No such thing as "free money" -- Thinking about Grant Making and Grant Writing

Are there some things people should be thinking about when it comes to seeking grants for their programs and projects? Okay, that might be a dumb question. A better way to start the blog post might be to state emphatically that THERE ARE THINGS people need to think about when embarking on a grant-seeking mission.  We have not held a grant preparation workshop in several years but here are some ideas we might be sharing in such a session...


1 -- There is no such thing as free money
   
Most philanthropic organizations are not in the change-giving (money giving) business. These groups are in the change-making business. Foundations have missions they are working to accomplish. Most of the time they do not have the infrastructure to achieve the missions on their own so they work with groups who are in the same change-making business to make things happen.

Lesson 1 -- If you are seeking grants to help make change happen be certain that the organization you are asking for financial assistance has some of the same mission you do. For example, The Byerly Foundation has to reject a great many grant requests for really solid programs because they do not serve Hartsville, S.C.

Lesson 2 -- You need to be specific in what you plan to use the funds from the grant to accomplish. Then, if you get a grant you MUST use the funds for that stated purpose. The organization considered the purpose of the funds as well as the credibility of the organization in determining the approval. Unless funds were requested for "general use" grant funds are to be used to implement the specific request. If changes are required they must be discussed with the granting organization.

Lesson 3 -- Have some specific ideas about how you are measuring success of the grant. Granting organizations may come back with some ideas too but nearly every grant maker wants to know what the grantee organization views as success. Sometimes you even have to include funds in the request that go toward helping measure the success of the programs. While it is cliche', the idea of 'bang for the buck' is as important in the non-profit field as it is in the for-profit arena.

2 -- Foundations are in the change-making business, not the change-giving business