The Nonprofit FAQ
| Grant Writing Tools Web Sites |
| By Donald A. Griesmann, Esq. (NJ) 2 Galley Hill Lane Fairport NY 14450 dgriesmann@aol.com See also Don Griesmann’s Grant Opportunities Published on CharityChannel.com September 18, 2006 Where can you find sample grant application forms? This paper lists a wide variety of grant application forms, sample proposals, sample budgets and other resources from foundations and government sources. Some of the material is available in Spanish and other languages as noted below. There are also links to online grant-writing and fund-raising tutorials and courses that are free. There is a brief section to US Federal forms. There is a separate paper on U.S. Federal Grant Web Sites at http://www.idealist.org/npofaq/19/63.html. I have two early recommendations, searching corporations’ web sites for possible funding and developing a “Dream File” and “Memory Files”. 1. Here are several hints when you look at corporate web sites for possible funding. National or international corporations in your community may have a local giving process. Corporations, banks, utility companies, large manufacturers, large development companies, national chain stores do not feature their giving policies on the opening home page. You will have to be creative in your search of the site:
2. There are several files that the organization and development people should create. The first one is:
New York/New Jersey Regional Association of Grantmakers Common Foundation Application form for certain foundations - http://www.nyrag.org/info-url2335/info-url_list.htm?category=For%20Grantseekers&doc_id=34417 Rochester NY Grantmakers Forum and Common Grant Application - http://www.grantmakers.org/common/logicpacket/index.html Common Grant Application sample from the National Network for Grantmakers, http://www.nng.org/cga.html The common grant application format has been adopted by groups of grantmakers to allow grant applicants to produce a single proposal for a specific community of funders, thereby saving time. There are links to 13 state or regional forms including New York. Before applying to any funder that accepts a common grant application form, be sure to check that your project matches the funder's stated interests, and ascertain whether the funder would prefer a letter of inquiry in advance of receiving a proposal. Also be sure to check whether the funder has a deadline for proposals and whether it requires multiple copies of your proposal. - http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/cga.html A list of common application forms used by certain foundations in New Jersey - http://216.7.162.38/commapp.htm Chicago Area Grant Application forms and report forms - http://www.donorsforum.org/resource/grantapp_intro.html See application form and report form at Associated Grant Makers (AGM) - http://www.agmconnect.org/GrantSeekers/ Nonprofit Guides, from introduction through budgets and sample proposals - http://www.npguides.org/index.html The Foundation Center has a number of tutorials available including grant-writing, budgeting, using the 990-PF and more - http://www.fdncenter.org/learn/classroom The Foundation Center’s Short Course in Grant Writing, in two parts, and worksheets (Available in English, French, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish) – http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/shortcourse/index.html Foundation Center’s Basics on Proposal Budgets – http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/prop_budgt/index.html Foundation Center’s Prospect Worksheets for Institutional Funders and Individual Funders - http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/wrksheet/ The Corporation for Public Broadcasting reviews hundreds of applications annually for funding. Their valuable hints for preparing a good proposal can be studied at http://www.cpb.org/grants/grantwriting.html The White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has prepared a 94-page paper entitled Developing Quality Grants which is aimed at preparing Federal grant applications. It includes a sample of a successful Federal grant application - http://www.dtiassociates.com/fbci/downloads/Optimized_DevelopingQualityGrants.pdf Nonprofit Financial Center is a membership organization. It has a number of free tools available to help you. There are pieces about a self-assessment tool, budgeting and cash flow, financial reporting, accounting rules and regulations, human resources and so much more. - http://www.nfconline.org/main/info/guides.htm Budget - http://www.nfconline.org/main/info/guides_budget_sum.htm Cash flow - http://www.nfconline.org/downloads/sample_cashflow.xls How to reconcile your bank account - http://www.nfconline.org/main/info/guides_reconcile.htm Innovation Network online planning and evaluating workstation tool helps setting goals and activities. The Point K Learning Center Workstation is a suite of online evaluation and planning tools designed specifically for nonprofit program planning. The plans allow you to build a blueprint for designing, evaluating, and developing a budget for a successful program. Each plan has a corresponding work plan - a management tool to help you get the job done. The result can be stronger programs with measurable results. There is a free registration process. http://www.innonet.org/index.php?module=workstation Deborah Kluge’s grant writing hints and links to tutorials - http://www.proposalwriter.com/grants.html The Non-profit Guides provides a series of articles and sample for proposals. Non-profit guides are free web-based grant-writing tools for non-profit organizations, charitable, educational, public organizations, and other community-minded groups. Samples include a letter of inquiry, over letter, cover sheet (executive summary), narrative and budget. They also feature sample RFPs from a public and a private source of funds and sample proposals. - http://www.npguides.org/index.html - Review their fair use policy and legal notices. GuideStar has two brief articles written for grantwriters by Suzanne E. Coffman and Lauren Nicole Klapper-Lehman, and Karen Dutro and Suzanne E. Coffman, Grant Writing 101 and 102. http://www.guidestar.org/news/features/grantwriting101.jsp and http://www.guidestar.org/news/features/grantwriting102.jsp There are two very helpful articles at the web site of http://www.funderschecklist.com/download.html. The first is The Funder's Check List, a sample Letter of Inquiry (LOI) which foundations, corporations and government are growingly asking for initially. It is presented by a former funder (the Gap Foundation) and Dynell A. Garron. This is an analysis of a Letter of Inquiry written by Social Impact Productions, Inc., a nonprofit that produces a series of public radio programs to explore political and social issues. The article presents the LOI and then commentary by Dynell about the LOI. The second is a two-page list of eleven (11) tips by Dynell for Surviving the Funding Slump: Advice from a Grantmaker. The tips emphasize the importance of developing a relationship with funders and staying focused with the mission and how it matches a grantor. The Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance has a significant article about proposal writing - http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/CATALOG.GRANT_PROPOSAL_DYN.show For a glossary of terms in fundraising and planned giving see the information at GuideStar - http://www.guidestar.org/help/glossary.jsp Nonprofit Good Practice Guide Glossary (A huge source) - http://www.nonprofitbasics.org/CompleteGlossary.aspx?ID=-1&curLetter=123 Nonprofit Guides with links to more glossaries - http://www.npguides.org/links.htm#3 Avoiding Jargon in Proposals from the perspective of a foundation, so it must be a serious subject - http://www.emcf.org/pub/jargon/index.htm When Words Fail: How the Public Interest Becomes Neither Public nor Interesting by Tony Proscio for the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation - http://www.emcf.org/pdf/whenwordsfail.pdf Dictionaries, thesaurus, rhyming dictionary, encyclopedias, biographical dictionary, quotations and more all in one place – http://www.press-release-writing.com/resources/writers.htm Proof Reader’s Marks - http://www.press-release-writing.com/resources/proofreadersmarks.pdf Creating citations for a paper where the citation is from a magazine or other source. Which comes first, the author, the last name of the author the book title? And where do you put the year of publication? If you do not know or are not certain this is for you - http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/works_cited Dr. Grammar (who is a former English teacher, now deceased) allows you use of the information contained on the Dr. Grammar website free of charge if a) you are a student, faculty member or staff member of an educational institution (K-12, junior college, college or university); b) you are a United States Federal, state or local government employee; or c) your use of the information is exclusively at home for non-commercial purposes. This is the cure for writing ills. - http://www.drgrammar.org/ Library Spot has information about foundations and grant writing and more. Pay no attention to the stuff at the top of the page – they are commercials. - http://www.libraryspot.com/features/grantsfeature.htm Every grant writer has some statistics she/he wants to use in the proposal. How should that be done? The article here offers ideas about using statistics in a press release that are valuable lessons for a proposal. And be certain to balance the stats with a story or two and passion somewhere – http://www.press-release-writing.com/newsletters/t98-stats.htm If you feel that your application may be strengthened by using quotations from an expert or leaders who will be supporting the grant, see the helpful material at http://www.press-release-writing.com/newsletters/t119-powerful-quotes.htm and http://www.press-release-writing.com/newsletters/t183-famous-quotes.htm Carter McNamara’s nonprofit fundraising and grant writing material - http://www.mapnp.org/library/fndrsng/np_raise/np_raise.htm Grant Proposal.com is an excellent and free outline and appraisal of each section of a proposal with pages of great hints - http://www.grantproposal.com/ NonProfitExpert.com is a commercial web site but has great information for nonprofit leaders. See the extensive list on the left side - http://www.nonprofitexpert.com/Default.htm The NonProfit FAQ by Idealist.Org and Putnam Barber is a massive compilation of material for nonprofit organizations. The Home page features titles of topics that lead to articles and discussions - http://www.idealist.org/if/idealist/en/FAQ/NonprofitHome/default At Mickey's-Place-in-the-Sun you will find more material on a variety of topics including funding and community resources - http://mickeys-place-in-the-sun.com/index.html National Institutes of Health application course with some sections in Spanish and in French is aimed at science grants - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants/ Nonprofit Fundraising Web Resources (516 Listings) - http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/4fcelec.htm The 10 Most Common Reasons Grants Are Declined - http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/ten.htm The 10 Steps for Obtaining Major Gifts http://nonprofit.about.com/od/fundraising/a/major_gift_faq.htm 15 Point Plan For Standard Grant Funding Proposal http://www.npguides.org/guide/index.html The 10 Tips for Grantwriting http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/zim41011.htm and http://www.zimmerman-lehman.com/granttips.htm Top 10 Reasons to Hold an Annual Campaign http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/talklet1.htm 10 Common Elements that are found in winning proposals for educators - http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/grants/WinningProposals.htm Grants and Opportunities for K-12 - http://www.schoolgrants.org/ and school grants writing assistance http://www.schoolgrants.org/tips.htm Online Technical Writing course including proposals, business plans and more - http://www.io.com/~hcexres/textbook/ The Internet Techniques Series is a collection of free learning topics published by Groundspring.org to assist nonprofit organizations in making effective use of the Internet for fundraising, communications, advocacy and mission fulfillment. - http://www.groundspring.org/techniques/series.cfm Strategic grant-writing for technology at TechSoup - http://www.techsoup.org/articlepage.cfm?articleid=498&topicid=10&btcfile=articlepage498 or http://ga0.org/ct/81qby-41ou-L/ TechSoup’s web site with articles and other material about grant writing for technology - http://www.techsoup.org/adopting_tech.cfm?cg=home&sg=content_adopting Fundraising material and library from Tony Poderis – http://www.raise-funds.com/library.html University of Wisconsin, List of grant writing web sites - http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/Memorial/grants/proposal.htm Sample ProposalsCommunity Center - http://www.coloradogrants.org//gcrc.html Health Care Center, Clinic, Case Management for the Homeless - http://www.coloradogrants.org/sfc.html Job Placement for the Homeless - http://www.coloradogrants.org/sfc2.html A useful toolkit from the Environmental Protection Agency with sample budget pages and indirect cost proposal - http://www.epa.gov/ogd/recipient/tips.htm Fire and Safety Proposal - http://theideabank.com/onlinecourse/samplegrant.html School and Education Proposals - http://www.k12grants.org/samples/samples_index.htm U.S. Department of Education Successful Proposals - http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/fbci/grants2.html Sample Fundraising Appeals Introductions - http://www.aherncomm.com/fundraising/appeal_letters/appeal_letter_openings.htm Data BankFinally, you may need a data bank to keep track of potential sources of funds. I suggest this basic outline as a start: Nonprofit Foundation or Corporation or Government Agency Profile Sample Outline Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency Name:
Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency Contact Person:
Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency Financial Data: Your Organization’s Grant Ranges/Amount to be Requested: Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency’s Period of Funding/Project: Recent Recipients: Amount From Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency /For What purpose(s)? Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency’s Most Recent Year’s Grants: Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency’s Subject Focus: Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency’s Geographic Limits: Type(s) of Support from Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency: Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency’s Interest in Population(s) Served: Type(s) of Recipients of Funds from Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency: Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency’s People (Officers, Donors, Trustees, Staff, Partners): Program Description: Is the Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency a Good Match? Why? Does the Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency Have Printed Guidelines/Application Forms it uses? Initial Approach (letter of inquiry, formal proposal, telephone inquiry): Deadline(s): Foundation Board Meeting Date(s): When Is the Final Notification from Foundation/Corporation/Government Agency? What Are Our Sources for the Above Information? Follow Up: Notes: CAVEATS The web services and the web sites that are contained in this article may have information, facts and opinions from a variety of individuals and organizations. These services and sites are provided on an "As Is" basis. The services and sites may include bulletin boards, chat rooms and other user and member created pages which allow the reader and others to post information, provide feedback and interact in real-time. The reader uses the services and the sites entirely at the reader's own risk. The author has reviewed the sites listed in this article but there are linkages at those sites that he has not reviewed. Readers link to web sites at her/his own risk. Neither sites nor companies listed in this article have paid or offered payment to the author for the inclusion in this article. Many of the sites have User Agreements that should be reviewed. The speed at which sites become obsolete is only exceeded by the speed of light. By the time you read this, several sites may no longer be in existence. The author is an attorney in New Jersey. The purpose of this article is not to provide legal advice to anyone in any state or country. The material contained in this article is for information purposes only. End of lawyer-speak...almost © Copyright and all rights reserved by Donald A. Griesmann, Esq. 2004 - 2006. However, not-for-profit organizations, community-based and faith-based organizations, educators and government agencies may reproduce this document without my permission. Just give me credit for it. For-profit persons and businesses are asked to request my permission to reproduce this article and material in writing in advance. I ask that any one intending to make money reproducing this article and/or material receive my permission in writing in advance and be prepared to include me in the process. Posted 12/1/05; revised and reposted 9/18/06 -- PB |