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How to Get Your Share of the $30-Plus Billion Being Offered by U.S. Foundations: A Complete Guide for Locating, Preparing, and Presenting Your Proposals

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Helweg, Richard.

How to get your share of the 30-plus billion dollars being offered by U.S. foundations : a complete guide for locating, preparing, and presenting your proposals / Richard Helweg.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-258-0 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-258-8 (alk. paper)

1. Proposal writing for grants--United States. 2. Fund raising--United States. 3. Proposal writing for grants--United States--Case studies. 4. Fund raising--United States--Case studies. I. Title.

HG177.5.U6.H677 2009

658.15’224--dc22

2008032592

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Bear was a rescue dog who turned around and showered myself, my wife, Sherri, his grandparents Jean, Bob, and Nancy, and every person and animal he met (well, maybe not rabbits) with friendship and love. He made a lot of people smile every day.

We wanted you to know a portion of the profits of this book will be donated in Bear’s memory to local animal shelters, parks, conservation organizations, and other individuals and nonprofit organizations in need of assistance.

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PS: We have since adopted two more rescue dogs: first Scout, and the following year, Ginger. They were both mixed golden retrievers who needed a home.

If your nonprofit organization is like most, the search for funding is never-ending. To meet this need for funding, many organizations seek grant funding, and, according to the information being published by many foundations, more organizations than ever are seeking grant funds. This process can be daunting, overwhelming, and time-consuming.

Richard Helweg, author of How to Get Your Share of the $30-Plus Billion Being Offered by U.S. Foundations: A Complete Guide for Locating, Preparing, and Presenting Your Proposals, offers a user-friendly guide for novice and experienced grant writers alike. While there are many books that will provide grant seekers with a guide to grant writing, this book goes beyond the basics.

Helweg first guides organizations through the development of a mission statement. Throughout, he stresses the importance of staying true to the mission and not chasing grant dollars, as so many organizations are apt to do in their search for funding. The book includes an overview of the types of funding available so grant-seekers can think about the types of grants that are best for their organization, and they can understand how to approach the funder.

The most important information in this book focuses on researching and linking the needs of your organization/community to the interests of potential funding sources. Once possible sources have been identified, it is time for the application process — which often begins with a letter of inquiry. In my

experience, more foundations use the letter of inquiry process as the initial starting point for organizations seeking funding. This enables foundations to quickly assess those organizations that they are interested in learning more about.

Once initial contact has been made, it is time to write the actual grant proposal. Helweg goes step-by-step through the process for writing a successful proposal. He includes the post-proposal steps that so many grant seekers forget, including obtaining funds, not being funded, receiving partial funding, and, above all, being a good steward of grant funds.

As a grant writer for more than 20 years, I found the information contained within the book to be on-track with the advice that I give to my clients At least 75 percent of an organization’s success in obtaining grant funding from foundations is due to the research that is done before anything is written. As Helweg emphasizes, an organization must carefully research potential funding sources to ensure the organization and the foundation are a good match. Putting time into research will reduce the amount of frustration experienced by the grant seeker while increasing the number of proposals that are funded.

Grant seekers will find it helpful to keep a copy of Helweg’s book on their bookshelf to refer to the golden nuggets of information again and again. As you search for funding sources, remember that grant funding is not a quick fix. In the best-case scenario, it takes 6 to 9 months.

Do not get discouraged; there are many reasons proposals are not funded that the grant writer cannot control. Stick with it, and success will come. Best of luck as you work to obtain the funding to fulfill your organization’s mission.

Debbie DiVirgilio has more than 20 years experience in the nonprofit sector, where she has been successful in obtaining foundation, state, and federal grant funding. She worked in a variety of nonprofit organizations before starting a non-profit consulting firm. The firm, DiVirgilio & Associates LLC, provides grant writing services for faith- and community-based organizations, public safety organizations, schools, and local governments. DiVirgilio has expertise in program development and holds a master’s degree in nonprofit management. DiVirgilio is certified by the Grant Professional Certification Institute and serves on the board of directors for the American Association of Grant Professionals.

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Every year, U.S. foundations give away billions of dollars for everything from putting on dance programs to helping traffic congestion around elementary schools. To receive some of this money, you have to know your company and who is offering funding, as well as the proper procedures to follow.

The amount of money given away by foundations fluctuates every year depending on the state of the economy, but who the money is given to and why remains fairly steady. Foundations make grants available to organizations and individuals because they believe in their ability and purpose. A large pharmaceutical corporation might make grants available to students who go to school to study medicine. A retail chain might make grants available to organizations that work to improve the quality of life in communities where the chain has stores. In this sense, foundation grants are available from a huge number of foundations for an endless variety of purposes. The mission of this book is to help you identify who to ask and how to ask them.

Whether you are searching for funding to help your organization clean up the parks in your community, or you are an aspiring cartoonist looking for educational assistance, there is a good chance that grant money is available to help you realize your vision. You do not have to be an established not-for-profit organization to benefit from a foundation grant. But the ability to tell your story and share your vision is required. Our mission is to help you do that.

Much of this book is written from the perspective of a small not-for-profit organization in search of foundation grant dollars. But if you are an individual in search of grant funding, you can benefit from the lessons offered here just as much as that small organization.

This book will guide you from the first step in your quest for a foundation grant to the thank-you letter you will write after receiving a check for $25,000. We will help you search for a foundation grant, write an initial letter of inquiry, and write a clear and purposeful proposal.

This book is a practical guide to locating grants and preparing and presenting your foundation proposals, written for those who have never developed a funding proposal before. It will serve as an essential resource for the more seasoned grant seeker. Whether you are reading this from an organization’s perspective or you are an individual in search of funding, you will find this book useful. The book is divided into three parts: The Components of Your Grant, Writing the Proposal, and Now What?

The first part, The Components of Your Grant, discusses ways to search for a foundation grant. The Components of Your Grant will describe all the elements of a grant request that you can prepare before even starting your search. More specifically, it will detail the information the grant seeker will have to prepare for their funding proposal. By ensuring that the seeker is prepared with the information described in this part, they will avoid staring at a “blank page,” trying to figure out what to write.

The Writing the Proposal section covers the essentials of matching your written proposal to the guidelines offered by the particular foundations. The chapters in Writing the Proposal include numerous examples of cover letters, grant proposals, and thank-you letters.

Part three, Now What?, reviews various scenarios that may occur whether funding has been received or not. The chapters in Now What? examine the stewardship of foundation funding and what happens if funding is awarded, denied, or partially awarded.

If you are new to researching and writing foundation grant proposals, it is vital to start at the beginning. Schedule six weeks to work through the steps described in this book. If you find that you have already done much of the preparatory work described here, the schedule will be shorter. If you are a more seasoned seeker of foundation support, you may find the various sections and chapters useful as inspiration on a new, and perhaps different, way of approaching funders.

Some of the most important information you can find in this book can be found in the case studies. The advice given here comes from a cumulative total of more than 100 years of grant-seeking. The case studies come from a wide variety of sources that are located across the United States, from arts organizations, museums, conservation groups, and human service organizations. They present people who are professional grant writers, volunteer grant writers, development directors, and executive directors of not-for-profit organizations.

In this book, you will read the fictional story of Amicitia Gardens, a not-for-profit community garden created for this book to serve as an example of the funding process. Of the three foundations that Amicitia Gardens’ Executive Director Rose Flowers pursues throughout the book, she will have the most success with the foundation that she has the closest relationship. Rose’s story and actions will serve as a good example of what you should do during your foundation search and proposal.

When you talk to people about your organization, you must remember that what is important is not the fact that you are seeking funding, but that you have a mission. Your mission is not to raise money, but to assist families, neighborhoods, and organizations.

Another common thread you will find throughout these case studies is preparation. I have sat in on numerous committees that review grant applications and have found that most proposals are just not ready to attract money. Generally, the proposals are not complete; in addition, most have not taken advantage of collaborating with all their stakeholders and utilizing their network. This book, along with the input from many professionals in the case studies, will explain how important it is to follow grant guidelines and to network with people in your organization for connections that may prove to be useful in the search for funding.

A piece of advice that is quite common throughout these case studies is the careful consideration of your organizational needs. Before you spend the time and energy to pursue a funding proposal, make sure that the need goes beyond your organization. It is one thing to say your organization needs something, but it is quite different to say how meeting this need will affect more than just your organization; it will affect your community. Many experienced grant seekers will tell you that a compelling need addressed in a highly effective, innovative, and collaborative way makes for a forceful proposal. Too many organizations are doing the same thing, competing pointlessly with each other. When this is the case, the need is not as strong, and your case is not as compelling.

You will find this book to be a useful, practical guide. We will touch on every important point of the foundation grant. Take notes along the way; even write your grant proposal as you read. The more you engage in the process, the better at it you will become.

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We deal here with the most basic elements of any foundation grant proposal. Before you do any research into what foundations are and what they support, you must have a firm grasp on what your organization stands for. The foundations will want to know what your mission is and will expect you to describe the vision of your organization. They want to know if you see the big picture, and if your organization’s vision fits into the community at-large. They will also be interested in knowing about your organization’s history. Because you are proposing that they provide you with funding, they will want to trust that the organization or individual is able to responsibly manage any funds they offer.

To ease your entry into the world of foundation grants, it is worth your while to prepare the information before sitting down to write your first grant. If you do this preparation, the writing of the grant will be a matter of pulling the required pieces together. Not every foundation will ask for every bit of information presented in this book, but having this information on hand for future grant writing will be useful.

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What is my purpose? This heavy question may be the most important question you answer in your quest for a foundation grant. Being able to answer this question in a clear, concise manner tells funders that you are professional and understand your organization’s goals. This is your mission statement.

Without a doubt, the most important part of any organizational request for foundation funding is the mission statement. Likewise, if you are an individual seeking funding, you must be able to state your business. A mission statement defines what your business is all about; a mission statement is your reason for being.

You should be able to define your mission in one simple sentence. It is well-worth your time and effort to work on your mission statement until it is perfect — that is, when it clearly and concisely defines your purpose. When someone can read it quickly and know what your business focus is without your needing to clarify it, add something to it, or answer any questions, your mission statement will be complete.

The importance of a mission statement can be compared to the importance of a plot in a good story. In literature, a writer might refer to the mission as the plot, or more simply, as an action. You recognize when you are reading a book or watching a movie with a good plot: If someone asks you what the story is about, you can explain it easily. Or think about the movies you have seen that have a poorly defined plot. The characters may be good; the movie may have been beautifully filmed. But if there is no plot, the movie fails. The same can be said about your funding proposal. If you cannot state what it is you do, the funders will pass you by.

Grant $eeking Tip

To begin creating a strong mission statement, think in terms of active verbs. Your organization was formed to do something. If you are looking for funding as an individual, you are involved in some type of activity. Describe this activity using active verbs.

To assist you in learning about writing a foundation grant proposal we will start by creating a model that you can refer to when seeking and writing a proposal. We will use a community garden cooperative as our model, a fictional cooperative that will focus on growing vegetables, but can also grow herbs and flowers. Our community garden will be called Amicitia Community Gardens.

“Amicitia Community Gardens is a community gardening cooperative with the mission to assist families, neighborhoods, and organizations in growing food for themselves and the community.”

The statement in bold is Amicitia Community Gardens’ mission statement. Nothing else needs to be said; it is simple and to the point. The active verb in this mission is “to assist.”

Their mission statement tells us that their group is a cooperative community garden, and that they help families, neighborhoods, and organizations grow food for themselves and their communities. Simple.

The biggest trap you can run into in creating a mission statement is to say too much. For example, “The mission of Amicitia Community Gardens is to create an environment in which the inhabitants of our community can claim a plot of land where they might grow vegetables for themselves to feed their family and enrich, nourish, and invigorate not only the community, but the planet as well.” This sounds like the mission of a green theme park. From reading this mission, we feel that Amicitia Community Gardens is organized for a crusade to save the planet as opposed to “…assist[ing] families, neighborhoods, and organizations in growing food for themselves and their communities.” In fact, the active verb has changed from “to assist” to “to create.” If it is to be a community garden, “to assist” makes more sense than “to create.” Their community garden may enrich, nourish, and invigorate the community and the planet, but this is incidental to the basic mission of the organization.

The basic rule for your mission statement is to keep it simple. The people reading your proposal are reading hundreds of other requests for funding, and many of those requests may contain mission statements that read more like essays than simple statements. You want your statement to stand out for being immediately clear.

Take some time now to write your mission statement. Make sure you can state your mission in one sentence, and ensure that it says precisely what it is you do. Show it to someone who is not involved in your organization. Is it clear to them? If not, what is unclear about it? If it is unclear, edit and pare it down, then show it to them again. When you have a clear mission, you are ready to move on to your next step.

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Once you have a clear and concise mission, you can expand upon it in your vision statement. The vision statement is your opportunity to put your long-term hopes and dreams for your organization into words. It should answer the question, “If this organization could become everything I hope for, what would it be in five years?” Your vision statement presents an image of what success will look like.

Your vision statement is the first place in your foundation grant proposal where you begin to state your goals in general terms — you will have the opportunity later in the process to set specific goals. This statement is essential in the grant writing process because it outlines your future goals, speaks of your values, and defines your future contributions to the community.

As you might guess, the vision statement will be a little more extensive than your mission statement. It can also be more challenging to put into words, as it asks you to dig a little deeper to explore your reason for this venture, and put that vision into words that others can understand. Remember, you are creating this statement and presentation not only for yourself, but also for people interested in your business. An organization’s vision statement often has much to say to stakeholders, employees, and volunteers about how they should view the organization.

Grant $eeking Tip

The most important question you might ask yourself as you create your vision statement is, “What do I value about this organization?”

At Amicitia Community Gardens, the vision statement reads: “Amicitia Community Gardens is a friendly organization where all community members can come together to cultivate our connection to nature and each other by growing food locally. Amicitia Community Gardens envisions environmentally educated communities in which people of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to learn how to garden, reconnect with the land, and connect with our community.”

Amicitia Community Gardens could not envision much more for itself. Their vision statement speaks to the environment, the community, and the food. It is a good vision — simple and concise.

The combined mission and vision statements for Amicitia Community Gardens provide the basic framework for the coming proposal. The proposal will further describe how Amicitia Community Gardens will put its mission into action and realize its vision. It will also propose how the funding foundation can work as a partner in this mission and vision.

Let us see what we have for Amicitia Community Gardens so far:

Amicitia Community Gardens is a community gardening cooperative whose mission is to assist families, neighborhoods, and organizations in growing food for themselves and the community. Amicitia Community Gardens is a friendly organization where all community members can come together to cultivate our connection to nature and each other by growing food locally. Amicitia Community Gardens envisions environmentally educated communities in which people of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to learn how to garden, reconnect with the land, and connect with our community.

As you can see, the mission and vision statement appear together in the above paragraph. This is how it will be presented in your proposal, but you may also use your mission and vision statements separately, depending on the guidelines of the foundation to whom you are submitting a proposal. Remember, the mission is the most important statement; the visions is an extension of the mission.

Consider what makes the mission and vision statements of Amicitia Community Gardens effective. First, the statements are easily read and understood; when you read or hear them, you know what they aim to achieve. Second, you essentially know how they plan on conducting their business. Also — and this is very important — the vision statement speaks to both the short-term and the long-term.

The vision statement speaks to the short-term by telling you that Amicitia Community Gardens is a friendly organization where community members come together to cultivate their connections by growing food locally.

The vision statement then takes a long-term look at the future by stating, “Amicitia Community Gardens envisions an environmentally educated community in which people of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to learn how to garden, reconnect with the land, and connect with our community.”

It is important to understand that the foundations you send proposals to have their own visions — they seek to give money to organizations and individuals that share their vision. If you delve into a foundation proposal without a vision for your organization and how it fits into the community-at-large, you have a lesser chance of receiving funding than those who enter the process with a clear vision. With a clear mission and vision statement, Amicitia Community Gardens now has a solid base from which to launch into the specifics of their funding proposal.

But it is important to further present the functions of the company seeking funding. These statements are what attract the funder to your proposal, but it is the rest of the proposal that will present how you will operate your business to abide by these statements.

Case study: Rebecca Jewell

Paul J. Strawhecker Inc.
4913 Dodge St.
Omaha, NE, 68132
www.pjstraw.com

I work with Paul J. Strawhecker Inc., a consulting firm that assists non-profit organizations with annual fundraising,

special campaigns, strategic planning, philanthropic planning studies, communications, and organizational development and management. The organization has been in existence for 13 years. I have been writing grants for 11 years.

Much of the funding I seek is for program, capital needs, or organizational capacity-building. I am most familiar with family foundations, community foundations, corporate foundations, and corporate giving programs. I have some experience with government funding, but that is not a special area of expertise for me.

The amount of money I receive as a result of foundation grant writing varies from year to year, but I would estimate it to be in the range of $500,000, give or take a hundred thousand or so. I do not tend to write the really big money grants to government sources or the large national foundation; I usually write to local or regional foundations.

The majority of grants I seek are associated with capital campaigns for building construction, renovation, or expansion. This includes historical renovation. Most of the clients of our firm are for capital campaign consulting. That said, I have certainly written my share of program grants, start-up grants, and capacity building grants.

What I think makes for a compelling grant proposal is:

1. A succinct and logical connection between the funding and the results to be achieved

2. A compelling impact statement on how the funding will make a difference to humanity

As a grant seeker, what I look for in a funder is a geographic connection to the organization I am writing for. This is usually my first qualification. Then, I look to see whether the funder has restrictions related to the type of funding I am seeking. Some prospective funders state that they do not give to capital, for example, or will not provide funding for staff salaries, or will only give to projects in the United States.

Among the foundations that I tend to write to — local, regional, family foundations — it is very common for foundation representatives to have personal connections to the agencies they fund, either through their own activities, as a user of the service, or through a family connection or an acquaintance with a board member or staff member. I think that most often, funders have connections to the agencies

they fund. They do not award grants in a vacuum. Finding and building upon those personal connections is as important as writing a great proposal.

I advise any grant seeker to look at what organizations the funders give to in their official guidelines, publications, and/or Web sites, etc., but to also always look at what organizations they actually give to by viewing the IRS Form 990 whenever possible. Often, funders say they do one thing — and they probably strive to do that — but what they actually do can be something very different.

For example, I once sat in on a presentation of local family foundation representatives talking about how they award grants and their funding priorities. One man spoke about how the family does not like to take calls about potential proposals, but prefers to receive proposals or letters of inquiry to review. Then, he told about the largest award the foundation ever gave, which all started when an executive at the university saw him at a restaurant and shared his vision for a university program. The foundation rep was trying to explain that organizations need to share a great idea and that funders will respond to a compelling vision. What I took away from the presentation was that, even though they claim not to want personal calls or visits, the groups that get the really big awards are those that can make a personal call or visit.

I have had great success submitting “blind” proposals to another foundation in town, but I have seemed to hit the ceiling of award limit and can get only modest gifts from the foundation. It is very private. Even though you can reach them on the phone, they will tell you — politely but firmly — that they prefer not to have personal contact or calls regarding proposals. The organizations that receive the largest gifts have the foundation president on their board of directors. Obviously, there must be all kinds of personal contact there that impacts the size of gifts received.

It may be that a project appears to be outside the foundation guidelines. I do not recommend disregarding guidelines, but research may turn up a personal connection that proves fruitful. Or, you may see that the foundation does actually award grants in that area, and you may be able to turn up a personal link to the foundation that made that possible. Grant seeking is as much personal relationships and connections as it is writing a great proposal.

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