Although grants can appear to be a limitless source of funding just waiting to be tapped, the reality is that grantmaking organizations receive huge numbers of requests and need to make tough decisions about where to distribute their help.

In her book “How to Say It: Grantwriting,” Deborah S. Koch recommends finding a grantmaker that is a good match for the project or organization requesting support. In fact, Koch reports that grantmakers consistently report that their rejection of a proposal comes because it is not a good match with their goals, preferences and limitations.

Koch further suggests conducting research on a grantmaker to learn about its preferences. Look at:

• Does a grantmaker fund what it says it does? Does it fund organizations or projects like ours?
• For small and local family foundations, do they only give their money to the same grantees each year or only to mainstream or big-name organizations?
• Where are organizations like ours getting funding from?

Once those questions are answered, Koch recommends seeking out the following match criteria:

• Is your organization an eligible applicant?
• Is your organization within the funder’s preferred or restricted geographic area?
• Is your work in alignment with the funder’s stated subject matter interests?
• If you are applying under a specific request for proposals (RFP), does the subject you propose respond to the specific issues the RFP addresses?
• Is the amount of money you seek appropriate for that funder?
• Do your organization’s problem-solving approach and point of view match the funder?

Third in a series; also see 5 Ways to Establish Unquestionable Need and 8 Ideas for Making Your Program Fundable.

courtesy NonProfit Times