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When & how to apply for grants (Grant Writing 4 of 5)

After learning WHO you can apply to for a grant, as well as WHAT goes into a request, you need to tackle the HOW and WHEN questions. We outline them both in this episode…


First let’s talk HOW…

📫#1 = Some, you send in the mail

🖥️ #2 = Increasingly, more are going to online applications

Note: don’t discount “mail in.” Those are the ones for which we’ve received some of our highest awards.


Next, let’s talk WHEN…

📌 #1 = Anytime applications (send at any point in the year)

📌 #2 = Specific time applications (some foundations take requests only at designated times)

(Also, some foundations require “permission to apply.”)


How do you tackle this and then manage it?

Here’s a pro tip that will help:

👉 Make a calendar of when each of these are due.

👉 Fill in the “specific due dates” first and then back-fill the gaps with those which have no deadline— such that you send out the same amount of grants each month, keeping the workflow the same.


Let’s go a step further…

7 suggestions related to the above:

#1 = Make a master list of grant makers— and add to it constantly.

#2 = Make a note of how much you think they will give, the kind of applications they require (online or mail-in), and other things you learn about them.

#3 = Review your list each month— and work on the “next month” that is due (i.e., if grants are due September 15, work on them August 1).

#4 = Spend 1-2 days per month doing nothing but grant requests— all day.

#5 = Keep good records of what you apply for— and what they accept / reject.

#6 = Follow-up with everyone (they generally tell you how long it takes to get a decision), so you can build a relationship the “gate-keepers.

#7 = Send the same— or similar— grant requests to all grant makers.

 


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The 5-part nonprofit framework highlights the core areas you need to address to move the mission forward:

⚙️ Path (or program) = what clients do, what they’re taught, how you impact the people you serve

⚙️ People (job descriptions, staff expectations) = clarity for both paid staff and an army of volunteers alike

⚙️ Proceses = policies, procedures, and more… so the mission can move forward without micromanagement

⚙️ Place = the environment or culture you set (because it’s not only WHAT we do that matters but also HOW we do it)

⚙️ Purse = your funding strategy (because it takes money to fund the mission and you can only run the mission as far as they money will fuel it)


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Links for this talk

Free access to the grant template = https://www.amplifyonline.info/GPP 

How we can help nonprofit leaders— the framework = www.AmplifyOnline.info/501c3 

The “Grant-Making Machine” on-demand course, with worksheets, templates, etc. = https://www.amplifyonline.info/GMM 

Need help? Let’s talk = www.AmplifyOnline.info/talk