Philanthropy Front and Center-Atlanta

Financing Your Education

People all over the country are dusting off their book bags in preparation for their return to school. Others have already re-enrolled and are matriculating through programs. Whether you are a new college student or returning student, the Foundation Center has resources to help you find funding for your education:

• Use the Foundation Center’s online database, Foundation Grants to Individuals Online, for free at any of our library/learning centers to find information on foundations and other grantmakers that award grants directly to individuals. To access the database from the comfort of your own home or office, low monthly, quarterly, and annual subscription rates apply.

• Take advantage of the free online course offered through the Foundation Center’s web site that guides you through the process of seeking financial support from foundations to pursue your studies.

• Visit the Frequently Asked Questions section of our web site to get answers to common questions about scholarships, fellowships, and more.

• Enroll in our free in-person class, Finding Foundation Support for Your Education. Be sure to check the the Foundation Center-Atlanta’s online calendar for the next class offering.

• If you can't make the in-person class, then take the Finding Foundation Support for Your Education webinar. Better yet, watch a free recording of the class on demand.

The Foundation Center offers a plethora of opportunities to learn about individual grantseeking. Now it is up to you to put forth the time and effort to complete and submit your applications. The ball is in your court!

Asia Hadley, Training Coordinator, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Frightening Proposals

Foundation staff review stacks upon stacks of grant proposals each year. From time to time, they may even see proposals that are downright scary. In the spirit of Halloween, here are three 'monster' proposals that you should hope to avoid.

Frankenstein's Monster
Sure - it sounds easy enough. Everyone writes their respective sections of the proposal and then puts them together in one document and sends it to the funder. Too often, however, the result can be a loosely-stitched-together proposal that is confusing and full of inconsistencies and repetition. Reviewers can tell when a proposal has been patched together without substantial revision, and a narrative that is disorganized and incoherent is much less convincing than one with a uniform voice that flows smoothly from section to section.

While it's not uncommon for several different individuals in an organization to be involved in the proposal writing process, it is imperative that one person take the lead when it comes to editing and formatting the final document. This individual should review the proposal for accuracy, consistency, organization, and especially continuity. A well-edited proposal will flow naturally from section to section and convey the story of your organization and its programs with ease.

The Blob
It starts with an executive summary and a statement of need. Then the narrative hits the project description and continues to grow - rapidly surpassing 3, 5, 10 pages - until the proposal has become a bloated mass of paper and ink.

Brevity can be one of the most difficult traits to develop as a proposal writer. There is a compelling urge to include as much detail as possible when describing programs to prospective funders. However, this can cause a proposal to become lengthy and cumbersome for the reader. Besides, most applications now come with strict guidelines that limit sections of the proposal to certain page lengths. How can a proposal writer cope with these restrictions?

First, it's all about finding the right amount of detail to include. For example, if you are seeking funding for a tutoring program, the grantmaker probably doesn't need to be told how many desks are in each classroom. They might want to know, however, the number of volunteer tutors you plan to recruit and how. Other ways to keep your proposal concise include using simple, direct language and avoiding long, rambling sentences. Having an outline can also help you stay focused and remember the key points you want to get across to the reader in each section. Brevity doesn't just apply to the narrative, either, so remember to limit your attachments and supporting materials to those items that the funder specifically requests in their guidelines.

Night of the Living Dead
Who among us hasn't pulled an all-nighter? Whether it was cramming for that final exam in college or staying up to get that presentation ready for the big meeting, we've all been guilty of procrastination at some point in our lives. Still, this is no way to succeed in grantseeking.

What quality do reviewers look for most in a proposal? Clarity. This is something that you're not likely to achieve while hunched over your laptop at 2 o'clock in the morning. Moreover, the less time you leave to check through a proposal, the more likely it is that the reviewer will find troubling mistakes in grammar and spelling that may contribute  to a negative response. How do you fight the urge to put off finishing a proposal until just before the deadline?

Keeping an updated grants calendar with important submission deadlines and follow-up dates will help you stay on track with your proposals. Going even further, creating self-imposed due dates for proposals well in advance of actual deadlines is one way of ensuring that you have plenty of time to revise and edit the document before sending it off. Also, on those occasions when you become aware of a new opportunity only at the last minute, consider waiting until the next funding cycle to apply. Keep in mind - you only get one chance to make a first impression with a grantmaker. Don't let it be a frightening one!

Want some more tips on proposal writing? Try these titles from our collection:

Grant Proposal Makeover: Transform Your Request from No to Yes.
By Cheryl A. Clarke and Susan P. Fox.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2007.

The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing
(5th ed.)By Jane C. Geever.
New York: Foundation Center, 2007.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Applying for Funding from Family Foundations

"As the chances of getting a grant from the larger foundations increasingly become slim to none, many nonprofits are rethinking their strategy of applying to the philanthropic behemoths....In this environment, nonprofits would be wise to look beyond the largest foundations to the largely untapped reservoir of philanthropic dollars in family foundations. Many operate almost invisibly, often providing needed funding in their own hometowns."

So states Page Snow, chief philanthropic officer at Foundation Source and president of Foundation Source Advisors, in an August 2009 GuideStar article.

Foundation Source, "the nation's leading provider of outsourced support services for private foundations", recently surveyed 120 of its clients to find out how they would advise applicants in their quests for funding. While the sample size may be small, the results are still worth telling.

What do these foundations advise?

• Focus on building the relationship first, not writing the proposal.
• Contact them via email, their preferred mode -- unless they instruct otherwise.
• Small family foundations may be more willing to provide general operating support.
• Make sure the project falls within the funder's grantmaking guidelines ("64 percent said they reacted negatively if the 'request does not reflect an understanding of our foundation's priorities or guidelines.'")
• Follow the funder's application instructions.
• Demonstrate that you have clear goals, plans, measures for success, strong need, and expertise for the project.

Do these sound familiar? They might, if you've ever attended our Grantseeking Basics or How to Approach a Foundation classes.

What turns them off?

• Generic, boilerplate proposals.
• Requests that don't fit in the foundation's funding priorities.
• Overambitious goals and hyperbole about the organization.
• Project isn't described clearly or completely.
• No discussion about risks and challenges.
• Misspellings, grammatical errors, other typos
• Applicants who don't follow application instructions.

Read the article.

Sandy Pon, Virtual Library/Learning Center Specialist

New Funding Guide for Preserving Historical, Cultural Collections

Working in collaboration, the Foundation Center and the Library of Congress have just released the second edition of Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives, and Museums. This publication, issued as a PDF file, includes over 1,900 grants awarded by close to 500 foundations to public, academic, research, school, and special libraries, as well as to archives and museums, for work in conservation and preservation.

Deanna Marcum, associate librarian of Library Services at the Library of Congress said, “We are currently developing new initiatives to help libraries, archives, and museums care for our country's vulnerable cultural patrimony, including modern media during challenging times. We are delighted to partner on this Guide, which will lead people to funding sources that can support their preservation efforts."

Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives, and Museums is available for free download at the Library of Congress web site, http://www.loc.gov/preserv/foundtn-grants.html.

Are You Ready to Seek a Grant?

Writing your first grant proposal can be intimidating and overwhelming. The process is made easier when you answer certain questions in advance of writing the proposal. With guidance from books, classes and those experienced in grant proposal writing, you can learn to write proposals to help raise funds for your organization. Here are questions you should ask and answer before you seek a grant.

How does the project fit into the philosophy and mission of your organization?
Funders always check whether the project is in alignment with your cause.
Know how receiving the funds requested will further your mission. However, knowing is not enough. You also must persuasively communicate how achieving your program outcomes will impact the community or population you serve.

Start by describing how your project will be implemented. By answering the questions below, you will have the programmatic details that funders like to see in a proposal.

What is the name and purpose of the project?
Naming your project helps it to stand out. Select a name that represents the program. Clearly describe the purpose and how it furthers your mission.

What is the timetable for the project?
For example, will it run for a summer, year, semester, or school year? Exercise foresight so that you can have a clear beginning and end. This will help in the evaluation process.
Speaking of evaluation, do you know how you will evaluate your project?

There are numerous methods you can use to ascertain whether or not your program met its goals. It is best to integrate evaluation during the design of your program to ensure that you can collect the necessary data in a timely manner.

What type of funding does your organization need?
Grantmakers fund in various areas. Some give operating support while others do not. Another may give seed money and program development funds. You will have to match the type of support your organization needs with what grantmakers fund. To learn how to match your organization’s needs with appropriate funders register for our free workshop Introduction to the Foundation Directory Online.

Determine when you need the funds.
Each foundation is different. They have their own criteria, grant cycles and deadlines. Sometimes it can take 3 to 6 months to find out if your organization will receive a grant. Due to the amount of time it takes for grantmakers to respond to requests, you will need to submit your proposal as early as possible so that if you are awarded a grant, the funds will arrive in time for your program.

Where will your program be conducted?
Are you operating out of a church basement; school or leased space? Wherever your program is conducted, be sure it is a safe, welcoming environment.

Who will administer the program?
Funders like to read biographical sketches of key staff persons. Will you have paid professionals or a cadre of volunteers? Perhaps you will have a mixture of both. What is most important is that they be dedicated and qualified.

In order to find the right people, you will most likely have to pay for their services. Personnel costs can escalate depending on the skill set your organization needs. Having a budget will paint a clear picture of your financial position. Submitting a budget is a standard practice. Your budget tells the story of your organization with numbers, so be accurate and thorough in this area. Take our Proposal Budgeting Basics class to learn more.

The Foundation Center also has a class called Before You Seek a Grant: Checklist for New Nonprofits, which employs a step-by step checklist approach to help community groups or new nonprofits determine their readiness to approach foundations for funding.

All of our free classes are now offered as webinars.

We’d like to hear about your first proposal writing experience. Share with us, so others may learn from you.

Asia Hadley, Training Coordinator, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Request for Proposals: Georgia Childhood Asthma Management Program

Healthcare Georgia Foundation has launched a statewide Georgia Childhood Asthma Management Program. This is a multi-year program designed to improve the delivery of comprehensive and integrated health services for Georgia’s children and adolescents living with asthma.

The Foundation's goals are to support organizations that:   

• Improve asthma self-management among children.
• Improve access and quality of health services for children with asthma. 
• Increase asthma awareness and knowledge among children with asthma, their parents/caregivers, and the general public.
• Support new or existing community partnerships and/or coalitions which implement and sustain comprehensive, integrated, and community-wide strategies.
• Reduce the prevalence of environmental triggers associated with the effective management of asthma.
• Reduce disparities in childhood asthma outcomes. 

Important dates:

• Pre-application Conference Call: October 1, 2008
• Deadline for Letters of Inquiry (LOI): October 14, 2008
• Invitation to Submit Full Proposal: October 29, 2008
• Deadline for Full Proposal: January 14, 2009

Please read the RFP for more details. If you have questions about the LOI process, please contact Andrea Young Kellum, Program Officer at akellum@healthcaregeorgia.org or 404-653-0990.

The Foundation also is offering a related distance learning program on Oct. 10, Developing Written Asthma Action Plans using 2007 Guidelines. Click on the program title for more details and to register.

Sandy Pon, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta