Getting Grants Right

Published on Tuesday, June 08, 2010
SPN NEWS MAY/JUNE 2010

The devil is in the details. And never a truer thing was said than as it applies to grant proposals sent by nonprofits to foundations. In addition to the actual content of the request, the project description, the listing of staff and board members, the inclusion of the IRS letter, there are subtleties that might seem insignificant but which matter a great deal.

It should go without saying: A submitted proposal should follow the foundation's guidelines to the letter. Make sure that all the required documentation is included. If this is a renewal of a previous grant, never assume that the application rules no longer apply. For the most part, foundations start new files each year for each grant they make and can't be expected to copy whatever documents are needed to complete the file. Having to request additional documents is annoying - and counts as a negative check mark for your organization.

Be sure you do not exceed the number of pages indicated in the guidelines. Foundation trustees are busy people and rely on their staff to keep proposals to a length that is acceptable to them. Avoid overblown, over-long descriptions of the problem, especially if you have an ongoing relationship with the foundation and know that everyone involved already knows what the problem is. However, be sure that your proposal is detailed enough so that it warrants the amount of funds you are requesting.

Probably the most egregious mistake grantees make is relying on spell check. Typographical and spelling errors are so basically damaging that proposals should be thoroughly proof-read by more than one person. Here is what the foundation executive thinks when he or she comes across one of those mistakes: "This organization is asking for a grant in the five figures but doesn't care enough to make sure that the work product is perfect. What does that say for the way it will execute the project for which funding is requested? What kind of attitude does it reflect vis-à-vis my foundation?"

(As an aside, the two most common spelling errors that come across my desk are "its" for "it's" or vice-versa, and "principal" for "principle." Spell check will not pick these up.)

When seeking project or program funding, the objectives should be clearly stated. Your proposal should also answer the following questions: What will be the impact of fulfilling the objectives? How will you measure that impact? And, within what timeline will these results occur? Your proposal and its funding by the foundation can essentially be viewed as a contract, and both parties must be in full agreement from the start as to what that contract covers.

Included in the contract between your organization and the foundation are reporting requirements, which the foundation spells out when the grant is made. Here again, you must follow these requirements to the letter, especially when it comes to meeting stated deadlines when the reports are due. If the foundation has to send you a reminder, that is another negative mark for your organization. Further grants are almost always dependent not only on the results you have obtained but your adherence to the rules that govern your agreement with the foundation.

Though the next point appears near the end of this article, it should be given consideration before one starts the application process: At all costs, avoid applying for funds that entail work that does not fit into your mission. This will not end well for you or for your relationship with the foundation.

From a grantor's perspective, perhaps the best advice I can give is: Put yourself in the shoes of the foundation's program officer. Imagine how you would respond if you were asked to make an investment in your organization on the basis of the proposal it submits. Be tough in your assessment. From a foundation's perspective, simply being of like philosophical agreement is not enough. Only when your well-thought-out and developed proposal passes tough internal scrutiny should it leave your office doors.

Gisèle Huff is the executive director of the Jaquelin Hume Foundation, and has been known to cut up the rug at SPN Annual Meetings. Write her at ghuff@baf.com.