Part One of this article covered Financial Statements and the four components (Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Activities, Statement of Functional Expenses, and Statement of Cash Flows). Next, we will cover budgets and other common financial attachments. Remember, these attachments tell your organization’s story just as much as the words in your narrative, so invest adequate time in preparing these files.

The Golden Scoop, a nonprofit organization, received a $50,000 grant from Arcare to establish a second ice cream and coffee shop location. This expansion aims to offer delicious treats to the community and provide essential workforce development training to young adults with developmental disabilities. The goal is to empower these uniquely-abled individuals to lead independent lives and achieve financial independence by earning a livable wage.

Benilde Hall, a Kansas City, Missouri-based nonprofit, has a 30-year history of providing services for treating substance use disorder (SUD), mental health, and homelessness, so individuals may return to the community as responsible, employed, and permanently housed members of society.  Benilde Hall is one of the only low-barrier treatment facilities in the region serving adult males ages 18 and older. The agency recently received a $199,900 grant from the Jackson County Community Mental Health Fund to fund an expansion of their services for individuals experiencing homelessness, SUD, and/or co-occurring mental illness.

  Did you know that budgets and financial documents are often the first things a grant reviewer will read when considering an organization’s proposal? Sometimes grant professionals leave attachments and budgets for the end, perhaps because these documents can be confusing or intimidating to those of us without an accounting background. This two-part guide will help you correctly identify which attachment the funder is requesting and explain why it is helpful for the funder to have the information contained in each document.

Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCFAA) has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund (NTDF) to continue their mission of promoting arts education and cultural diversity through their annual Ailey II performance series. With this funding, KCFAA will bring the internationally renowned dance company to local schools and host public performances at the historic Folly Theater in downtown Kansas City. Ailey II merges the spirit and energy of the country's best dance talent with the passion and creative vision of Alvin Ailey. Through this grant, KCFAA aims to bring Ailey II, a renowned dance company, to perform at local schools and host public performances, promoting arts education and cultural diversity.

The Mosaic Life Care Foundation has embarked on an inspiring mission to breathe new life into the Felix Street Corridor nestled in downtown St. Joseph, a community disproportionately affected by poverty and other challenges. The heart of this initiative revolves around the creation of a captivating Children's Discovery Center within a historic cultural landmark, aiming to provide an engaging platform for interactive learning and exploration.

In the realm of program planning, evaluation, and development, two widely used tools are logic models and theories of change. While both are valuable for understanding and guiding interventions, they differ significantly in their approaches and purposes. Let’s examine the main distinctions between a logic model and a theory of change by exploring their characteristics and providing practical examples to illustrate their applications.

I was one of the lucky 10% of aspiring GPCs (Grant Professional Certified) to see the following words float across my screen: “This email is to notify you that your packet has been selected for audit.” Audits are best practice for credentialing organizations to uphold the integrity of the credential. No matter how ethical or diligent one is, being audited is always a bit nerve-wracking. I am sharing my experience to show you how to track documentation to be audit-ready. I will give a real-life example of undergoing an audit after submitting my initial eligibility packet and the things that I now do differently as a result.

The Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation recently awarded $50,000 to the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), supporting their Strategic Plan and Space Usage Initiative. This generous funding enables KCAI to update its strategic vision, develop a bolder vision for the institution’s future, optimize campus facilities, and ensure long-term sustainability.

Writing a successful grant proposal is a challenging task that requires careful planning, a clear vision, and a well-structured approach. Among the essential components of a grant proposal are goals, outcomes, outputs, and objectives. These terms are often used interchangeably or confused with one another, leading to misunderstanding on the funder’s part and potential rejection of the proposal. In this blog, we will delve into the distinctions between these concepts and explore their significance in the context of grant applications.