Grants That Get Noticed
Ask a group of grantmakers why one proposal stands out from the rest. You will probably get many different answers.
Perhaps Foundation A prefers to put all its gifts to work in a limited geographical area. Foundation B might be attracted to programs that somehow link several pieces of its mission puzzle. Maybe requests that involve collaborations with similar agencies for common causes sail right to the top of Grantmaker C’s review pile.
Your research, if it is thorough, will alert you to these sponsor-specific differences.
In Grant Writing Made Simple, we provided some general tips (gleaned from grantmakers) for making your proposals noteworthy.
What other suggestions do you have?
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It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it seems to me that the best suggestion is: follow the rules!
The grant makers want things a certain way. It’s foolish to not follow their instructions to the letter. And it’s also foolish to just shotgun your proposal out to a host of grant makers and hope one hits the mark.
Do your research. Pick your target. Follow their rules. And you will stand a much better chance of getting the funding you seek.
This doesn’t have to be rocket science.
It goes without saying (or at least, it ought to) that a good program, built on a solid foundation will turn heads at the right grant-making organization.
A little professionalism, in the way of a neat, well-organized, concise and complete proposal document certanly won’t hurt your argument. Clear, simple prose, clean, well-organized document design and a compillation of all the requested parts not only fulfill the grant maker’s requirements, but also help present your non-profit as a can-do organization, ready to address the issue in question.
Truly impressive and unique info! gave me a couple of ideas!
Thanks, I’m glad to hear it was useful for you!