17 Jul Keep It Fresh! Update Your Proposal Data by AGS Staff
In a recent post, my colleague Michele Ryan gave a library of great data sites to bookmark and pull fresh data from. In this post I challenge you to look internally at the data you already collect within your organization or for your grant proposals and consider how to freshen it up a bit by making it more recent, more relevant, and more specific.
04 Oct What If You Have Too Much of a Good Thing? by AGS Staff
It’s normal and often encouraged to seek multiple funding opportunities for a single program, often referred to as braided funding (see Braiding Funds without Getting Tied Up In Knots – Approaching Budgets with Pre-Award and Post-Award In Mind by Julie Alsup, GPC). You might even request more funds than you need to run a program with the expectation that one or more proposals will fall through. As nonprofit organizations that belong to and are supported by the public, we should always be looking for new funding streams in case an existing source should dry up. But what if you ask for more than you need, and all the funders decide you shall receive?
13 Jul What to Expect When You’re Prospecting by Leah Hyman, GPC
Posted at 10:40h
in Competency Two, Funding, Leah Hyman, Organizational Readiness, Research, Strategy
What to Expect When You’re Prospecting
Or: What to Know About Working with a Consultant
A scenario: your small nonprofit organization has been in operation for several years now, thanks to the generosity and trust of individual donors and supporters. You have generated some promising outcome data from your programs, have a clear direction, and are making a positive impact on your target population. You feel you’re ready to move on to the next step in your organization’s growth: diversifying funding streams by adding in some grant dollars. But you’re busy running programs, your board is stretched thin, and you’re just not sure where to start.
Choosing to seek outside assistance from a grant professional is a big step for an organization. The combination of a very small staff (or perhaps even a one-person shop), a small pool of invested donors and volunteers, and the amount of time, energy, and resources spent in getting a nonprofit off the ground can make this a deeply personal decision. An outsider consultant who suddenly asks lots of specific questions about your policies, competitors, and finances might feel a little intrusive (at best) or downright offensive (at worst).
But wait! That consultant means well. They’re likely trying to gauge your organization’s grant-readiness and capacity for managing different types of funding opportunities to determine the most effective and efficient next steps. Here’s what to expect as you enter this new relationship.
01 Mar FindingYourBestMatch.com by Hayley Waynick, GPC
Posted at 21:20h
in Competency One, Funder Relations, Funding, Hayley Waynick, GPC, Research, Strategy
FindingYourBestMatch.com
Determining if a funder is right for your program
If you happen to be in the dating “scene” in this highly digital age, it can be hard to determine from just an online profile whether you and a potential mate are going to be compatible. Or perhaps a friend or acquaintance has someone they want you to meet and claims they’d be perfect for you.
As a grant writer, you might find yourself in a similar situation when you’ve found a funder online who seems to be a perfect match for the services at your nonprofit organization.
03 Jan Seeing Stars: Identifying High-Impact, High-Profit Programs by AGS Staff
Posted at 20:51h
in AGS Staff, Competency One, Funding, Program Design, Program Development, Research
As grant professionals, we are all too aware that nonprofit organizations have dual bottom lines: mission and money.
30 Dec Ready, Set, Research! by AGS Staff
Posted at 20:49h
in AGS Staff, Competency One, Funding, Organizational Readiness, Research, Strategy
Grants can seem like an easy way to fund our organizations. You just write a request and then the check arrives!
07 Jun Impact of the Longest Government Shutdown on Those Who are Grant Funded by Julie Assel, GPC
Today I woke up and read about how FBI offices are setting up food banks to help other staff who aren’t getting paid. When times are bad, we depend on each other and nonprofit organizations for a safety net – food pantries, clothing closets, rent and utility assistance, medication assistance, nonprofit hospital emergency rooms, and the list goes on. But the reality is, most truly sustainable nonprofits have some form of government funding. Why is that? Because like individuals with retirement accounts, nonprofits have been advised to have balanced income streams so if one income stream fails, they aren’t completely wiped out. But this means that while the government is down, not only do nonprofits have more people coming to their door, they are being affected by the shutdown with one of their revenue streams minimized or eliminated.03 Jun Initial Impact on Grant Funding of the Longest Government Shutdown by Julie Assel, GPC
Posted at 21:38h
in Competency One, Federal Grants, Funding, Government Grants, Industry News, Julie Assel, GPC
You can’t watch, listen to, or read any major news outlet without hearing about the federal government shutdown. There are many things being talked about already in the news like which federal offices are closed or affected. These include the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, State, the Treasury. But other less-known offices like the National Science Foundation are also closed.
Two vital pieces of information on what this means today:
- If grant opportunities (RFPs) have already been posted with a due date, the due dates stand. gov is still open. You still have to turn in your grant on time.
- If you are waiting to hear about the result of a grant, you will need to keep waiting. There is no one there. Even offices which remained open for a couple of weeks with contingency funds from user fees, leftover funds, and other revenue have closed. New grant opportunities are not being released.
24 May There’s More to Higher Education Grants Than Research Funding by Julie Assel, GPC
Posted at 21:45h
in Competency One, Federal Grants, Funding, Higher Education, Julie Assel, GPC, Research
If you work under the assumption that education grants are just for funding university-level research, you’re in for a pleasant surprise, especially if you need funding for other purposes in higher education. A variety of societal benefits stem from students attending higher education institutions, including...