Making The Grant Process Simple

Have you ever had a big project you needed to start, but didn'tknow what to do first? Perhaps it is something which required alot of labor, like landscaping your yard or remodeling yourhouse. When you undertake a project of this magnitude, it's notuncommon to feel overwhelmed and discouraged by the amount ofwork which needs to be done. But once you find a starting spotand get things going, it seems all to fall in place.
That's just the way you need to think about a grant proposal.
If you have ever considered applying for a grant but wereintimidated by the rather lengthily and complicated procedure,then maybe you need a little help finding a place to start. Onceyou get your feet on the road, you'll find the journey mucheasier than you imagined.
Let's go back to the comparison between writing a grant proposaland remodeling your house. If you were going to remodel, lay downnew carpet and reupholster the sofa-you wouldn't start by rippingup the old carpet. Nor would you begin by slapping a new coat ofpaint on the walls or tearing down the old drapes. In fact, youwould probably begin the project by taking out your Yellow Pagesand looking under Home Improvements. This would give you a goodidea which stores offer the kind of price range of these goodswill be. Once you have a clear idea of what is available, you cancall each store to talk to the salespeople and see if they hadwhat you were interested in. Only after making this initialcontact would you take the effort to drive down to the store andmake a purchase.
So, like that home improvement project, receiving a grant startswith a little research. First you'll want to determine what isavailable. Then you need to make initial contact with the agencyor foundation and see if your need for money fits theirguidelines. Once that's done, you will find it easier to completeyour proposal and obtain a grant.
Begin by going to the Yellow Pages of grants: The FoundationDirectory. You can find this book in the reference section ofyour local library or, if you live in a rural area, you may needto travel to a larger public library in the nearest major city.In this lengthily directory you will find descriptions of everyprivate grant foundation in the United States. By reading throughthese listings you will find grants for every purpose you canimagine, from education to artistic projects, scientific researchto projects to help the homeless. You will also learn what kindof funding the foundations provide to these projects-some willoffer a few hundred dollars, while others will give thousands andeven millions of dollars a year.
There is another Yellow Pages for government money: The Catalogof Federal Domestic Assistance. Like the Foundation Directory,The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance lists every source offree money given away by the government, and the number of causesfunded by private foundations is dwarfed by the scope ofgovernment grants.
While looking through these grant listings, jot down theaddresses and phone numbers of any foundations or governmentagencies which look promising along with any other importantinformation. Later, you will be able to access this list easilyrather than having to go back through the entire book.
Now you have a list of initial contacts for your grant needs,much like you would have after glancing through the Yellow Pagesfor your remodeling needs. Next, you need to get a little moreinformation about the foundations on the list just as you wouldabout the hardware stores. But how do you do that? In the case ofthe home improvement stores, you would pick up the phone and callthem. Unfortunately, you cannot make a phone call to most grantfoundations and calling government agencies is an effort which isabortive as often as it is productive, but you can write a letterto them.
This letter, referred to as a "letter of inquiry," will be yourfirst contact with the foundation. It is your way of reaching outand shaking hands with the foundation director and introducingyourself. In order to make a good impression, keep this letterbrief and to the point. Being long winded or redundant will onlystart you off on a bad foot.
Many people are rather hesitant to compose this letter eventhough they stand to lose nothing and given thousands of dollars.Perhaps the reason is because they are not sure exactly whatshould be included in the letter. When putting your letterinquiry together, be sure to include:
* Your name, address and phone number
* A brief introduction and description of your project or need for money.
* A Request for the foundation's annual report and grant application.
* A request for a list of previous grant recipients, a sample grant proposal and the foundation's tax returns form the previous year.
The annual report is sort of a prospectus for the grantfoundation. Reading it, you will learn exactly what thefoundation gives money away for, how extensive your proposal willneed to be, how much money they give away to particular projects,and when the applicant deadline is. Although not all foundationsmake the information available, if you can obtain a list of pastrecipients and a sample successful proposal you will be ahead ofthe game because you will have concrete examples to guide you.Or, you can contact the past grantees and inquire what they didto set their proposal or project above the others. With thisinformation, you can hardly go wrong when you begin to write yourown proposal.
Once you have your letter ready, send it out to every grantfoundation you feel you might be eligible for. By sending oneletter to each foundation, you will assured of a large volume ofresponses.
Soon the material you requested from the foundations will beginappearing in your mail box. When you read through all of thesepapers, you will discover that some foundations are not what youthought they would be, while others do not fund projects exactlylike yours. However, you may discover that some of them arewilling to give money. In fact, it shouldn't be too long beforeyou have a list of at least a dozen foundations that are likelygrant givers. It is to these you must send your finished grantproposal.
LENDING A HELPING HAND
"But I don't qualify for any of these grants!" That's one of themost common complaints uttered by grant seekers when pagingthrough the Foundation Directory or The Catalog of FederalDomestic Assistance, and sometimes it's very valid. After all,most grants are very specialized, and many are not available toindividuals. However, it's hard to imagine, with the huge varietyof grants that are available, that someone is not eligible forany of them.
Most likely is the situation where, after receiving a grant, anindividual might want to find another method to cash in on theprocess. It seems a shame to let all of that experience andresearch go to waste on a single grant.
So, rather than worrying about the fact that you have used up allyour time and energy on one grant just for yourself, perhaps youshould look into becoming a grant broker. Working as a grantbroker, you will be acting as a middleman for nonprofit agencieslooking for funding, and for government and/or private grantsources which have money to give away.
There is a common misconception about nonprofit companies: Mostpeople seem to think that they cannot engage in any activitywhich brings in cash. In reality, the nonprofit status simplymeans that the company cannot disperse its profit as bonusesamong its employees. They can make money, pay regular salaries totheir employees, advertise, and reinvest their profits by puttingthem back into the corporation.
The first thing to understand about being a grant broker is howto make money. Many first-time grant seekers imagine that a grantbroker would do well charging a commission, or a percentage ofthe total grant awarded. This is true. So true, in fact. that itis illegal for grant brokers to collect a commission. instead,they must charge a set fee for their services and collect onlythat amount. While this may seem somewhat limiting, it has oneadvantage: You will be paid whether or not you secure a grant foryour nonprofit company.
You already know about your grant sources, so you'll need toresearch the other half of the equation: the nonprofitorganizations in your area. There are two basic types ofnonprofit groups which you will be able to help with yourgrant-seeking efforts-charities and social action organizations.charities are any group whose main goal is to help human beings(the homeless, the poor, the handicapped) with their efforts.Social action organizations are groups involved with issues likeanimal rights, political decisions, the environment, etc.
As a grant broker, you must contact several of the nonprofitgroups in your area and convince them that you can assist them inefforts by securing grant funds for them. The first contact canbe made by simply using your free money letter; they will sendyou information about the organization and you will be able todetermine if you are interested in finding financing for them.Or, if you are more confident about your grant-winning ability,you can introduce yourself and your service in the letter.
Once you have attracted the interest of the nonprofit group. youcan either collect a small "finder's fee" for giving them a listof grants that they are eligible for and let them apply for themoney themselves, or you can charge a bit more and write thegrant proposal for the group yourself. Many nonprofit groups willinsist on you doing this.
Remember, when approaching the nonprofit group, your grantexperience is your resume. If you have secured a grant foryourself, tell them about it. If not, tell them that you havespent time researching grant sources and the application process.Once you have successfully secured grants for a few nonprofitgroups, you will find that others will be much more receptive toyour brokerage business. Some may actually seek you out and treatyou very obsequiously. Your knowledge and experience are veryimportant to them.
ONE FINAL WORD OF ADVICE
If traditional sources of grant money haven't been working out, afinal possibility might be corporations. Large companies oftengive money for public projects. Many of these companies alreadyhave their own foundations (i.e. the Ford Foundation), but othersmay have programs which are not specifically mentioned in theFoundation Directory.
If you think you have a project which might interest a corporatephilanthropic program, consider all the major companies in yourarea. Many corporate programs are geographic in nature, that is,they may apply mainly to the region in which the company has amajor base of operations. Unfold a map of your area and draw a25-mile radius circle around your house. Then consider all themajor industries which fall into all circle and start writing. Ifnone of these attempts pan out, you can start trying othercompanies at progressively farther distances away. As a lastresort, try large companies out of state. Exhaust allpossibilities, and always remember that the money may not bewhere you think it is.
Once you compose your letter of introduction, you may bewondering who to send it to. Here is a brief list of grantfoundations to which you can mail your letter. If you'd like moreinformation, check The Foundation Directory in your local or TheSecrets Of Getting Free Money by Tim Darth
FORD FOUNDATION320 East 43rd St.,New York, NY 10017Contact: Barron M. Tenny
Information: Money given for projects associated with research,training and other activities related to urban poverty, humanrights, rural poverty, education and culture, public policy andinternational affairs.
THE BABY FOUNDATION FOR THE MUSICAL ARTS501 Fifth Ave.,New York, NY 10017Contact: Eleanor C. Mark
Information: Grants given for musical study based on need andtalent.
GATLING GRANTNorth Carolina State UniversityP.O. Box 7302Raleigh, NC 27695-7302Contact: Financial Aid Office
Information: If your last name is Gatling and you want to attendthis university, you qualify for this grant. There is $1.2million available in this fund.
CARNATION COMPANY SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION5045 Wilshire BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90036Contact: Board of Advisors

Information: Scholarships for higher education to relatives ofCarnation Company employees on the basis of academic merit andfinancial need.
NEW HORIZONS FOUNDATION700 South Flower St.,Ste 1122Los Angeles, CA 90017Contact: G. Grant Gilford
Information: Financial assistance to needy Christian Scientistswho are at least 65 years old and reside in Los Angels, County,Calif.
THE CLARK FOUNDATION30 Wall StreetNew York, NY 10005Contact: Edward W. Stack
Information: Grants for convalescent and medical care for needyindividuals in the area of Upstate New York and New York City.
THE VERO BEACH FOUNDATION FOUNDATION FOR THE ELDERLYc/o First National Bank225 South County RoadPalm Beach, FL 33480Contact: Program Director
Information: Relief assistance only to indigent residents of VeroBeach, Fla.