That Nonprofit Guy

It is vital  to create a compelling, data driven case for our grant proposals.  But a big part of the issue you face becomes finding the right funder to fit the activities you are proposing. But why not the other way around?  What if we see a really great grant opportunity and create a proposal to fit?  Here's a little dialog from an  article on the issue in SOFII : PD: ‘I just of heard of this great new foundation grant! $100,000 a year to provide pre-natal support services for young parents.’ CEO: ‘That sounds great. Do we serve that population?’ PD: ‘Well, not yet, but we could. It’s $100,000!’ CEO: ‘What do they cover?’ PD: ‘Any operating expenses.’ CEO: ‘Any start-up money?’ PD: ‘Well, no, but it’s $100,000!’ CEO: ‘You really think we should go after this anyway?’ PD: ‘Absolutely! It’s $100,000!’ $100,000 sounds great!  But with restrictions that won't allow the funds to be used to create start-up infrastructure or support the administration of the fun...

There is a well known blog called   Nonprofit AF   that is written by a hilarious and knowledgeable nonprofit Executive Director, Vu Le.  He writes regularly about the common issues faced in the field, particularly about the relationship between nonprofits and funders.   One of Le's many articles that are applicable for grant writers is titled " Foundations, it’s time to stop using grant applications to distribute funding ".  This doesn't discount the skills and tools you may have as a grant writer, but it is important to have a clear understanding of what is broken with the current funding environment that your proposals will be facing.  Here are a few areas Le points out as problems: -   Wasting of time, energy, and resources:   Think about how many hours you are spending developing a grant proposal.  Now think of those hours in terms of an hourly wage and how much that would cost your organization for your time writing it....