initial contact with each funder?
What existing grants expire soon and can you reapply or do you have to find new funding?
When the stakeholders answer these questions, you can begin to look at the plethora of areas where grants are awarded and start prioritizing the type of funding you need. (For more information on funding development plans, see Chapter 2.)
Connecting to Public-Sector Grantmaking Agencies
I receive dozens of emails and social media inquiries every week asking about grants. Everyone wants grants; aka, everyone wants money! If you’re feeling clueless as to how to find potential funding for your organization, you simply need to use your favorite search engine. You can search for potential sources that are interested in what your organization needs in the way of goods and services. Get your fingers moving on the keyboard and start searching for the monies that may be waiting for your organization. While you’re at it, why not start with the nation’s wealthiest relative, Uncle Sam?
A competitive grant is one where applicants compete against each other for a limited amount of funding.
A formula grant is awarded based on a predetermined formula (a set amount of money per person) established by the funding agency. Formula grants aren’t considered competitive. For example, community action agencies are funded formula grants, in part, through the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program. These grants are awarded on a service-population-based formula. The agencies receive these funds year after year by merely updating the previous year’s application and resubmitting.
In the following sections, I explain what type of public-sector grant money (or grantor) will pay you to implement your idea, project, or program.
Federal funding: Raiding Uncle Sam’s stash
The first place to look for big pots of money is in Uncle Sam’s closet of federal funding agencies. In Chapters 4 and 5, I explain public-sector grants and wade through the main federal e-grant portal, Grants.gov.
www.grants.gov, which gives you daily funding announcements on money you can apply for now, provided your organization is an eligible grant applicant.
State and local government funding: Seeking public dollars closer to home
Each state receives grant monies from the feds and from tax revenues that are funneled into and out of the state's general funds. After taking their fair (or unfair) share for administrative overhead, states re-grant the money to eligible agencies and organizations in the form of competitive grants or formula grants.
You can search the Internet to find state agencies that award grants. Examples of some of the state agencies that re-grant federal monies are agriculture, commerce, education, health, housing development, natural resources, and transportation. You can also contact your state legislator’s local office for assistance in identifying grant opportunities in your state.
Researching Private-Sector Grants
Foundation and corporate grantmakers are private-sector funders. The rainfall of private-sector grant money continues to be conservative, due to the pandemic and an anticipated declining economic outlook, but it’s also continuously available to grantseekers who meet this type of grantor’s area of interest.
Where can you find out more about these grants? You can locate sources by visiting a Funding Information Network (FIN) location (usually at a large public library, state university library, community foundation, or other nonprofit information center). These sites are the only places where you can access Candid Learning’s Foundation Directory Online for free. Otherwise, you need to subscribe at one of the levels that best fits your grant-research needs. (To find a FIN site, visit https://candid.org/find-us.)
Identifying foundations that award grants
Private foundations typically get their monies from a single-donor source, such as an individual, a family, or a corporation. Others raise funds from a variety of donor sources. You can find hundreds of private foundations in the Foundation Directory Online by Candid or by typing “list of private foundations” or “private foundations” plus your state’s name into your favorite search engine.
Public foundations, on the other hand, are supported primarily through donations from the general public. That’s a no-brainer, right? Public foundations also receive funding from foundation and corporate grants, as well as individual donors. Again, the Foundation Directory Online by Candid website can give you loads of information on these types of foundations. Visit https://learning.candid.org/resources/knowledge-base/what-is-a-foundation.
Finding
