How to Write a Successful Grant Application - The First Important Steps
First of all, most people think applying for a grant means they are "writing a grant". They aren't. The funder does that.
What the rest of us do is apply for grants. So we write grant applications, grant proposals, grant letters.
Now, that might seem like a minor point, but successfully applying for grant funding requires attention to detail...so we might as well start there :-)
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Things You'll Need
- Purpose for funding
- Access to grant funders' application information
- Have all the supporting information the funder requires at your fingertips (things like a board of directors list, letters of support, IRS non-profit ID number
Instructions
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Determine specifically what you want the funding for.
Grant funders focus on certain things...and won't fund anything else. You need to know exactly what you want the funding for so that you can 1) determine appropriate funders to apply to and 2) write a razor sharp application that shows those funders how your proposal clearly fits their funding goals.
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Find potential funding sources for that specific need
Contrary to what you've seen on TV, all that "free money" out there isn't available to everyone for everything. (Keep in mind those folks make their money from selling books, not from grants.)
I had a potential client once want me to write a proposal for him to get $$ to redecorate his home, landscape his yard...and pay off his credit card bills. He though $160,000 would be about right. Talk about a fantasy!
Now, had he wanted to install solar panels, that would have been different. Or been renovating a property in a designated disadvantaged area. But that's not what he wanted. He just wanted free money to take care of his personal desires.
(Needless to say, he was rather annoyed when I showed him there was no funding for anything he wanted.)
The fact is that you need to find funders who will actually fund your proposal. It is a complete waste of time to send proposals to funders when your proposal doesn't fit their requirements. They literally will toss your application in the trash!
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Once you've found a potential funder, read their application requirements thoroughly and follow them to the letter.
You have to keep in mind that it doesn't matter how you think the proposal should be ordered. Or that you shouldn't have to repeat yourself. Or that the funder should accept your project because it's a worthy cause, regardless of what they say they want.
You aren't applying to yourself for money. You're applying to a funder who wants things done their way. If you don't give them what they want and how they want it, you won't get the funding.
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Tips & Warnings
Be totally prepared before you start writing your application. Your application will flow more smoothly and you won't be running around at the last minute looking for missing information.
If you have questions, contact the funder. While not all funders will respond, and none will tell you how to guarantee funding, they will often give you sound advice.
Meet every deadline.
While "free money" is great, you may very well have to get a loan, rather than a grant. Talk to your area Small Business Development Center for assistance in getting a low interest small business loan. (Those "free money" ads? A lot of the 'success stories' they mention did not get grant funding, but SBA loans, which have to be paid back.)
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all grant proposal, so you will always have to tailor your proposal to a specific funder.
There is no such thing as a guaranteed grant, so don't pay money to anyone who claims they can guarantee funding.
