As I coach others to write their own grants, one complaint (okay – an observation to put it more mildly) I hear on a fairly regular basis is some variation of this: "I can't find grant funders to fund my organization." Yes, I get it. All of us grant writers do. It can be hard to sift through the lists and lists of grant funders to think you've found the perfect one until you come across the dreaded "applications not accepted" or the "we only accept grant applications from every state but yours." ;)  But I'll share with you what I share with my downtrodden clients – it comes down to time and patience to find suitable grant partners.
Remember that word – partner – because it should be prominent in your mind when digging for grant money. Your missions should match and you should never consider chasing dollars that have nothing to do with furthering your own organization's intent. As you become more adept at grant research you'll begin to find it easier to strike through those foundations whose interests aren't your own.
So, let's get back to that time and patience thing because that's important as well. What is your willingness to do the work to find good, suitable partners for your organization? What is it worth to you? If you only spend a couple of hours researching possible grant opportunities and become discouraged after you only find a handful, my take on that is that the opportunities don't mean enough to you. Truly focus on what grant funding can mean to your organization long-term:
Quit trying to make excuses and truly focus on the needs of your organization to help spur you on in finding suitable grant partners. Ignite the passion that will allow you to dig just a little deeper.
I've been studying the multiple websites (some free and some paid) that offer grant research and am preparing a report on those so be on the lookout. In the meantime, here are just a couple of good FREE websites that have been brought to my attention recently for you to try out:
Grant Gopher – a resource center of available grants for nonprofits – http://www.grantgopher.com
Duke University Funding Opportunities – provides an extensive database on searchable funding sources – http://researchfunding.duke.edu/search.asp
Don't give up! Let me remind you again that last year more than $40 billion was given by private foundation funders in the U.S. alone. Isn't that worth a bit of your time? You can bet that those nonprofits who hung in there are mighty glad they did! Join them, won't you?
Remember that word – partner – because it should be prominent in your mind when digging for grant money. Your missions should match and you should never consider chasing dollars that have nothing to do with furthering your own organization's intent. As you become more adept at grant research you'll begin to find it easier to strike through those foundations whose interests aren't your own.
So, let's get back to that time and patience thing because that's important as well. What is your willingness to do the work to find good, suitable partners for your organization? What is it worth to you? If you only spend a couple of hours researching possible grant opportunities and become discouraged after you only find a handful, my take on that is that the opportunities don't mean enough to you. Truly focus on what grant funding can mean to your organization long-term:
- The funds to hire new staff and offer expanded, or even new, programs
- The opportunity to serve more people in need
- The long-term financial security your organization has been looking for
- Credibility in other funders' eyes
Quit trying to make excuses and truly focus on the needs of your organization to help spur you on in finding suitable grant partners. Ignite the passion that will allow you to dig just a little deeper.
I've been studying the multiple websites (some free and some paid) that offer grant research and am preparing a report on those so be on the lookout. In the meantime, here are just a couple of good FREE websites that have been brought to my attention recently for you to try out:
Grant Gopher – a resource center of available grants for nonprofits – http://www.grantgopher.com
Duke University Funding Opportunities – provides an extensive database on searchable funding sources – http://researchfunding.duke.edu/search.asp
Don't give up! Let me remind you again that last year more than $40 billion was given by private foundation funders in the U.S. alone. Isn't that worth a bit of your time? You can bet that those nonprofits who hung in there are mighty glad they did! Join them, won't you?