Grant Foundations

Submitting Your Non-Profit Proposal for a Foundation Grant

If you feel like you've done a solid job describing your non-profits mission, the population you serve, and how your proposed grant would help your clients, then take another look at the foundations mission. Did your proposal help the foundation meet its goals? Was it really a good fit in the first place? Foundations routinely turn down the best conceived projects simply because the goals of the non-profit and the foundation aren't aligned. Explore the foundations web site, annual report and 990 form to see what kind of projects they've funded in the past, and compare those projects to your own. See what you can learn, and if this step wasn't part of your last round of proposal applications, make it part of your next. 
 

If you're confident that the goals of your proposal met the goals of the foundation, then go back to the original Request for Proposals. Consider the following questions: 
 

Did the foundation recommend or require a letter of intent? 
Did your project meet all of the eligibility requirements? 
Was your request for funding in line with the foundations guidelines? 
Did you complete all of the required forms correctly, including strict adherence to page limits? 
Did you meet all of the foundations deadlines?

Next, evaluate the writing in your proposal. 
Did you state your needs clearly and specifically, right up front? 
Did you include information about your non-profits other sources of funding to help show that you're a worthy cause? 
Did you use testimonials to bring the needs of your clients to life, and did you use meaningful, accurate data to support your organizations needs? 
Is your writing clear and compelling? 
Does the proposal sound like its been written by one person, or do several different voices make it choppy and scattered? 
Is the formatting clean and consistent? 

If you've reevaluated your proposal and still have questions, call the foundation and ask to speak with the program officer who reviewed your proposal. After you've thanked them for their thoughtful review, ask: 
Is there anything we could have done differently in our proposal? 
May we resubmit for your next funding cycle? 
Are you aware of any other foundations that we might approach? And in your next round of grant proposals, build upon what you've learned. Send your applications to a diverse group of foundations, and be sure to explain how your project can help each foundation meets its own goals, not only how the foundation can help you meet yours. Above all--be patient, be persistent, and be positive. 

Pamela Grow began her career in nonprofit work in 1995 when she became employed by one of the largest private foundations in the United States as a Communications Officer/Program Associate. In 2001 she crossed over to the "other side of the fence," working as Development Director for a regional nonprofit with an annual operating budget of over $3 million.