Grants
As a general rule to find a grants for your school,
look at local foundations first by checking in Directories
of Foundation that are organized by city and state.
Look for foundations that are local and have a written
mission and history of giving that matches your project.
For example, you may find a foundation that gives to
education in your state, or another that only gives
to projects serving the local community.
Get a list of the foundation’s board members to
see if any of your board members are connected to one
or more. You might also approach any major donors who
have been exceptionally supportive of your school.
Carefully find out what the foundation
requires for an initial approach. The easiest way to
do this is to call the foundation with a polite and
easily answered question to get a conversation started.
"Hi my name is __________ and I work for the ____
school. I was researching your foundation in several
books and I am just a little unclear on how to make
a first approach to your staff and hope that you can
help me not appear foolish in my request." People
love to feel they are helpful and you certainly need
their help.
Often schools find that if you make a
contact, listen carefully to their advice, thank them
for their time, and follow their instructions, you can
develop a long-term connection with that Foundation.
These relationships can be invaluable.
Obviously no Foundation will give money
for a project that falls outside of its funding mission.
Also keep in mind that you will be competing
with many other worthy nonprofits for the same limited
funds.
However, if you have developed a relationship
with a member of the Foundation's staff—or a board
member—it will often give you a real edge. Like
most things in life, who you know makes a big difference!
In the best of all worlds, a staff member
will take you under her wing, coach you through the
proposal development process, and will support your
proposal through the decision making committee.
As you proceed through the process:
- be careful to listen carefully to any advice that
you have been given by staff
- follow the Foundation’s directions to the
letter
- provide all of the information and documents that
they request
- submit your application on time.
Many Foundations prefer to receive a brief
synopsis of your proposed project before you go any
further. This allows them to get a sense of what you
have in mind and gives them the opportunity to give
you initial feedback as to whether or not they will
be interested in receiving a full proposal.
Don't forget to include a plan for evaluating
the outcomes of your project.
Financial planning and controls are another
major consideration for most Foundations.
Remember, foundations tend to respond
best to proposals that are simple, easily understood,
and sincere.
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