cgi?id=STEE004 • Foundation Center Online Tutorial: “Demystifying the 990-PF” • http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/demystify/

  12. Cultivation • Do your homework, and respect each foundation’s preference for personal contact. • If the foundation has print materials (annual report, application form), request a copy. • Contact the foundation with questions not addressed in print or electronic materials. Be prepared and to the point, letting them direct the conversation.

  13. Cultivation • Site Visits • If a site visit is part of the application process, accommodate foundation staff as much as possible. • Ask for their advice about who should be included in the visit. • Meet with participants before the site visit to prepare them to discuss the proposed project and anticipate questions that may be asked.

  14. Solicitation • Follow application guidelines to the letter. • View your first request as an introduction. Many foundations will not consider an applicant for funding until the second or third try. • Some foundations offer assistance with project development and/or feedback for draft proposals submitted in advance. • Request a reasonable grant amount, based on the foundation’s giving history.

  15. Persistence • Try not to take a declined request personally. • Send a letter thanking the foundation contact for reviewing and considering your proposal. • If allowed, request feedback from staff. • Apply again unless instructed otherwise.

  16. Common Reasons Grant Requests Are Declined • The organization does not meet foundation priorities. • The organization is not located in the foundation’s preferred geographic area of funding. • The proposal does not follow the correct format. • The request is for a purpose other than the foundation will fund. • The amount requested is not within the foundation’s funding range.

  17. Other Common Reasons Grant Requests Are Declined • Scattershot or “spray-and-pray” approach. • The project was not marketed effectively. • Fishing expeditions: offering a list of options for funding. • Lack of a plan for sustainability. • All of the money for the current grant cycle has been allocated.

  18. Stewardship • When awarded a grant: • Send an acknowledgement letter. • Submit grant reports on time and in preferred format. • Request approval before making major changes to your funded project. • Definition of stewardship: “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care” --Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

  19. Stewardship Remember that good stewardshipof a foundation grant is the first step in winning the next grant.

  20. Additional Training and Help • The Foundation Center • http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/learnabout/foundations.html • ETSU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Administration (ORSPA) *For assistance with budget development, sponsor research, and/or inter-institutional coordination, please contact us early during the proposal development process. • http://www.etsu.edu/research/orspa.htm

More Related